Chapter 37 Lincoln
The drive to Don’s house was long. I would normally take the train, but I didn’t want to risk anyone seeing Laynie. She didn’t speak a word on the drive over and I could feel the fear radiating off her like heat waves on a scorching pavement. She was practically trembling.
“Has he ever hurt you?” My voice ripped through the silence.
“No.”
I didn’t know as much about my father as I thought. I wasn’t afraid of him, but Laynie’s intense fear suggested something had happened between them.
It was 11 pm now, but I knew he would be up.
We pulled up to his brownstone in Brooklyn, where I pounded on the door. Through the window, I could see the lights on. Laynie stood directly behind me on the steps. She was shaking and it wasn’t from the cold.
He ripped the door open, and I could smell the alcohol on his breath.
“Son!” he said, throwing his hands in the air.
I pushed past him, dragging Laynie behind me. Once inside, he followed me to his living room. It looked like it was staged, as if no one lived there. White couches covered with fur blankets and a fireplace going. He had always been compulsive about keeping the house clean. I received many beatings at his hands for leaving a single dish in the sink. Mom always tried to pick up behind us to save us from his wrath.
“Who is this?” he said, gazing up at Laynie.
Laynie hid behind me, pressed against my back. She grabbed my arm, digging her fingers into my flesh.
“Do you bring me a Christmas present, son?”
Laynie whimpered behind me, squeezing me tighter.
I ignored his comment, clenching my fist, holding back from attacking him. “Call them off her. Now.”
“What?”
I moved Laynie next to me, even though she resisted.
I saw the recognition hit his face full force. Laynie, Alek, the man who had been making Alek’s life a living hell, was me. He picked up a glass of liquor on the counter behind him and slammed it down, shattering it.
Laynie jumped and moved back behind me. I wouldn’t let him touch her, but Laynie’s faith in my ability to protect her was not strong.
“You’re the one who killed my men,” he said.
I ignored him. “Call Alek now. Call them off. She’s mine.”
“You know, son, you don’t have to settle for a used whore. I can find you a nice young lady, that every man in NYC has not fucked, including your father.”
I ripped away from Laynie and stepped closer, aiming my gun at his head. “Call them off.”
“Wow, this bitch really has you fucked up. I told Alek to kill her a month ago. Lucky for you, his dumb ass doesn’t listen to me.”
“When did you become a part of this?” I asked.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He smiled and took a swig out of a liquor bottle. He tilted his head, studying Laynie, but I didn’t take my eyes or the gun off of him.
“I’ll call him off, but this is my gift to you, and you’ll be in my debt forever.”
“Fuck you.”
“So we have a deal,” he said as he pulled out his phone and started dialing a number.
I kept the gun aimed at him as he called and ordered Alek to leave me, Laynie, and her mother alone. I could hear Alek questioning his decision, but my father hung up without an explanation.
“Done.”
I lowered the gun and turned back to Laynie. She was still shaking, and I noticed she was standing in a puddle. She had pissed her pants. Her gray sweatpants darkened on the inside and her shoes soaked. She had her head staring at the ground. My father noticed a few seconds after me.
“I know that bitch didn’t piss on my fucking floor!”
“I’ll clean it, it’s fine.”
“I’m sorry,” her voice barely above a whisper.
“It’s okay, baby.” I picked up her chin and kissed her.
“Lincoln, I know I didn’t raise you to be like this. See, your fucking mother made you soft. I told her about that shit and she wouldn’t listen. The only way to train these bitches is to slap the shit out of them when they do shit like this.” He raised his hand and pretended to slap the air.
I ignored him and grabbed some cleaning supplies under his sink. I looked up and saw him walking towards her. “Stay away from her,” I ordered from across the kitchen.
He stood back a few feet, but studied her. “You do anything to hurt my son, you disgusting whore, and I’ll personally chop you up and dump you in the Hudson River.”
“Yes, sir,” she said.
The disgust flooded me, and I walked over and pointed my gun at the back of his head. “Speak to her like that one more time and you’ll find yourself in the Hudson.”
He laughed and put his hands up in surrender. “Clean this shit up and get the fuck out of my house.” He walked away, leaving us alone in his living room.
“Take your shoes off, baby.”
She stepped out of the brand new white Nikes I bought her and I pulled off each sock, shoving them in the shoes. She stepped back out of the puddle and I cleaned the floor with the cleaning supplies. I know she was embarrassed, and I tried to clean as fast as I could so we could get the fuck out of here.
A knock at the door interrupted us.
“Linc, I want to go.” Laynie picked up her shoes off the ground and huddled closer to me.
Ignoring us, Don walked back into the living room and headed for the door.
Five men entered, and each of them had a woman attached to their hip. It was clear the girls didn’t want to be there. One girl made eye contact with Laynie and I knew instantly they knew each other.
