Chapter 39
"So you wanna know what happened in New York? Are you sure Leon?" Her tone flashed with sarcasm and anger. "Do you really want to know? How much of the truth do you think you can handle?" She stood up from her seat and walked to the window. The morning sun was shining on the rims that made up the legs of the picnic table. She watched as a bird landed on the table. It seemed to be staring back at her. It chirped and flew away. Sky wished at that moment she had wings to fly away too. "How much time do ya got?" She turned around to face the team with sadness written on her face.
The room was silent for a few minutes until Dom spoke, "Sky you don't have to tell us anything you don't want to. What happened there is the past and it don't matter."
"But you see Dom that's the problem. It's not the past. It's my past, present, and future. I will always have to deal with it. Besides Leon here won't be satisfied until he knows the truth. He needs to know how bad I am so he will have an excuse for what he did. He needs to clear his conscience."
"Bullshit Sky my conscience is clear. I don't really care if you tell me or not. I made up my mind about you a long time ago. Nothing you say gonna change that." Leon crossed his arm and leaned back in his chair. "So go on tell your sob story."
"When did you become such an asshole? Might as well tell y'all cause I've got nothing to hide anymore. Guess I'll start at the beginning since you know I left a lot out of the story the first time I told it. I hitched a ride with an old woman into NYC. She dropped me off on some deserted street and I started walking. Had no particular direction in mind, I just wanted to find a place for the night. I reached a payphone and gave Vince a call."
"You should've stay at the home. I was working on getting you back." Vince growled.
"I didn't have time to wait. Anyways I spot this kid trying to break into a car. It was a simple break-in but the kid was struggling. I helped him out thinking I'd get a place to crash for the night and then I'd head back to L.A. He introduced me to the group he lived with and gave me a spot on his bed to sleep on."
Leon jumped up from his seat and stormed out of the dining room. "Wish you'd left that part out."
"Wait Leon before you go off. Let me explain." She pushed him back into the dining room and continued her tale. "Simon, the leader, had his eye on me from the start. It set my nerves on end. Razor didn't trust him so he offered me one side of his bed to protect me. He always slept light and would hear when Simon tried to get near me. All the guys protected me. After being there about six months I decide to make my getaway. I snuck out late one night and reached a phone booth. I got the first three numbers dialed before Simon bashed my head into the glass. He pulled me into his SUV by my hair and drove back to the shop. In the middle of the shop he beat me. Everyone tried to help but Simon had a gun. They couldn't get near me." Sky became silent as she let the image play out in her mind. She didn't have the courage to say out loud what happened next. The vision of Simon ripping her clothes off and raping her in front of everyone flashed like pictures. She spent hours lying on that floor with nothing covering her battered body. She began again to speak, "After God knows how many hours he finally let Raz take me upstairs to the living quarters to clean me up. I didn't move from the bed for a week."
Sky took a look around at the members of the team. They sat silent with stunned looks on their faces. Even Leon didn't have anything to say. She wondered what was going on in their heads, wondered what they thought of her. "Every day I thought of a plan of escape. Many times I tried and every time Simon caught me. It was as though me had eyes everywhere. So I found another way to escape. At first I popped a few pills each morning and then it evolved into a few lines of coke. It got to the point that I didn't function at all, just lay in the bed staring at the cracks in the ceiling. Simon's beating didn't even wake me. At some point Simon decided that I was more of a liability and sold me to Mr. Scolini."
Vince stopped her from speaking, "I need a break Sky. This is too much."
"I understand." Sky leaned her head against Vince's shoulder and closed her eyes. It had been too much for her.
Dom got up from his chair and walked over to Sky. He put his large hands on her shoulders and rubbed gently, "Let's get to work and Sky can tell us the rest later."
