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Nala Stanton
Six Years Ago
I never thought shit would come down to this.
As I stood over the bag of money in front of me, I thought to myself, If there is a time to escape, now would be it. I chuckled to myself as the lyrics to Plies’ “Ran Off On the Plug” played through my head. I was indeed about to do just that. I knew taking this money would probably cause a world of problems for not only myself but my boyfriend.
Avery Jones, known to the hood as “Slim”, was the kingpin around these parts. Nothing in the city moved without his knowledge or permission. To the outside world, he was a boss. He had the cars, the homes, the money, and the success. He was well respected and equally feared.
To me, however, he was a tyrant.
While he’d never put his hands on me, the mental, emotional, and verbal abuse I suffered on his behalf was just as bad. Slim liked to have control of everything, including me. He dictated how I dressed, what I ate, who I hung out with, and where I went. If my outfit revealed too much skin for his liking, he made me take it off. He didn’t like my friends and hated when I went anywhere with them.
Anytime we went out, it was only a matter of time before he showed up demanding that I left with him. I couldn’t count how many times he’d embarrassed me in public. My girls would go back and forth with him, telling him that he didn’t own me. Time and time again, he proved them wrong. He was so rude and unbearable to them that they ended up cutting me off.
They hated the way he treated me, especially the way he spoke to me about my weight. If my meal was too fattening, he’d tell me, “You don’t need to be eating that. You’re already a step away from My 600-lb Life.” I remembered one time he took me on a date to apologize for his behavior. I was looking good and getting lustful stares from other men in the restaurant while we waited for our food to arrive.
Avery didn’t like that. The moment the server set our dishes in front of us, he picked my plate up and handed it back, telling her to bring me a salad with no dressing and no meat. He was so loud about it that anyone within earshot could hear him. I was forced to sit there watching him eat a full plate of steak and shrimp with sides, while I chomped on a dry ass, tasteless bed of lettuce.
I wasn’t fat by any means. Sure, I had titties, hips, and ass. I got it honestly. I got it from my mama’s side of the family. We were a bunch of thick bitches. It was crazy that he made me feel fat because my shape was the very thing that attracted him to me in the first place. I had to learn the hard way that his goal was to make me think nobody else would ever want me. In realizing that, it made me question whether he even wanted me.
I thought back to all the name calling, body shaming, and controlling ways I’d endured for the last three years. My family couldn’t deal with me because of him. I lost my friends. I didn’t work, so I couldn’t even support myself without him. He didn’t give me money. He bought what I needed. He checked his accounts whenever I swiped his card, so I couldn’t just go to the ATM and withdraw funds or ask for cash back. I had no money and nowhere to go. He’d made me completely dependent upon him and he knew it. Countless times he’d made that abundantly clear.
“You wouldn’t have shit without me.”
“Where are you gonna go?”
“How are you gonna support yourself?”
“Nobody is gonna take care of you like I take care of you, Nala.”
For the longest time, I had it in my head that he was right. At twenty-three years old, I’d foolishly given up a life to be the kept woman of a kingpin. Now, at twenty-six, it wasn’t a life I desired to live anymore. There was something more out there for me. I had greater coming for me, and it wouldn’t blossom under the rule of Avery “Slim” Jones.
I had to get out.
Finding this duffel bag full of money wasn’t an accident. It was a blessing. A blessing that could get me killed, but a blessing no less. An opportunity had presented itself and I’d be damned if I didn’t take it. Five hundred thousand dollars was more than enough to make a fresh start. With that thought instilled, I zipped up the bag and went to grab my suitcases. Slim was out of town meeting with his connect.
Now was the time.
It was now or never.
1
Lila Peterson
Present Day
“Peterson!”
I sighed heavily as I opened my eyes. I hated that my coworkers could never respect my time. I came to work thirty minutes early so I could meditate and get my mind right for the day. Mornings were always chaotic at my house for one reason or another. Once I stepped foot out of bed, it was go time.
Unfolding my legs from the bench I was perched upon, I turned to face the intruder of my solace.
“Samuels… how many times have I asked you not to interrupt me while I’m meditating?”
“You’re gonna miss—”
“How many times?”
