Murderville (17 page)

“What can I do?” Dr. Kapoor finally asked, deciding that as a woman she owed it to Liberty not to contribute to her downfall.

“He’s trying to get me pregnant. He controls everything I do . . . I don’t want to give him a baby. I never want to have a child for him. I don’t love him,” Liberty cried.

“If I do this and you get caught . . . you cannot tell him that I helped you with this,” Dr. Kapoor stated seriously.

Surprised that the doctor was even willing to help her, Liberty nodded her head repeatedly. “I won’t . . . I would never sell you out. I just need something . . . birth control . . . I’ll do anything to stop him from planting his seed in me,” Liberty whispered.

Dr. Kapoor sighed as she wondered how she had even become involved in this life, but she was too far in to turn back now. “Okay. I can’t give you a pill. He might find them, and my name will be on them as the prescribing doctor. I can plant a small rod called Implanon into your arm. It has hormones that will prevent you from becoming pregnant for up to five years,” Dr. Kapoor stated.

Liberty nodded her head eagerly and replied, “Will it hurt? Will he see it?”

“No. It doesn’t hurt. It’ll barely leave a mark, and he will not be able to detect it,” the doctor answered.

The doctor performed the quick procedure, and when she was done Liberty felt as if a huge burden was taken off her shoulders. Relief washed over her, and she looked at the doctor in appreciation.

“Thank you so much,” Liberty said. “You helped me more than you know.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied. The doctor knew that she had done a good thing, but she felt on edge as if she had just risked everything she had worked so hard for. “I’m glad that I could help you this time Liberty but do not come here again. I don’t want to be put in this position by you a second time. I will keep this between us, but let’s not make this a habit. This bridge has been crossed . . . now burn it.” Liberty nodded her head and walked out of the office. She wasn’t expecting the doctor to become her ally. If life had taught her anything it was that she could only depend on one person and that was herself.

Liberty soon realized that her new life was not all that it had been hyped up to be. Samad didn’t know how to love . . . all he did was control. His leash on Liberty was so tight that she could not breathe. What had started out as a fairy tale had quickly transformed into a nightmare. The clothing that he made her wear ate away at her self-esteem, making her feel invisible. No one spoke to her directly; instead Samad’s servants, chefs, and maids spoke to her through him. She felt like a child, stifled by a tyrannous parent. It was an extravagant existence indeed, but the loneliness she felt outweighed all of the glitz. Samad was an important man who kept his property secure, but the longer she was there the more she felt like a prisoner. The guarded estate, security cameras, and perimeter boundaries were not there to keep strangers out . . . Liberty felt as if they were set up to keep her in. She was stuck and although Samad treated her fairly, depriving her of nothing, she still felt out of place. He intimidated Liberty, and she hated the stern rule he watched over her with. He was a ruthless dictator, and she was too afraid to go against the grain for fear of what the repercussions might be. She had every material possession at her fingertips, but when it came to having money of her own she was penniless. He never put a dime in her hands, but instead sent one of his men with her if she needed to go shopping. He inspected her purchases, making sure they met his approval before she even came into his home. And just in case the thought ever crossed her mind, he took away her every opportunity to escape. Samad wasn’t new to this. He realized that Liberty had been Americanized for way too long and that it would take some time for her to become accustomed to his ways. So he kept a watchful eye over her to ensure she stayed in line.

He purged her body of the drugs she had been abusing, forcing her to go cold turkey for weeks until she no longer craved them. Those had been the hardest days of her life, but once the hazy cloud of addiction was lifted from above her head it was the one thing she did appreciate Samad for. He was overbearing and gave her no independence, but his intentions were good most days. Liberty knew she had nowhere else to go. With no family, no friends, and limited resources at her immediate disposal she was stuck. So she did what she had to do, which was assimilate to Samad’s lifestyle and cause no fuss to avoid confrontation. She had died on the inside a long time ago. Compared to some of her previous circumstances, life with Samad was simple and she wanted nothing more than to keep it that way. She had seen Samad’s temper when it came to his dealings with different associates and she never wanted to be on the receiving end of it. She complied with his house rules and made sure that she was seen but rarely heard. When it was just she and Samad, he was more relaxed. The pressure for her to behave just right was taken away when they were alone, but whenever there were others in the room Liberty felt a thick tension from him.

