Dauphin Street, a petrified Alessa cringed at the memories evoked by the familiar surroundings. The car pulled up in front of a row home, two blocks from where Harlin used to live. One of his boys came around the car, opened the door, and yanked Alessa to her feet. Another gripped her by the arm as he pushed her toward the front door, with Harlin and Tasha following behind. The blood in Alessa’s veins turned to ice as she stepped inside. Harlin’s old gang was in the living room. They all looked up, laughed, and gave each other high fives when they saw her. Then Harlin grabbed her by the hair and shoved her down a long hallway into a bedroom.
Alessa noticed that the room’s only window had been painted black and bars had been mounted on the inside. There was a small mattress on the floor, and a single black light bulb hung from the ceiling. The room was dim and stank of terror. Harlin slammed the door shut behind him and flung Alessa down on the mattress. He stood in front of her, his body spread wide.
Harlin beat Alessa. First with an open hand, then with closed fists.
Alessa grunted and cried but tried to keep her cool. She would do anything not to piss him off. She knew that if she angered him in any way, Remo, Lucy, and Regina would pay the price.
When Harlin finished beating her, he left the room without uttering another word. Alessa lay back on the soiled mattress, curled herself into a ball, and cried her heart out. When she had exhausted her tears, she prayed. She prayed passionately to God to keep her family safe. She prayed that she would get out of this somehow. And finally, she prayed that Harlin and all those who were involved in his wicked activities would die.
Since she had no way of telling the time, Alessa figured that a few hours must have gone by before she heard the door being unlocked and looked over to see Tasha enter. She was carrying two pieces of dry toast and a glass of water.
“You need to eat,” Tasha told her in a flat voice.
With tears streaming down her face, Alessa got onto her knees. “Tasha, you have to help me,” she pleaded. “Please.”
Tasha’s face was devoid of emotion. She looked like a zombie in a cheap horror movie, as she turned to face Alessa.
“Listen,” she said, “I helped you once and it cost me everything. After you left, Harlin turned me out to make up for the money he would’ve earned through you. My parents couldn’t even protect me from him. When he was sent to prison, I thought I could stop hooking. As soon as he was locked up, some guys from a rival gang killed my parents to send Harlin a message . . . that they were in power with him gone. I got stuck in this nasty neighborhood, doing every man that Harlin’s boys could find on the street. I did my time. Now, it’s your turn. You never should have sent the police to bust the old house. Harlin was making plenty of money off those dumb kids and then you had to go and ruin it. So now you’ll have to deal with it. I ain’t your friend, and I don’t give a shit about you.”
Alessa could see the pain on Tasha’s face for all that she lost and suffered.
Without another word, Tasha turned and left the room.
Alessa’s mind was racing. She couldn’t believe this was happening to her again. How has it come to this? Why does history keep repeating itself? Why has God picked me, of all people, to dish out so much unhappiness? To break the cycle, she forced her mind to focus on going home to Remo and Lucy, where she belonged.
The next morning, Harlin came into the bedroom, switched on the light, and stood over her. Alessa knew she was in the presence of the devil. Before her eyes could adjust to the dull glare of the light bulb, Harlin reached down and seized her by the neck of her shirt.
“You and me are gonna have a talk,” he declared ominously.
Alessa was like a rag doll as he yanked her up into a sitting position.
“Tonight, there’s gonna be a party, and you’re the guest of honor,” he announced with sadistic delight, flinging exotic lingerie at her so it hit her in the face before falling into her lap. “You’re wearing this, and when the party starts, you’re on the auction block. See, after what you did, I have to set up my business from scratch, and you’re the only one I have at the moment to put up for auction. You’re gonna shower and you’re gonna make people want to bid on you. You understand?”
