“I’m not here to hurt you, little girl,” the woman stated. “Get up.”
Liberty’s small arms trembled as she pushed against the floor to lift herself.
“When is the last time you’ve eaten?” the woman asked.
“I… I… can’t remember,” Liberty said honestly. Her sunken eyes and bony frame caused a tear to roll down the woman’s face. Human trafficking was a system of manipulation. Liberty didn’t know that the young woman before her used to be in her shoes. Stolen from her home in Dubai, the young woman had moved her way up the ranks. From street whore, to brothel worker, to Madame, she had slept her way out of the misery. Now she helped to manipulate the other little girls that entered the business. Grateful for the dim light, she quickly wiped the tear away as she pulled a cigarette from her clutch. She lit it and slowly sucked in the nicotine, staining the tip in M.A.C. Viva Glam plum as she held the cancer stick between two seductive fingers. She walked to the door and snapped her fingers, immediately summoning a worker in the warehouse.
“Bring me food for her… good food. Go out and get a burger and fries,” she instructed.
“She doesn’t work, she doesn’t eat,” the man replied sternly.
“If she doesn’t eat, she can’t work, you imbecile. Look at her. Do you think anyone is going to pay to be with her in that condition?” the woman seethed. She was only twenty-four years old, but she was a veteran in the sex game. She was old news as far as the clientele was concerned… past her prime. She had once been the hottest name in the underworld, but her fifteen minutes had passed the moment her breasts had begun to require an underwire. She had become old news while girls like Liberty were on the rise. The worker reluctantly followed her orders, and she focused her attention back to Liberty.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Liberty,” she replied timidly.
“I’m Abia,” the woman answered.
“Where’s A’shai?” Liberty whispered. “I just want Shai.”
“A’shai? Is that your brother?” Abia asked curiously.
Liberty shook her head.
“He came here with you?” she asked.
“They split us up! He said he would always protect me,” Liberty answered. “Where is he?”
Abia noticed the look of infatuation in Liberty’s eyes. She recognized the love. “You love this boy?” Abia said in shock, as she silently wondered what a little girl so young knew about love. “Is he your boyfriend?”
“He’s my friend!” Liberty shouted.
“I’m sorry that they took him away from you,” Abia replied as she took a drag on her cigarette. A knock at the steel door announced the arrival of Liberty’s meal. Abia retrieved it and then gave it to Liberty. She tore open the food, desperately stuffing it into her mouth, barely tasting it before she swallowed it quickly before they decided to take it away. “You have to forget about your past life, Liberty. You’re here now, and all you can do is make the best of it. The only way to make it better is to work your way up. You’re young, but you have to earn your stripes, Liberty. Work hard and eventually you will be upgraded to a higher, more sophisticated level of this business,” Abia explained.
Liberty sat silently, feeling helpless. “I just want to go home,” she whispered, referring to her old village as she thought of the family she had lost.
“This is your home now,” Abia hissed. “And you better get used to it. The sooner you start following the rules, the easier it will be. They will only tolerate your disobedience for so long before you aren’t worth the trouble. You can do this and be a part of this or do nothing at all,” Abia said as she sliced one finger across her neck as if it were a sharp knife. “Do you understand?”
Liberty nodded, quickly knowing exactly what Abia meant. They would kill her if she didn’t comply and assimilate to the way that things were done. Liberty’s eyes misted as she watched Abia walk out of the room. She was the most beautiful woman Liberty had ever met, but Liberty was disgusted by her ugly soul. She listened as the clicking of Abia’s stiletto heels echoed down the hall until the sound disappeared. She tucked her knees to her chest and laid her head on top of them as she cried a river. To survive she was going to have to sell her soul to the devil. Young Liberty may have given up on GOD, but she knew that the devil was real because she was living in hell.
Six months had passed and A’shai was getting used to the routine. He and a crew of other young field workers hid behind the dumpster in the inner city of Tijuana. It was another hustle of the Mexican cartel. They had the youth target the tourists in the area. They were trained to point out and rob Americans with money. It was just another day in the life, and A’shai scoped the busy city street for potential victims. What at first seemed cruel had become a way of life for the young workers, and A’shai somewhat adapted to the working conditions in the cocaine fields and on the streets. For some of the workers, the cocaine fields provided a better living than in their native countries where poverty was an everyday lifestyle. The Mexican cartel ran the governmental structure in Tijuana, so there wasn’t any means of help. Life was what it was… hell.
As the boys hid behind the oversized dumpster, they watched as the wealthy American tourists walked the small strip were the local shops were located. They were looking for a mark that seemed to have money so that they could snatch a bag or purse. The field workers would do this every weekend in hopes of hitting a jackpot. A’shai was the youngest of the boys, but he was the fastest so they usually made him do the actual snatching.
“You see those diamonds?” the eldest said after they saw a beautiful woman come out of one of the shops. She was dipped in diamonds and blinged as the sun hit her ring, bracelet, and necklace. She had a fair complexion and her slim body was immaculate. She looked like she could be a famous super-model, and with the kind of jewelry she had on, she just might have been.
“Shai, she is the one. I bet you she has tons of money de’ purse,” the Haitian boy said in a heavy accent.
“I got it. I got it,” A’shai said as he stared at the potential victim.
A’shai nodded his head as he rubbed his hands together, waiting for the right time. He came from behind the dumpster and began to walk towards her. A’shai put his hands in his pockets, trying to look as natural as possible as he neared the unsuspecting woman. His heart began to beat fast as he approached the woman who held her purse in one hand and a shopping bag in the other. He felt the adrenaline kick in and that’s when he went for it. He ran up to the lady and snatched both bags from her hands and took off towards the alley where his accomplices were waiting.
“Hey! Come back here!” the lady yelled just before pulling off her stilettos to give chase. A’shai was running full speed as the boys cheered him on, but he stepped in a pothole in the road and twisted his ankle, drastically slowing him. He grimaced in pain and hobbled to the alley, giving the woman time to gain on him. Once he reached the alley, the lady had caught up with him and grabbed him by the back of his collar. The other boys emerged from behind the dumpster.
“Well, hello there, pretty gal,” one Haitian field worker said as he circled the lady.
“I just want my things back,” she said as she released her grip on A’shai. The Haitian boy began to fondle the woman, grabbing her butt and laughing as the other boys began to circle her also. A’shai stepped back unsure of what was going on. He just wanted her belongings, nothing more nothing less.
“What you want to give me for de’ purse?” the Haitian boy asked as he looked at her with lustful eyes. He was the leader so the other boys followed suit and began to touch the lady inappropriately. She cringed and closed her blouse that showed a small portion of her cleavage.
“You can have the purse. I just want to leave,” the woman said, backing down as she tried to exit the alley. The Haitian boy jumped in her path, stopping her.
“Why you rushing off? Let’s have some real fun,” he said as he grabbed his crotch and laughed sinisterly.
“Yo, what the fuck is going on? Let her go,” A’shai said as he realized their intentions. He didn’t want to sexually assault the woman in any form or fashion.
“Stop being a pussy, Shai,” another boy said as he stepped forward.
“Let’s just take the purse and go, man,” A’shai pleaded. The other boys had already planned what they were going to do to the American beauty, and they weren’t letting A’shai get in the way. Two of the boys grabbed A’shai and held him back while the other two began to rip off the woman’s clothes. “Let her go!!” A’shai screamed as he tried to shake loose from their grasp. They were much too strong for A’shai’s small frame. They managed to rip the woman’s shirt completely off exposing her breasts and they muffled both her and A’shai’s mouths as they prepared to rape her. The woman looked at A’shai, and both of them had tears in their eyes as they knew what
