Beautiful Collision

by T. G. Ayer

I didn't need either.

  Especially if it was coming from him.

  I sat there on the floor for a long time, unsure of what my next step would be. I turned my hand to stare at the tattoo, still unable to believe that Nikolai had actually branded me. The skin around the dark ink was red and flaming with pain.

  When the knock sounded on my door I jumped. I got to my knees slowly wiping my face clean of the remnants of tears. I'd long stopped crying as my shock turned into fury. Nikolai had offered me a safe place to stay until I'd completed my schooling. What the hell had he just done to me?

  I opened the door to see Alexei standing there, his kind face so sad I wanted to burst into tears. But I held onto my dignity. As far as I was concerned they were all the same. I didn't know any one of them even though I thought I did. Stupid naive girl.

  I opened the door wider and allowed Alexei inside. He turned to close the door softly, indicating to the guard this was a private meeting. He often spoke in front of the guards but there were times when he closed the door in their faces. Evidently, this was one of those times.

  "Let me see." His words were soft but they were not a request. I lifted my wrist up and showed him the tattoo. He shook his head, his cheeks red with what I could only assume was anger. "This he was not supposed to do. I am so sorry."

  "So I assume I'm to begin my new role making money for Nikolai on my back?" I asked bitterly. "Do you know when I start?" I asked as fear rippled through my body. The horror of it all was slowly sinking in.

  Alexei shook his head. "I spoke to Nikolai and convinced him that putting you to work is a very bad idea."

  I snorted. "I don't think he cares much for good or bad ideas. He seems to think I've taken something from him. As if I was the one who shot the poor girl."

  Alexei clicked his tongue. "Tell me, what you were thinking. Why did you open the door?" Alexei asked gently but there was a hard edge somewhere within the question.

  "I heard the scream and I wanted to see if I could help whoever it was. She sounded terrified."

  "And when you opened the door did you find yourself able to help?" I shook my head. Alexei was sifting the incident into the barest details. "The stupid guard stopped me."

  "That was probably for the best, my dear child."

  "How can you say that?" I snapped, my voice just one decibel lower than a yell. "She looked about fourteen or fifteen years old and he was hurting her." And then it hit me as I stared at his aging face. "You knew this was happening and you did nothing about it?"

  Alexei shrugged. "I do not interfere with Nikolai's operation."

  "But you're okay with him enslaving young girls and forcing them into prostitution?"

  Alexei shook his head. "Nikolai does not ask me for permission to do the things he does, Sara. He is his own man. And for now I have spoken on your behalf and gotten you a reprieve. You will not nose around downstairs anymore. And gun practice is canceled as of today."

  "Please. No," I whispered. Practicing in the shooting range had given me a break from the boring routine of life after school. Although my exam results were in I still was unable to convince Nikolai that I was ready and that it was safe for me to attend university.

  Alexei stared at me for a moment then said, "Okay, I will take you, but this is the last time. I will not be able to help you after this."

  "Thank you, Alexei." I spoke softly but he heard and inclined his head. Why did this man bother to bend backward for me I had no idea.

  But now I didn't question it.

  He was the only one on my side and I had to take what I could get.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  Gray

  I'm shaking, and there's orange juice everywhere. The memory had taken me back to a past filled with a tangible horror. I'm caught in the loop of my memories. I've kept them at bay for so long, but I can no longer control the flood of reality that pours into my mind. What the hell am I doing with Thane? Why am I risking his life just to be closer to him?

  "Gray? What's wrong?" Thane is sitting beside me, so shocked he hasn't even bothered to fetch a towel for the spilled juice.

  I shake my head and stare at the mess I've made. How do I explain to him that I've just re-immersed myself into a world from which I hoped to escape? But slowly I realize I can't escape. Not totally. I still have the memories. And the markings to prove it.

  I plan on someday removing the bar-code but it looks like removal was moving up on the list of things that I need to do. And soon.

  Movement beside me draws my attention to Thane as he puts his hand on my arm, his face clouded with worry. "What's wrong?

  I shake my head. "It's nothing. Sorry."

