Working Girls Read online

  Tariq and Mimi came running out of the house. Mimi had heard Manolo’s voice when she came back in from the store after getting the condoms, so she ran for cover into one of the bedrooms. She’d thought about turning around and running back out of the house, but something inside of her just wouldn’t let her leave Halleigh there. Actually, when she ran into the bedroom, she thought it was the one Joe had showed them to earlier, but it wasn’t. Mimi stayed put and hid anyway until she thought the coast was clear.

  “And where the fuck you been, mu’fucka?” Joe snapped. “How the fuck they ass get in my house? You was supposed to be guarding the door!” Jamaica Joe yelled furiously as he pointed at Tariq’s head.

  Tariq’s face showed surprise when he saw that Jamaica Joe was still alive. “I had to go take a shit, nigga. Damn! I had the bubble guts. How was I supposed to know that somebody was gon’ run up in the spot?” Tariq asked. “Niggas ain’t ever been that bold before.” If Tariq hadn’t really had the bubble guts before, he had them now. He couldn’t believe the plan didn’t go down smoothly, and now he was left standing with the possibility of Joe finding out that he was behind it all.

  “How did they know where I lived?” Joe pretty much asked himself.

  “You ain’t been too cautious with that, fam,” Tariq jumped in. “I mean, look how many niggas was up in your spot tonight. You used to be on it all the time, making sure just any and everybody didn’t know where you rest at. But look, you throwing parties and shit. He could have found out easily,” Tariq stated quickly, making sure that no suspicion was directed his way. He even went so far as to point a finger at Malek, who was sitting on the back steps, his head on his fists. “This nigga in love with one of the enemy’s hoes, wifeying the bitch. She could’ve set the shit up.”

  “Shut the fuck up, nigga!” Malek jumped to his feet. “Don’t speak my name, for real. That’s just a warning for your best interests. Don’t even speak her name.”

  “Oh shit!” Mimi said. “Where the fuck is Halleigh? Did she leave with them?” Mimi wrapped her arms around herself. She already knew the answer to her question, and she felt guilty because she knew that Halleigh was in for the beating of her life. And her too, if Halleigh told Manolo that it was Mimi who set up the entire thing.

  “Yeah, ma, your girl left with them. It’s time for you to bounce too.” Joe pulled out three Gs and placed them in Mimi’s hand.

  Mimi stared at the money and then looked up at Joe. “Listen, I didn’t have nothing to do with them coming here tonight.”

  “I know,” Joe stated as he walked into his house.

  “And how do you know that shit?” Tariq was quick to mention in an attempt to direct Joe’s suspicions elsewhere.

  “ ’Cause my gut instincts tell me so,” Joe said to Tariq. “The same instincts that done kept me around this long.” Joe looked over at Mimi. “Go on, ma.”

  Right away, Mimi left, headed back to Manolo’s house.

  “Yo, Joe, man, I got to go get her.” Malek was pacing, as if he wanted to follow Mimi to Manolo’s and get Halleigh. “She needs my help. I can’t just leave her.”

  “Man, fuck that bitch! You ain’t Daddy no more, nigga,” Tariq said. “Manolo pimpin’ her ass all over town. She chose that life. We got bigger things to worry about for right now.”

  Joe hated to agree, but they had bigger fish to fry with Sweets’ crew. “Yeah, I got to get back at them niggas. If I don’t, South Side mu’fuckas gon’ be trying to test me all the time. I got to make an example.”

  Malek thought about what Tariq and Joe had just said, and the longer he contemplated the situation, the angrier he became. He thought about all the things he had given up to be with Halleigh: forfeiting his future, trying to be her man and stand by her. His NBA career was non-existent because of his commitment to her. He’d even chosen to love her when his own mother hated her. He had sacrificed all those things, and she had the audacity to choose another nigga over him.

  Maybe my moms was right. I can’t fuck with Halleigh. I’m through. He joined Joe and Tariq in the house so that they could plan their next move.

  Chapter Nine

  “Manolo! She has to eat!” Tasha yelled as she walked behind him and pleaded on Halleigh’s behalf. “You can’t starve her, Manolo.” She wanted desperately for him to ease up on his punishment of Halleigh, but every time Tasha came to Halleigh’s defense, he would become even angrier.

