“You’re definitely in the wrong neck of the woods, son. Tsk-tsk,” Carolina said, with a devious and threatening grin. Caleb concealed his device, delivered a short smile and nod in my direction, and walked away.
“You’re so pleasant, Carolina,” I said with a laugh, as she took her seat.
“He should know better,” she said, laughing, “What did he say to you?”
“That he’s Caleb and apparently he’s not homeless.”
“Well, he could’ve fooled me.”
Carolina twirled her elegant fingernail in the whipped cream of her drink as she observed Caleb walking out the front door and across the front window. Carolina was always blunt, offensive, hostile, and had an aggressive personality. She was an exceptionally acquired taste, but grew on me over the months. She was gorgeous in every aspect. Her ethnicity was a mix of black and Hispanic that collided with a combination of strength and extravagant features. Her hair was dark, full, and wavy, cascading down past her shoulders. Her skin a dark brown with a slight shimmer, making it appear almost golden. She had curves all around, including the lines of her full lips, her eyebrows sculpted to precision. She had various small tattoos strewn about her body canvas. The attribute that drew everyone in was her light green eyes, tantalizing and deadly. Her perfect qualities were only shadowed by a bold imperfection across her throat. There, from one side to the other, was a scar that had healed to protrude and slightly rise from the skin. With all the qualities of beauty possessed by Carolina, this is the first thing people noticed.
People wonder why Carolina was so cold. I wondered for a long time myself, but after hearing her story I never questioned her again. She had endured a tragic life. From the time she was eight, her mother would let men have their way with her for a couple hundred dollars. She eventually wound up selling Carolina to a sex trafficker for a bigger one-time payout that also managed to unburden her of the responsibility of feeding Carolina. She was forced to sleep with men, raped repeatedly, starved, beaten, passed around from buyer to buyer for years. She never had a family, friends, a chance to go to school, not a scintilla of happiness in her life. The day she got her scar is the day she escaped, the first time she killed a man. She told me from that point forward she would never be a victim again, she would never let a man touch her that way again. In a way Carolina terrified me, but I couldn’t help but respect her.
Carolina prized herself on her appearance. Her paychecks went directly to her wardrobe. She always had her hair and nails done. She wore high fashion obtained at bargain prices, though no one would question the quality. The only thing that put her out of places in classy establishments was her lack of an educational background and a foul mouth which shined through dramatically in her conversations.
“I don’t know what the fuck he thinks he’s doing here,” Carolina said, sipping her coffee, and licking the whipped cream from the corner of her lip. Watching her do this sent a small chill through me.
“He’s not supposed to be here?”
“He’s one of Law’s guys,” she responded.
“Wait, what? Law? How do you know?” I asked, immediately intrigued by her knowledge.
“He wears one of Law’s beepers, that’s how he keeps track of everyone,” she replied. “Doesn’t surprise me. I figured Law would be trying to recruit you at some point.”
Law was one of the people our boss hated. Apparently Law had it out for Franklin, our boss. We had our network of operations and Law was getting in the way. My knowledge of Law was not extensive, but I knew we were to never engage with him or any of his people.
“You didn’t know who you were talking to, it’s okay. Franklin doesn’t have to know,” she responded, casually observing my unease.
“What makes you think Law would try to recruit me? Maybe he’s trying to take me out,” I said.
“No,” Carolina gave a small laugh, “Law doesn’t work like that, but he does know the flawed flock to this city and he seeks them out to support his cause.”
“So he’s like Franklin?”
“No, Franklin runs this town. Law is just in the way.”
“So why does Franklin hate Law?”
“If you ask me, personally, I think Franklin’s scared of Law. Law has it out for Franklin bad and Law’s smart. He knows how to get what he wants.”
“What does Law have against Franklin?”
“You ask a lot of questions, Danielle,” Carolina said, glancing around in annoyance, “The whole history of Law and Franklin goes back like almost fifteen years. Law was in prison for like ten years, and he’s been out for like five or six years by now. It wasn’t until the last few years that Law even showed up in this town again.”
“That must be some bad blood to last that long.”
“I’d say so.”
“Well, what happened?”
“Dani, does it really matter? Who cares? Their bullshit past ain’t my problem,” Carolina said.
“Well, how do you know so much about Law?”
“I make it my job to know the dirt on everyone. It’s the only way I can stay alive in this town. When you know someone’s secrets, you have value, especially if you can keep those secrets. Anyone who runs their mouth about what they see and hear, well, those people immediately lose that value and become dispensable. You can keep the most powerful person on edge and in the palm of your hand with a well-kept secret, and all it requires is keeping your mouth shut. Yet, most
