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{Sage}
{Carmen}
Sage pov
"I don't give a fuck you know where I come from!" Out of the crowded Atlanta club, I staggered screaming at the top of my lungs.
Amber attempting her best to support me. "From Brooklyn bitch!"
"Nobody cares where you come from, Sage." She chuckled.
"Nobody gives a fuck about your Cuban ass either; shut the fuck up." I love Amber, but this is hypocritical; all she does is talk about her roots. So she should be the last one to speak.
"Where's my car? I need to leave this bitch right now." I pulled my arm away from Amber and settled on the ground.
"It's coming. Just chill here. I'm going to find my purse. Please stay right here." She clasps her hands together and begs me.
I threw my hands up. "Yeah, you have my word." I mean it; I'm not going anywhere.
She walked away from me, of course I took a good look at what was happening back there. I was really pleased with the show.
"Get the fuck back!" Some girl barked pointing a shotgun at a lady. While a couple males ran in and out of a jewelry store carrying these large black bags.
Is nobody seeing this nonsense? And what's taking my car so long? I look around.
I had a lot of questions, and on top of that, I felt like a superhero. I got up from the ground, pushing my hair back and doing my best to preserve my balance.
As I went closer to the store, the noise became louder. There was damaged glass, people yelling, and music playing from a black truck parked behind the shop.
I threw the door open, displaying myself to all. "Aye! You right there, girl with the black shirt!" She stared at me and pointed her gun at me.
"Come on, what you gone kill me?" I didn't believe her until I heard a loud click.
"Karma, cops coming; let's go!" A man yelled as he ran out the door.
I get ready to rush away as well, but turns out I wasn't moving as quickly as I imagined.
"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" She grabs me and whispers in my ear. She grabs my arm and immediately drags me behind her, as I fumble to keep up.
"Wait, hold up—" I began to sober up, understanding I was being taken away, that I would not be able to return home, and that I could die before the night was over.
"No! Wait, wait, no!" I start to scream, she quickly covers my mouth.
"Shut up and get in." She forces me inside the truck. I refuse to give up and tried to utilize my power against hers, but it wasn't enough.
In the end, I lost this entire strength against strength struggle. I felt them move off once she got me in the truck.
"Yeah!" The driver followed everyone else in celebrating ripping the mask down.
"You seen that shit, Cash!" On the other side of the truck another voice yelled out.
"Karma, your dad would be—" the girl stopped momentarily, glaring back at me. "Carmen, who the fuck is this why did you grab the bitch!"
"Calm the fuck down and focus on the fucking road." She says firmly, taping my mouth and also wrapping rope over my wrist.
Fuck, why does she look so fine? I was startled by a small, faint heartbeat in my pants. Countless tattoos coated her neck, hands, and arms. Her hair was a cascade of beautiful, brown curls that danced around in her face.
This is the worst time for this shit. You've got to be kidding me right now. It is only right that I feel insanely terrified. However, she was very careful with me.
Her eyes were the darkest I've ever seen; I stared into her rich, and deep black depth. My nostrils were flooded with the aroma of frankincense and lavender. Who could be so cruel and yet smell so reassuring?
"What the fuck are you looking at?" She asked me, annoyed. I flash my eyes elsewhere.
"She's probably thinking of a way to escape out this bitch. You better have a plan, Carmen. She can't stay here long, you know; it's too dangerous." A guy mentioned counting money.
He's not wrong. I have no idea where I'm heading, but I'm still considering all possibilities.
"I got this shit. You worry about getting to the safe house, not about what I'm doing." She snapped back at the guy.
Someone smacked their lips before speaking at her. "This is what your dad didn't like. You only think of yourself; that shit can affect us all, nigga."
Her relentless beating of his head began before he could finish speaking. It was the last thing I saw or remembered seeing before everything went dark, as my heart started beating faster than it ever had before.
~~~~
"Amber... Amber!?"
"Amber isn't here, baby." An unfamiliar voice says.
Jumping to my feet, I scanned my surroundings. A massive king-size bed with red and black linens had me snuggled up. The light was barely visible. "You like it?" With her legs propped up on the table, the girl who took me asked.
Is this girl joking or something?!
"You know your girl was blowing you up while you were asleep." She seemed completely at ease, as if she hadn't just robbed a jewelry store, or better, abducted someone.
"Where am I, and where's my phone?" I did my best not to weep as I asked. Is Amber all right? Surely she is going crazy.
"It must be nice to have someone worry about you, checking on you every hour even when you're not responding." Amber would not settle down until she had assurance that I was okay; she was in a state of complete panic.
"If you're not going to kill me...then let me tell her I'm okay." I order her.