I positioned myself in front of Laynie, blocking the men’s view, but it was clear they all recognized her.
“Man, I thought Alek chopped your head off by now,” one said, passing by.
“Linc, you’ve overstayed your welcome. Get out,” Don ordered.
I put my arm around Laynie and walked to the door. There was snow on the ground and she had no shoes on, so I picked her up and she straddled my waist. I could feel her hot tears against my neck as we walked to the car. “Don’t worry, baby, I’ve got you.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“It’s fine. Are you okay?”
She nodded, but I didn’t believe her.
There were many things I wanted to ask her during the drive back to the apartment, but I decided it wasn’t the right moment. She had just pissed her pants in my father’s house from fear. She had been through enough tonight.
When we arrived back, Charlie and J.C. were asleep on the same couch facing opposite directions. I laughed and covered them up with another blanket. Charlie stirred awake.
“Alayna, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m okay. We’ll talk in the morning, go back to sleep.” Laynie said.
Nodding, Charlie turned back onto her side.
In the room, I helped Laynie in changing out of her wet clothes and prepared a warm bath. I gave her privacy to bathe alone, but I heard her crying from the bedroom a few minutes later. I walked back in. “Baby? What can I do?”
She didn’t answer, but started crying harder.
I walked over and sat on the edge of the tub. I grabbed her rag and put soap on it and started rubbing her back. The scars on her back made me hurt. Some were old and some new. It’s unimaginable how someone could harm an innocent and defenseless person. It disgusted me, and I wanted to kill them all. I moved to her shoulders and saw the burn scars there. Some of them had used a cigarette or lighter on her skin. I didn’t want to ask. Even her breast had scars on them from being whipped. They covered her entire body in some kind of mark or scar. I let her release her tears while I bathed her. After rinsing her off, I wrapped her in a towel and brought her to the bedroom. Slowly, I dressed her in pajamas and panties. “I’m going to shower. I’ll be right back.”
She didn’t respond.
As I left, she sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes fixed on the wall. “Do you want me to sleep in the guest room?” I wasn’t sure what she wanted right now, but I wanted to give her space if she needed it.
She jerked her head up to look at me. “No. Stay with me, please.”
I nodded and laid down on the bed. She curled up next to me, grabbing onto me like she was afraid something would rip her away. I held her until we both fell asleep.
* * *
Laynie woke me at 4 am in a nightmare. She was screaming “no” and pushing away from me.
“Laynie, wake up, baby. Just a dream, that’s all. I’m here, baby girl.”
She opened her eyes and realized where she was.
I pulled her into my chest, and she curled her body into me.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
“You don’t have to be sorry. Ever.” I kissed the top of her head.
“After that, I can’t go back to sleep,” she said.
“We can stay up then. You want come ice cream? Mint chocolate chip?”
I felt her head nod against my chest.
“I’ll be right back.”
When I returned with two bowls of ice cream, she was already sitting up in bed, engrossed in my phone. I handed her the bowl, and she put the phone down.
“Thank you. I only glanced at your phone to see how I looked in the reflection.”
“You look perfect, baby.” I slid in next to her and watched her take a bite of ice cream. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” she said.
“Did you know those people who entered the house earlier?”
“Yes.”
I nodded and didn’t press farther. Another question was pressing me, though. “Don mentioned he had raped you before, but when I asked if he hurt you, you said no. Why did you lie?”
“I didn’t lie, I just didn’t remember, and still don’t. It doesn’t mean he didn’t. Maybe I wasn’t conscious.”
The thought made me sick, but I kept my composure.
“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you earlier.”
“What did I say about saying sorry? Give yourself some forgiveness, Laynie. Being afraid of your tormentors doesn’t make you weak, baby, it makes you normal. I’m sorry I brought you there, but it was necessary for me to get him to comply.”
“Do you think Alek will listen?”
“If he values his life, he will.”
“I want to go home today.”
“I know.” The thought ripped out my soul. I didn’t want to let her go, but it was selfish of me to keep her here. She was miserable, surrounded by all the evil she had ever known.
“You know,” she said while licking the ice cream off her spoon, “you’re the nicest drug dealer I’ve ever met.”
I laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
She paused for a moment and looked up at me. “Will you ever stop doing it? Drug dealing?”
“Yes, one day.” I didn’t expand more. It really didn’t matter. She was leaving and my life would go back to normal.
“I want you to know how thankful I am for everything you’ve done for me. I’ll never forget it.” Her eyes were sincere.
“I know you are, but you don’t have to thank me. I wish I had never lost you the first time. Each day, the guilt of my actions weighs on me.”
“You aren’t responsible for this, for anything I went through. It’s not your burden to bear.”