One Among Us - One Among Us Part 19
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One Among Us Part 19

"Hi, Rae," Lorraine's voice was sullen when she opened the door.

"Hey, Lorraine. Just wanted to stop by and see how you're doing," Rae said.

"We're doing the best we can, as usual. Any word? Any new developments?" Lorraine asked with hope.

"No, sorry to say, there aren't. I'm sure you read about the twelve-year-old girl that has been missing for three days. The one who they think was taken from Love Park in Center City," Rae said.

"Yes, I've been watching it on the news. What the hell, Rae? What's wrong with people in this world?" she asked, not expecting an answer.

"I wish I knew. But, you know, I was thinking about you and Rob. Maybe you two should think about contacting the missing girl's parents. I mean, unless you've been through it, it's hard to imagine what they're going through. I can hook you up with a couple of cop buddies down on the Philadelphia force, if you're willing to talk to the parents," he said.

Rob had overheard Harker from the living room and walked up behind his wife. "I think it's something we should try to do, Lorraine. It won't bring Maggie back, but maybe we can help someone else while we're living this nightmare. Remember how hard it was in those first months? Breathing, eating, sleeping-even blinking-was an effort. Maybe we can make a difference. Something to make Maggie proud that we're her parents," Rob offered.

Lorraine hesitated, looking from Detective Harker to her husband. "OK. We'll give it try. Reach out to your cop friends. Tell them if the girl's mom and dad need to talk, we're here for them."

Detective Harker stayed for a short visit. When he left, Rob went up to bed, but Lorraine sat on the sofa. In the silence of her home, for the first time, she accepted the idea that she could help others through their tragedy. If she were lucky, maybe by helping others, she'd actually begin to heal. Not forget Maggie, but begin to heal.

Chapter Sixty-Three.

Juju was standing only five feet away when she heard Maggie tell a man sitting in his car that she wouldn't get in. "I don't get into cars. If you want something from me, we have to go back into the field behind these buildings," Maggie stated, pointing off to her right.

Juju couldn't hear what the man said; his words were jumbled. But she watched Maggie take a step backward as he sped off.

"What was that about?" Juju asked Maggie.

"Remind me to tell you later. I have to keep moving. It's been a slow night, and at the rate I'm going, I'll be out here until tomorrow morning trying to make my quota. My feet are killing me, and I'm just tired. Why do men like these stinking high heels? Why can't they be turned on by slippers?" Maggie joked.

"I don't know why. Because they've all been trained to like chicks in fuck-me pumps. Anyway, when are you comin' over?" Juju asked.

Maggie rubbed her temple. "In the morning. That's when I'm always over, Juju," she said, jabbing Juju in the belly.

The next morning, as soon as Juju set a cup of coffee in front of Maggie, she asked, "So what is it you were going to tell me about the guy in the car last night? You looked scared out of your mind."

"Ugh! That's because I was scared out of my mind. I have this thing about getting into cars with men I don't know. I get this intense fear that seizes my entire body. I read about stuff like this. I think I have post-traumatic stress disorder," Maggie explained simply.

"Huh? Post what?" Juju asked, her face scrunched in confusion.

"Post-traumatic stress, it's what happens to people when they have been through something really bad. I think it comes from John William forcing me into his van. So now, every time a john wants me to get into his car, I freak. I can almost always convince them to go into the field, but every once in a while, like that guy last night, they get pissed off," Maggie rambled.

"Aren't you afraid Armando will find out about this?" Juju asked, concerned for Maggie's safety.

"Yeah, I am. But I'm more afraid to get into a car with a john than I am of being caught by Armando. It's everything I can do not to run in the other direction. I can feel myself start to panic. I break into a cold sweat. It's a horrible feeling, and it gives me the creeps. Don't tell anyone; I don't need it getting around," Maggie stated, suddenly feeling vulnerable even talking to Juju about it.

Maggie was petrified to do anything wrong, worried that Armando would put her back in the box in the upstairs closet or something even worse. The thought of getting into a car with a stranger terrified her. She was afraid every time she walked off with a john that he was going to hurt her. She was frightened that the other girls would do something to get her in trouble. But the worse fear of all was her constant worry that Thelma would do something to harm Seth.

