Dealer's Girl (complete)

Chapter 5

“What the hell were you thinking? Have the chemicals from hair dye infected your head?” it had been like this since I answered the phone. Jared was being his usual protective self, but it was like that was amped up on all sorts of drugs.

                “You’re acting like I knew who she was or that she owned the place! You won’t tell me who she is and I didn’t know she was associated with the place until she showed up!” I yelled back. I didn’t care that this was the love of my life in front of me; I was pissed off.

                “I’m trying to protect you!”

                “You can’t protect me unless I know what’s going on. Otherwise, everything I do by accident will seem purposeful to you. The tattoo place had great reviews and the website showed some of their works. Excuse me if I liked that this place was perfect. It was just me and the guy who did my tattoo most of the time anyway.”

                “What if he had tried something while you two were alone together? You could have been hurt, raped, or killed!”

                “Is everything I say and do wrong to you? I’m not some helpless little puppy that you have to keep on a leash. I’m certainly not some housewife that you can order around either.”

                 “I’m trying to protect you damnit!”

                “Then tell me what’s going on! What do you do? What does that woman have to do with it? Why won’t you be seen with me?” I demanded. I was going to get answers this time, and Jared knew it.

                Jared took a deep breath and walked from the front door to the dining table. We had been fighting at the door since I had gotten home and never moved. I stayed where I was and watched him, but he didn’t care the distance I put between us. Taking a seat, he sat facing me and ran his hands through his hair a few times. Anger was still boiling inside me; there was nothing in the world that could calm me down at that moment.

                “You already know there is a gang, so I guess I have to tell you what we do,” he started, “Originally when my grandpa started this it was typical Italian Mob things like corrupting cops, convincing people to pay for ‘protection’, attacking those who didn’t comply, and other things. When my mom married my dad, my grandpa gave sort of made him the boss since he didn’t have any sons. Then my mom’s sister, my aunt, married her husband and that’s how Rachel and I came to existence and are cousins.”

                “I don’t need a family tree lesson,” I interrupted harshly. He was avoiding the subject.

                “Ok, sorry. When my dad was in charge, he made some changes that I still enforce. We still have cops working with us and technically own territory from other gangs. The businesses in that territory are convinced that they have to pay for our protection from our rivals. The main one is led by Rebecca Stone. The reason we are such rivals is because we all deal with drugs. Marijuana, cocaine, you name it we supply it to dealers and because we own cops we get away with it.”

                “Do you use the drugs?” I asked.

                “No I made it a clear law of our gang to never get addicted and jeopardize our work. Anyway, Rebecca Stone wants us to be shut down for good and will do anything to do it. About a year or so before I met you, she ordered a hit on my parents thinking that the business will die too. She didn’t anticipate that I would take on the business when I was eighteen, but I did. She’s still trying to destroy us so she can be the main supplier in New York and have better business.”

                “Have you hurt anyone?” I asked.

                “I have ordered hits on some people. Enemies or those working for me who ended up being liars. I never hurt an innocent person,” he looked sincere, but that wasn’t the answer I wanted.

                “I mean did you personally ever hurt someone?”

                “Yes,” that was all I needed to hear.

                Before listening to him explain himself, I stormed out of the apartment. I heard him call after me, but I ignored him. He hurt people. He hurt people! I knew he was the leader of a gang, but I had always hoped that he never did anything himself; that he had someone else do it for him. He was just like my father; an abuser. What if he started to hurt me too? The doubts flooding in my head made me think that I needed to leave. I had to run away again to be safe. On the elevator ride down I couldn’t help but cry in the solitary space. This was so much in one day, in only a few hours

              I had no clue what time it was that night when I walked out of the apartment building or where I was going. I just had to put more space between us. Rachel lived a few blocks away; I could go to her.  It was definitely late since there were only a handful of people outside with me; event the streets were practically empty. As I began walking I heard a car behind me, but I thought I was safe on the sidewalk. The car pulled up in front of me and suddenly stopped. It was a black van; that alone should have been a warning after all the Law & Order episodes I’ve watched.  Three men came out of the car while the driver stayed in his seat with the engine still on. All four men wore ski masks over their faces and looked directly at me.

                Before I could turn to run, a hand tightly grabbed one of my arms and began to pull at me. Then another man grabbed me. I tried to fight them, but I was too small and these men were determined. I began to scream hoping someone had an open window that could hear my cries. I managed to kick one of the men to my right in his crotch making him let go. I turned my head back to the front door of the apartment building praying that someone would come out, but no one did. I kept screaming and yelling until a sharp pain hit my head and it all went dark. Occasionally, I would wake up in the back of the van with my hands and ankles tied together. Tape was over my mouth so I couldn’t say anything. All I could tell was that we were still driving somewhere then I would pass out again.