Page 104 of Wings of Ebony
Shit.
And another, this one with a gun in hand.
Shit. Shit. Shit!
My cuffs.I reach for my zipper, but my sticky fingers slip. The guys circle me and Gun Holder points the barrel, gesturing for me to move to the center.
I ball my fists.
“Rue?” Ms. Leola’s voice sends a jolt through me. “Baby?” She stands on the sidewalk, holding a bag of groceries.This can’t be happening.
“No!” I’m surrounded and try to lunge toward her, but my scalp burns like fire when I’m snatched backward by my hair. He holds on tight. The dude with the bloody face and one working eye pulls myhands behind my back, squeezing so hard my bones feel like they might break. I swallow the pain. They won’t hear me squeal.
Gun Holder points her way and I can’t breathe.
“Back up old lady, get in the house,” the voice behind me says. I struggle, but his grip on me is tight. Bat Holder’s eyes meets mine and they’re heavy with hate. Which is crazy because I don’t even know this dude.
But because his racist-ass boss hates me, he hates me too.
A pair of kids on bicycles roll by and my heart stops. They pedal faster, thank goodness. Seconds later a door creaks open and claps shut.
“G-go inside,” I plead with Ms. Leola. “P-please, just go inside.” She shakes her head no, but I can see the fear in her eyes.
“If you don’t want trouble, listen to Rue,” the guy holding on to me says.
“You gon’ let go of my granddaughter, or so help me!” She balls a bony fist, her wrinkly eyes menacing.
I’m crying.
“P-please,just go inside,” I say. This ain’t a fight she can win. People start peeping through screen doors, ducking their heads out, then going back in.
“Dave, she got a smart-ass mouth. Snatch her up too.” Gun Holder gestures to the one with the bat and he moves toward Ms. Leola. She bred from ’round here, so as he closes in on her she doesn’t flinch.
“Leave her alone!” The fingers at my scalp are dug in tight, but I pull and jerk, trying to break free. Dave is inches from her when her groceries hit the ground, one of those giant-ass cans of beans in her hand. She slams it into his forehead and I can hear thecrunch. He staggers, his bat hitting the ground, rolling away.
“You get away from me!” she shouts, trying to shuffle away as blood drips from Dave’s face. He’s woozy on his feet, but he goes for her again, rougher this time.
“I swear on my life,” I say, thrashing in his grip, “I’ll burn you alive if you touch her.”
Their laughs taunt me.
“Shut up.”
A lump slams into my back and my knees hit the ground. Pain rattles up my spine. Free of his grip, I try to stand but, Gun Holder aims at me. “Sit your ass down.”
Dave folds Ms. Leola’s arms behind her.
“Let her go!”
“Give us what we came for and we will.” The gun is cold on my forehead.
I hold my chin up. “What do you want?”
“You know what we came for. Some pieces of jewelry.”
I tuck my elbows tight to my side against the lump in my pocket. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Bullshit. Boss said for sure they’d be here.”