The months passed quickly, and before Maggie knew it, it was Thanksgiving. She tended to think about her family more during the holidays than at any other time of the year. On the morning before Thanksgiving, Maggie, Seth, and Juju were sitting on the curb in front of Seth's elementary school. The girls still met him every morning; it had become a ritual. When Seth finished his doughnut, Maggie stood. "OK, Seth. You have to get into school now. I won't see you tomorrow or Friday because it's Thanksgiving, and you're off from school," she informed him.

Seth clung to her. "I hate it when I don't get to see you, Aggie. Thelma said I ain't good enough to have Tanksgiving dinner. I have to stay at home with her. I hate it there, and I hate Thelma," he yelled, frustrated.

"I know you do, but this is just temporary. Before you know it, we'll be living together again, and you won't have put up with Thelma anymore," Maggie said.

"Fine." Seth pouted. "But I hope she doesn't keep hitting me. I hate it when she hits me. It's better when she just makes me stay outside. Even being cold doesn't hurt as much as when she whacks me," he whined.

Maggie fought her natural urge to walk to Rock's house and beat the shit out of Thelma. Afraid Seth would see her anger and that would scare him more, she put on her sweetest smile. "Does Rock see Thelma hitting you?"

"Yeah, she puts out her hand, and he takes off his belt and gives it to her. Then she hits me with it. See?" Seth said, lifting the back of his shirt.

"Holy shit!" Maggie blurted, staring at the marks on his back.

She leaned into Seth, taking him into her arms. "I won't ever leave you. I'm going to get you out of there. Do you believe me?" she asked, fighting back tears.

Seth nodded. Then with his head hung low, he walked into the elementary school, where he would spend a few painless hours before he would have to go home for the long, four-day weekend.

Chapter Sixty-Four.

It was Thanksgiving, which meant nothing to Rock and the men who hustled the girls. While they allowed the women to cook a dinner in the house, they were expected to work that night. It was a busy night for prostitutes in Kensington, where the population of addicts and degenerates meant there were more people out on the streets with a reason to party rather than spending time with their families giving thanks.

Juju was among the partiers. She'd sold her dope within a few hours and decided to stay at Needle Park and drink beer with some of her pusher friends. She had just guzzled her fifth beer and was drunk. Juju stood and staggered over to three guys she knew from the streets. She heard one of them say, "The really hot one," just as she approached.

"Yeah, that chick, Maggie. I know who you're talking about. She's gorgeous. Too bad she's a hooker or I'd have to charm her into being my old lady," one of the guys stated.

The others nodded in agreement. "Hey, Juju! You hang out with that girl, Maggie. Why don't you ever bring her out to party with us?" a good-looking, dark-haired teen called Bond asked.

"Maggie does her own thin', Bond. She's my friend and doesn't want to get caught up with any douche bags like you," she stated, her tongue loosened by liquid courage.

Bond laughed. "I don't know how she does it. All those assholes I see her talking to. Some are old, some are nasty, and others are just ugly," he told the others. "It must really blow to climb into cars with some jerk-off you don't even know. I hate dealing with some of those pricks here in the park, out in the open. There are some real shady characters," Bond said, looking at Juju.

Juju guzzled another beer and let out a long, loud, manly burp. "Maggie doesn't get into cars. She only does it with them where there are people nearby. She's not an idiot," she stated, flailing her arms in slow motion.

The alcohol Juju consumed removed all of the boundaries between her thoughts and the words coming out of her mouth. She was very drunk, and by the next morning, she wouldn't remember most of what she'd said.

But the boys had heard her loud and clear. When Bond left Needle Park, he walked down Kensington Avenue to find Rock. All of the hookers and dealers knew that giving Rock information regarding his business was valuable, and he always took care of those who watched out for his best interests.

"Rock, hey man!" Bond yelled and ran toward him.

"Yeah, 'sup?" Rock asked casually.

"Hey man, happy Thanksgiving," Bond said.

"Yeah, same to you. How you doin'? You need more dope?" Rock asked.

"Nah. I have about ten bags left. I'll probably need more tomorrow. Anyway, I ran into Juju down at Needle Park tonight. She was pretty drunk. Told us something about that girl, Maggie, of yours I thought you might wanna know," Bond said proudly.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Rock asked half interested.

"She told us that Maggie won't get in cars with her johns. She's refusing them. Tells them she'll take them back to the field, but if they won't go, she turns down the trick," he stated.

