Murderville (7 page)

“Leave me alone with her,” the woman stated.

She walked over to Liberty, her high heels clicking across the floor.

Liberty cowered and closed her eyes, expecting the worst.

“I’m not here to hurt you, little girl,” the woman stated. “Get up.”

Liberty’s small arms trembled as she pushed against the floor to lift herself.

“When is the last time you’ve eaten?” the woman asked.

“I . . . I . . . can’t remember,” Liberty said honestly. Her sunken eyes and bony frame caused a tear to roll down the woman’s face. Human trafficking was a system of manipulation. Liberty didn’t know that the young woman before her used to be in her shoes. Stolen from her home in Dubai, the young woman had moved her way up the ranks. From street whore, to brothel worker, to Madame, she had slept her way out of the misery. Now she helped to manipulate the other little girls that entered the business. Grateful for the dim light, she quickly wiped the tear away as she pulled a cigarette from her clutch. She lit it and slowly sucked in the nicotine, staining the tip in M.A.C. Viva Glam plum as she held the cancer stick between two seductive fingers. She walked to the door and snapped her fingers, immediately summoning a worker in the warehouse.

“Bring me food for her . . . good food. Go out and get a burger and fries,” she instructed.

“She doesn’t work, she doesn’t eat,” the man replied sternly.

“If she doesn’t eat, she can’t work, you imbecile. Look at her. Do you think anyone is going to pay to be with her in that condition?” the woman seethed. She was only twenty-four years old, but she was a veteran in the sex game. She was old news as far as the clientele was concerned . . . past her prime. She had once been the hottest name in the underworld, but her fifteen minutes had passed the moment her breasts had begun to require an underwire. She had become old news while girls like Liberty were on the rise. The worker reluctantly followed her orders, and she focused her attention back to Liberty.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Liberty,” she replied timidly.

“I’m Abia,” the woman answered.

“Where’s A’shai?” Liberty whispered. “I just want Shai.”

“A’shai? Is that your brother?” Abia asked curiously.

Liberty shook her head.

“He came here with you?” she asked.

“They split us up! He said he would always protect me,” Liberty answered. “Where is he?”

Abia noticed the look of infatuation in Liberty’s eyes. She recognized the love. “You love this boy?” Abia said in shock, as she silently wondered what a little girl so young knew about love. “Is he your boyfriend?”

“He’s my friend!” Liberty shouted.

“I’m sorry that they took him away from you,” Abia replied as she took a drag on her cigarette. A knock at the steel door announced the arrival of Liberty’s meal. Abia retrieved it and then gave it to Liberty. She tore open the food, desperately stuffing it into her mouth, barely tasting it before she swallowed it quickly before they decided to take it away. “You have to forget about your past life, Liberty. You’re here now, and all you can do is make the best of it. The only way to make it better is to work your way up. You’re young, but you have to earn your stripes, Liberty. Work hard and eventually you will be upgraded to a higher, more sophisticated level of this business,” Abia explained.

Liberty sat silently, feeling helpless. “I just want to go home,” she whispered, referring to her old village as she thought of the family she had lost.

“This is your home now,” Abia hissed. “And you better get used to it. The sooner you start following the rules, the easier it will be. They will only tolerate your disobedience for so long before you aren’t worth the trouble. You can do this and be a part of this or do nothing at all,” Abia said as she sliced one finger across her neck as if it were a sharp knife. “Do you understand?”

Liberty nodded, quickly knowing exactly what Abia meant. They would kill her if she didn’t comply and assimilate to the way that things were done. Liberty’s eyes misted as she watched Abia walk out of the room. She was the most beautiful woman Liberty had ever met, but Liberty was disgusted by her ugly soul. She listened as the clicking of Abia’s stiletto heels echoed down the hall until the sound disappeared. She tucked her knees to her chest and laid her head on top of them as she cried a river. To survive she was going to have to sell her soul to the devil. Young Liberty may have given up on GOD, but she knew that the devil was real because she was living in hell.

