Pretty white skin. Got them fine, full lips. I liked to feel me some a them lips. You ever suck a chocolate creamsicle, baby?”
Jimmy chuckled. “I bet she ain’t.”
“Lemme show you, baby.” Romeo’s face got closer. Kate moved so far away that she was almost in Jimmy’s lap. “Why don’t you pucker up them fine lips for me, gal?” Romeo’s shoulder moved. She could tell his hand was touching the front of his pants. “Come on. Open up that sweet mouth for me.”
Kate willed herself not to look down. Not to breathe. Not to scream.
“Do you recognize that burned-cotton-candy smell?” Jimmy asked,like Kate was sitting in a classroom instead of about to be raped. “That’s heroin. They put it in a spoon and cook it to a boil with a lighter.”
Romeo’s tongue darted out. “Got-damn, you the whitest white bitch I ever seen.”
“They pull the liquid into a needle then shoot it in their veins.” Jimmy said, “That right, Romeo?”
Romeo wouldn’t be distracted. His hand was doing things below the window that Kate didn’t want to know about. “You just stay there just a little minute more and I—”
Jimmy hit the gas. Romeo slipped out the window. Kate was flung back against the seat. She struggled to turn around, to get her bearings. Jimmy was laughing so hard that he had tears in his eyes.
“You stupid bitch,” he said. “Holy shit, you shoulda seen your face.”
Somehow, Kate managed to sit back in her seat. She clenched her hands in her lap, tightened her jaw so hard that her head ached. She hissed out, “You asshole.”
“Asshole?” Jimmy kept laughing. “You cringe like a nun when I say ‘motherfucker’ and now you’re calling me an asshole?”
“Asshole.” Kate practically spit out the word. She was shaking. Her fists would not unclench. A volcano raged inside of her.
“I’m the asshole?” Jimmy swerved the car into a sharp turn. He slammed down the brakes. Kate grabbed the dashboard before she hit it again. “Let me tell you, sister—what happened back there? That’s why you don’t belong out here.”
She stared at him. He wasn’t laughing anymore.
“Why’d you let that pimp talk to you like that? What are these for?” Jimmy grabbed at her flashlight, her nightstick, her gun. “These for show, girlie girl? You like the way they make your hips look?”
“Stop.” Kate tried to push him away. He was made of stone. Nothing would move him. She started to panic. “Please.”
“Shit,” Jimmy muttered, finally returning to his side of the car. “Better it comes from me than some pimp raping your ass.” He stared at Kate with obvious disgust. “Go on and cry. Get it out so I can take you back to the station.”
Kate would gouge out her own eyes before she cried. “What the hell do you want from me?”
“What do I want?” Jimmy leaned over again, crowding her against the door. “I want you to get out of my car and take off that fucking uniform and go find a husband and have some kids and bake pies and play house like a normal fucking woman.”
Her fingernails cut into her palms. She struggled to bring air into her lungs. “Get away from me.”
Jimmy leaned closer. “Why don’t I drive you back to Romeo? He’d cut your slit open like a fish. And then he’d pump you with H and toss you back into the street until you’d suck a fucking dog to get that needle in your arm.” Kate tried to turn away. Jimmy grabbed her face with his hand. “I watched my partner’s head explode. I got bits of his brain in my eyes and teeth. I tasted his death in my mouth. You think you can handle that? You think you can come out here every day knowing what death tastes like?”
Her throat filled with sand. He was almost on top of her. Her face was covered in his spittle. His fingers dug into her cheeks.
“Can you?” he demanded.
From somewhere deep inside, she found the courage to ask, “Can you?”
Jimmy wrenched away his hand. “You got no fuckin’ idea what
Jimmy chuckled. “I bet she ain’t.”
“Lemme show you, baby.” Romeo’s face got closer. Kate moved so far away that she was almost in Jimmy’s lap. “Why don’t you pucker up them fine lips for me, gal?” Romeo’s shoulder moved. She could tell his hand was touching the front of his pants. “Come on. Open up that sweet mouth for me.”
Kate willed herself not to look down. Not to breathe. Not to scream.
“Do you recognize that burned-cotton-candy smell?” Jimmy asked,like Kate was sitting in a classroom instead of about to be raped. “That’s heroin. They put it in a spoon and cook it to a boil with a lighter.”
Romeo’s tongue darted out. “Got-damn, you the whitest white bitch I ever seen.”
“They pull the liquid into a needle then shoot it in their veins.” Jimmy said, “That right, Romeo?”
Romeo wouldn’t be distracted. His hand was doing things below the window that Kate didn’t want to know about. “You just stay there just a little minute more and I—”
Jimmy hit the gas. Romeo slipped out the window. Kate was flung back against the seat. She struggled to turn around, to get her bearings. Jimmy was laughing so hard that he had tears in his eyes.
“You stupid bitch,” he said. “Holy shit, you shoulda seen your face.”
Somehow, Kate managed to sit back in her seat. She clenched her hands in her lap, tightened her jaw so hard that her head ached. She hissed out, “You asshole.”
“Asshole?” Jimmy kept laughing. “You cringe like a nun when I say ‘motherfucker’ and now you’re calling me an asshole?”
“Asshole.” Kate practically spit out the word. She was shaking. Her fists would not unclench. A volcano raged inside of her.
“I’m the asshole?” Jimmy swerved the car into a sharp turn. He slammed down the brakes. Kate grabbed the dashboard before she hit it again. “Let me tell you, sister—what happened back there? That’s why you don’t belong out here.”
She stared at him. He wasn’t laughing anymore.
“Why’d you let that pimp talk to you like that? What are these for?” Jimmy grabbed at her flashlight, her nightstick, her gun. “These for show, girlie girl? You like the way they make your hips look?”
“Stop.” Kate tried to push him away. He was made of stone. Nothing would move him. She started to panic. “Please.”
“Shit,” Jimmy muttered, finally returning to his side of the car. “Better it comes from me than some pimp raping your ass.” He stared at Kate with obvious disgust. “Go on and cry. Get it out so I can take you back to the station.”
Kate would gouge out her own eyes before she cried. “What the hell do you want from me?”
“What do I want?” Jimmy leaned over again, crowding her against the door. “I want you to get out of my car and take off that fucking uniform and go find a husband and have some kids and bake pies and play house like a normal fucking woman.”
Her fingernails cut into her palms. She struggled to bring air into her lungs. “Get away from me.”
Jimmy leaned closer. “Why don’t I drive you back to Romeo? He’d cut your slit open like a fish. And then he’d pump you with H and toss you back into the street until you’d suck a fucking dog to get that needle in your arm.” Kate tried to turn away. Jimmy grabbed her face with his hand. “I watched my partner’s head explode. I got bits of his brain in my eyes and teeth. I tasted his death in my mouth. You think you can handle that? You think you can come out here every day knowing what death tastes like?”
Her throat filled with sand. He was almost on top of her. Her face was covered in his spittle. His fingers dug into her cheeks.
“Can you?” he demanded.
From somewhere deep inside, she found the courage to ask, “Can you?”
Jimmy wrenched away his hand. “You got no fuckin’ idea what
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