4

Everything around me was tense and I couldn't stop shaking as the men moved through the Five Points walking me through the live streets. All the while I was praying someone saw that I was in danger and helped me. But then again, the life of a negro meant nothing to no white man. The only good negro was a dead negro anyways. The men moved me off the streets and in between two buildings before stopping at a door and opening it. One man went in and two men remained behind me and one of them nudged me in.

It wasn't an aggressive or forceful push. I moved in immediately following the man who already went in. I could hear men talking and chatting and the smell of smoke from pipes filled my nose. I kept my head down as now I could see men sitting at a table or two playing cards. Music was playing and a man was singing a tune I was not familiar with. Men with their coats unbuttoned and hats off, looked my way. I looked around wondering where it was I was at. Is this where I was to be killed? Some of the men eyed me as I walked by them and finally a hand from one of the men behind me came on my shoulder and held me firmly in place. I froze in response. The man who led me moved over across the room to where he was sitting. Bill "The Butcher" Cutting all gussied up, bangs greased down to his forehead, hair falling perfectly to the side.

He seemed to be with two other men on the side of the square table. The man who lead me, leaned over to whisper something in Bill's ear and he immediately looked up and looked right at me. Not like he could miss me I am the only colored human in this entire area.

The men around me looked at me like a pack of wild dogs who just saw a delicious cat they wanted to maul and rip apart. I kept my eyes down wondering if they all just planned to jump and knife me right here. The leading man walked back over to me and took hold of my forearm and just pulled me over toward the table. The two men playing cards with Bill nodded at the man and he nodded back. I was forced to sit in the chair across from Bill as the two men got up and left me.

"Well if it ain't the uppity negress who can read." he said.

'And if it isn't the crazy white American-born man who can't.' I thought in response. I swallowed some looking around the place now.

"Can't look a man in the eye when he's talkin'. That ain't a good characteristic." he reprimanded holding a finger up in front of me.

"That's a white man's characteristic, one that would get a negro man killed if he did so." I said swiftly looking at him. His head quirked to the side now, eyes popping as if he were caught off guard. I swallowed and looked down, keeping my hands between my legs trying to look small before him. Because now I knew I was going to die. Bill eyed me for a second leaning back as if to get a better look at me.

"You got sand. Never met a niggah with sand." he replied. "And if I did, he ain't livin' no more. He'd be hanging from the highest lamp post out there." I just stiffened at his words and he seemed pleased by my reaction. He blinked rapidly now snapping his fingers at me.

"Name, remind me your name girl." he said. Why was I here?

"Minnie." I responded.

"Your full born name!" he snapped as if annoyed. I looked him in the eyes this time.

"Minerva." I responded.

"Last name." he stated. I stared at him puzzled now as I looked down in thought before lifting my head and shaking it. "What you got tar in your mouth, speak up!" My heart was pounding fast in my chest as I took what looked like calm and even breaths.

"I don't know my last name." I replied calmly. Now his eyes flexed.

"Don't know your last name?" he repeated. I just stared at him some more shaking my head slowly. Why were we having this conversation. Now he looked me over some smirking.

"Well it looks like we'll have to give you one-"

"Why am I here?" I asked before I could stop myself. A loud thud hit the table as Bill slammed his knife into the wood before me. I jumped visibly leaning back in the chair as he leaned over the table glaring at me. That's when I noticed one eye looked different from the other. It was a glass eye that looked like it was stamped with an eagle?

"Don't ever interrupt a me when I'm speaking again." he said lowly and now I just stared at him, keeping very still while giving the slightest nod in submission as well. He slowly leaned, his glare lifting as his back hit the chair. His hand remained on the handle of his knife as he removed it and pointed it at me.

"Priest Vallon was in your room three days ago before he came and butchered some of my men." he said. And how would he possibly know that? I swallowed some and nodded.

"Yes, he was." I replied. I had no reason to lie.

"What did you two discuss?" he asked. I stared at him more heavily confused.

"Discuss?" I asked and he rolled his eyes.