  “Shut the fuck up, Tasha, before you end up down there with her. I got to teach that bitch some discipline,” he shot back. “Do you not understand what the fuck just went down tonight? For a little bit of paper, this bitch turned on us. She fucking with your reputation now, Tasha,” Manolo said, trying to turn the tables on Tasha for not having the girls in check.

  On that note, Tasha decided to fall back. She knew that she could be more of a help to Halleigh if she remained in Manolo’s good graces.

  Manolo was a cruel man and was showing exactly how devious he could be. After the botched robbery attempt at Joe’s house he didn’t say anything to her. Not one word. His silence was more threatening than his actual actions, though, because Halleigh knew that at any moment, when she was least expecting it, he could snap. And that’s just what he did.

  The morning after the party, while Halleigh was sitting down, preparing to eat the breakfast Tasha had prepared for the girls, Manolo snatched her up from the dining room table by her hair and dragged her to the basement, where he tossed her down the steps as if she were a rag doll. That was three days ago, and he hadn’t let her out since.

  Halleigh’s stomach growled violently as a sign that she needed nourishment. She’d been in the damp, dark basement for days, and the only thing that she had to drink was the filthy water from the laundry basin. Halleigh had never experienced hunger pangs like the ones that raged throughout her body. She was famished and cried all day and all night for her punishment to end. Manolo forbade her to come up those steps and turn on the light switch at the top, so the only time she could see anything was during the day, when sunlight came through the sub-level windows.

  At night, the basement was darker than dark, and she couldn’t even see her own hand when she held it out in front of her. She constantly scratched her arms and legs as the dark played games on her. She always felt as if something was crawling on her. All these spiders, Halleigh thought as she scratched her body, breaking her skin and causing her arms to bleed. It was like being trapped in a dungeon.

  “Manolo, please let me out,” she pleaded from the bottom of the steps, just hoping and praying that the door would open, freeing her from the pits of hell. “Please, open the door!” she screamed.

  Her cries were futile, because Manolo didn’t budge. He kept her down there, locked up for her disloyalty. Halleigh was going crazy in her confinement. She began to talk to herself, pretending that she was having conversations with Malek.

  As the days passed, she became weaker, and all she did was sleep. It was during that time that she began to dream of Malek. Thoughts of him were the only thing keeping her sane; thoughts of him coming to rescue her, and he didn’t even know it.

  Halleigh was aware that Malek would never be able to forgive her for what she had done. Her dreams would be the only place where they would ever be together, and she had to accept that. Her heart was shattered, and her spirit was broken. A part of her wished that she would just die down there. Manolo had made her feel worthless; the same tactic he’d used to trick her into becoming one of his girls in the first place.

  Mimi could hear Halleigh crying at night when she slept in her bed, and the guilt was eating her alive. Halleigh hadn’t even thought about ratting Mimi out to Manolo, so she took the punishment all herself. Her agonizing cries made Mimi’s skin crawl, and she couldn’t even imagine what Halleigh was going through.

  After a while, Tasha began sneaking food and water down to Halleigh when she felt the coast was clear, which was only a couple of times. The smell down there almost made Ta
sha sick to her stomach from Halleigh having to relieve herself in the corner of the basement like she was a dog. But Tasha was never bold enough to free Halleigh from the basement.

  Tasha would simply place food and water at the bottom of the steps. She knew that Manolo had gone crazy on Halleigh for making him look bad in front of Sweets, and if he found out that Tasha was feeding Halleigh, he might lock her up too. But Tasha couldn’t let Halleigh die from starvation, so she took the risk anyway.

  After almost two weeks of torture, Manolo finally opened the door to the basement. “Halleigh?” he called as he made his way down the steps.

  Tasha and Mimi stood in the kitchen as they waited anxiously for Halleigh to emerge.

  “Halleigh?”

  “Hmm?” she moaned.

  Manolo saw her in a corner of the basement, balled into a fetal position with her eyes closed.

  “Halleigh!” he yelled, trying to get her attention. He walked over to her and picked her up.

  She was too weak to object, even though she didn’t want his hands on her.

