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I froze as a door closed. Footsteps moved past my head, and I pressed my ear against the side of the trunk.

“Anybody know she with you?” a man asked.

“Nah. She came looking for me. Had a little secret phone and everything.”

“Where is it now?” the man asked.

“I threw them shits in the river on the way here.”

I reached toward my pockets anyway. Phones were gone. What the fuck is going on?

“You really handing over your own daughter?”

“Man, I just got out the pen. I need money bad. A nigga out here in scuffed up Timbs that some church donated. I should go set that muhfucka on fire. How they gon’ send a real nigga out in the world like that? Shit’s disrespectful.”

The other man laughed. “Your fire setting days need to be done unless you want to go back to prison.”

“Nah, I got some self-control. But the bitch that handed these dirty boots over — she might get a lil visit from me.”

I stopped breathing for a second, waiting for Tavares to explain what he meant. He had told me he loved me less than an hour ago. He had held my hand. Now he was handing me over?

The trunk opened, and I kicked toward the light.

Somebody caught my leg before I could get out. I swung at the hand reaching for me, but another man grabbed my arm and pulled me over the edge.

“She feisty,” the other man said. He was older and shady looking. He had a large gold hoop in his ear and a bald head. It was giving Genie from Aladdin. He wore a strong cologne that was so funky it burned my nostrils. It was the kind that I sprayed in a store once, and Justice said he hated it.

My shoes scraped the ground as I fought to get loose. Tavares stood beside the car, watching like he was bored.

I tried to scream his name through the tape.

“Hold still,” he snapped.

The man in front of me looked toward him.

“She real pretty,” the Genie said.

“She a virgin too. Fifteen and a virgin. Come on, I need top dollar for that.”

“Hundred bands as we discussed. She nice and clean. You know those Banks are spoiled.”

“Hell yeah. That’s why I ain’t understand why she wanna kill that man. She came at me like we gotta handle him. Bitch, why? I’m a convict, I can’t do shit for you like they can. I can tell she lying about them abusing her. They probably couldn’t wait to get rid of her,” Tavares laughed.

Did he see right through my bullshit? How? I cried and everything.

“Don’t mess with them Banks niggas. You made the right call selling her off. I told you about my nephew. A Banks had all that boy’s teeth ripped out. I ain’t getting involved in her lil beef,” Genie replied.

My stomach dropped. I looked from the man to Tavares, but he was looking at the money being passed to him.

I shook my head until somebody tore the tape from my mouth.

“I’m your daughter!”

Tavares laughed.

“I got about thirteen kids that I know of. I can afford to lose a few here and there.” Tavares shrugged it off.

“You said you loved me.”