Caged 2 (Caged Series)

by Destiny Hawkins

  “Keep swimming Rose!” Arnold yelled.

  I tried to ignore the pain in my leg so that I could swim to safety, but I could only get so far with my cramping leg. My head went under right when I tried to take a deep breath, and I found myself choking on water. I grabbed at my throat not knowing what to do next. The shallow end was so far, and I wasn’t going to make it in time.

  Trying my best, I used my arms to get my head back above the water, but those both gave out on me and I fell under again. For the second time I sucked in water, confusing it with oxygen, and felt as if I were dying. I think that I actually was, which wasn’t a scary thought when I started feeling numb.

  I was finally going to be with my parents.

  I was grabbed by the back of my one piece before I hit the pool floor and was being pulled back to the surface. As soon as I felt the cold air on my face I coughed up water along with the food I had eaten earlier.

  The person that had saved me swam over to the pool wall, then pulled me out of the water and onto my back.

  “Rose? Rose? Are you okay?” I heard Arnold ask. He was the one that saved me. My brutal, and unloving owner.

  I looked up at him with no emotion at all. It was weird seeing him worried about me, because all I ever received from him was anger and pain. Arnold looked down at me with wide eyes, and I couldn’t understand why he was panting. Was he afraid that I’d died?

  When I didn’t answer him right away, he frowned. I guess he noticed the same thing that I did and went back to his regular self. He got back to his feet and ran his fingers through his hair, then he pulled me up to mine.

  “Do you want me to get back in?” I asked. The pain in my leg was still there, but I didn’t want to show him any weakness.

  Arnold glared down at me. “Grab your towel. It’s late,” he said. He walked passed me toward the door and waited for me to wrap my towel around myself and follow him out.

  Arnold got into the hotel room before I did, and I really wasn’t expecting him to yank me inside and slam me against the wall. Even if I did, I wasn’t allowed to fight back or avoid him. I wouldn’t even dream of it.

  I knew why Arnold was upset. It was because I had made him worry about me-show me that he cared even a little. That wasn’t like him at all, and he hated that he let me see that side of him.

  I slid down to the floor after having the air knocked out of me, but he wasn’t done yet. Not by a long shot. The last thing I saw, the last time I was in New York, was an infuriated man and his very large fists.

  Chapter 10

  I jolted out of my sleep the next morning and looked around to see where I was at. Small room, brown carpet, mattress, two windows, check. It was just a dream, but they were becoming more and more realistic by the night. Lately, I’ve been finding myself relieved that it was all just a dream but would still avoid going back to sleep. It had to be because of this operation, because before then my dreams were mostly about stupid things.

  I got up from the mattress and walked out of the bedroom to see if Bobby was up. He was in the kitchen fully dressed and making coffee.

  “Good morning!” He said looking back at me. “You just get done working out?”

  “What?” I looked down at myself and saw that my stomach was dripping with sweat and my purple sports bra was soaked. “Oh, no. Just had a bad dream,” I explained.

  “Yeah, I could hear you all the way out here.” Bobby took a sip of his coffee, “Want some?” he asked.

  “No, I hate coffee,” I answered.

  I walked into the living room and sat down against the wall next to his open laptop. When I looked at the screen I saw a picture of Bellerose shaking hands with some other rich looking man. It was creepy to me how Bellerose looked so much like Arnold, but I was starting to think that any dark haired man with brown eyes looked like him. Especially in a suit.

  “That’s Bellerose making another deal with a buyer. The buyer’s name was Emille, and we brought him in for questioning. He didn’t say anything, but a few days later we found him dead with missing a finger.”

  I frowned, “Bellerose thought he was working for you guys?”