"Talk, what did you two talk about?" he asked. I refrained from scoffing at his assumption I didn't know what the word meant. I shook my head slowly.

"We didn't really talk much." I replied and he snorted.

"You mean to tell me he actually fucked you?" he asked. I stuttered out an answer before shaking my head.

"We didn't… lie together." I replied. He arched a brow.

"So you two didn't fuck, you didn't talk, what exactly did you two do?" he asked. Like it was his business, but I could never voice that.

"We kissed." I replied and his eyes lightened up as if he looked at me mockingly.

"Well ain't that sweet." he said. I just stared at him not sure what he was wanting me to say, so I said nothing. He crossed his arms now. "Tell me everything that happened." I nodded slowly.

"I went to my room, and he was there. He paid me. We were kissing and then we stopped and he-"

"Why'd you stop?" he asked before I could say Priest removed his sword. I looked down now embarrassed.

"He had never done anything with a colored woman before… guess he was nervous." I replied. He arched a brow before nodding.

"Makes sense I mean who would want to lie with you?" he asked. Quite a lot of white men actually. Not like I wanted to lie with them anyways. I just nodded.

"Then he pulled out his sword, told me to hide and then that's when he started killing your men." I replied. He stared at me now, his face unreadable and still. Now were both just staring at each other. Could I go now? Is this all he wanted? Or did he plan to kill me after getting what he wanted? He must have wanted to figure out how Priest could get in and out of the brothel. I didn't see his body among the dead so he had to have escaped.

Bill looked my face over, his eyes moving down then up.

"Who taught you to read?" he asked suddenly, and I was completely caught off guard by the question. I looked down some and then up.

"A Quaker woman at the orphanage I grew up in." I replied.

"That orphan asylum for unwanted darkies?" he asked. I just nodded silently. He nodded, his jaw tightening some before he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out something and dropped it in front of me. It looked to be crumbled paper and I just looked at it and then up at him. He leaned back and crossed his arms as if waiting. I suspected he wanted me to look inside. I carefully moved to pick up the paper, not taking my eyes off him as I did. As I saw the tiny words inside, I knew it was a newspaper article. Billy watched as I opened the newspaper and looked at it. It was from the Daily Chronicle.

"Read the big words." he said, and I glanced up at him for a second before down at the large bold printed words.

"Slaughter at the O'Sullivan's Brothel. Nine Natives dead. Talk that Dead Rabbit's leader Priest Vallon struck like lightning to avenge his fallen allies killed earlier by The Natives. No one saw him coming." I read and put the paper down and looked at Bill whose lip twitched some. I just winced some.

"But you saw him coming." he stated pointing to me once more with his knife. I tensed and shook my head.

"He snuck into my room. He said he was supposed to meet another woman but said it was the wrong room." I replied quickly.

"Well which is it, did he sneak into your room or was it the wrong room?" he asked quickly as if trying to catch me in a lie. His voice boomed with fury as he stood up.

"Obviously he snuck into my room thinking it was the room of another girl!" I yelled back, fear in my tone and he just stood there glaring down at me and I just leaned back into the chair. He huffed and puffed through his nose looking me over for a second before snatching the newspaper article off the table and staring down at it now. He squinted some as his eyes roamed over the paper, not in straight lines but all over as if trying to find a word he may recognize. He then quickly stuffed the paper back inside his coat pocket and looked up and past me.

"Get her out of here." he demanded. I didn't believe I was safe. That could easily mean take me out in the alley way and slit my throat. One of his men appeared and lifted me from the table. Bill pointed his knife at me again.

"Don't you never get smart like that with me again. I don't ever want to see your face again." he said as I was turned from him. I was panting heavily as I suddenly stopped and whipped my head at him.

"Ever!" I said quickly and suddenly. He looked at me almost confused himself. "Don't you ever get smart like that with me again." His eyes widened now and I just whipped my head around accepting death as it was surely coming now that I had the absolute nerve to show more knowledge in grammar to a white man. I was being forcefully removed now wondering what they were going to do to me now. I panted heavily as the men moved me back down the hall. They were going to beat me for sure until I saw the door we came through earlier. Maybe they'll put a bullet in my head and make it quick. I knew I crossed a line, correcting him like that. Colored girls get raped and beaten before their killed, men get their manhood's sliced off before they're hanged. I could only imagine how these men planned to make me suffer for my disrespect.