Lunchtime rolled around and the team was ready for the rest of the story. They huddled around the box of sandwiches Mia had brought over and waited for Sky to begin again. "Mr. Scolini didn't buy me in the sense that you guys are thinking. He told Simon that's what he wanted, but he really felt sorry for me. He had come into the shop one day seeing me seated against a support column strung out and said I looked like a angel fallen from heaven. That's how I became his angel. He took me home, cleaned me up, and put me into rehab. When I got out I joined him in the business. During meetings I'd stand behind his right shoulder. I had a knack for picking out undercover feds and anyone that was trying to screw him over. He lavished me with gifts beyond my wildest dreams. All I had to do was ask and it was mine. Jewels, clothes, cars you name it I had it."
Leon threw his empty bottle of Corona into the garbage, "Damn New York don't sound so bad. No wonder you didn't rush back. To think I was worried about you."
"Damn it. I've about had enough of you. That was the last six months I was there. Most of the time I was in New York I lived at Simon's shop."
"Wait a minute I thought you were at Simon's shop when you took off." Dom asked thoroughly confused by the story.
"I was at Simon's. I had kept in contact with Raz and Takara, Simon's girlfriend. I wanted to get them out of there too. I rejoined Simon's crew a week before we left. We almost got out of there before he came back. Unfortunately he came back early and got the brunt of my bat upside his head. I traveled to Chicago with the crew. Once I knew they were safe I flew back to L.A. and went home. I planned on the story ending there, but Leon stumbled upon me with gun in hand."
"Oh my God Sky," Mia covered her mouth in shock.
"Don't even tell me what you were thinking cause clearly you weren't thinking at all." Vince sat back against the car and shook his head. "No goodbye or nothing. You didn't even care what that'd do to me."
"I didn't want anyone else to suffer because of me."
Letty patted Leon on the shoulder, "Good thing our boy here found your dumbass."
Dom laughed, "So that's all of it huh? You should've told us in the first place."
"Not so soon, there's more."
Dom's laughter ceased, "What do you mean there's more?"
"There's always more. The day I got the GT, I ran into Simon while I was out getting lunch."
Vince stood up and moved in front of where she sat on the ground, "Why the hell didn't you say something?"
"Simple really. I handled it."
"Wrong answer." He kicked her shoe. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"He said he'd kill you and Leon."
Leon walked over and stood next to Vince, "I can handle myself."
"Not against this guy." She moved up from the floor. "He knew your cars, your routines, and everything. I couldn't risk it. I know what he is capable of. All I had to do was pull off a few jobs for him. Late at night when you were sleeping Leon I'd sneak out of the room and be back before you woke."
A wave of panic raced through Leon's body, "How did you get to the job?"
"Simon sent a guy to pick me up on a bike."
Leon felt disgusted inside. She hadn't cheated on him. She was too busy saving his life. It felt as if the room was spinning around him. "Why the fuck did you lie to me? What is your problem? I hate you Sky. Do you hear me? I hate you." He took out his rage on her. He was angry with himself but didn't know how else to deal with it. Sky stood in front of him taking all the insults he could throw at her without flinching. He wanted her to pound her fists into his face, but she only stared at him with sad, gray eyes. "I'm outta here." The sound of his screeching tires echoed through the shop.
"I'm sorry Leon." She said after he sped away.
"Where is this Simon at now so I can break his neck?" The knuckles of Vince's hand popped as he stretched his arms out.
"He's dead. Gunmen attacked Raz and me. We got away. Their SUV slammed into another vehicle and exploded. Simon was inside." Her body was weak from the emotional torture she has subjected herself to. She walked out of the shop and got on her bike.
The delivery was made as planned. Big Poppa had sent her a gift with the shipment, a pair of diamond chandelier earrings. The team didn't see her leave. She decided to spend the night out on the town wrapped in the arms of the one guy who didn't really know her at all. Troy was waiting at the door of the club when the cab pulled up to the curb.
"Hello sexy. I'm sure happy you called tonight." His cheesy grin almost made her was to vomit.
"Just make me forget." She whispered under her breath.
Troy opened the door and they slipped into the noisy club.