  “Yeah, he has eyes everywhere, which is why you need to be very careful.” Bobby said. He came and sat down next to me. “My real name is Derrick, but out here you’ll call me Bobby. Your name is Sarah Clements, and you’re my little sister. We moved out here because we clearly don’t have the funds to live in a better area, and you’re looking for a job, but can’t find one,” he flicked through a few pictures and came across a young guy’s mug shot. “This is Jaylen. He works for Andrew, and this is who you will be trying to work with. I don’t care how you do it, but make this boy your friend and get to Andrew. Andrew will lead you to Bellerose, and from there you find those kids.”

  “And what will you do?”

  “Make sure the job is done right. I’ll be working on my own, but keep to the story. We came from Ohio to move out here in hope to find jobs, but of course that doesn’t work out.”

  “So I’ll be working with Jaylen? What does he do?”

  “Sell drugs,” Bobby shrugged.

  I just stared at him blankly. I got on the force to stop people from selling, and others from ruining their lives, but now I was going to do the selling and life ruining.

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me,” I said.

  “Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you don’t know how to play a bad girl’s role. I know you do.”

  “Not like that. I used to fuck people up, but I never did stuff like that. It’s illegal.”

  “Look, the faster you get to Bellerose, the faster you move up in the world. He’s filthy rich, plus you’ll get to see that girl.”

  “I don’t care about his money... How do you know I care about seeing her?”

  “I watched you stare at her picture back in your lieutenant’s office, remember? Looked like you were in love with her before, right?”

  I took a deep breath knowing that I couldn’t deny my feelings. My past feelings.

  “Right. Well, I don’t know if there are any other reasons that she’s afraid of him, so I’m telling you now. Don’t blow this damn operation.”

  I looked up at Bobby who was looking rather serious, and I couldn’t manage to get mad at him. I knew that if I saw Bellerose hurting her, there was a chance that I might lose my mind and blow everything.

  “Oh yeah, and about your phone. When you leave this apartment you need to leave that behind as well. You may be searched, but as long as you keep one of these on you,” Bobby said as he pulled out his black flip phone. “You’ll go right by them. All the drug dealers around here use one of these.”

  I nodded, “So I have to work my way up to Bellerose? I guess that shows…what? Loyalty? That I’m a hard worker?”

  “Well, starting from the bottom doesn’t look suspicious, and it shows dedication.”

  I sighed. “Dedication to sell drugs. Great, I have all my life goals in order,” I said getting back up to my feet, “and where will I find this Jaylen?”

  Bobby frowned, “On the streets, corners, clubs. He’s a popular guy around here. I’ll keep an eye out, but if you want to find him quicker just ask around for Jay C. They’ll know you’re looking for a fix.”

  “Oh, so I’m a crack head, and a drug dealer?” I shook my head in disbelief, then turned around and made my way to the bathroom. I felt sticky and needed a long shower before I got started with all of this.

  Once I was under the hot water I started thinking about how all of this was going to play out. My name is Sarah, and I have to link up with a guy named Jaylen, who will then lead me to Andrew, who will ultimately lead me to Bellerose. Then when I get to him, I have to gain his trust and search for a bunch of children with Lorena being a distraction.

  I let the water run over my head as I thought about Lorena and what she was going through. It made my blood boil that she was with another man that most likely abused her. She should have just come home lik
e she promised. She had started a new life without me and didn’t want to leave it behind. Not like how I just left mine behind for her.

  I turned the water off and stepped out of the tub, then I grabbed a towel and left the bathroom. I took the time to go through my clothes to find something that suit my new occupation. Sighing at the pair of blue skinny jeans that I pulled out and tossed on the mattress, I grabbed a gray V-neck and started searching for underclothes.

  Once I was finally dressed I brushed my hair back into a tight ponytail and slipped into my gray Nike shoes. I figured that I looked like I was going out somewhere instead of to my bed, so I was satisfied. I couldn’t wait to come back home to my sweats though. Freedom!

  I went back to the front room to see my gun sitting on the counter.

  “Keep that hidden, and only use it if you absolutely need to. It’s common for y'all to have guns, but you still need to be very careful,” Bobby said still looking into his computer, “and twelve pm is the latest that you can check in with me. Just say you’re checking on your brother if anyone asks, but if you’re still out, make sure that you call or I will start looking for you.”

