Kiss Me on the Inside (19 page)

Later in the night Hype returned and took Keisha to another location. It was a secluded area that accommodated a few abandoned houses. Keisha sat in a corner in total darkness. Her legs were tied together and her hands were taped behind her back. The old door squeaked as it swung open. “Help me! I'm in here,” she hollered, hoping that it was someone coming to save her. Hype came into clear view with a big smile on his face.

“Were you expecting someone else? Nobody will ever find you here.”

“That's what you think.”

“Everybody will think you're off with a man as usual.”

“The police are looking for me right now.”

“The call you made at the hotel. They just think it's another prank call.”

“My rental is still there and besides, I didn't check out. Not to mention your blood in the room, you dummy. And other people will be looking for me when I don't show up to work.”

“Who, Bling?” Hype laughed. “So you think he's going to leave his wife to come and save a bitch like you. So you're expecting Bling to be your hero. Stupid little bitch. He doesn't love you. You were just a bitch to all of us.”

“This bitch played you for a fool!”

Hype went into the bag and took out some duct tape. He taped her mouth. He paced back and forth with the gun in his hand trying to come up with a quick plan. “Everything was all good but you had to stir things up again. You couldn't accept the fact that all this was your fault and leave me alone. You just had to be the hero. Well, the joke is on you. Didn't you know the hero often dies in the end?”

Hype exited the abandoned building. His destination was to find Bling and this time when he would shoot he wouldn't miss his target. He knew he wouldn't be able to locate him on his own; he would have to call Rommel to help him out. He dialed the number and tried to keep his eyes on the road. His call went to voicemail after a few rings. “This is Mel, leave a message.”

“Hit me back now.” He pressed the end button. The light had turned red but his attention was set on dialing Rommel again. When he returned his attention to the road the car in front of him had stopped for the light. Hype slammed on his brakes to avoid a collision with the black Honda Accord and his phone fell. He beeped his horn two times to the tune of “fuck you,” as if the driver had done something wrong. The light was now green and his phone started to ring at his feet. He tried to reach for it but his seat belt was preventing him. The cars behind him became impatient and beeped for him to go. He looked in his rearview mirror and stuck his middle finger up. He unbuckled his seat belt and reached for his phone. It was Rommel calling back. “We have work to do.” He drove off through the yellow light, leaving a line of angry motorists behind.

“So what did you do with her?” Rommel asked.

“She's still breathing but I want you to help me locate Bling.”

“What for?”

“I'm not leaving any stones unturned this time. I'm eliminating all of them. I'll be there in few minutes.”

When Hype got to Rommel's house there was a suitcase on the floor. “Where the hell are you going? I just told you I need your help.”

“Open the suitcase and stop running your mouth.”

Hype unzipped the suitcase and his eyes widened. It was a collection of guns. “Oh, shit!”

“You can't go to war with a knife. Choose a winner.”

“Where the hell did you get all these guns?”

“What do you mean where? All you need is money and you buy it from anywhere, even from the police.”

“You're rolling deep!” Hype picked up a pump rifle and examined it.

Rommel took it from him. “You came to the machine shop and that is what you want?” Rommel gave him the Uzi.

“You're acting as if I'm going to fight war with Iraq.” Hype put it back in the suitcase.

“A war is a war. Why not fight in style? When again are you going to have the chance to fire this.” He showed him a Magnum.

“It's not that serious; this will do.” He took the .45 pistol he had in his back that he had taken from Keisha.

“Remind me not to ask for your help in a real war,” Rommel stated, shaking his head and zipping the suitcase. “Times like these you know who the real shottas are.” Rommel put the suitcase under the bed.

“Stop all that talking and hurry up. We have work to do.”

 

 

They circled the block looking for Bling. They even went to a few barber shops hoping to spot him. They went to the gym where he usually went for a workout but there was no sign of him. “I have to get something to eat. A burger will do me good right about now.”

“We can't leave right now. I just have a feeling he's going to show up.” They waited for almost an hour. Hype was about to drive off when a crisp black Lexus drove into the parking lot.

“Lay back!” Hype ordered, dropping back in his seat.

The car door opened and Bling stepped out, wearing basketball shorts and a white tee.

“Bingo!” Hype rubbed his hands together, getting anxious. “Let's get this bitch.” He was ready to go after Bling.

“Hold on. There are too many people in the parking lot.”