One man opened the door and just pushed me out. My body hit the wall and my hands just remained there as I shut my eyes and waited for my torture to come. But it didn't come. Nothing came. I was panting hard, my heart trying to climb its way from my throat. I heard the shutting of a door and finally peaked my eyes open to see the busy street at the end of the alleyway. Slowly I looked over my shoulder to see no one was there. That was a sign from God himself. I immediately sped off toward the crowd keeping close to the side walk. I didn't want to run and have the police think I was up to something. I wanted no other white man to stop me today. I made my way back to the brothel and once I saw the black rooftop of the building, I slowed down placing a hand against the wall and my other hand against my stomach.

I leaned over quickly and just let out a silent yell as tears fell down my face. I dropped to my knees thinking the almighty for delivering me from the lion's den. I told no one what happened earlier today. When the moon was up high, Shauna called all the girls down to the lobby to meet someone of hers. And most of the girls were stricken by these new guests.

"Ladies meet Mr. Heisenberg." she replied to the large and tall burly man with a cigar in his mouth. A few girls whispered amongst themselves now as we all stared at the man. He was in thick brown pants and a tight white collared shirt; his arms didn't look like they fit inside due to their muscles. His faded black hair was combed straight back. He had a grizzly face with stubble, and scary dark eyes. Five other men stood behind him dressed almost like him. "He is the leader of the German gang, The Slaughterhouse Mercs."

I have heard about this gang. A group of men people have never really seen before but have heard they were ghosts who robbed and killed you in the dead of night. Some of them were mercenaries and assassins who came together to form one large gang. They had no political stance. They were cut throats for hire. And this is their leader? God he's huge.

"Now I have hired Mr. Heisenberg as a caretaker for the brothel. He will make sure everyone stays in line. Now in return for our protection, along with good payment, he and some of his men have open access to you all on work days. They of course will pay and will treat you all with respect." she informed looking at the man now who blew smoke from his nostrils. He removed the cigar from his mouth.

"Ladies the secret to us getting along is simple." he replied his accent thick enough to make my skin crawl. Some of the girls smiled at each other shyly as if already drawn to the man. "You do as I say when I say when in the presence of danger and I will keep you safe. My men… are men. You treat them well and they'll treat you well." I glanced over to see Jenny standing near the front eyeing the man some. I couldn't help but wonder if she was the one who told Bill about Priest being in my room. Shauna turned toward us.

"Any questions?" she asked. No one said a word. The girls seemed a bit too shy by the man to speak. "Come on girls speak up!" I did have a question and so I raised my hand gaining everyone's attention. Mr. Heisenberg looked right at me, his eyes dull yet sharp.

"Do your words go out to only the white women here? Will we all be safe under your watchful eyes?" I asked. Mr. Heisenberg took big steps toward me, his boots making a noise with each step as he parted the group of women exposing me further rot the man. He stopped in front of me. My he was tall. I felt small under his gaze. He didn't look assuring but he nodded.

"You have my word each and every one of you will be treated like whores you are." he replied. I stiffened some.

"As well as your men?" I asked now. You're pushing it girl. Mr. Heisenberg leaned in to me some.

"My men fall under my word fräulein." he replied. I did not know what that word meant. For all I knew it was a racial slur toward my kind. But at this moment I didn't care. I just wanted to be in bed. I nodded and he gave me a look over before turning and returning to Shauna's side. She smiled at me then clapped at us.

"Alright ladies, to bed all of you. Tomorrow our busy day starts." she said. The girls muttered amongst themselves as we all turned and began to move to our rooms. As I followed some of the girls upstairs, I couldn't help but glance back at the group of large men who spoke to our den mother. Mr. Heisenberg started to look my way, so I turned and continued up to my room. I wanted to forget this Sunday all together and depending how busy I am, I may just be able to.