“No.” And I did not want to know anything more about that situation.
He didn’t respond right away, but then came a third question. He spoke more slowly this time. “There’s a guy behind you. Turn and look at him. Then turn back to me and tell me if he’s skimming from me or not.”
I turned, but my gut already knew.
The guy held a gun and at my look, he started to bristle. He grew red in the face.
I turned back, finding Carl watching me intently.
Whispers: Interactive StoriesMake your own choices and decide what happens next!
“Yes.” I moved aside.
“Wha— I didn’t! The bitch is lying.”
Carl asked Raize, “She’s not wrong?”
“Nine out of ten.”
“Carl.” The gun guy stepped forward, his arm hitting me on purpose. The tendons in his neck bulged. “I’m not lying. I never skimmed on you. Ever! She’s a whackjob. You can’t believe her.”
“The question was if you were skimming me, not if you had skimmed me. Your answer confirmed hers.” He reached into his desk drawer and produced a gun.
A hand grabbed my arm.
He raised it, and I was pulled to the side just as he pulled the trigger and shot the guy in the forehead. Raize had yanked me out of the way.
Just like that, again, I had blood and brain matter on my face, hair, and shirt.
I was so sick of seeing people killed in front of me.
The door opened. Another security guy poked his head in with Jake.
Jake looked at Raize and me. Raize motioned to him, and he stepped back outside.
Carl motioned to the body. “Take that out of here. Dispose of it.”
The security guy looked back into the hallway, and two more guys stepped in, picked up the body, and carried it out. One guy cleaned the blood as they went.
Carl leaned back against the wall, folding his arms over his chest. “I need a reason why you killed Bronski’s man, Raize.”
“I told you.”
“Bronski fucked up. He didn’t know what she could do. He raped her, then sold her. He’s too stupid to have her. I’m not.”
I studied Carl, searching for a clue as to what he would do. He was Bronski and Raize’s boss. I knew the stakes here, or I was getting them at least. If Carl found in favor of Bronski, I’d be returned to him, and Raize would get a bullet in the head. That was how it worked. If he didn’t find in favor of Bronski… I didn’t know. Probably nothing would happen because Bronski was the one wronged by Raize.
They didn’t give a fuck what Bronski did to me.
Women had minimal uses in this world. Being a mule or a sex worker were the two most common options. I had a different purpose, and thank fucking God for it or I’d probably be dead with a busted drug bag in my stomach or hooked on drugs and pimped out on some corner, in some bed, in some motel, or in some gambling game. Who the fuck knew. I’d hit the jackpot with Raize, I was finding out.
Carl sighed, nodding. “Fine. You can keep her, but on one condition.”
Raize stiffened.
I held my breath, too scared to do anything else.
“I have a job for you in Texas.” He pointed to me, his finger extending lazily. “And you’re going to use her.”
Raize’s jaw tightened. “What’s the job?”
“We’ll talk more later. Go and get your things ready. You’ll be leaving tomorrow.”
With that, Carl left the office, and Raize finally turned to me.
I was still holding my breath.
“We’re going to Texas.” He brushed past me, and I swayed back and forth on my feet for a second.
Texas.
What was in Texas?
“Breathe, Girl.” Jake’s voice drifted in from the hallway. “We all lived another day.”
Right.
Living another day was also on my list of things to accomplish, but I was going to keep Carl’s name there anyway. ’Cause fuck him.
I bet he’d never been raped.
3
Carrie
“You got family here?”
I was surprised at the question and also who was asking. It was Jake.
Looks wise, he was six feet. Not as tall as Raize, but not short. Medium build. I’d guess that he worked out, or lifted on a regular basis. He was black. Dark eyes. His face was a little round and high cheekbones.
Did I mention he lifted? Because his shoulders were defined. He wore baggier clothes that didn’t show the definition, but I knew it was there. I saw it when he was lifting a body one time. He was a bit bulkier than Raize, but both were defined. Cut.
I didn’t know much about Jake. He came in and he was quiet.
He never said anything to me, and now he was asking questions like that?
People didn’t ask questions. Nosy snitches and all that.
He turned around as we waited outside yet another house. Raize had gone inside, and he’d been in there for a good long time.
I was getting restless. Also, I needed to piss.