Never Double Cross a Latina Chick

“No! What are you doing? I haven’t done anything!” Keisha realized that Camila was intimidating indeed, but she could make a run for it. How fast could she be? But then Keisha wondered if Camila had a gun. If she did, there would be no point in running. She didn’t know for a fact she had a gun. It was a risk she was not willing to take. 

“Get out of the car. No funny business,” Camila instructed sternly. Keisha obeyed, thoughts of running away ran away themselves. It was like Camila read her mind, which spooked Keisha into trailing her into the building like a street puppy with a broken leg, just dragging along. Once inside, Keisha feared she’d die from stepping on the wrong spot and the building collapsing on her. Only half of it was standing after all. There was a light foul smell and the inside was bright thanks to the lack of windows and walls. It would've been a really cool place to take some photos, but a photography session isn’t what Camila had in mind. 

“Sit there,” Camila pointed to a chair among large pieces of brick and stone. Keisha began to cry again, knowing what was in store for her. She glanced at Camila for any signs that she could beg for mercy and if there could be a possibility of Camila granting it. She was looking for a sign of discomfort, sadness, or undecidedness. But there was none; instead, fire burned in Camila's eyes, making Keisha’s hopes fall. Again.

Camila began to walk angrily towards Keisha but Keisha dove into her seat like a child playing musical chairs.

With a satisfied humph, Camila grabbed a nearby stone and held it out to the woman she’d kidnapped. “Hold this.” 

Trembling and confused, Keisha took the stone. 

She grunted, “It’s heavy!” She whimpered but instantly regretted it. She didn’t want to be killed for opening her mouth too much. 

“Mhm,” was all Camila said. She let Keisha hold the stone for a full minute. 

“Please! Why am I here? I haven’t done anything!” She struggled to hold the stone, letting it rest on her lap.

“Did I say you could stop?” Camila snapped, getting in Keisha's face, her hazel eyes pricing into Keisha's soul. Keisha began sobbing uncontrollably, her fingers sweating and her strength deteriorating. After one more minute, Camila demanded the stone back. Keisha made no attempt to hold it out for her to grab. She was far too weak. Once the brick was in Camila's hands, she smirked. 

“You know, I thought it would never come to this.” Camila held on to the rock. This would be her workout. 

“I thought I’d let you sweat it for a while. But I figured once I gave you the stone, you’d confess,” She tsked, circling Keisha like she was her prey tossing her waist-length dark hair over her bare honey-colored shoulder.

“You're a fighter, you’re strong. It’s too bad Violet won’t have a strong mother.” Camila stopped circling, standing in front of Keisha who was still breathing heavily and keeping her eyes glued to the ground. 

“Or a mother at all for that matter,” With that, Camila struck the stone down on Keisha’s head, crushing her skull. 

—-------------------------

Two hours later, Keisha was tied up in her chair. Blood oozed down her face and into her mouth as she begged Camila to let her go, claiming her innocence.

“Please! Let me go! I don’t know anything about any money!” Keisha’s mind wandered and she could hardly answer the questions in a timely manner; she did have brain damage after all. 

“No. It doesn’t make any sense. You know my real name. You know about the drugs. So of course, you’d know about the money. 

“Nobody else has that information,” Camila got angrier. 

"I will break her," Camila thought.

Camila grabbed the bottle of lemon juice she had in a grocery bag, after a quick run to the grocery store. While she was there, she claimed she was called into work when José called her. She didn’t know if he believed it but that could wait. 

“Who are you protecting?” Camila yanked Keisha’s head up with her hair, forcing her to look at the bottle of lemon juice. 

“Nobody! I swear!” Keisha screamed as Camila squirted the lemon juice in the hole in her head. 

“I’ll ask you one last time,"

"How do you know my real name?” She asked slowly and calmly. Camila tipped the lemon juice over Keisha’s head, daring a drop to land on Keisha’s head. Keisha went quiet. Camila had seen this before plenty of times but her mind went back to her sixteenth birthday. Theifs and traitors could be tortured for weeks and never tell. Disloyalty was a fate worse than death for most. It was guaranteed your entire family would be killed and if you didn’t have family, you were among the lucky and only had to try to escape town. But it wasn’t worth it because they always find you. 

You have to break their will in the right place if you want a shot at information. 

“You give me the money and I’ll give you back Violet,” Camila said after Keisha went silent for too long.  

“NO! Please! I don’t know anything!” 

“You know nothing? We both know that's a lie. One that will cost you,” Camila squirted the lemon juice over Keisha’s open wound, making her let out a raspy scream that lasted for minutes. It was a good thing this factory was secluded from town for twenty miles. There would be nobody to hear her scream. And nobody to save her when she left Keisha there. 

"AHH! PLEASE!" She continued, still choking on her own blood and lemon juice.

Camila double-checked her ties and dragged her next to an opening, where if Keisha tried to teeter out of her chair, she’d fall straight into a pit of hard stone and bricks. 

“I’ll be back. Maybe,” Camila leaned the chair over the edge, showing Keisha what would happen if she tried to escape. 

Keisha screamed. “NO!” But Camila let the chair drop back. 

“Hopefully Violet won’t miss her mother too much. She seems to be the only person that gives a…” But Keisha couldn’t hear anymore. Camila was already out of the building, walking toward the evening sunset. She heard her car start up - it was the last thing she heard before she passed out. 

—-------------------------

When Camila came back hours later, the bright night stars replaced the orange and pink sunset and Keisha was gone.