Chapter 2 Lincoln
Iknew I had to take care of this problem tonight. My men had been having problems getting our shipments out of the port and it was losing me a ton of money. Last night they stabbed a carrier through the eye delivering in Queens. I didn’t want to deal with this shit tonight, but I couldn’t let it keep going. It would be easy for one of my men to turn on me, and I needed to find out if one of them was brave enough to do so. I started with Liam. A pain in the ass, but the key to a lot of my product. He’s been with me since the beginning. I don’t think Liam betrayed me, but he might have answers that will lead me there.
The smoke penetrated my nose and eyes as I entered his apartment. I watched the men tense when I entered. I scanned the room and my eyes settled on a young woman swinging by her wrists in the dining room. What the fuck? The ceiling had a large metal hook that was holding the rope, from which she swayed. It exposed her naked body for everyone to see. Blood dripped down her wrists where the rope was cutting into her flesh. I couldn’t see her face, only brown hair that fell down her back. I averted my eyes as to not draw attention to the rage that was building in my chest.
“What the fuck is this?”
Liam could sense the irritation in my voice. “Hey boss man.” He hesitated, unsure of what to say. “Uh, this is just a toy for us… you know?” His voice quivered when he spoke, and he sounded like a rat that had his tail stepped on. What the fuck had Liam gotten himself into?
“This is what the fuck you guys do when you’re supposed to be selling my product?”
“No, no, don’t worry about her.” He waved his hand as if swatting at a fly. “Look, I’ve been thinking about what you said…with the shipments coming in. I think we need to dial back until the port clears up. All this shit is going down because the new mayor is up for re-election and trying to clean up the streets. You know… make it look like he’s done something since he’s sat on his ass the last 2 years.”
I didn’t respond right away. I just studied Liam for a moment. He was a quirky mother fucker with an IQ higher than most. He looked like he always needed a shower and I could see the grease on his forehead glistening.
I walked past him, trying to avoid the needles and broken glass on the ground. “You need to clean this shit up.”
He ignored the comment. “Yeah, so let’s use the Miami port for now and have Jax send the boys to make the drops.”
“I’ll handle the mayor. I’m not changing ports,” I said.
Liam nodded, but said nothing. He knew not to question me.
My eyes crept back over to where the girl was hanging. I could see the side of her face now. A bruised cheekbone emerged from between the pieces of hair. She didn’t move a lot, but enough that let me know she was conscious.
“Who is this?” I asked.
Liam looked up, confused. “Who?”
“The fucking girl, idiot.” I nodded in her direction.
“Oh, she’s merchandise. Benny paid for 12 hours. That doesn’t have shit to do with me, but if you want a piece, he has about 45 minutes left with her.”
I walked over to where she was hanging. She was only about 6 inches from the ground but just enough to where she couldn’t reach. Bloodied red rings were visible around her wrist, suggesting that she had fought at some point but had since given up. Her chin was laying against her chest and her hair fell in front of her face. I tilted her chin up to be level with mine and brushed my thumb across her pink cracked lips. She looked at me with fear, but also acceptance. I could see she had predetermined her fate and was going through the motions until it played out in her favor. Death was her greatest hope at this point. She was beautiful. Her brown eyes staring back at me and they did not plead for help or hope to escape. They were simply solemn. I glanced back at Liam, who watched me closely but diverted his eyes when I looked at him. The other men walked outside on the patio and I wanted Liam to follow suit. My icy stare led him out.
“What’s your name?” I asked her when we were finally alone.
She said nothing. She gave no sign she even heard what I said.
“What is your name?” I said again and squeezed her cheeks with enough pressure to elicit a response.
“Laynie,” she whispered so softly that I barely heard. I released the pressure from her cheeks and slid my thumb down the side of her face. She didn’t look at me. She looked through me.
I resisted the urge to look at her naked body. She was vulnerable, and she didn’t deserve this. No one did. Her arm slightly turned with discomfort and a new blood streak fell from her wrist. I watched the blood slide down her arm and onto her shoulder.
I pressed my forehead against hers and I felt her breath against my lips. “I’m going to touch you.”
She didn’t move or blink, no response.
I put my forearm under her butt and lifted her up into me. Forcing her body against mine. The rope hung loose now, relieving the pressure on her shoulders and wrists. She didn’t resist or fight. She simply laid her head on my chest with her arms still dangling above, but at least more comfortable.
I held her like that for 30 minutes. No one from the outside tried to re-enter the apartment because they knew better.
Laynie didn’t fight against me. She just laid there as we listened to the rhythm of our own breaths. Her rhythm became consistent, and I knew she had fallen asleep. I didn’t want to let her go. I wanted to take her home with me and fix her. But even my stature meant nothing to the traffickers. It went beyond me, way beyond.
The front door rattled, and I knew I had to let her go. I released my arm that was holding her up, and I felt her body tense as she jolted awake. A small wince escaped her lips as the ropes tightened back around her wrists.
“I’m sorry.”
Two men entered as I stepped away from her. They didn’t say a word to me, but they laughed at the presentation she was in. I gritted my teeth. Fuckers.
“These fucking men get more creative each time,” one of them scoffed and shook his head.
The man laughing lifted her up by her thighs as the other undid her arms from the ropes. She slumped over the man’s back as he carried her out the door. She didn’t fight against them, but our eyes met briefly before she was gone. It was 3 a.m., so they knew the chance of anyone seeing her was slim and if they saw, they would probably shoot them without question.
I sighed as I leaned against the wall.
Liam entered back into the apartment. “You good boss?”
“Yeah, I’m good. Get this shit fixed with your boys. I’m talking to the mayor tomorrow and I don’t want anymore problems or I’ll start cutting throats.”
He nodded and I could see his Adam’s apple bob as the saliva passed through his throat.
I exited the apartment, my eyes scanning for the car they may have taken her in, but I saw nothing but the still blackness.