Apprehensive, Alessa nodded. When Harlin left the room, her limbs trembled. She raked her fingers through her hair until she heaved onto the bare floor. This couldn’t be happening again. She was an educated woman who had put her life together. She sat on the mattress all morning, reliving the good times in her life. She thought of Ebby and how much she loved her. She imagined what it would be like when she and Remo grew older. She thought about Lucy and how lucky she was to have her. She savored the happy moments, trying to regain her resilience. Alessa was in survival mode again. She needed to do whatever it took to get her through this new ordeal so she could go back to her own people, to those she loved and who loved her.
She had no clue where Harlin’s men would take Remo and Lucy. Maybe they, too, were in this very house? Her next thought made her break out in a cold sweat. The tension and adrenaline consumed her, and she thought her skin would peel away from her body. She shuddered at her next thoughts. What if they planned to sell Lucy like they had sold Regina? O my God! Regina! What were they going to do to her?
Hours passed as Alessa sat and worried. In the afternoon, the bedroom door was unlocked, and Tasha came in with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a glass of water. Alessa snatched it from her and gobbled it down. She looked up at Tasha when she was finished.
“Please, Tasha. Please,” she begged. “You have to help me. I don’t deserve this, and you know it.”
For a moment, Alessa glimpsed the old Tasha she had once known. Her hopes soared as she saw her face soften for a fraction of a second. But within an instant, the expression of cruel indifference was back.
“I ain’t gotta help nobody but me,” Tasha flung back at her. “Forget that shit. You’re gonna need to help yourself. You better do what Harlin tells you to or you ain’t makin’ it outta here alive. Got it?”
“Yes, yes, I got it,” Alessa said, retreating. But she couldn’t help asking, “Please, Tasha, where are Remo and Lucy? Are they okay?”
“I don’t know nothin’ about them, and you need to forget about them anyway. That life you had is over. This is your new life until Harlin says you can have a different one. If you want to live, you better do what he tells you to do.”
Tasha walked out of the bedroom and locked the door behind her. Alessa sat there for hours. She didn’t know how long she waited. She still didn’t even know if it was night or day. Finally, she heard someone unlock the door again. Tensed up, she immediately sat on the end of the mattress. The door opened and Harlin walked into the room. She could see he was high. He gripped her arm and yanked her up from the mattress. He dragged her into the bathroom and ordered her to strip. His creepy gaze made her skin crawl as she undressed. She stood in front of him with her arms folded over her bare breasts.
“When I tell you to get undressed, I don’t want you hiding nothin’ from me,” he snarled. “You stand with your hands at your sides.”
Alessa let her arms drop. Humiliation burned her cheeks. Harlin pushed past her and turned on the shower. Then he motioned for her to get under it. Harlin watched her as she stood under the water. He kept the door to the shower open so he could see her every move. “Wash up real good and get all that funk outta your hair. You smell like piss.”
Alessa washed, hoping she could wash away her very existence. When she was finished, Harlin handed her a towel. Walking her back into the bedroom, he said, “I’ll be back in twenty minutes. You better be done up right and wear that outfit I gave you.”
Alessa quickly dried herself and applied makeup, using the cosmetics placed in the room while she was showering. She put on the lingerie and sat on the mattress, waiting.
Harlin came back into the room and approached her. “Stand up,” he commanded.
As Alessa stood there, staring into his eyes, she searched for a tiny morsel of compassion but could find none. The man who had once saved her from being murdered was now a demented monster.
Harlin stepped closer and pulled her body into his so their torsos were touching. “You remember what I said about tonight? If you want to see that pathetic white-trash family of yours again, you better do what I say.”
Alessa seized the moment. “Please don’t hurt them, Harlin,” she pleaded. “Are they okay? Where are they? Please let them go.”
Harlin stepped back. “Please don’t hurt them, please let them go, are they okay?” he mimicked, mocking her. “Listen, bitch, I ain’t here to help you. Shut up!”
The door flung open, and Tasha walked into the bedroom. She was carrying a pair of the high-heeled boots Alessa used to wear when she danced.
“They’re here,” Tasha announced matter-of-factly.