  “What? You think I might get hurt?”

  “No,” Bobby finally looked up. “I’ll think that you’re dead.”

  I took a deep breath and grabbed the gun off of the counter. “This will be the last undercover mission that I’ll ever do,” I said.

  Bobby smiled slightly, “I personally picked you to do this operation, and I got you approved. I figured that you’d be more help than anyone on the force. You’ll be fine.” He pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and tossed them over to me, “Have fun.”

  I tucked the gun in my waistband and covered it with my shirt, then I slipped the keys into my pocket and left out the door. As soon as I started down the hall I felt my heart begin to race. I had no idea what I was doing, or where to start. Jay C. I was looking for someone named Jay C.

  When I stepped out of the building the same men from yesterday were standing outside talking and smoking. Apparently they didn’t have any jobs to attend to and had the freedom to do absolutely nothing.

  “Hey sexy,” It was the guy from yesterday. I suddenly felt heat build up in my chest when I thought about how he called me out of my name. Not even Arnold had done that.

  I stared at him for a moment, then shook my head and walked through them.

  “Damn baby, why you gotta be like that?”

  “Stop talking to me,” I said calmly.

  I could hear them laughing behind me as I walked down the sidewalk. I needed to find Jay C., which meant that I needed to find a crack head, and that shouldn’t be hard around here. There’s bound to be some in one of the abandoned houses around here.

  I walked for a while until my phone rang. An unrecognized number came up, and I answered, “Hello?”

  “He was last seen on Barlette Street,” It was Bobby’s voice. “That’s around the corner by a little breakfast spot.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  “No problem,” he said before hanging up.

  I put the phone away and decided that I was just going to ask around where Barlette Street was. The first person I saw was a tall light skinned man standing out by a car while talking to someone that was in the passenger seat.

  “Excuse me,” I said.

  The tall man looked back at me with a frown, but then his face straightened after looking me up and down. “What’s up?” He asked.

  “I’m looking for Barlette Street? I’m new around here.”

  “Yeah, you gotta be if you don’t know where that is,” he nodded down the street. “Walk to the end of this street, then make a right. After you make a right walk two streets down and you’ll be on Barlette.”

  “Thank you,” I said before walking off. I could tell that he and whoever was in the passenger seat was still watching me, but I paid them no mind. They either thought I was pretty, or just in great shape. At least that's usually why people stared at me.

  I did as I was instructed and finally made my way to Barlette Street, but now I had no idea where to go from here. Bobby said something about a breakfast spot, but there were only about two on this busy street.

  I sighed and shook my head after deciding to check the one that was closest to me first. As I got closer I read the sign on the window that said Rays Hot Pancakes. My stomach growled when I stepped inside the small restaurant, and even though it looked like it was going out of business, it smelled good as hell.

  I didn’t spot anyone other than an old man sitting in a booth and decided to order some food. Jaylen wasn’t in this joint, so I’d have to check the other spot when I finished eating. When the food was finally sat in front of me, I smiled and thought back to my aunts cooking. When I finish with this operation I’m going to have to pay her a visit.

  My phone vibrated and I read the text. It was Bobby again.

  Where are you? The message said.

  Ray’s Hot Pancakes. I responded, then I put my phone back away and continued eating.

  Halfway through my meal, I started feeling full. I couldn’t finish the whole pancake after drinking my orange juice, so I sat back against the booth that I was in and stared at the busy street outside. Jaylen was out there somewhere, and I had to make friends with him in order to get my foot in the door towards Bellerose.

  “Are you Sarah?” A deep voice asked next to my table. My body froze at the thought that someone had figured me out already.

  I turned my head to the person that asked my fake name and was shocked to see that it was Jaylen himself. Jay C. was right in front of me! I immediately went into cop mode when I thought about him being a drug dealer.

  “Who’s asking?” I asked.