Six months had passed and A’shai was getting used to the routine. He and a crew of other young field workers hid behind the dumpster in the inner city of Tijuana. It was another hustle of the Mexican cartel. They had the youth target the tourists in the area. They were trained to point out and rob Americans with money. It was just another day in the life, and A’shai scoped the busy city street for potential victims. What at first seemed cruel had become a way of life for the young workers, and A’shai somewhat adapted to the working conditions in the cocaine fields and on the streets. For some of the workers, the cocaine fields provided a better living than in their native countries where poverty was an everyday lifestyle. The Mexican cartel ran the governmental structure in Tijuana, so there wasn’t any means of help. Life was what it was . . . hell.

As the boys hid behind the oversized dumpster, they watched as the wealthy American tourists walked the small strip were the local shops were located. They were looking for a mark that seemed to have money so that they could snatch a bag or purse. The field workers would do this every weekend in hopes of hitting a jackpot. A’shai was the youngest of the boys, but he was the fastest so they usually made him do the actual snatching.

“You see those diamonds?” the eldest said after they saw a beautiful woman come out of one of the shops. She was dipped in diamonds and blinged as the sun hit her ring, bracelet, and necklace. She had a fair complexion and her slim body was immaculate. She looked like she could be a famous super-model, and with the kind of jewelry she had on, she just might have been.

“Shai, she is the one. I bet you she has tons of money de’ purse,” the Haitian boy said in a heavy accent.

“I got it. I got it,” A’shai said as he stared at the potential victim.

A’shai nodded his head as he rubbed his hands together, waiting for the right time. He came from behind the dumpster and began to walk towards her. A’shai put his hands in his pockets, trying to look as natural as possible as he neared the unsuspecting woman. His heart began to beat fast as he approached the woman who held her purse in one hand and a shopping bag in the other. He felt the adrenaline kick in and that’s when he went for it. He ran up to the lady and snatched both bags from her hands and took off towards the alley where his accomplices were waiting.

“Hey! Come back here!” the lady yelled just before pulling off her stilettos to give chase. A’shai was running full speed as the boys cheered him on, but he stepped in a pothole in the road and twisted his ankle, drastically slowing him. He grimaced in pain and hobbled to the alley, giving the woman time to gain on him. Once he reached the alley, the lady had caught up with him and grabbed him by the back of his collar. The other boys emerged from behind the dumpster.

“Well, hello there, pretty gal,” one Haitian field worker said as he circled the lady.

“I just want my things back,” she said as she released her grip on A’shai. The Haitian boy began to fondle the woman, grabbing her butt and laughing as the other boys began to circle her also. A’shai stepped back unsure of what was going on. He just wanted her belongings, nothing more nothing less.

“What you want to give me for de’ purse?” the Haitian boy asked as he looked at her with lustful eyes. He was the leader so the other boys followed suit and began to touch the lady inappropriately. She cringed and closed her blouse that showed a small portion of her cleavage.

“You can have the purse. I just want to leave,” the woman said, backing down as she tried to exit the alley. The Haitian boy jumped in her path, stopping her.

“Why you rushing off? Let’s have some real fun,” he said as he grabbed his crotch and laughed sinisterly.

“Yo, what the fuck is going on? Let her go,” A’shai said as he realized their intentions. He didn’t want to sexually assault the woman in any form or fashion.

“Stop being a pussy, Shai,” another boy said as he stepped forward.

“Let’s just take the purse and go, man,” A’shai pleaded. The other boys had already planned what they were going to do to the American beauty, and they weren’t letting A’shai get in the way. Two of the boys grabbed A’shai and held him back while the other two began to rip off the woman’s clothes. “Let her go!!” A’shai screamed as he tried to shake loose from their grasp. They were much too strong for A’shai’s small frame. They managed to rip the woman’s shirt completely off exposing her breasts and they muffled both her and A’shai’s mouths as they prepared to rape her. The woman looked at A’shai, and both of them had tears in their eyes as they knew what heinous act was about to happen. There was a brief moment of silence just before the big boom. The sound of a gun being blasted echoed through the alleyway and blood splattered against the brick wall along with the young Haitian boy’s brain. A tall slender black man stood holding the gun with a cigar hanging from his mouth. He was dark, well-built, and sported a $3,000 suit. Everyone jumped at the sound of the blast. The man was Baron Montgomery, the victim’s husband and one of the biggest drug lords in the Midwestern states. He quickly grabbed the other boy that was abusing his wife and flung him like a rag doll against the building. Pure rage was written all over Baron’s face as he caught the hoodlums trying to violate his wife. The other kids scrambled to get away but Baron let off another round into the air. “If anybody moves, I’m blowing their fucking heads off! Everybody get against the fucking wall,” he demanded as his eyes were bloodshot red as anger overcame him. He knelt down and helped up his wife.

