Free Riding Dirty on I-95 by Nikki Turner Page A

door.
    Mercy told Chrissie to take Deonie to the back and then glared at Chocolate, certain that they were there for him.
    “I ain't gonna hide in here or none of that, because I know your niece is in here. Just open it.”
    Mercy opened the door and stood there with the nastiest disposition, but it was one that the Richmond Police got on a regular basis when they went to someone's house to start some drama.
    “Yes?” Mercy said, with a confused look on her face.
    Chocolate could tell that the po-po was about to trip on Mercy, and to avoid a scene he stood up and basically surrendered. “Yo, yo. Let's just take this outside,” he said, raising his hands in surrender. “Let's just take this outside.”
    “Who are you?” one of the officers asked Chocolate.
    Chocolate walked towards the door as Chrissie walked into the front room.
    “Hold it right there,” another officer said, drawing his gun. “We're looking for a Ms. Mercy Jiles.”
    The room fell silent as both Chocolate and Chrissie turned their attention to Mercy.
    “I'm Mercy Jiles.” Mercy hesitated. Before she knew what hither, the police were slamming her against the wall and handcuffing her.
    “Hey, hey,” Chocolate said, and started to go towards Mercy.
    “Hold it right there, mothafucka,” an officer said, “unless you trying to take a ride with her.”
    “I'm cool,” Mercy yelled over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of Deonie walking down the hall. “Chrissie, get Deonie. Keep her out of here.”
    The police began reading Mercy her rights as they led her to the squad car. “You are under arrest for aggravated assault …,” they informed her.
    “What?” She scrunched up her face. “What the fuck?” Mercy yelled as she started jerking away from the cops.
    “You wanna add resisting arrest?” one of the officers snapped.
    The police proceeded to try to take Mercy out of the house in her pajamas. But with all of the confusion and commotion going on, Ms. Pat came running right over and talked to one of the officers, and they let a female officer go with Mercy to her room so she could slip into something else. Once Mercy was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, they led her straight out of the house to the police car.
    “Don't worry about it, ma,” Chocolate yelled out the door to Mercy. “I got you. Don't worry, you'll be okay. Just don't say shit, because they'll use it against you. They some real pigs, too. They eat they own shit. Just look at them with these smiles on their faces. So keep your mouth shut, and I'll be right down there to get you. Believe that.”
    A couple of the officers shot Chocolate dirty looks. Mercy just nodded to let him know that she heard what he was saying, but he hadn't said anything she didn't already know. After all, she had been raised by the thoroughest of the thoroughbreds. Her fatherwas a stand-up type of dude straight out the gate, and it didn't stop there; the genes had been passed on to his daughter.
    Mercy couldn't believe this was all happening as the police car pulled off. Not once had it crossed her mind that Brianna and her low-life friends would go and file charges against her. After all, it was a mutual battle, and Brianna had asked for it. When Mercy got down to the Ninth Street Station to be booked, she was charged with three counts of aggravated assault, malicious wounding, assault with a deadly weapon, and two attempted murder charges. Bail was set at fifty thousand. She needed five thousand ninety-five dollars to get out with a bondsman.
    Now where the fuck am I going to get that money from?
Mercy wondered.
I know Chocolate ain't gon' come up off all that for my black ass, and I ain't got shit. I can't believe these cave-rat bitches. They been fucking with me and my niece for months now, and when I beat them down, it's a damn problem. What kind of shit is that?
    The bullpen was cold and smelled like piss, shit, vomit, and menstruation mixed together. She couldn't figure out if it was the