This episode contains descriptions of violence. Listener discretion is advised. Also, just a note about this

episode, we interviewed Carly over Skype, so the quality isn't as good in some places as it is in others.

My mom was a policewoman, so growing up, she always told us to be aware of our surroundings,

you know, pay attention to clues,

fight back. She told me when I was a little girl, me and my sister, if anyone ever tries

to kidnap you and take you to another location, you fight, even if they threaten to shoot you,

tell them to shoot you right there, because nine times out of ten, if you go with them, you're never going to come back. In 2006, 23-year-old Carly was working as an executive

assistant at a pediatric therapy clinic. I had just started graduate school at DePaul University,

so I really felt like the world was at my fingertips and I was really excited about life.

And I just moved from a smaller neighborhood to the South Loop, which was an up-and-coming

neighborhood downtown.

So I felt very much like a big girl, an adult.

Around this time, Carly started a new relationship.

I met him once when I was a teenager, and then he called me out of the blue while I was in college.

So we kind of reunited as friends, and I didn't really like him.

I was like, what does this guy want?

Ew.

But he was very persistent, and he was really nice.

And we ended up just having a good time together.

So he was the CEO of a rap group or rap label.

So it felt legit, but I didn't know that the things that they were rapping about would become my life.

You know, I was just rapping the songs, not knowing that that was really his lifestyle for real.

...