“Get out the car and go get him and stop acting like a pussy.”

Rommel got out of the car and walked over to Bling, who was now searching in his car trunk. Rommel ran up to him, jamming the gun in his rib cage. “Take a walk with me, partner.”

“Who the fuck are you?”

Rommel poked him deeper in his side and pushed him forward. They got to the car and Rommel opened the back door. “Get in, bitch.” Bling hesitated and Rommel hit him with the gun over his head and blood flowed instantly. Bling got in the car and Rommel got in next to him.

“What the fuck do you want from me?” Bling wiped the blood from his face.

“I want your life, bitch,” Hype stated while pointing the gun in his face. Bling swallowed hard. “How is that pretty wife of yours; is she ready for a real man?”

“You better not touch her!” Bling tried to get at Hype but before he could throw a blow Rommel hit him in the back of his head with the gun. Blood gushed out, turning the back of his white T-shirt red. He reached for the gun he religiously traveled with in his left sock, for he knew this day would come. But he refrained from using it just yet because if he made one wrong move he would be dead. Bling instinctively took his shirt off and rolled it into a ball, adding pressure to the back of his head to stop the bleeding. Bling relaxed his head on the seat because there was nothing he could do; but at the right moment Hype and Rommel would be dead.

Bling thought about his wife, suddenly feeling the guilt of never ending his relationship with Keisha even though he had promised her that he did. He had falling out of love with his wife and in love with Keisha.

“Where is she?” Bling asked but got no answer. Bling adjusted his body and look at Hype with rage in his eyes. “If you hurt her I will—”

Before he could finish his sentence Rommel had the gun at his head. “You will do what?”

Bling calmed his anger and looked out the window and noticed he was heading north on I-95. “Where are you taking me?”

“Relax and enjoy the ride.” Hype dashed into the center lane to get from behind a car that was moving too slow, but quickly jammed on his brakes when another car switched into the same lane as him, causing Bling's body to lunge forward. Hype switched to the right lane, cutting off a white Camry, then accelerated on the gas pedal.

Thirty minutes into the ride they exited and got on the Van Wyck Expressway, then onto the Jackie Robinson Parkway. Rommel put a paper bag over Bling's head to prevent him from seeing their location. They pulled up at their destination and two crackheads sitting outside ran when they saw Hype exiting the car. It was still bright outside but the police rarely drove on these streets.

They entered through the back door and had to maneuver their way past high grass that hadn't been mowed in years. They pushed Bling inside with the bag still over his head. Rommel removed the bag from Bling's head and Keisha's eyes bulged in disbelief. She wiggled her body, trying to set herself free. Hype pushed Bling toward her. “Is he supposed to be your knight in shining armor?”

Bling ran to her. He removed the tape from her mouth. “Are you okay!” he asked her.

Hype was laughing at the sight of Keisha and Bling together. Rommel was standing guard over them. “Is he supposed to be your hero? I brought him to you. You said he was going to save you, right? Let me see him try.”

Bling wanted to pull his gun from his sock but he knew Hype wouldn't hesitate to shoot him or Keisha. Hype got close to Bling and pointed the gun to his forehead. “I can promise you that I won't miss my target this time.” Hype knocked Bling on his head with the gun and he fell to the floor.

“Nooooo!” Keisha screamed but Hype laughed at her.

“Isn't he supposed to be your hero? What a shame he can't even save himself.”

“You are going to pay for this!” Keisha tried to free herself.

“Just in case you didn't notice, I am untouchable. The police couldn't find me and your boyfriend couldn't take me down. I am king! You could have been my queen, my empress, but you like the lifestyle of a bitch and a bitch can't wear the crown. You aren't royal; you are nothing but a bitch for hire. Oh, by the way, didn't your uncle hire you as a hooker to do his dirty work?”

“Don't you dare speak his name. You are a monster who doesn't deserve to live. You are a weak person who hides behind a gun to do your dirty work. You aren't man enough just like you weren't man enough for me.”

Hype put the tape back over her mouth. “Duct tape his hands,” he ordered Rommel to duct tape Bling. Keisha tried to speak but the tape captured every word that tried to escape.

“I have to get rid of you and your little friend and I have the perfect plan. First I'm going to cut him into little pieces and turn him into fish food. Then I'm going to sell you to the highest bidder and then take the money and pay my boat connection to take me away from here. Come on, Rommel, let's go!” He walked off to the door. “Don't move a muscle.” Hype laughed a devilish laugh and exited the house.

