I drove down Dundas in utter shock, my hands gripping the steering wheel trying to hold onto reality. I couldn’t tell if every car was driving funny when I looked in the rearview mirror, or if I was just paranoid, but better safe than sorry I guess. My palms were starting to sweat again, I readjusted my grip as I pulled up to Bathurst st, at a red light.
Everything was warped, it was as if I got sucked into the video game, Grand Theft Auto. It’s crazy how things got so real so quick, but at the same time like a fucking video game.
The background noise of Bam making calls snapped me out of my trance. I grabbed my phone quickly, racing against the crossing walk countdown. Of course it was French, I didn’t even read what she wrote. I shifted the phone to my left hand and texted, “I’m on my way now!”.
I became oddly aware of Bam’s presence and that he was staring at me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, as I felt him study me. I didn’t want to make him suspicious but I had to text French..
“Can I ask you something?”I said before I actually had the courage to say it.
“Yeah, what’s up?” he replied back, looking at me inquisitively.
I made the familiar left turn and at the same time, a homeless man outside the Mcdonalds stepped out onto the street.
“Oh shit!” I yelled as I slammed on the brakes, stopping inches from his thighs.
“You almost fucking hit me!”, he yelled at me through the windshield. Visibly upset, he threw his hands up in the air, as if he was going to hit the benz.
Bam cracked open his door and popped his head out. “Don’t you fucking do it. Cause I swear to the God I don’t believe in, tonight’s not the night. Now move out of our fucking way.”
He said it with such surety, he didn’t wait to see if the man was going to listen or not, he got back into the car. The homeless man stared at him shocked but more afraid, and he wasn’t the only one. He staggered off back onto the sidewalk.
“That’s why I prefer bitches over beans personally”, he said, barely audible enough for me to hear.
I drove off in silence.
“What did you want to ask me?” he poked.
I gathered the thoughts in my head and none of them were good enough to say out loud, especially right now. Bam seems to be in kill mode, cause that sweet demeanor he had earlier is nowhere to be found. How do I tell him, I have conditions in order to be your bitch? When he already assumes I’m his bitch? And I mean, wasn’t I? I drove down Bathurst until I got to Queen st west.
“Are you going to kill him?”I immediately regretted asking the question as it slipped from my lips. “I mean like, what’s the plan here?” I asked. My stomach twisted and pulled, like it was the first day at a new school. I didn’t know what the right question was to ask right now. The inside of my mouth felt as dry as sandpaper, my thoughts swirling around at 200 mph. And I couldn’t read any of them, but they all were yelling at me. The air in the car got thick, I could feel exactly where my heart was inside my body. I made the right turn onto King st.
“Kill or be killed Royaal, which one do you choose? What would you have done if he killed me tonight?” he asked like a question, but it felt more like a trap.
” I-uh”, I stumbled on my words, because I didn’t know the answer myself.
“Exactly.”, he said definitively.
The broken pieces of light ran across his gorgeous stern face, as I drove down the street.
My head was straight, I knuckled the steering wheel and was biting my bottom lip off.
“You can’t be worried about him andchoose up to me.” He raised an eyebrow as he spoke, he was looking out the window, not looking at me either.
He laughed, “why are you even worried about him? He was going to kill you know, if he had the chance. You do know that right?”
I kept my head straight and both hands on the wheel, the words hit my stomach with impact. The tears were so heavy on my lids. I swallowed trying to regain control. I pressed my foot down on the pedal harder.
“Oh I get it now, you thought he loved you. I really do know more than you. I don’t talk about other P.I’s, but that nigga is barely a pimp. Ari use to be my bitch, that’s when I was going by Mr.B.” he said lightheartedly, he turned and pointed at me.
“I heard of Mr. B, why did you change it to Bam?”I asked.
He laughed, “I’m sure you did hear of Mr.B and that’s exactly why. Anyways, your ex popcorn pimp broke code and started talking to my bitch. Next thing I know, she’s running away saying she “fell in love”; but she really chose up . He was shaking his head, and laughing even more to himself.
I made the left on Strachan and continued driving.
“What do you mean broke code?” I asked genuinely confused. I thought pimps were allowed to take other pimps bitches, as long as they paid the fee.
“You’re man or ex man, wasn’t a pimp when he first started. He was a doughboy, Ari was his first bitch and he never paid me my fee for her. Because he stole her, he started finessing her at the club and then she made him a pimp.
It all made sense, Ari was so stuck on Pablo because she made him what he is today. Pablo feels inferior to Bam, because Ari made him a pimp and she was Bam’s bitch first. Which he stole, then Bam went and stole one back, me. And now Pablo and Ari are showing their ass. All the bitches he got were probably because of her. So when he pulled me on his own, that’s why she was so confused. I laughed to myself as I pieced it together.
“That’s why we can’t let this go, this is not only about you, he tried to make a statement”.
I made a right on Liberty Village, we were already almost at French’s house. My face already revealed this was information I didn’t know.
“Of course I was told a different story. Anyways, I’m going to Detroit tomorrow.” I said with confidence, hoping he wouldn’t question it.
“You’re what? We gotta talk Royaal-“
“I know, it’s an OT trip with my girls I had planned from before all this happened. I can’t cancel and I need to work right now, to take my mind off all of this. Plus me being out of the city is better for you.” I tried to show him the positive side.