"Are you giving me an ultimatum?" Slowly, she stood up and walked over to me. With her shirt removed, the low light cast an eerie, flawless glow on her figure. "I did think about killing you, but then I thought a girl like you could bring me in some more money."
The worst possible thoughts begin to overwhelm me.
I was overwhelmed by a whirlwind of emotions. "You can't think you have the power to just make someone, make you money! I'm not your money maker! Fuck you!" The chill of the air on my thighs has dissipated. My body was on fire.
"What the fuck do I have on anyway?" I gestured towards the loose-fitting T-shirt.
"I suggest you calm down." As she looked down at her shoes, she let out a small chuckle.
"Or what?" By now I knew she wouldn't kill me if she had a scheme including me. I also sense she wouldn't harm a fly.
But I was wrong—
As her hold on me became more firm, her once light brown eyes reverted to their dark ebony hue, and she forcefully pushed me against the closest wall. This time, though, it was death itself staring down into my own being. "You're completely mistaken; you aren't as important as you think. I'm giving you a chance, but there's plenty of other women I could use instead of you. Are you getting my point?" She asks pointing at her head.
"Yes." I answered quickly.
"Now we have a few—oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself." She grinned and walked away from me. I thought about bolting at her, drawing a weapon of choice on that table and shooting her, but I have no idea how fast she is; it would be far too dangerous.
"I'm Carmen, international crime lord passed down from my dad." She hauled a suitcase out and set it on the bed. "This is what you will be doing for me. These are bombs"
What? there's no way she wants me to handle this there's no way!
"There's a timer on this luggage." She pointed, "I will be setting it off once you put it where I tell you. And don't even think about calling for help or running off I'm attaching a bomb to you." She grinned at me then grabbed yet another set of bombs from the table she sat at.
My heart was so audible that I could make out each and every one of its beats, down to the occasional skip. I was terrified that this was it; that fighting this worldwide crime lord wouldn't be worthwhile.
"Put this on." Some clothes were placed on the bed for me by her. A fucking dress? What the hell do I look like?
"I'll do it, but I can't wear this. At the very least, let me wear your clothes?" I practically pleaded not to wear anything that didn't fit me.
"Fine. Come here." As she made her way to the double doors that led to her closet, I trailed behind.
"For a safe house, this is a pretty big closet." I spoke something quietly.
"I care about the way I dress, just like you." She said.
She handed me a black Nike sweatshirt with a white T-shirt, and she also gave me some sweatpants with white Nike sneakers.
"Thanks." I whispered. I wouldn't go to extremes, although Nike does have some extremely comfy apparel.
"Before you put that on, come here." She takes a seat on a stool stashed in the wardrobe. I am the center of her attention.
As I approached her, she swiftly encircled my waist with the bomb belt—or whatever you'd like to call it—and fastened it. "You do what you're supposed to do, and you live. But if you try any bullshit, I won't hesitate to blow your ass up."
I got the impression that Carmen was really serious about her work. But how the fuck is any of this work? you're just killing people!
"Okay." I responded dryly.
I was at a loss for words; my mind was racing with so many competing thoughts. Amber, explosives, and escaping, and most importantly, life!
She patiently waited for me to get dressed before passing me the remaining garments. Not wanting to accidentally trigger anything, I attempted to move with extreme caution.
"You can move that shit; it ain't gonna explode without me pushing a button, so you're good." Her laughter filled the air.
"Well can you blame me?" I asked her, shrugging my shoulders.
She claims she "Never did."
~~~~
We arrived at an airport. As soon as I saw children playing with their parents, my stomach fell.
"A—an airport..." Every word I spoke caused my voice to quiver.
"She better not fuck this up, or I'm going to kill her myself, Carmen." While staring me down, a girl popped her knuckles and said.
"You're not doing shit to her, Cash." She retrieved a remote control and activated it. "This is for you, and this is as well. Come here."
Gently pinning my hair back down, she placed a hearing device in my ear. Her intense gaze locked onto me.
She told me in a whisper, "Listen to everything—"
"No need to be all up close and personal with the bitch; just listen to what she say in and out we got shit to get done. So don't fuck it up." Cash evidently irritated Carmen by interrupting her.
"Get out." Carmen ordered me.
I did as I was told.
"Look, I don't want to hurt you, but we have shit to get done. Like cash said I'll do what I have to do; if you fuck up, you're dead Sage." She knows my name? Oh yeah, she did have my phone.
The sound of Carmen clapping her hands in my face caused me to snap out of my thoughts.
"Yeah, yeah?"
"You got it?" She asked.
"Yeah, I got it."
God help me.