  "Did the news report shock you?" he asked, looking at me strangely.

  "I guess it did, more than I realized." I nod as I get to my feet. "I'd better get out of these clothes."

  I just want to get the hell out of Thane's vicinity.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  Gray

  Four Weeks Ago

  The scream left my lips and I jerked upright, sitting straight up in the bed so fast my neck hurt. I'd been dreaming that I was the girl, screaming for help and that someone had seen me but had left me to die. I sobbed as I tried to get my breath back.

  The dream is saying I'm guilty of letting that poor girl die. Of doing nothing and standing by while someone shot her to death.

  I have to get out.

  All I know right now is that I can't stand to be in this house anymore. I have to leave before Nikolai stops listening to Alexei. Before he decides I have to pay the dead girl's debt. I couldn't understand what he'd meant by the debt. Surely if they were abducting girls from foreign countries and bringing them to America they would own them anyway. Why would the girls need to pay an additional debt?

  Unless they were tricking the girls into come to America, selling them some yellow brick road story to make them compliant. And when the girls arrive in the land of the free and the home of the brave, their freedom is taken and their courage ripped to shreds.

  I'd seen the defeat in her eyes. She'd lost hope a long time ago.

  I run a finger over the tattoo on my wrist. Part of me hates it, another part of me sees it as a symbol of solidarity with those poor girls. How many of them were they bringing into the country? I had little idea of the size of the operation but from the number of rooms there were in the basement I figured there could be dozens of girls down there.

  I wanted to call the police. And my hand was already reaching for the phone and then I stopped. That would be stupid. Nikolai would be watching me. Waiting for me to make the wrong move, to give him a reason to ignore Alexei's plea for me.

  I shivered. Pushing the bedclothes aside I entered the bathroom in search of a glass. I needed a drink of water. When I got to the door there was another guard. Someone I'd never seen before and he had ice in his eyes.

  After giving him my request I sat on the edge of the bed and waited.

  A few minutes went by and there was a quick knock on the door. Ilya had remained as waif thin as when I'd first met her. She would often talk to me but now there is a sadness in her eyes.

  She set a tray of tea and biscuits on the bed beside me.

  "Thank you," I said softly, giving the door a glance.

  "No thanks. We thank you."

  "Me?" I asked shaking my head. "They killed her and it's my fault."

  She touched my arm and shook her head. "No. You tried. That was all you could do for her." She reached for the pot to pour me a cup and her long sleeve slid up at the cuff.

  I saw the tattoo on her arm too. She was one of them. And when she turned she saw me looking. She took a breath. "We can help you but only a little."

  "Help me?" I asked feeling a little foolish for not understanding simple English.

  "Help you escape. You must go. Soon. Do not wait." She stared at me, her expression as desperate as I felt.

  I shook my head. "I don't know what to do."

  She patted
my arm again. "Don't worry. There are many of us. We have code for back entrance. You go downstairs like you going to shoot your guns. Then you turn right and go straight to the doors. This is code." She slipped her hand into her pocket and withdrew a piece of paper with lots of numbers written on it. I frowned at her but she just nodded and said, "It is code. Every five letters." Then she nods and I stare at the paper for a while. Counting and checking and sure enough there is a set of numbers hidden within more words and numbers. It's a six-digit code.

  I nodded again and I felt like there was hope, at least.

  The girl bent over, reached under her long skirt and withdrew a thick envelope. "You post for us?"

  I nodded and took the envelope, stashing it quickly under the mattress. My mind was already working through an escape plan. I had the code to the exit, but I knew I'd never make it very far without a gun. And Alexei had promised me one last practice. I planned to take advantage of it

  ***

  The next morning I dressed with care. Black sneakers. My floor length skirt that could hide a good few things beneath it. Underneath I wore a pair of tights. My skirts didn't have pockets so I had to ensure I had an alternative to hide stuff.

  Over the skirt I wore a long tee and then a zip-up hoodie. Over the hoodie I wore a second over sized hoodie. All this because I needed pockets.

