“Shy been talkin’ to the police. It had to happen like this.” He grabbed his head and turned away from me then walked over to me. “I know you don’t understand, but trust me, he’s a snitch. This what we do to snitches.”
He walked back over to Shy and hit him with it again. I jumped and covered my ears.
“Stop, Jason!” I screamed.
“Baby.” Jason looked at me. He was holding the bat in his hand and coming toward me.
“You wit’ me right?” He smiled. “Ride or die!” He smirked.
I couldn’t even respond I was in such shock. He made his way back over to Shy. He dropped the bat and scooted Shy with his foot and hollered out, “Snitch!”
Shy was just lying there in pain, moving around, trying to find an ounce of comfort and peace. Maybe even callin’ on Jesus in his silences, I thought.
“But, Jason, he loves you,” I whispered. “He wouldn’t have . . .” My words trailed off as I shook my head.
Jason looked at me. “Loves me? I been downtown answering questions ’cause of him, and you say he loves me?” He laughed. “That’s love?”
Jason tried to reach out to me and touch my hand, but I pulled back and screamed out, “Don’t touch me! You gonna kill him! Why did you do that? He’s so young, he wouldn’t hurt you; he loves you!”
“Reese! Calm down and shut up!” Jason was tryin’a get me to calm down but I couldn’t. I was scared, hurt, and angry. “Reese, stop flippin’ out!” He grabbed me by my arms again but I snatched away from him.
“You’re a monster, Jason!” I screamed frantically. I was crying and shouting all kinds of things. “I’m telling! I don’t care what you do to me, I’m telling! I’m going to tell his mother! You are going to jail, Jason! And anybody else who is a part of this!”
I yelled out all of it while I ran toward the exit. I wanted to get out of there and away from him. I figured if I could just reach the front door I could scream out before he caught me and someone outside could call the police. I was wrong. Jason ran up on me before I could escape and grabbed me by my neck. He slung my body into a concrete wall.
“Why you come in here? Huh? I told you to stay in the car, didn’t I? Huh?” He pulled his hand back and slapped my face with the back of his hand. “Shut up, Reese! Shut up! You ain’t gonna say a word or I’ll kill you, you understand me? It’a be two murders!”
He glared into my eyes. I gazed back into his and thought, This is the same man who looked into my same eyes and called them beautiful and hypnotizing. Now he is looking into them as a murderer, ready to kill whatever comes in between him and freedom.
He grabbed me by my face, pushed my head into the wall, and hit me again. “Get all that crying and anger out before we leave this warehouse, ’cause I don’t wanna hear it no more. This had to happen. I’ma ask you one more time . . . you wit’ me?” He let my face go and walked toward the exit, then turned around and said, “You wit’ me?”
I turned from looking at Jason. I couldn’t answer that; now my eyes were fixed on Shy as he lay on the ground. I was numb. My heart felt like it was beating through my chest. I never even felt the second blow to my face when I failed to answer him. I couldn’t even feel the blood running out of my nose but I saw it.
Jason walked back over to me and put his hand around my neck.
“I asked you were you wit’ me?”
I looked at him, then looked away. I was scared but I couldn’t answer him.
Jason loosened his grip around my neck, making me stumble a little. I stood there another second in an out-of-body experience, then started to follow Jason as he walked out the warehouse. Jason never looked back. I knew I only had a second, so I bent down by Shy.
He sat up slowly and reached out and touched my hand. “Reese,” he whispered. “Please don’t leave me like this, please.”
I couldn’t hold it together. My heart was overwhelmed. My very soul yearned to help him. I took my hand that was shaking and I cried out trying to wipe my face. It was filled with tears and snot coming from my nose. I couldn’t catch my breath; the anxiety, fear, and reality had closed in on me on so many different levels. Then Shy reached for my hand and squeezed it.
“Reese, look at me. It’s okay. But I need your help. Please, I need you to get it together.”
I nodded my head up and down: yes, yes. I closed my eyes, wiped my face with my shirt, and listened to him.
Shy’s eyes were full of tears but he was still strong. He was lying on this cold concrete floor alone, weak, beaten like an animal but still saw a light for himself; he never gave up. As he talked I watch blood come from his ears, and nose. I took my hand and rubbed his head to comfort him, and I watched the door for Jay.
He laid himself back down on the ground slowly and the face he made showed that the pain was unbearable. He was pleading for help.
“My mom, Reese. I need you to get my mom,” he pleaded with his mouth and his eyes.
I thought about if it were my boys scared, beaten, and begging for their lives. I became hysterical at just the thought. I almost hyperventilated. I couldn’t speak clearly, so Shy reached up and touched my face with his trembling hand.
“Reese, calm down. It’s gonna be all right. Just get my moms.”
I nodded my head so he could see I understood him. I took a deep breath before I tried to speak again. “I’ll be back for you, okay, Shy?” I smiled at him then said, “I promise.”
The ride back to the house was silent. Both of us had a lot on our minds. Jason was probably thinking that he solved a problem, but I was thinking about how I could get out of Jason’s custody to go get Shy.
Oh my God! I spoke in my mind. Oh my God! What kinda animal is this? Lord! I shook my head back and forth and stared out the window, feeling like my heart was going to burst. I continued to pray. This is horrible; what am I gonna do, God? Huh? Please help, Lord! Please don’t let that boy die. Please save him, Jesus! Tears fell down my face as I watched Jason speed up the freeway.
“Reese!” Jason smacked my leg, startling me. “Everything is gonna be all right. Look, I’m sorry for hitting you like I do but you be on some stupid stuff. Just stop getting in my way. I don’t like to hit you. It always messes yo’ face up for a minute! I don’t wanna look at that, so stay out the way. Okay, baby?”
My flesh was clenching from the very touch of this monster. I never even responded.
“Aey, you hear me?” He waved his hand up and down in front of my face. I saw him but I wanted to kill him. I hated him. The Bible taught to hate evil and so I did.
“I didn’t want it go down like that. I didn’t. I cared fo’ Shy, but, baby, when it came between me and him, I had to pick me.” He kept driving. “Tell you what; tomorrow we’ll go get you that ring you wanted. Huh? That sound good?”
I never moved, never responded, so while I looked the opposite way he startled me by smacking my thigh again. I jumped and looked down at my leg. It was red and hurting. I busted out in tears. Jason never acknowledged my response; he just continued to talk.
