now?” He continued to chuckle and then firmly stated, “Don’t be stupid. Put the gun down.” Free hesitated as he looked at Six, who had closed her eyes.
“What are you going to do?” Claude continued, “Are you going to kill me, Free? Before you even pull the trigger, her brains will be all over the bedspread.” Free dropped the gun and glared at Claude, who now had the gun on Six’s bare breasts, the cold steel making her dark nipples stand at attention and enraging Free even more. Free could see Six trembling, and his jaw clenched as he gritted his teeth.
“What is a woman so beautiful doing with a man like Free?” Claude asked as he continued to fondle Six’s nipples with the gun. She slapped his hand away, and he chuckled. “Someone like you could be living lavishly. If you play your cards right, I might make you my mistress,” Claude said as he lusted after Six’s naked frame. He pulled back the covers so that he could see her entire body.
“Don’t touch me,” Six spoke through clenched teeth in a frightened tone as she roughly snatched the covers to cover herself.
“You black bitches have no manners. Your men don’t know how to train you. I was trying to offer you something more than Free could ever give you, but your eyes tell me you have chosen Free. So fuck it. You’re his whore, so his debt just became your debt too.”
Free was infuriated at the disrespect, but he knew that Claude would not hesitate to kill Six, so he kept his cool.
“She must be the reason why you forgot to contact me and let me know you were released from prison.”
“If you touch her—”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah… Let’s skip the dramatics, Free. You know how I work. If I wanted to kill the bitch, she’d already be dead. I came here to talk about my money.”
Free remained silent and stared at Six as she stared fright fully back at him.
“You take fifteen kilos of my good, pure, Russian cocaine on consignment, and then you get busted with them. That’s $150,000 worth of product I’m out of. Then you get out of prison and don’t even contact me to make arrangements. That bothers me, Free…. I shouldn’t have to come here looking for you.”
“I’ve only been out a couple hours, Claude. I’ll have the money…. You know I’m good for it,” Free stated defiantly, the apparent anger showing in his voice.
“You used to be good for it! That’s the only reason why you are still breathing. You served your time like a man, and not once did you mention my family’s name. I respect you for that, but I won’t commend you for it. That is what you were supposed to do. We want our money, Free. $150,000 plus interest.”
“How much?” Free asked.
“$250,000…a quarter million. You have six months. If you don’t come up with my money by then, I will murder every body that you have ever loved, beginning with her.”
The Russians walked out of the room, but before Claude exited the apartment he yelled out, “I will be back in six months.”
As soon as they heard the door close, Free rushed to Six’s side as she broke down in his arms. She buried her head in his shoulders, and her body shook uncontrollably as Free rocked back and forth trying to console her. It was the first time that he had ever seen Six so weak, and it hurt him deeply. He didn’t say anything, he just held onto her. He loved her more than he loved himself, and he was determined to keep her safe. He would not let Claude touch her again… Free would be prepared next time, and the consequences would be death.
“Shh, it’s all right…. You’re safe now,” Free comforted her.
“What are we gonna do, Free?” Six asked as the tears flowed down her face. Six was afraid, not only for herself but for Free. She couldn’t live without him by her side, and she was afraid of what was going to happen next.
“Don’t worry about none of this. I’m gon’ handle it,” Free said reassuringly as a thousand thoughts raced through his mind.
“Let’s just leave…. We can leave Detroit tonight,” Six pleaded. She could see the look on Free’s face, and she knew that running from the Russians was not an option. “Free, please. Let’s just pick up and go…. We can go as far away from here as we can. They will never find us. Just say you’ll leave with me.”
As much as Free wanted to give Six her way, he couldn’t, not in this circumstance. “Nah, I owe them those bricks. I’m a man, and I’m gonna pay my debt, but for them touching you, they gon’ die. That’s my word.” Free watched as Six nodded her head. He felt guilty about dragging her into his business with the Russians. It had nothing to do with her, but he knew that she was his weakness. The Russians would use her against him, and he was determined to get her out of it.
For the rest of the day, Six and Free stayed away from each other. They were both consumed by their own thoughts. Free knew that his situation was crucial. He needed money like he needed air in his lungs, and if he didn’t come up with a resolution soon, the Russians would shatter his world. Not only did he need to grind to please Six, he needed to grind to save her life. He knew that Claude would make good on his threat, and Free would die before he let anything happen to her.
Six had so much on her mind she couldn’t think straight. Free was in trouble, and no matter how much he tried to downplay the situation, she knew that it was serious. It was a matter of life and death. Six sat in the middle of their bed with her legs crossed and the monthly bills sitting in front of her. It seemed like her life had been turned upside down, and the only thing that could fix her problems was money. Rent was due tomorrow, and they didn’t have enough to cover everything. Six didn’t know what to do. She knew that Free’s mind was occupied with thoughts of Claude, and she didn’t want to bother him with anything else.
It was crazy how quickly her life had changed. Before Free had been sent to prison, she had everything she could ever want, and there were never any arguments or worries over funds. Now that was all that seemed to matter. How they were going to pay off their debts? Whether it was Claude, bill collectors, or the landlord…they all wanted their money. Six got up and walked into the living room where Free was sitting in deep contemplation.
“I’ma hit the block for a minute,” he said as he stood and wrapped his arms around Six’s waist.
“Okay,” she replied absentmindedly. She knew that he was going to handle some business. She had some business to tend to of her own, and this would give her the opportunity to take care of it. “I think I might go see my dad,” Six said, knowing that he would help her with the bills and be able to calm her soul about the money issues.
Six’s father had been helping her cover her rent since Free had first gone to jail. No matter how long or hard she worked, her pockets always came up short, and she always had to go to her daddy to help pay the extra. Ben Jones didn’t mind, though. Free had helped him out plenty of times before he went in for his three-year stretch. Free always made sure Jones’s pockets were right, and he always took good care of his only daughter, so Jones felt obligated to return the favor. Six was close to her father. Before Free, he was the only person who ever cared about her, and she knew that he would always help her if he could. She knocked on his door lightly and waited anxiously for him to answer.
“Hey, Daddy,” she said when he opened the door. She tried to put on her best smile and sound as normal as possible, but her father knew her too well. He could see right through her.
“Hey, baby girl,” he greeted as he opened the door for her and led her inside. Her father lived in a small house in a modest neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. “I hear Free’s out.”
“Yeah, he’s home. Three years is a long time. I’m just glad that we’re together again,” Six explained with worried eyes.
Jones sensed his daughter’s disposition and asked, “If you’re so happy, why are you sitting here all frowned up, looking like you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders?”
Six