Keisha tried desperately to free herself but her skin burned as she fought with the tape. Her eyes watered as the pain worsened. She let out a loud cry but the tape caught the sound. She had rubbed the skin from her wrist. After several minutes of agonizing pain the tape had loosened enough for her to painfully remove one of her hands. She took the tape off her mouth then rushed to Bling and freed him too. “Bling can you hear me?” She shook his body.

“Mmmhh.” Bling turned his head and moaned in agony.

“Can you hear me? Get up! We have to get out of here!” She was now crying because Bling was incoherent and her wrist was burning like it was on fire. She tried to pick him up but he was much too heavy for her to carry. She tried to pull him by his arm but she only dragged him about a couple of feet before she gave up. With tears rolling down her face she begged and pleaded for him to get up. “You have to get up! I can't carry you! You have to get up!” She wiped her tears and tried to think of a plan to get out of there before Hype returned. She tried picking him up again but it wasn't progressive.

“I have to go. I have to leave but I'll be back. I have to go get help. I promise I'll be back.” She ran outside but she was surrounded by abandoned houses on both sides. She ran a few blocks but she couldn't go as fast as she would have liked because she was weak from not eating. She finally came upon a few houses that were occupied by residents. The first door she knocked on no one came to her rescue. She knocked on a few more doors but to no avail. She was getting restless when she saw a house with a car in the driveway. She gathered all the energy she had left in her body and ran to the house.

She knocked the door and rang the bell and a man opened the door. “Please, sir. You have to help me. Call the police.” The man closed the door in her face. She banged on the door again. “Please, please, you have to help me.” Tears ran down her face but she knew she had to keep going. She could barely walk but she made it to another house. She knocked on the door but no one came. All her energy was now gone. She could barely put one foot in front of the other. There was a stop sign in front of her. She reached for it, holding on for support, but her arms gave out. She fell to the ground and everything was spinning around her. She closed her eyes and drifted off into darkness.

Keisha woke up to the sound of voices. She looked through blurry vision and saw alligator shoes and another set of feet wearing shiny red pimp shoes. She didn't recognize where she was. It wasn't the same place she was before. She felt two strong arms bringing her to her feet. Two black guys and one Spanish guy stood in front of her dressed like pimps.

“Still interested to buy this bitch?” the man behind her holding her up asked. “I know she is a little dirty but all she needs is a little cleaning up.” One of the pimps was holding a water bottle and he tossed it on her face. She took a deep breath as if she was drowning. “See she is just fine. With some makeup you could make back triple the price I'm going charge for her.” The men nodded their heads as if sealing a deal.

“How much?” the Spanish man asked.

“Give me five thousand and she is all yours.”

Keisha started to kick and scream. She was going to be sold to the highest bidder. “I'll give you six,” the man wearing the alligator shoes said, taking out his wallet.

“What about you, red shoe?” the man holding her asked.

The man shook his head. “The price is too high.” He walked out of the room.

“Well, she's sold to you then, pimp daddy in the gator shoes.”

There was a knock on the door as Gator Shoes was counting out his money and put it on the table. The big-bellied sweaty man released Keisha to Gator Shoes. “Who is it?” he responded to the knock as he exited the room, closing the door behind him. “I think I want to sample you before I release you to the vultures at my whorehouse.” Gator Shoes smiled, showing his gold teeth as he planted a kiss in the nape of Keisha's neck.

“So where is the girl?” Keisha heard the big-bellied sweaty man ask whoever it was he was speaking to. It was hard to hear what the other person was saying but Big Belly was so loud everyone could hear his sweaty ass. “I'll take her off your hands if the price is right.”

Gator Shoes opened the door with his left hand while his right hand held Keisha around her waist with a tight grip. Keisha knew that what she was about to get was worse than being tied up in that abandoned house. At least she would have still been with Bling. Gator Shoes escorted Keisha out the room and stepped toward the door. Keisha saw the red exit sign and she went wild like a raging bull. “Help! Somebody help me!” Gator Shoes couldn't contain her. She got away from his grip and ran in the opposite direction. The fat sweaty bastard came around the corner and Keisha wasn't surprised to see who was with him. Regardless if she wanted to stop running her legs froze when she saw Hype because for sure her life was now over. Gator Shoes ran up and grabbed her and she didn't struggle or fight back; everything was going wrong. She was caught in a tangled web with no way out. Anyway you looked at it she was fucked.