  Her body flopped almost lifelessly as he carried her up the steps. She stunk badly. Her monthly cycle had come and gone, but the traces of blood were dried up on her thighs and legs. The sun burned her eyes when he stepped into the kitchen with her. It was like a thousand needles were being stuck into them.

  Mimi’s hard exterior melted away when she saw her friend. She began to sob uncontrollably as Manolo carried Halleigh past her and into their room, where he just threw her down on the bed and left her.

  Once Mimi saw Manolo exit the room, she immediately went back there. When she saw Halleigh, all she could do was just stand there and cry. She wanted to run over and hug Halleigh, but she looked so fragile that she might break if Mimi so much as touched her.

  Tasha came into the room and comforted Mimi. She looked over at Halleigh in disbelief. How could he do this to her?

  Manolo’s deep voice startled both Tasha and Mimi as it boomed from the other room. “Clean her up for work tonight,” he said then he left the house.

  Mimi released herself from Tasha and then finally made her way over to Halleigh and kneeled by the head of the bed. “I’m so sorry, Hal. I’m so sorry.”

  Halleigh didn’t respond. She couldn’t speak as Mimi just kept apologizing over and over.

  Mimi took a deep breath and then reached down into her bra. She pulled out the exact same hundred dollar bills that Joe had handed her the night of the party. “I got something for you,” Mimi told Halleigh. “It’s your pay from the party.”

  Halleigh just looked at Mimi, too weak to say anything.

  “It’s three thousand dollars,” Mimi said truthfully. “I’ll put it under your pillow. Okay?” As much as Mimi loved money, her conscience would not allow her to spend one dime of that money Jamaica Joe had paid her that night. And after all that Halleigh had endured at the hands of Manolo just because she was trying to help her out, Mimi felt that she owed it to Halleigh. That could have easily been her down there in that basement with Halleigh. If Mimi had learned anything in the game, it was that loyalty had a price. And this time, the loyalty that Halleigh had showed her would cost Mimi three thousand dollars, which she gladly paid.

  Just then, Tasha came over and instructed Mimi to help her lift Halleigh. They carried her into the bathroom. Tasha ran bathwater while Mimi held Halleigh up. The two eventually got her clothes off and placed her into the water-filled tub. Tasha began to bathe Halleigh as if she were a baby. Halleigh just sat there with her eyes closed while Tasha rinsed the soap off of her. Tasha had to close her own eyes to stop the tears from falling.

  When Halleigh finally did open her eyes, silent tears fell. She stared directly in front of her as Tasha tried to wash away her pain.

  “Forget about that boy, Halleigh,” Tasha told her. “Manolo will never let you leave now that he knows who you want to be with. I mean, that kid runs with Jamaica Joe for Christ’s sake. Now you know he is off limits.”

  Halleigh was non-responsive.

  “Manolo will never let you go,” Tasha added. “He is jealous and crazy like that. He’ll kill you before he gives you up to that boy. I’m not trying to see you in a box, Halleigh. Get it together before you leave him with no choice, sweetheart. You have to learn how to cope, baby, and learn fast, before you get seriously hurt.” Tasha kissed the top of Halleigh’s head and prayed to God that the young girl was listening.

  Chapter Ten

  “You have to learn how to cope, baby, and learn fast, before you get seriously hurt.”

  Tasha’s words echoed through Halleigh’s head as she remembered their previous conversation. Halleigh had definitely found a way to cope, but now she was stepping her game up a notch, hoping for an even greater escape than her casual cocaine use had been providing her.

  Halleigh tied the leather belt around her arm and found a large vein. She shook eagerly as she inserted the heroin needle into her arm. As she pumped the syringe into her system, her head fell back in satisfaction. All the ills of the world escaped her thoughts as she let the drug work its magic. Her heartbeat began to speed up, and all her worries went out of her body as she indulged in the most addictive drug ever created.

  “Damn, Li’l Rina. You betta take it easy,” Scratch said as he impatiently waited for his turn.

  “Shut up, Scratch!” Halleigh shot back. “You said that it would make all the pain go away. Well, that’s all I want to do.” She passed the dirty needle back to Scratch.

