Free 60 Minutes by Fire, Ice Page B

snatched wasn’t a victim in her war with Samuel.
    “I won’t let him take me down.” Jani’rah said to Hanz, who was also in disguise. His short dreads were dyed a grayish color and his eyebrows were also a faint gray shade. He wore a low cut beard that he was able to grow out while they were in hiding for months.
    “Millions of dollars, hundreds of people on my team, and I can’t have one simple man touched?” Jani’rah questioned aloud.
    “We will get him Madame J. Through the years I’ve watched how you operate. You’ve been in tight situations before and that’s expected in your type of business. The more money you inherit, the more problems you’ll have Madame.”
    “Hmm, you’re right Hanz. Thank you for sticking it out with me.”
    “Till the end Madame; but you speak as if everything is ending now. Don’t give up Jani’rah.”
    The cool breeze danced around Jani’rah’s face as a butterfly flew around her. She loved her city; she was born and raised in Bridgeport. Her parents were also buried there. The decision she made hurt her feelings, but it was time to leave.
    Jani’rah and Hanz sat in the park for another hour in complete silence. They rode away in an all-black Monte Carlo—Hanz’s recommendation to avoid being too flashy while they were in disguise.
    Jani’rah’s phone buzzed, “Hello,” she answered, it was a blocked number but she knew it was Claudia.
    “He’s gone!” Claudia squealed on the other end.
    “Talk to you later Claud.” Jani’rah said ending the call, not wanting to say too much. Hanz looked over at Jani’rah who sat in the passenger seat instead of in the back; he smiled when he noticed her peaceful expression.
    “We’re staying after all?” Hanz asked.
    Jani’rah licked her lips and slowly nodded her head yes. As they turned on to Brooklawn, they noticed that police cruisers blocked off the street and it was flooded with additional unmarked police cars. A tear slid down Jani’rah’s cheek as she witnessed her little cousin, Claudia, in handcuffs and being escorted into the back of a police cruiser.
    Hanz quickly turned off the block and sped in the opposite direction of the mayhem. The car was silent as he turned onto I-95 South. No words were said as the two rode towards the south.

New Environment, Same ol’ Problems
    Hanz stretched his tired limbs and squinted his eyes against the sun’s rays. The three-day drive had his body tired and achy. He stretched his arms in the air and his bones popped.
    “You’re getting old on me Hanz.” Jani’rah joked with her friend. She stepped out of the modest house that they spent the night at. It belonged to a single mother of three children. Jani’rah and Hanz were asleep in the car in a small ally the night before, the sound of someone digging in the nearby dumpster got both their attention. They noticed a small Hispanic woman and a child, no older than eight years old, ruffling through the garbage. The scene tugged at Jani’rah’s heart. She stepped out of the car and spoke in Spanish to the woman, offering her some money for a place to stay. Jani’rah and Hanz didn’t want to check into a hotel; her face was on every news channel and her name was all over the radio. She was wanted on several counts of murder, along with sex trafficking, soliciting sex, and tons of other crimes. Her charges just kept piling up as the days went by.
    The Hispanic woman agreed to let Jani’rah and Hanz stay one night in her home after Jani’rah gave her $200. Once they were inside, Jani’rah and Hanz’s heart dropped. The youngest child was a baby; only eight months old and crawling around in a dirty diaper that looked to be at least a whole day old by the way it sagged from being saturated with piss and the remains of bowel movements. Jani’rah quickly sent the mother off to get ointment and new diapers because the baby had a diaper rash. The second child in the house was four years old and always smiling. He was