“What the fuck!” were the words that came from Hype's mouth.

“She is a hot one but she's all mine. Bought and paid for,” Gator replied.

“Can your girl top that?” Sweaty Man asked. Gator took a few steps to the door, wanting to go home with his new purchase, but Hype blocked him from leaving.

“You're not going anywhere!” Hype stated with words of war.

Gator Shoes paused. “What you doing, young buck?”

“This is my bitch. You're not going anywhere with her.”

“Hold your horses, young buck. Like the man said, she is bought and paid for.” Sweaty Man tried to defuse the situation.

“And like I said this is my bitch. He isn't going nowhere with her.” Hype took his gun out of his waist.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Sweaty Man was coughing from the cigar he was smoking.

“I picked this bitch up off the side off the road. So she belongs to me and like I said, she's sold.”

“She wasn't yours to sell because she belongs to me.”

“I just made a six pack off this bitch and you expect me to give it back?” Sweaty Man chuckled, causing himself to cough uncontrollable.

“Let go of her!” Hype ordered, pointing the gun at Gator Shoes, and he complied. Keisha took a few steps backward but Sweaty Man grabbed on to her.

“It's not that easy, young buck. Her price just went up.”

“Release her or he's dead,” Hype threatened.

“You wouldn't do that, young buck. It's not wise to mix business with pleasure.”

“It's all business to me.” Bang! The gun went off and Gator Shoes was on the floor.

“Ahhh!” Keisha screamed, covering her ears.

“You don't have to refund him but you will refund this bitch.” Hype was walking closer to him and Sweaty Man was stepping backward.

“You know that's not how it works, young buck. Nothing in this world is for free. Money makes this world go around.”

“And you are fucking with my money.” Hype fired a shot and it connected with Sweaty Man's shoulder. His arm went limp and Keisha fell to the ground.

Sweaty Man ran for cover. “Bitch, you are more trouble than you're worth.” He grabbed Keisha by the arm, pulling her to the door.

“Get off me!” Keisha was kicking and screaming. He dress rode up on her ass, exposing her panties. She was looking like a dirty crackhead whore. Just days ago she was a woman in a business suit. If anyone had told her that she would be kidnapped, raped, bought, and sold she would have told them to go seek mental help. But here she was living what seemed to be a nightmare and couldn't wake up. The front door of the building open and a bright light appeared. Keisha was hoping that she had died and gone to heaven. But that wasn't the case when shots were flying past her.

“Ahhh,” Keisha screamed, covering her ears as Hype ran for cover. She was in the middle of a shootout. With each shot fired she reacted with an even louder scream. In a panic Keisha got up and tried to run but a bullet pierced her in the back.

Bling came into clear view as she fell to the floor. Hype had shot her. He wanted to get rid of her and the bullet from his gun did the job. The gun fire had stopped giving her a moment of silence. Hype took the moment to make his escape. But Bling fired at him as he made his exit. Bling ran after him and noticed a trail of blood leading him to Hype. He was trying to put the key in the ignition of the car but the keys fell out of his shaking hand. He bent to pick up the keys and he raised his head to the warmth of Bling's gun. “Game over, fool!” Bling squeezed his trigger and Hype's head fell on the steering wheel and the horn stayed on as he emptied his gun and his blood splattered all over the car.

Bling rushed back to Keisha and laid her head in his lap. “You're going to be okay. You are going to be okay.” Keisha nodded her head and closed her eyes. Everything was now a blur to Keisha. Her focus was gone. “Wake up, Wake up! Don't die on me.” Bling was shaking her body. “Don't die on me! You can't die! I love you.” Keisha heard the words but she was drifting further into unconsciousness but managed to say a prayer.

“Dear God, please spare my life so I can right my wrongs.” Then came darkness. Bling held her lifeless body pleading with her to come back.

“Put your hands up! Put your hands up!” the police ordered but Bling held on to Keisha without acknowledging their presence. “Put your hands up!” the police ordered. But still he didn't comply. A cop slowly crept up from behind, putting him into a chokehold and another quickly put him in cuffs. “Call the medics!” the officer who had him in a chokehold yelled. “You are under arrest. Anything you say can and will be held against you . . .”