"Hmm, that's interesting. Little bitch would only give hand jobs when she first started. Got away without me knowing it for a while, too. Why would Juju tell you this? She's friends with the little ho."

"I told you, man. Juju was drunk. I ain't never seen her that drunk before. Anyway, I just thought you'd want to know. You know, so you can check it out. I'm watching out for ya man, and makin' sure if I hear anything you should know, I come and tell ya. That's all," Bond said, nervously waiting for validation that he'd done a good deed.

"Yeah, man. I appreciate that," Rock said. Then Rock stood and gave Bond a gangster handshake.

Rock got back to the house of whores just when Armando was kicking one the girl's asses because she talked back to him. Armando looked over as his boss took long strides through the living room. Rock's jaw was set hard, and his demeanor revealed his burning fury.

"'Sup man?" Armando asked as he shook Rock's hand.

"Word on the street is your bitch, Maggie, is at it again. Bond told me that she's turning down johns if she has to get into their cars. I want to know what's going on. I'm gettin' tired of this shit, Armando. You all need to learn how to tame your bitches. Now, get on it and let me know what you find out," Rock told him and left the house.

On his short drive home, Rock wondered what he would do with Maggie if what Bond had told him turned out to be true. He couldn't put up with the shit she was dishing out. Otherwise, the rest of the girls would think they could do whatever they wanted. Maggie had to be put in line...the hard way.

Chapter Sixty-Five.

The next evening, Armando confirmed the rumor about Maggie and went over to Rock's house to discuss the matter.

"Hey, Rock," Armando called as he walked through the front door.

"Hey, man. What'd ya find out?"

"Yeah, it's true. I sent one of our guys from North Philly over to see her. She wouldn't get in the car with him. You want me to handle this?" Armando asked.

"Yep, you take care of her. Don't kill her. This one has great earning potential. But this time I want you to break her in the right way. She needs to understand we make the rules, not her! Oh, and one other thing, I want you to do..." Rock dictated.

When Maggie returned to the house early the next morning, Armando was waiting for her. He held out his hand to take the money she'd earned and handed it to Diesel. Then he backhanded Maggie, and she flew sideways, landing on top of a couple of girls who were sitting on a mattress nearby.

Instead of helping, the girls pushed her off them and onto the floor. Armando stomped over and kicked Maggie in the gut. She barfed and fell lifelessly into her own puke, which clung to the side of her face.

"Get the hell up, you little bitch," Armando seethed.

Armando pulled Maggie up by her hair, and she ran behind him as he ascended the stairs.

"Please, Armando. I didn't do anything, I swear," she begged, but her pleading fell on deaf ears.

Once in the bedroom, he pushed Maggie onto the bed.

"Let's go. Get undressed," he ordered.

"Please, Armando. At least tell me what I did," Maggie pleaded.

"It's not what cha did, ya stupid little freak. It's what ya didn't do. Little Maggie doesn't get in cars with her tricks. Ring any bells?" he sneered.

"I'm sorry, Armando. It's just that when I was taken, the man who kidnapped me put me in a van, and now I'm scared to get into cars with people I don't know," she said, hoping to avoid punishment.

Armando started laughing. A first it was a giggle, but then it turned into a full belly laugh. His reaction led Maggie to believe that maybe he understood her dilemma. But then his laughter took on a sinister growl, which eventually became the dominant sound, Maggie knew she was fucked.

"Oh boy," he yelled, as his laughter waned. "That's a good one. Now take off your fuckin' clothes before I tear them off myself."

Maggie quickly undressed and stood before him naked.

"Come on," he said and headed for the closest.

"Oh no, Armando. Oh, please don't put me in the box. Please. I'll try to do better," she promised.

"Bitch, please. Ya ain't gonna try to do nothin' better. If I ever decide to let you outta there, you're gonna do every damn thing I tell ya to. This ain't no negotiation, you idiot," he spewed ruthlessly.

In the closet, Armando unlocked the box. "You getting in yourself or do you need me to throw you in there?" he half asked.

Trembling, Maggie sat on the edge of the vertical box; slowly, she slid herself into it until her bare feet hit the bottom. Then she squatted into a ball.

"I'll see ya when I see ya," Armando said with a big grin on his face.

As Maggie sat, cramped at the bottom of the wooden box, she knew this was only the beginning of her punishment.

Chapter Sixty-Six.

A day later, the box opened, and Maggie, who was sore and exhausted, looked up.