Lupe, down to his underwear, had to leap across the couch. She got her hand on the door just as he caught her, yanking her away from freedom.
She was about to swing on him if not for the vicious backhand he delivered first, lifting her off her feet. Her hair swirled across her face as her body tumbled away. As the ebon strands turned, they did something funny. They took on a life of their own, going over her now swollen cheek then across her nose and face. They continued . . . airborne.
The mass of hair flew through the air until landing by my shoulder. Almost alive, like a giant spider.
No.
A wig.
I was stunned.
Pumpkin grabbed her face, recovering from the recoil. Her breathing was labored as she righted herself. Lupe prepared to hit her again, but she wasn’t fighting anymore.
Just standing there . . . wobbly. And possessing short, wavy hair.
The same hair I’d seen earlier on her . . .
Sister.
Lord, no.
She looked around the room as if it were the first time she’d been here. Lupe was spooked. Kash was being attended to by his boys, but she never made another effort to escape. When she turned in my direction, she stopped. I stood up despite the consequences, concerned for someone other than myself for a change. Her eyes were glazed, trancelike.
Then she blinked.
And I saw her eyes didn’t match. Well, not really her eyes as much as the colors of her pupils. Lupe’s blow had not only knocked the wig off; it had jarred loose a contact. A colored contact.
The eyes rolled back as if she were about to faint. I took a step toward her, but she righted herself.
She looked at me again, but she was different. The posture and defiant demeanor had been replaced. Shoulders sunk, defeated and unsure. Realizing she was nearly nude, she brought her hands over her breasts as if suddenly modest. She began mumbling something, but it sounded like gibberish.
This was a different person looking at me.
“You! What am I doing here? What did you do to me?” The woman gasped, pointing an accusing finger at me before she screamed.
It couldn’t be. Yet it was.
Lupe shook off his surprise and grabbed her in a bear hug, covering her mouth with his hand. As he carried her away, she flailed and kicked violently. Kash motioned for him to bring her to the bedroom, where no one would hear her.
“Bitch about to get it,” he cursed, charging right behind them. The others eagerly followed, leaving me by myself. My bedroom door slammed shut, but it didn’t muffle the sounds of sobbing and pleading.
I heard the crack of a slap. Probably Kash getting his revenge.
Pumpkin was Tanner Coleman’s wife.
I tried to fathom the revelation, but it was hard to accept. Nearly impossible.
But there was the proof. A simple wig and colored contacts.
“No! Please!” came from my bedroom, jolting me out of my contemplation.
Whoever that woman was, she didn’t deserve this. God forgive me, what had I done?
I had to stop this, further injury to myself be damned.
I built up a head of steam before launching myselfinto the bedroom door. Nobody was blocking it, so it popped open.
On my bed, on my beautiful bed, was a scene of terror.
Coleman’s wife was clawing at the sheets, whimpering, while Kash proceeded to rape her. Each sob was met with a brutal, unforgiving thrust between her legs. One of the men had pinned her hands down. He gave me a nod, as if to say I could have a turn when they were finished.
“Stop! I messed up. You don’t know who that is. This is a big mistake,” I pleaded. “I’ll get your money. Just leave now before this shit gets worse.”
“Too late, boy,” Kash huffed, sweat already forming. “We’re going to be here a looong time.”
Beneath him, she’d heard me and reacted. “Please. Help me,” she gasped. Her eyes screamed at over one hundred decibels. I’ll never forget that look as long as I live.
I ran toward the bed before they could stop me. I tried grabbing Kash to pull him away. We struggled until he got a hand in my face. As he pushed my head back, he was holding it steady for Lupe.
His right-hand man rocked me with a punch so hard that my ears rang and one of my crowns popped out of my mouth. I crumpled off Kash as fast as the clothes he’d shed. I wasn’t on the floor long before being dragged to my closet, where I was beaten down and dumped.
As I lay there in the dark, semiconscious, I was forced to endure the screams and struggles as they took their turns with Coleman’s wife. As she wept, I wept for her. Too weak when I needed to be strong—the story of my life. I don’t know how long I was in there, but could sense when she’d given up, her spirit broken. I must have passed out, for all of sudden the closet door was yanked open. Light overloaded my senses as a pair of hands yanked me to my feet.
Coleman’s wife was still in my bed as I emerged from the closet. Most of the bedding was ripped off except for the thin sheet wrapped around her body. She was alive, but silent. That was all I could see as I was quickly ushered to the living room. An audience with Kash.
Kash was putting on his clothes, squinting still from the thumb poke. The rest of them pranced around as if they’d just participated in some great sporting event. Sick fucks.
“Henry, you all right?” he asked, snapping his fingers as if bringing me out of a trance. I just stared, wondering how successful I’d be if I took another shot at him.
“We’re done now. So get the fuck up out of my apartment,” I growled. My jaw was sore.