  Jaylen gave a cute smile and slid into the booth across from me. “My dude Bobby told me you were looking for me. Said you’d be in one of the breakfast spots around here. Bobby is your brother right?” He answered.

  “Yeah? How do you know him?”

  “Oh, I met him last month. Dude saved my life when some shit...” Jaylen smiled when he realized that I was giving a blank stare. “Anyways,” he folded his hands on the table, “he said he brought his little sister back into town and that she needed a way to make some money.”

  I raised an eyebrow while waiting on him to continue. It was hard to be a tough ass with him giving that cute smile that reminded me of Cameron. Jaylen was a cute milk chocolate man with a short haircut and glossy dark brown eyes. He didn’t look like any of the drug dealers I’ve arrested before, which made it really hard to believe that he was Jay C.

  “You don’t look like the kind of girl that stands on the corner to sell,” Jay C. Smiled.

  “You don’t either. How do you know Bobby again?” I don’t know why Bobby didn’t just tell me that he knew Jaylen. That would have made searching a hell of a lot easier.

  “Your brother? Oh, like I said he saved me before. Some crazy shit went down and he took a bullet. Real loyal guy,” Jaylen nodded. “So, do you need to work or not? I don’t have all day.” His smile never left his face.

  I sighed, “Yeah, I do.”

  “That’s what’s up, since me and your bro cool and all I can do him a favor and hook you up. He was talkin’ about needing some help a little while ago so y'all could move up out of that dump.”

  “Yeah,” I nodded. “Sorry, I’ve never done this before.” I bit my bottom lip. I didn’t know what was going to happen next.

  “It’s cool. Aye, so before I show you anything you have to meet up with the boss man first. Dude’s name is Andrew. He doesn’t know Bobby so we not gon’ bring him up.”

  “He has to approve of me first?” I asked, feeling a little nervous.

  Jaylen nodded, “Andrew is the top dog around here, and he doesn’t just trust anyone to distribute his shit. That’s how you get caught up.”

  “So, when do I meet him?” I asked.

  “Tonight.”

  Chapter 11

&nb
sp; “It’s already bad enough you didn’t tell me that you knew Jaylen, but now I’m going in to meet Andrew tonight!? That's too soon!” I yelled at Bobby. It was my first day here and I was already about to meet Andrew. I mean I wanted to hurry and get to Lorena, but at the same time I wanted to get the feel of everything. Right now I was just being thrown in.

  “He’s just going to approve of you, that’s all. That’s when you take the chance to get a little close to him and work your way into his trust.”

  “You know Jaylen, you’re good at this. Why don’t you go do it?”

  “Because I’m not you,” Bobby answered. We both just stared at each other. “You need to be the one working with Bellerose. You have more knowledge and experience than anyone to do this. Plus, once you get inside you’ll have Lorena on the inside with you.”

  I took a deep breath but couldn’t manage to get my frown to disappear. Everything seemed more real than ever now that I had started the operation.

  “Now, Jaylen will be here in an hour or so to pick you up, so go and get ready. Oh, and wear your hair down. You want him to think with his dick tonight.”

  I sighed loudly and walked back down the hall and into the bathroom for another shower. Things were moving faster than ever, and I hoped that I could handle it.

  When I went back to the bedroom to get dressed I found a new pair of high waisted jeans, a black crop top, and black sandals waiting for me on the bed. My stomach turned when I thought about dressing in clothing that made me feel uncomfortable. Even though I had a great body and curves, I liked to keep myself covered up in clothes that showed off my muscles. Not clothes that showed my bare skin for everyone to see.

  I quickly got dressed and pulled my hair out of its wet ponytail. I had conditioned it in the shower so that my brown curls would hang a little looser, just passed my shoulders, and that’s exactly what they did. The only time I liked to have my hair down was when Cameron would take me out, but now that it was out just to impress some other man, I hated it.

  I slipped on the black sandals and walked into the living room to face Bobby.