He had been working increasingly hard at getting her pregnant. He disguised his motives by calling her beautiful and setting the scene for romance, but he no longer had Liberty fooled. She couldn’t help but smirk at his frustration because if it was up to her she would never get pregnant by him. He was clueless to the measures she had taken to ensure that it didn’t happen, and as the days moved on he grew insecure from what he assumed to be his impotence. She could sense his apprehension, and it made her days a bit easier to know that she had a little bit of control back in her own hands. He was beginning to tire of her. It was as if he only wanted her to procreate . . . and if she didn’t fulfill that desire then she was worth nothing.

Samad secluded himself inside his office more and more, which sparked a curiosity in Liberty.
What is he hiding?
she thought as she watched him out of the corner of her eye as he slept beside her. Her eyes darted to the red numbers on the clock that read 4:53
A.M
.

I have to see what is inside of that room.

Liberty slowly pulled the silk comforter back as she slid her body out of bed. She hoped that he did not notice her absence, and she cringed as she cautiously lifted her body weight from the mattress. She knew that she was taking a risk, but she no longer cared. She had been in that house too long without knowing what lay on the other side of that door. Moving in silence, with the stealth of a cat, she tiptoed to the bureau. She pulled open Samad’s drawer and retrieved the set of keys that he kept hidden there. There wasn’t much that Liberty missed, and she had discovered his amateur hiding spot shortly after moving in with Samad. She nervously snapped her head back as she heard Samad’s breathing pattern change. Frozen in paranoia she prayed that he didn’t awaken, and she didn’t move until his snoring resumed. She hurriedly left the room and walked quickly to his office. Time wasn’t on her side and her hands shook terribly as she placed the keys inside the lock. Letting herself in, she closed the door behind her and turned on the lights. She moved quickly, going over to his desk as she opened each drawer and frantically flipped through his papers. Liberty was careful to put things back as she had found them. She didn’t want to leave any trace of her intrusion behind.

Things inside the office seemed normal and she grew frustrated when she couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. He doesn’t keep this room locked for nothing, she told herself.
What are you hiding in here?
she asked as she stood with her hands on her hips while turning in a full circle as her eyes inspected the space. All she saw was executive furnishing fit for a businessman such as Samad. She had no reason to be suspicious but the nagging feeling in her stomach told her that something was awry. Warning bells had been going off in her head when it came to Samad, and it was time she started listening to them. Just as she was about to give up her search, she noticed a dim light shining beneath the closet door. She rushed over to the closet and quietly opened the doors. The light was coming from the back of the large walk-in. She noticed burqas in assorted colors hanging in the closet and an eerie feeling passed over her as she made her way towards the light. Her hands began to sweat. She didn’t know exactly what she was looking for or even what she expected to find, but she was afraid and the frantic beating of her heart rang in her ears.

She finally came to a glass display that sat in the back of the closet, tucked away in a corner.

“What is this?” she whispered as she looked at what appeared to be a collection of vases. But as she peered closer she noticed that each vase had a different woman’s picture framed above it. Her hand shot to her mouth and her heart sank into her stomach as reality slapped her in the face. Vomit built up in the back of her throat as she shook her head back and forth. The beautifully decorated vases were not vases at all . . . they were urns. The letters R.I.P were printed on them along with a time frame. Her shaky hand reached up to retrieve an urn. Liberty already knew what was inside, but she just had to look. She didn’t want to believe that the women in these pictures were dead, especially at the hands of Samad. But as she looked inside and saw the powdery dust she knew that it was true. She read the dates below each picture:

Mercedes
RIP
2007–2008

Joanna
RIP
2008–2009

Samantha
RIP
2009–2010

There were more than ten urns on display dating back a decade, and Liberty couldn’t help but notice that none of the girls before her had lasted for more than a year. One way or the other all of the women had ended up dead with no one to even miss them. She knew that they all shared the same circumstance. Abia had made it clear that Samad was a valued customer of hers. He had been purchasing girls and getting away with murder for years. The shrine put a fear in her heart that she had never felt before and as she backed out of the closet she sobbed uncontrollably. Flustered and with her nerves on edge she fumbled with the keys as she locked the office. Terror filled her as she began to put a countdown on her own life. She could sense Samad’s disinterest in her and she now knew where it would eventually lead. She had been with Samad for six months and knew that it wouldn’t be long before he disposed of her.