  Scratch didn’t want to take it, but the urge was too strong. He felt guilty for turning Halleigh on to the poison, but she had come to him desperately seeking an escape from the world she was living in. And next to death itself, Scratch didn’t know a better escape than heroin.

  “This ain’t for you, Li’l Rina. This ain’t for you,” he said as he filled the needle to the top and joined in on the party. Scratch looked at the beautiful young girl, and his conscience began to eat at him.

  When Halleigh came to him crying about her life and how she had ended up living the life she was now living, just like Scratch had promised, he provided a listening ear. After Halleigh told him of her latest fiasco with Manolo, Scratch convinced Halleigh that drugs would help her through the pain. But he did it for his own selfish reasons. He needed a hit badly, and his listening ears only heard one thing while Halleigh spoke: an opportunity for himself. He knew that if he talked Halleigh into trying the drug, he could manage to get a free high out of the deal as well. But looking at Halleigh right now, none if it seemed worth it to Scratch anymore.

  When Scratch looked at Halleigh, it was like déjà vu. He remembered how, years ago, it was her mother he had turned out on the drug. Unfortunately for Halleigh, history was repeating itself in a cruel way.

  “You know you’re too good for this life. You let Manolo go all upside yo’ head, knowing that fool ain’t no good. You don’t need to be here with an ol’ man like me. I already fucked up my life; I can’t let you fuck up yours.” Scratch tossed the needle down the alley. He was overcome with guilt and knew he wasn’t right for feeding her poison.

  “Scratch! What the fuck is wrong with you?” Halleigh yelled. Her eyes scanned the alley for the needle, and she quickly jumped up to fetch it. “I paid for that shit, and you throw it.” Halleigh tried to scramble away, but Scratch grabbed her arm and pulled her back down. His eyes were watering, and Halleigh had never seen anyone look so sincere.

  “Look, baby girl, this ain’t for you. Look at yourself,” Scratch told her. “I know I told you this shit would make you feel better, but I lied. Look at you. You’re only worse.”

  “But I do feel better,” Halleigh tried to convince Scratch. “It makes me better.”

  Scratch just looked at the monster he had created in Halleigh and shook his head. “I feel so bad for introducing this to you.” Scratch dropped his head in shame. “Don’t make the same mistakes that your momma made. She let life get the best of her, and now look at he
r. Get away from all this. Get away from me. Ol’ Scratch ain’t gon’ do you no good. Scratch do more harm than good to anybody that comes into his life, it seems.”

  Scratch’s words hit home for Halleigh, and it felt like her high left as the words came out of his mouth. The mention of her mother made Halleigh listen to what Scratch was saying. Was she like her mother? Was she letting this thing get to her and take over?

  Halleigh was reminded of all the times she had witnessed her mother high. All the times her mother went out boosting clothes to keep up her habit. All the times her mother never came home after consecutive days of getting high. All the times her mother hadn’t been there for her. And most importantly, the time her mother chose drugs over protecting her own daughter.

  Scratch’s words were, indeed, hitting Halleigh hard in the heart. She usually hated when he called her Li’l Rina because as far as she was concerned, she was nothing like her mother. But today she felt closer to her mother than she had in a long time. For the first time ever, she understood why her mother couldn’t beat her addiction.

  It took all Halleigh’s might not to run and get the needle that Scratch had tossed, but she took a step back and looked at herself. What the fuck am I doing? Am I an addict now? I can’t help it, though. It feels so good. I just don’t want to feel bad anymore. I just want to feel good.

  “I have to go, Scratch. Time to get back to work,” Halleigh said as she left Scratch alone in the alley. She hated her new habit, but it helped her get through the day. When she was high, it made the tricks she turned seem like a blur. She liked it better that way. The demons that haunted her 19-year-old soul were enough to drive a sane person crazy. Halleigh had fallen at the hands of the game.

  Scratch, feeling lower than ever, watched as Halleigh walked off. It hurt him to his heart that he’d turned another woman onto his preferred drug. He was responsible for starting Halleigh’s mother on drugs. Although he hadn’t seen Sharina in ages, it still bothered him to this day that he had ruined her life. Scratch watched Halleigh until she faded away, and then ran over to retrieve the heroin needle he had thrown.