Rough hands touched me, and I tried to shrink away. “Don’t touch me.”
“Don’t be a stuck-up bitch now that you’ve changed zip codes.”
Even homeless, I wouldn’t let any of them touch me. Air wooshed under me as I was picked up. I was transported six years in the past, and I shook my head, but it was no use.
I was tossed in the air, and my stomach flipped right before I crashed against a soft surface. Blinking away the blurry vision, I noticed I was in a room on a bed. The man standing there in front of me was none other than the bald guy.
“The boss is passed out. He won’t mind if I try you out first.”
I couldn’t get a good grip every time I attempted to slide back. My hands caved under any weight I put on them.
“N-n-n-no.”
“You’re so high it won’t matter. It’s been a long time coming. I’d prefer your mom, but the boss said a deal was a deal. Hands off her.”
I shook my head, making the world spin faster around me.
“You traded yourself for her, didn’t you?”
Not for this.Never this.I didn’t want him anywhere near me. My stupid tongue wouldn’t move, and shaking my head only made me sick. Passing out was the last thing I could let happen.
“You can’t be stupid. You knew this was going to happen. Be happy we waited this long.”
Who in their right mind would be happy about this? My stomach continued to roll, promising I was going to puke everything I’d eaten that day up. I held it in as the bald guy got undressed. I never bothered to learn any of their names. Getting familiar in any way was never in the plan. The moment I was free, I wanted to erase every single one from my memory.
He got into the bed, and I stopped holding back. I fumbled forward on top of him.
“That’s more like—”
My back arched as acid burned its way up my throat and out of my mouth. Puke poured out of my mouth until I was left dry heaving and all that was left was spit. My stomach cramped, and I fell back as he sputtered. I reached for the pocket knife I kept on me whenever I had to meet up with Wakeman.
Pain flared over my right cheek as his hand whipped across it. The blade fell out of my hand and onto the floor. I scrambled away.
“Bitch.”
My hand wrapped around the pocket knife. I yanked it up and turned over just as he came after me. The knife pierced his flesh. My hands hurt with how hard I was gripping the handle.
He coughed and warm liquid splattered on my face. I didn’t think as I crawled from under him, each limb shaking with the effort it took to hold me up. Stumbling, I made my way out of the room, leaning heavily against the wall as I headed toward the backdoor. Everyone was in front, or at least I hoped they were.
I was barely hanging on. Every step felt like dragging my feet through quicksand, sinking with every passing second. I kept moving forward even when all I wanted to do was ball up and sleep.
The night air did little to clear my foggy mind, but at least my thoughts were stringing together a bit more. My heart was lodged firmly in my throat as I sucked in air as much as possible. My hands were caked in a sticky fluid. In the back of my mind, I knew it was blood, but I was too far gone to connect the dots or care.
My stomach rolled as I shakily tapped MJ’s contact. The world was tilting on its side, and I shook my head. It only made everything worse. Colors dance around me, making my head hurt. A whimper slipped free as fear, pain, and anger rolled through me simultaneously.
I forced myself up just as MJ’s voice came through the line.
“Kee, what’s up?”
I couldn’t get my mouth to work. My tongue felt like I’d been licking sand. A single tear slipped down my cheek, leaving a hot trail. My shoulder slammed into a brick wall, as I lost my balance.
“Kee?”
Opening my mouth, I covered it before I could cry out for help. I shook my head, dragged the phone away from my ear, and ended the call. Getting MJ involved would cause problems. Wakeman’s gang would kill him. I needed someone Wakeman knew nothing about.
My blood was rushing making all other noises around me seem distant. My head felt heavy, and walking was slow and painful. Every step was a risk I took, falling and eating pavement.
“F-fuck.” My words were slurring.