"So you wanna know what happened in New York? Are you sure Leon?" Her tone flashed with sarcasm and anger. "Do you really want to know? How much of the truth do you think you can handle?" She stood up from her seat and walked to the window. The morning sun was shining on the rims that made up the legs of the picnic table. She watched as a bird landed on the table. It seemed to be staring back at her. It chirped and flew away. Sky wished at that moment she had wings to fly away too. "How much time do ya got?" She turned around to face the team with sadness written on her face.
The room was silent for a few minutes until Dom spoke, "Sky you don't have to tell us anything you don't want to. What happened there is the past and it don't matter."
"But you see Dom that's the problem. It's not the past. It's my past, present, and future. I will always have to deal with it. Besides Leon here won't be satisfied until he knows the truth. He needs to know how bad I am so he will have an excuse for what he did. He needs to clear his conscience."
"Bullshit Sky my conscience is clear. I don't really care if you tell me or not. I made up my mind about you a long time ago. Nothing you say gonna change that." Leon crossed his arm and leaned back in his chair. "So go on tell your sob story."
"When did you become such an asshole? Might as well tell y'all cause I've got nothing to hide anymore. Guess I'll start at the beginning since you know I left a lot out of the story the first time I told it. I hitched a ride with an old woman into NYC. She dropped me off on some deserted street and I started walking. Had no particular direction in mind, I just wanted to find a place for the night. I reached a payphone and gave Vince a call."
"You should've stay at the home. I was working on getting you back." Vince growled.
"I didn't have time to wait. Anyways I spot this kid trying to break into a car. It was a simple break-in but the kid was struggling. I helped him out thinking I'd get a place to crash for the night and then I'd head back to L.A. He introduced me to the group he lived with and gave me a spot on his bed to sleep on."
Leon jumped up from his seat and stormed out of the dining room. "Wish you'd left that part out."
"Wait Leon before you go off. Let me explain." She pushed him back into the dining room and continued her tale. "Simon, the leader, had his eye on me from the start. It set my nerves on end. Razor didn't trust him so he offered me one side of his bed to protect me. He always slept light and would hear when Simon tried to get near me. All the guys protected me. After being there about six months I decide to make my getaway. I snuck out late one night and reached a phone booth. I got the first three numbers dialed before Simon bashed my head into the glass. He pulled me into his SUV by my hair and drove back to the shop. In the middle of the shop he beat me. Everyone tried to help but Simon had a gun. They couldn't get near me." Sky became silent as she let the image play out in her mind. She didn't have the courage to say out loud what happened next. The vision of Simon ripping her clothes off and raping her in front of everyone flashed like pictures. She spent hours lying on that floor with nothing covering her battered body. She began again to speak, "After God knows how many hours he finally let Raz take me upstairs to the living quarters to clean me up. I didn't move from the bed for a week."
Sky took a look around at the members of the team. They sat silent with stunned looks on their faces. Even Leon didn't have anything to say. She wondered what was going on in their heads, wondered what they thought of her. "Every day I thought of a plan of escape. Many times I tried and every time Simon caught me. It was as though me had eyes everywhere. So I found another way to escape. At first I popped a few pills each morning and then it evolved into a few lines of coke. It got to the point that I didn't function at all, just lay in the bed staring at the cracks in the ceiling. Simon's beating didn't even wake me. At some point Simon decided that I was more of a liability and sold me to Mr. Scolini."
Vince stopped her from speaking, "I need a break Sky. This is too much."
"I understand." Sky leaned her head against Vince's shoulder and closed her eyes. It had been too much for her.
Dom got up from his chair and walked over to Sky. He put his large hands on her shoulders and rubbed gently, "Let's get to work and Sky can tell us the rest later."
