The other line clicked, interrupting Kev’s story. I told Kev to hold on while I answered the call. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and said, “Hello.”
“Aey get up, come get me! Kev left!” he yelled.
I held the phone a second; then I answered him. “Where?”
“Club Traffic, downtown. Hurry up, I’m ready to go!” he demanded.
“Okay. I’m on my way.” I clicked over. “Kev, you still there?”
“Yeah. That him?” he replied.
“Yes, I’m going to go pick him up. I’ll call you tomorrow okay?”
“Yeah, all right.” He was about to hang up and then said, “Reese, be careful, he was pretty upset. But I wanted you to know what went down.”
“Okay, talk to you later.” As soon as we said bye my cell was ringing again. It was Jay calling back. “Hello.”
“You left yet?”
“I’m about to.”
“Hurry up, woman! I’m ready to go!”
“I’m on my way, Jason. I’ll be there in a few.”
He had hung up before I finished my sentence. I was glad Kev called because it gave me a feel of what I was walking into.
I put on my clothes, grabbed my keys, and left. While I drove I thought of how tired I was of him and I wanted to tell him. Things weren’t going to get better. I needed to end this.
“Okay, Jesus.” I sighed. “I want out of this mess. I’m ready, please help me!”
Jason was already out there waiting when I pulled up to the club. He ran over to the car, then took a beer bottle and threw it into the driver side window, busting the glass all over my legs.
I screamed! I could not believe he did that! “What did I do?” That was my question. I didn’t wait for an answer though. I tried to put the car in reverse and pull off but I couldn’t fast enough.
He then walked up to the car and yanked me out of the window by my neck. He carried me by my throat over against the wall of the club as if I were a rag doll. I had my hands around his trying to loosen his grip some. I couldn’t breathe. My neck hurt so bad and saliva was coming out the sides of my mouth, wetting up my face and shirt.
The bouncer ran over to him and yelled. “Aey, man! Aey, let her go!”
Jason acted like he didn’t hear him; he kept on attacking me. “I’ma kill you, Reese!”
The bouncer tried to contain him and make him let me go. I got away for a second. I finally could get air. I began to scream as loud as I could and I tried to run away.
“Help me, somebody, help me! He’s gonna kill me! Jason, what’s wrong? What did I do? Please tell me,” I begged him. He caught me again and put his hand back around my throat.
Some of Jason’s crew finally came out from the club, and when they saw him out there clowin’ they started laughing and made the bouncer go inside. Then they got Jason to let me go. They picked me up and threw me in the back of the car as I kicked and screamed.
I managed to get it together for a second and grabbed the top of the back seat with my right hand. I lifted my head and looked through the rear window at the bouncer standing there in shock with his hands on top of his head. He probably was wondering whether I was going to die that night.
When I realized I couldn’t escape, I lay in the back seat of the car while it raced down the street with Jason in the front passenger seat.
“Ouch! Stop punching me, please,” I pleaded. He was punching me every few minutes and spitting at me.
I covered myself the best I could with my hands over my legs and head. I jerked my hands back because they were wet with blood. Then I realized my legs were cut up pretty bad.
I was so scared. I remembered what Toya had said when I was at her house earlier about him getting physical. My hands were shaking and the car was movin’ fast down the streets.
Shy had jumped in the driver’s seat and sped off in case someone had called the police on Jason at the club. Jason was breathing hard. He turned around and looked at me.
“Reese,” Jason calmly said. “You been messin’ with my boy? Huh? You messin’ wit’ Kev?”
Shy looked over at Jay. “Come on now, Jay. Don’t do her like that, man, don’t spit on her. You know Reese ain’t doin’ nothin’.”
Jay hollered, “Man, stay out of this! She don’t mean nothing to me! Just drive da car ’til I tell you to stop!” Jason took his gun out and played with it. Shy didn’t say anything else, he just drove.
“You gonna answer me, Reese? You been messin’ around wit’ Kev?”
“No, Jay, no! Please don’t hurt me, please don’t hurt me, Jay.” I begged him to stop like I was a dog beggin’ for food. I thought he was going to kill me. I began to pray quietly. “Jesus, please help me. Lord, I need you!”
Jason leaned in the back seat, put his gun to my thigh, and cocked it. “Look at me, Reese!”
I was trembling and shaking, I couldn’t control it. I was terrified of him. I felt the gun against my skin like I had felt it against my temple the first time he pulled the gun out when the boys had found them in our house. I lifted my head and looked him in his eyes like he told me to.
“If I ever find out you messin’ wit’ my boy, I will kill you. I mean it!”
I cried on the floor of the car, threatened, abused, and tortured. You’d think after that I’d have stayed as far away from Kev that I could. You’d think . . .
Chapter 11