I’m going to end up just like them,
she thought as the faces of the beautiful young women flashed through her mind, haunting her psyche. She quickly replaced the keys and breathed a sigh of relief when she found Samad sleeping soundly. As she stood above him she knew that there was no way that she could lay beside him. I should get him before he gets me, she thought. Liberty wished that she had the soul of a killer, but she knew that it was something that she did not possess. Her heart wasn’t black enough to commit murder. She had seen it before with her own eyes. She knew how much blood could come out of one human being, and it wasn’t something that she wanted on her conscience.

I have to find a way out of here,
she thought.
I have to leave him before he kills me.

FOURTEEN

A’SHAI COULDN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT LIBERTY
. She had been on his mind for months. She had grown into a woman, but she still looked exactly the same to A’shai. When he saw her, his heart felt as if it had skipped a beat. Feeling possessive over her, he was prepared to bid until his bank ran out, but Baron had stopped him. Seeing her on the platform had saddened him because after all the time that had passed, she was still stuck in the system. A’shai felt as though he had been her downfall. He was the one who had led her onto a prisoner’s ship, and she was still plunging into the darkness all these years later. He had tried to take his mind off her. He hustled tirelessly in the streets, stacking his paper and going hard in the game. Getting money was the perfect distraction to keep him from pining after the childhood love from his past. It was the moments that he stood still that he saw her face . . . moments like now when he was laying in bed with his girlfriend Jenny that he wished the girl next to him was Liberty.

“What’s wrong, Shai?” she asked. “You’ve been so distant.”

A’shai pulled his arm from behind her head and replied, “I’m just tired. I’m not trying to be cold towards you. I’ve got some things to take care of today though so don’t make any plans to hang around here,” he said. He wasn’t fond of the way she was slowly becoming a fixture in his life. She was trying to plant roots on him, and he wasn’t interested in cultivating their relationship. His connection with her had been interrupted the moment he laid eyes on Liberty at the ball. He wanted a sincere love . . . something genuine, and Jenny couldn’t provide that. Women wanted him now because he had the world in the palm of his hands. He was young, rich, and powerful, which was attractive to them . . . but Liberty had known him before all of it . . . she had loved him without any of it . . . and wouldn’t see him any differently because of it. He wanted her and as he thought of her being sold and purchased like an item he felt a great pain in his chest. If Liberty was anything like the little girl she used to be, then she was an amazing woman, and A’shai needed her in his life.

Jenny, on the other hand, was high maintenance and required a lot of attention. She was used to being spoiled. She was one of the hottest chicks in Detroit, and many men wanted what A’shai had, but she was addicted to him. His power and prestige was like a magnet to her and ever since he had returned from L.A. the attraction had been less than mutual. He was Baron Montgomery’s heir and that alone brought women out of the woodwork . . . women like Jenny who were opportunists who saw A’shai as their new sponsor. He saw them as pieces of ass. He wasn’t into cuffing or upgrading no chick. He was about getting money, and Jenny was just something to do in the meantime. She was nice arm candy and good company on lonely nights. In fact he was quite fond of her, but he didn’t see her in his future. Ever since losing Liberty as a child, he never made plans to keep a chick around because none of them could ever measure up to his childhood love. The affection that he had built up towards Liberty in such a short time was so great that when he lost her his heart broke. No girl after her had been able to repair him and since he had located her, all of his feelings for Liberty had resurfaced. They may have only been kids when their paths crossed but she had left an everlasting imprint on his life. He couldn’t shake the memory of her and now that he had seen her again he was itching to check for her.