Lunchtime rolled around and the team was ready for the rest of the story. They huddled around the box of sandwiches Mia had brought over and waited for Sky to begin again. "Mr. Scolini didn't buy me in the sense that you guys are thinking. He told Simon that's what he wanted, but he really felt sorry for me. He had come into the shop one day seeing me seated against a support column strung out and said I looked like a angel fallen from heaven. That's how I became his angel. He took me home, cleaned me up, and put me into rehab. When I got out I joined him in the business. During meetings I'd stand behind his right shoulder. I had a knack for picking out undercover feds and anyone that was trying to screw him over. He lavished me with gifts beyond my wildest dreams. All I had to do was ask and it was mine. Jewels, clothes, cars you name it I had it."
Leon threw his empty bottle of Corona into the garbage, "Damn New York don't sound so bad. No wonder you didn't rush back. To think I was worried about you."
"Damn it. I've about had enough of you. That was the last six months I was there. Most of the time I was in New York I lived at Simon's shop."
"Wait a minute I thought you were at Simon's shop when you took off." Dom asked thoroughly confused by the story.
"I was at Simon's. I had kept in contact with Raz and Takara, Simon's girlfriend. I wanted to get them out of there too. I rejoined Simon's crew a week before we left. We almost got out of there before he came back. Unfortunately he came back early and got the brunt of my bat upside his head. I traveled to Chicago with the crew. Once I knew they were safe I flew back to L.A. and went home. I planned on the story ending there, but Leon stumbled upon me with gun in hand."
"Oh my God Sky," Mia covered her mouth in shock.
"Don't even tell me what you were thinking cause clearly you weren't thinking at all." Vince sat back against the car and shook his head. "No goodbye or nothing. You didn't even care what that'd do to me."
"I didn't want anyone else to suffer because of me."
Letty patted Leon on the shoulder, "Good thing our boy here found your dumbass."
Dom laughed, "So that's all of it huh? You should've told us in the first place."
"Not so soon, there's more."
Dom's laughter ceased, "What do you mean there's more?"
"There's always more. The day I got the GT, I ran into Simon while I was out getting lunch."
Vince stood up and moved in front of where she sat on the ground, "Why the hell didn't you say something?"
"Simple really. I handled it."
"Wrong answer." He kicked her shoe. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"He said he'd kill you and Leon."
Leon walked over and stood next to Vince, "I can handle myself."
"Not against this guy." She moved up from the floor. "He knew your cars, your routines, and everything. I couldn't risk it. I know what he is capable of. All I had to do was pull off a few jobs for him. Late at night when you were sleeping Leon I'd sneak out of the room and be back before you woke."
A wave of panic raced through Leon's body, "How did you get to the job?"
"Simon sent a guy to pick me up on a bike."
Leon felt disgusted inside. She hadn't cheated on him. She was too busy saving his life. It felt as if the room was spinning around him. "Why the fuck did you lie to me? What is your problem? I hate you Sky. Do you hear me? I hate you." He took out his rage on her. He was angry with himself but didn't know how else to deal with it. Sky stood in front of him taking all the insults he could throw at her without flinching. He wanted her to pound her fists into his face, but she only stared at him with sad, gray eyes. "I'm outta here." The sound of his screeching tires echoed through the shop.
"I'm sorry Leon." She said after he sped away.
"Where is this Simon at now so I can break his neck?" The knuckles of Vince's hand popped as he stretched his arms out.
"He's dead. Gunmen attacked Raz and me. We got away. Their SUV slammed into another vehicle and exploded. Simon was inside." Her body was weak from the emotional torture she has subjected herself to. She walked out of the shop and got on her bike.
The delivery was made as planned. Big Poppa had sent her a gift with the shipment, a pair of diamond chandelier earrings. The team didn't see her leave. She decided to spend the night out on the town wrapped in the arms of the one guy who didn't really know her at all. Troy was waiting at the door of the club when the cab pulled up to the curb.
"Hello sexy. I'm sure happy you called tonight." His cheesy grin almost made her was to vomit.
"Just make me forget." She whispered under her breath.
Troy opened the door and they slipped into the noisy club.