"Happy Birthday Mom." Tanya Sharp smiled almost sadly from the thirty-fourth floor of the office building where she worked. She was on the phone with her oldest daughter, Courtney, who was in California with her father. "Thank you honey…I miss you." Tanya tilted the picture of her children toward her, missing them with all her heart. It was summer and the threesome were far away, with Dale, her ex-husband for the entire month. "I miss you too Mom. How does it feel to be forty?" Tanya groaned. "Don't remind me." Courtney laughed, the clear bell-like sound carrying over the miles to warm her mother's heart. "Oh don't have a cow Mom, you know you look thirty." Tanya smiled, not believing it but loving the compliment anyway. "Are you having fun?" She asked tilting back in her chair. "Yeah, pretty much. Ryan and Laura are already asleep." Tanya chuckled. "Well give them hugs for me and I'll see you in three weeks." It sounded like an impossibly long time to Tanya and her heart ached to be with the children she loved. "All right Mom, I'll see you. Don't work too hard." They hung up and Tanya stayed in her seat a moment before swinging the chair forward and standing up to collect her jacket and purse.
As she headed out into the chill Chicago night, Tanya shivered and wished they would hurry up and get her car fixed. She had been walking too and from work for the past three days and while it wasn't a long walk, it was cold, dark, and sometimes creepy. Especially when she cut through a back ally to reach her apartment. She had walked no more than ten feet into the ally when a sound behind her made her spin around. Her heart raced at what she saw. Four tall, lean black boys had followed her in. Swallowing thickly she hoisted the purse farther up on her shoulder and held it to her body, staying very still as they approached. "Can I help you?" She asked in what she hoped to be a fearless voice. "Sure can." One of the boys said with a smile. "Give us your purse and all your jewelry." Tanya's heart pounded. She scanned the boys for a weapon but they didn't appear to be armed.
"I'd rather not." She said stiffly. The boy's smile quickly turned to a frown and he reached out and gave her shoulder-length auburn hair a firm yank. Tanya gasped reaching up to free her hair and he closed his other hand around her throat. "Don't make me hurt you." He hissed. "Okay, okay," Tanya nearly wept. "Just please don't hurt me, I have three children." He let her go and Tanya quickly handed over her purse. She took off the gold chain around her neck and removed the diamond studs from her ears and quickly handed them over too into his waiting hand. "That's it?" He asked rifling through her purse, tossing her things onto the ground till he came to her wallet. He pulled out the forty-seven dollars in cash and dropped the wallet on the ground too.
"That's all." She told him honestly. He swiftly narrowed his eyes at her. "Take off your gloves." He demanded. Tanya swallowed and removed the gloves. "Thought you said you had kids." He growled staring at her bare hands. "I do…but I'm divorced." Remembering her watch she took that off too and handed it to him. It was just a cheapie Wal-Mart watch but she didn't want him to accuse her of holding anything back. "I think we deserve a little more than fifty bucks for all of our trouble, don't you boys?" He looked at the other three who all grinned and nodded. "But I told you I don't have anything else!" She cried. He pawed through her discarded wallet again and produced her ATM card. "What's your pin?" He asked her. "You lie, you die bitch because you're staying right here till one of my boys comes back with the cash." Tanya swallowed. "I've only got sixty dollars in the bank." She told him. "You can look in my checkbook if you want, it's the truth."
He advanced on her with glaring eyes. "What's your fucking pin?" Tanya took an involuntary step backward. "Seven, five, nine, two." She told him. The boy handed over the card to one of the others who took off with it and then turned back to her. "You're a poor bitch, huh? Like I said, not even worth the trouble, so let's make a deal." Tanya now felt the cold brick wall against her back as he pushed her against it, fear pulsing through her veins. "You suck my dick, you live, you bite, you die, you refuse, and we'll just fuck your pussy instead." Tanya's eyes filled with tears. "Oh no, please…" He grabbed her chin and pushed her head back against the wall. "What's it going to be bitch?" Tanya suddenly lashed out, striking him and ran like hell. She was caught in seconds and knocked to the ground and felt their considerable weight on her spine. With all her might she let out a bloodcurdling scream. One of them cursed and yanked off his stocking cap, shoving it in her mouth. It tasted terrible like hair grease and sweat. "I guess that's a refusal." He growled holding his ribs.