“There’s five thousand dollars there. The four grand I owe Chilly and another grand for making him wait. But you can keep the other grand. Just leave my wife alone,” Bruce pleaded with the armed man.
He began to slowly count the money. His eyes narrowed and he counted it again. “There’s only forty-five hundred here, nigga.”
“I swear, man, I had five grand in that box,” Bruce said. Both he and the armed man looked at the searcher.
“Where the rest of the money?” He pointed his gun at the searcher.
“That’s all there was, man. He’s lyin’,” the searcher insisted.
“I don’t think so. Why would he lie? You got that money, muthafucka!” He shot the searcher once in the face.
“Oh, shit!” Bruce said. Natalie’ eyes bucked open and Brandy put her hand over her mouth at the sound of the blast.
The armed man turned to one of the men who was holding Natalie. “Search him. It doesn’t take two of y’all to hold that bitch.”
Before doing as he was told, one of the men stuck his hand in Natalie’s panties. “I’ll be back for you, baby.” Natalie struggled to break free, but it did her no good.
He rolled the searcher over so he wouldn’t have to look at his face. He went though his pockets and found nothing. “He ain’t got it.”
“Check his socks and in his drawers,” he commanded.
Once again, his orders were followed. “You were right. Nigga had it in his sock.”
“Y’all got what you came for, man. Why don’t y’all just go? Tell Chilly I’m sorry. It will never happen again,” Bruce said.
“Search the joint. Make sure there ain’t no more money up in this bitch.”
“There ain’t no more money here, man.”
“No, Bruce, I think there is. You’re in too big a hurry for us to bounce. There’s something else in here.”
The man went off and began his search in Brandy’s room. Bruce closed his eyes and prayed that Brandy had left the house while they were getting high. When he opened his eyes and looked at Natalie, she was completely naked, bent over a chair. Her captor was standing behind her.
“Look what I found!” he said, dragging a kicking and screaming Brandy by the arm. He threw her on the couch. “I found her fine, young ass hiding in the closet.”
“So, that’s what you was hidin’, huh, Bruce?”
“Please don’t hurt my baby, man. Please,” Bruce begged with tears rolling down his cheeks.
“You need a little something to remind you that Chilly ain’t nobody to be fuckin’ around with, Bruce. Fuck them bitches.”
“No!” Bruce yelled. “Don’t do that! I won’t fuck with Chilly’s money no more!”
Bruce watched as the man pulled Brandy’s pants off. She struggled to resist him. He hit Brandy in the head several times, then pulled down his pants and put his hand over her mouth. Bruce jumped up from the floor in an attempt to pull the man off Brandy, but before he could get to him, the armed man beat Bruce back down to the floor.
While the man kicked away, Bruce looked at Natalie. As her assailant forced himself inside her, Bruce saw the pain and anguish in her eyes. He heard her muffled cries. Then he looked at Brandy.
He tried again to get off the floor, but his attempt was met by the barrel of a gun. “Open your eyes, nigga, and see what happens when you fuck with the wrong nigga.” The man kicked Bruce in the face.
Brandy reached out and grabbed the lamp next to the couch. She hit her attacker in the back of his head with the base of the lamp. It stunned him long enough for Brandy to push him off.
“Run, Brandy!” Bruce yelled.
But Brandy was way ahead of him. She ran out the front door.
“Go after her!” the armed man yelled. Natalie’s attacker went out the door after Brandy. Natalie tried to run out too, but before she made it to the door, the armed man grabbed her and threw her to the floor.
Brandy didn’t look back. She ran into the streets, screaming as loudly as she could. “Help me, please! Somebody help me!”
She heard the sound of footsteps coming up quickly behind her as she rounded the block. One old man came out of his house. “What’s going on out here?”
“Mind your business, old man,” Brandy’s pursuer warned. The man backed into his house. By that time, Brandy was out of sight. He turned around and went back to Bruce’s house.
“Where is she?” the armed man asked as he finished having his way with Natalie.
“I couldn’t catch her,” he answered, fearing the outcome.
“Fuck it. Let’s go.” He looked at Bruce, who was lying on the floor crying but still glad that Brandy had escaped. At the same time, he knew his fate.
The armed man raised his gun and pointed it at Natalie. “Watch your woman die.” He fired twice then turned the gun on Bruce.
Chapter Twenty-two
When Me’shelle arrived at school, there was a message waiting for her to call a number at Jacobi Hospital. When she spoke with the nurse, she was told that the night before, the police brought in a young woman. She was found wandering the streets wearing only a black T-shirt and socks. Cold chills ran through Me’shelle’s body as she asked the young woman’s name. She knew it could only be Brandy.
“That’s just it, Ms. Lawrence. She wouldn’t tell us or the police her name. She’s in shock, and she’s been talking with the counselor this morning. She was able to get your name and number out of her, but not much else.”
Me’shelle left school immediately and went to the hospital. The doctor on duty told Me’shelle that Brandy had been raped and she was still in shock. They allowed Me’shelle to see her, but only for a while, as Brandy had become very agitated and had to be sedated.
She sat at Brandy’s bedside, crying while she held her hand until the nurses forced her to leave. When Me’shelle came out of the room, two officers and the rape counselor were waiting to talk to her.
They sat and questioned a tearful Me’shelle for about half an hour, but there wasn’t much she could tell them.
“What relation are you to the victim?” the officers asked.
“I’m her aunt. Her father is my brother. Have you called her parents?” Me’shelle asked.
“No, ma’am. Yours was the only name I could get out of her in the state she’s in,” the counselor said.
“Can you give us the address and phone number of her parents?” the officer asked politely.
Me’shelle gave the police the information they requested and one went to try to call the house. Meanwhile, the counselor continued to ask Me’shelle questions she could not answer. When the officer returned, he informed Me’shelle that there was no answer at that number. They were getting off their shift, but had called in to have a car sent over to Bruce’s house.
When the doctor returned to check on Brandy, the counselor went back in with her. Me’shelle went to the pay phone to call her aunt. Miranda was horrified, but not surprised by the news. Me’shelle began to cry once again and Miranda tried in vain to calm her down. She promised to call Juanita, then they would come to the hospital. Then Me’shelle called Travis, but she got no answer.
Me’shelle sat restlessly outside Brandy’s room until the doctor and counselor came out. Before continuing her rounds, the doctor assured Me’shelle that Brandy was going to be fine physically. “But she may complain of a general soreness and aches throughout her body. She may also complain of pain in the specific areas of the body that were targeted during the assault. These pains may be the result of actual physical trauma, or may be a psychosomatic response. Both reasons are equally valid and real. We’ll keep her under observation for a while, but your niece is going to be fine. However, I strongly recommended that you talk with the counselor about what she could expect next.”