“I think I knocked something loose in his head.” Lupe chuckled. Damn, he could hit.
“Yeah, I think you did, bro. Otherwise Henry would know better than to ask for another ass whip-pin’. Oh . . . and Henry?”
“Yes?” I said dryly.
“We ain’t over.”
“Yeah. We are,” I corrected him. “You said—”
“Said what?” he cut me off, indignant. “You thought your whole debt was erased by that? You thought that crazy piece of pussy in your bedroom was worth a couple hundred grand? It wasn’t even that good. Besides, I only fuck with long-hair bitches. Didn’t know that was a wig when I first met her.”
“C’mon, man. Let this shit go. This has gotten out of hand.”
Now that his shoes were on, he rose. Patted me on my shoulder as if imparting great wisdom.
“Relax, boy. I ain’t gonna fuck you up this time. Consider that in there as a down payment on your tab. Now clean this mess up and get some rest. Let your hand heal. Eat some food; get your strength back. Maybe get a gym membership. Put a little meat on those ribs.”
They began leaving, Kash whistling as he strolled away from me.
“Why? What the fuck does that mean?”
“You’re going to work the rest of your tab off for some of my clients with . . . um . . . different tastes.” His crew thought it funny. I didn’t. “Don’t worry. They pay well. You’ll be done after a few years or so. Your jaw and asshole might be used to it after the first couple of months. Who knows? You might even come to like it.”
They laughed heartily on that note, closing the door behind them. I ran and locked it, in case they returned, before going to check on Coleman’s wife.
31
BIANCA
“What do you remember?” Tanner asked.
In the backseat, he held me, rocking back and forth all the while. My face was cradled next to his cast. The strange man named Henry.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he kept repeating as if it were a prayer. I didn’t want him touching me, but was too numb to do anything. The man who was driving reminded me of one of those Ivy League academics. I kept hearing his small dog barking. Wondered what breed it was.
“I figured it out but couldn’t tell them who you were,” he confessed, thinking I was too far gone to be listening. I think he was crying. “They would’ve killed you when they were through rather than face that kind of heat. You have to believe me when I say I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
They’d brought me here to Saint Aloysius, abandoning me in the emergency room before fleeing into the night. I don’t remember much after that. I wish I’d forgotten what happened before.
The four of them hovering over me, laughing. Each one taking his turn forcing himself inside me, ignoring my screams and pleas to stop. I think they enjoyed my terror more than the act. The one in charge, his foul breath and crooked smile. The things he said as he . . .
What would Tanner think?
I’m ashamed that I was concerned about such a thing.
“What do you remember?” Tanner repeated. My eyes darted between the doctor and him. A silent plea went out. She sensed my discomfort.
“Mr. Coleman, could you leave us for a moment?” the soft-spoken Asian woman requested. “I need to complete my exam.”
“If it’s okay with my wife, I’ll leave. Otherwise . . .”
“It’s okay, Tanner. I’ll be fine.” I patted his hand on my shoulder, feigning reassurance when in reality I was terrified.
A scared little girl. Again.
My husband reluctantly obliged, leaving to meet with the police detectives and possible media. My body ached so much, but it was troubling how
missing
I felt, if that made any sense. In a strange bedroom, they’d killed something inside me spiritually. I had no idea how I’d gotten there or why they would do such a thing. I just knew they were evil men.
My throat hurt from crying, yet I broke down again.
“We’re almost finished, Mrs. Coleman. I know this can be difficult with your husband here.” She rubbed my arm reassuringly.
“Yes. It is.”
“Did you know the people who did this? In most cases, it’s someone familiar to the victim.”
I’m sorry
, he kept saying.
“No. I don’t know them. Never saw them before in my life.” I stared into the blackness of the hospital window. In its reflection, I saw what had been replaying through my mind again and again. I shut my eyes to block it out.
“Well, the police are going to want a few minutes with you. Evidence preservation. Whenever you’re comfortable. Maybe they’ll put these animals behind bars.”
She left me alone. From behind the curtain dividing the examination room, I expected the monsters to return. I wasn’t sure if I could endure describing my ordeal to the police.
“Bianca? Baby?” They came as whispers, but were forceful in their clip.
Tanner had returned. I could’ve pretended to be asleep, but he would have persisted. His ego demanded answers.
Answers that, frankly, I didn’t have.
“Hey, honey.” I sighed, posing as if resting.
He checked the examination room, peeking behind the curtain. I felt relieved the monsters weren’t there. “The police will be here soon. I wanted to get in here first. Make sure you’re okay.”
“Okay?”
“Well . . . that you’re not any worse.”
“I’m just happy you’re here, baby.”
“I have to ask you, Bianca . . .”
“Yes?”
“Do you know the people who did this?”
“The doctor just asked me that.”
“And?”
I gulped; it was difficult to swallow. He saw me reaching for some water and handed the cup to me. “No,” I answered after taking a sip and clearing my throat.