“Are you okay, Willow?” he asked as he took off his jacket and covered her up. She shook her head yes as she wiped her tears away. “I want you to see something baby,” he whispered as he ran his hand through her hair and then gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Line up against the wall,” Baron ordered as he turned his attention to the remaining three boys, including A’shai. He walked over to them and took a puff off his cigar. He then dropped it to the ground and stepped on it. “Do you know who the fuck I am?” he asked one of the young boys as he stood in front of him. Before the boy could answer, Baron pointed the gun to his head and squeezed the trigger, rocking him to sleep forever. His blood and brains splattered against the wall as his body fell limp and he eventually collapsed face down. A’shai and the last boy were petrified as they began to plead but Baron didn’t care. He put the gun to A’shai’s head and told him. “If you believe in a GOD, you better pray to him right now. Say your peace,” he said as he tightened his grip on the gun.

“Baron, wait! He tried to help me. It was the others who tried to rape me. Leave him be,” his wife said.

“Are you sure?” he asked as he looked back at her.

“Yes, I’m positive. He was the one trying to stop them,” she said as she looked into A’shai’s young eyes. Baron then pointed his gun at the other boy and fired two into his chest with no remorse. He put the smoking gun on his waist and looked at A’shai whose knees were trembling.

“Thanks for what you did for my wife, lil man,” Baron said as he smiled trying to ease the kid’s fear. He reached into his pocket and pulled out five crispy bills and handed them to A’shai who waved his hand rejecting the offer.

“I’m good. I didn’t like these mu’fuckas anyway,” he said as he looked down at their bodies. “Can I go?” he asked as he looked up at Baron.

“Yeah, you can go,” Baron confirmed as he grinned at the wit of the youngster that stood before him. A’shai turned around and headed down the alley so that he could return to the fields. Baron and his wife watched him walk away. However, something in Willow’s heart told her to stop him.

“Hey!” she yelled out. A’shai stopped and turned around. “Let us buy you dinner,” she said, feeling that she had to repay him for his bravery to go against his friends for her honor. The sound of somebody giving A’shai free food was too good of an offer to let pass, and he headed back their way.

Baron and Willow watched as the kid in front of them stuffed his face like it was his last meal. They encouraged him to order anything he wanted and four different entrees were in front of him. A’shai didn’t once look up and think about how barbaric he looked in front of total strangers. The Mexican restaurant was the most elegant one on Tijuana’s downtown resort. It was one of very few upscale spots in the dilapidated town. A’shai had never seen anything like it and the food was the best he had ever had. He had already stuffed four rolls into his pocket, knowing that they would come in handy later.

“Slow down,” Willow said as she burst into laughter. She looked at Baron who was also laughing at the young boy and that’s when A’shai finally looked up. He had sauce all around his mouth and on his fingertips as he ate the food like a madman.

“What?” A’shai asked as an odd moment of silence filled the air. Baron and Willow just looked at him, both with grins on their faces.

“Nothing. So tell me, where are your parents?” Baron asked as he folded his hands on top of the table. A’shai focused back on his food and began to eat.

“I don’t have any parents,” he said as he thought about his deceased mother and his estranged father back in Sierra Leone. “I don’t need any parents. I can take care of myself,” A’shai said as he avoided eye contact with Baron.

“I can tell that you’re not from around here. Your accent is too strong,” Baron said noticing the strong African roots in the boy.

“I’m from Sierra Leone!” A’shai said proudly as he stuck out his chest and looked at Baron with clenched teeth. Willow’s heart immediately dropped at the sound of the place because it was her homeland; she, too, was from the impoverished country. Willow reached over and rubbed A’shai’s facial scar.