“Better for me?” he laughed. “How long are you going for?”, he said in a tone that let me know I won.
I pulled up a few condos down from French’s.
“2 weeks”, I said as I put the car into park. “And by the way, I knew he didn’t love me”, I said coldly.
His phone started to go off just as he was about to speak.
“Take my number” he said, as he got out of the car to walk to the drivers side.
I took out my phone and bypassed the text’s from French.
“Aight, what is it?”, I asked as I grabbed my work bag and got out the car.
“416-736-2736” he said, then one arm hugged me and got into the driver’s seat. “Text me now so I have your number.”
“Aight, be safe please, ” I said as I texted him.
“Behave. I’ll talk to you later”, he said as he sped off. I waited until his tail lights were out of sight and then walked over to French’s building.
“Holy FUCK!” I yelled right before I entered the building. I used the fob to open the doors and headed toward the elevators. The security guard greeted me, but I was so lost in my own world. I pressed the up elevator button and sat my bag down on the modern style rug.
“I can’t believe that happened”, I thought to myself. The elevator doors opened and interrupted my thoughts.
I picked up my bag, walked in and pressed button 24. The elevator closed and I stared at the buttons until it reached my floor and then walked off. I put my hands in my work bag and pulled out the keys to unlock French’s door. As I pushed in the key, French finished unlocking the door from the other side.
“Oh my fucking gosh!” she opened the door, grabbed my body and hugged me. “Bitch, do you know how scared I was?!”, she was almost yelling.
I closed the door, locked it and turned around to face her. “I’m sorry”, I said with tears in my eyes. The overwhelming feeling of everything that happened rushed over me.
“Sis, are you okay? Come here”, she whispered as she pulled me in for another hug. “Did he hurt you?” she asked, concerned.
“No, no, not Bam.” I wanted to stop crying and explain but the tears just kept coming. “Pablo tried to kill me.” I said, barely able to stomach the words.
“WHAT!? What do you mean Pablo tried to kill you? Royaal, what are you talking about? Tell me what’s going on”, French pleaded.
She grabbed my arm and led me to her bedroom.
“I saw Bam at work and he asked to go out to eat after. Pablo and Ari came in and saw us leave together. Next thing I know, we’re at Hong Shing’s and Pablo and SK show up. He starts talking shit about his fee and then, I don’t even know. But I’m running to the car, there’s a gunshot, Bam jumps in and then i’m driving myself here. Bam already left.” I was panting, reliving the story took even more energy. I sat down on the floor, back against her bed. “It’s all bad French, I fucked up so bad”, I cried.
She came and sat down next to me with her weed tray. “Well I’m not even going to ask if you made sure he doesn’t know where I live. Cause i know he doesn’t and I know you made sure no one was following you. So girl, let it out because we’re leaving the city anyways. Fuck these pimps.” She said, as she picked up a quarter smoked spliff and sparked it. She inhaled the weed and exhaled to the ceiling. “They can fight over you while you’re gone.” I laid my head down on her shoulder.
She passed me the spliff and I inhaled as deep as I could. I closed my eyes and envisioned myself exhaling out all my problems.
“And bitch, look at the bright side; I’m an amazing teacher if after only a few lessons, you’re a getaway driver!” she said and we laughed. That’s why I loved French, she was just her and right now that’s exactly what I needed.
We finished the spliff and I unpacked more of the story for her. It was around 4:30 am, that we ended up going to sleep. We had to wake up at 8am to start driving to Detroit.
“I’m up, i’m up”, I groaned as French pinched the bottom of my feet.
“I told you, you can sleep in the car, unless you’re trying to be Toretto today and drive us”, she teased as she walked towards her washroom.
I threw a pillow at her, “Bitch too soon!” I laughed.
She laughed as she got into the shower, “my bad, ma bad”, she sang.
I rolled over completely and checked my phone, no texts or calls from anyone. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad, but it left a weird uneasy feeling in my gut. I put my phone back down, got up and headed to the washroom. I started brushing my teeth.
“We literally have 20 mins to get out of here and on the road, so I figured we’ll grab starbucks on the way?” she asked from inside the shower.
“Aight, lemme go roll something for the road then.”
“Thaaaankss”, she yelled.
We finished getting ourselves ready, headed to the car and were on our way. Detroit was 4 hours and 20 mins away, the drive was great cause I wasn’t doing it so I got to sleep. We smoked and stopped for gas about twice, but once was for me to use the washroom. French knows how to do those long OT drives without stopping much, way better than me.
The border patrol let us over quickly this time, but that’s because we weren’t carrying anything to show we were strippers and we didn’t look like strippers, yet. When you’re crossing the Windsor-Detroit border, they search you heavily because they know a lot of girls go over to illegally work. French learned this many trips ago and now has herself a little Detroit trick. We ship our stuff over to his condo, or if he just buys it new for us.
She landed herself a big fish with this one, he is a millionaire bachelor that works in tech. His business requires him to travel constantly and he has never been interested in having kids or starting the traditional family. He loves his life, he just doesn’t have enough time to sustain a proper healthy relationship. So he buys French, she said he likes to call it good risk management. To be honest, I didn’t really care what he called it, I just liked the benefits.
We pulled up to an old vintage style mid rise condo. The outside was very well maintained, the place had a regal feel to it.
“Fuck, finally we’re here”, stretched French.
Traffick’d 