  My first stop was Nikolai's office. I'd been there enough times to know my way around it and more especially, to know my way into the safe. He'd kept my documents in the safe and that's what I wanted. My passport and all my paperwork for school.

  Today was Wednesday and Nikolai had a meeting with the bank manager, Preston White to discuss the money that remained in my account. At this point I didn't care much for that money. All I needed was my paperwork and to get the hell out of here.

  As I neared Nikolai's office I broke into a run. As soon as I was inside I slammed the door shut. Then, as the guard banged on the door, I flew to the safe behind the huge mahogany desk and pressed in the code. It had taken me two days to memorize the code only to find out Nikolai changed them every week. There was still three days left for the changeover. Or so I assumed. I held my breath as the tumblers clicked inside, and then the door opened with a soft whoosh.

  I scrambled inside for my file and found it quickly enough. It had Sara Harper written on a label across the top of the envelope. I stuffed it inside my tights and was about to close the safe when I caught sight of the bundles of cash.

  Hard cash.

  I would need money if I was out on the streets. And Nikolai was busy negotiating with the bank to release the last two hundred thousand dollars of my money. He'd probably come back home richer for it. It had taken me long enough to accept that man was a cruel ruthless bastard.

  And in that moment the decision was made. I grabbed two stacks of money bound in rubber bands and stuffed that into the top of my tights. I looked pregnant but I could hide that if I hunched over and put my hands in my pockets.

  My guard was still banging on the door, yelling for me to open up, and though I'd only been inside for a minute I figured I'd better get a move on. I shut the safe and hurried to the door, flinging it open just as the guard was about to knock again. I had to duck to avoid getting knocked in the head.

  I gave him a stiff glare and headed toward the stairs. I didn't bother to look back to see what he was doing. His job was to stay with me at all times. So he followed. I headed up to my room and shut the door, to find my lunch laid out on the table by the window.

  I headed into the bathroom to hide the money and the paperwork.

  I sat down to lunch and ate my fill, taking a second helping only because I didn't know when I'd be able to get another meal.

  There was a note inside the bread roll, a slim scroll of paper so small I almost sliced through it. It said, "3.30 to 4am. Exit clear."

  Everything seemed to be falling into place.

  Maybe I could get out of here without anyone knowing.

  Maybe.

  ***

  Alexei came to my room to take me for the lessons just as I finished my lunch. I followed in silence feeling the air of negativity from the guard. I ignored him and concentrated on Alexei and his ramblings.

  Inside the range I went with Alexei to the cupboard filled with guns and asked him to point out the different types and the ammo that went with each one. Alexei was patient and went through the details slow enough that I could memorize them.

  Then he took the small handgun out and handed it to me.

  "Which bullets," he asked.

  "9mm," I said, confident that Glocks took 9mm ammo.

  Alexei nodded and said, "Good. Now load it and practice."

  We spent an hour in the range with Alexei coming to me every so often to touch my forearm so it sank a little lower.

  At last, when we were done, I took the gun and the box of bullets with me to the cupboard. I looked over my shoulder and my heart sank. My guard was walking toward me. It was too late to stash the gun.

  Damn.

  So close.

  I moped a little as I headed upstairs to my room but I figured with the amount of money I had I'd be able to buy a gun from one of the pawn shops in the city. Entering my room I headed to grab a shower. It would be a long wait until 3.30. After my shower, I put everything back into place, pulling on tights and skirt and hoodie to cover my haul.

  When I left the bathroom, shock rippled through me.

  A long box sat on the bed.

  Inside were five long-stemmed roses.

  And a note from Alexei saying "In all things in life, one must look deeper."

  What the heck did that mean?

  Look deeper? Into what?

  Below the message was a number which looked like a mobile number. A way to contact him? I couldn't fathom why. I shoved the note into one of my pockets and kept staring at the box until dinner arrived. I'd received no notice that Nikolai had returned yet so I was glad I didn't need to dine with him.

  After the bland meal of roast chicken and mash I headed to the box again.

  A thought struck me and though it seemed far-fetched, I decided it wouldn't hurt to try. I lifted the roses to find the base of the box was piled with black paper. Under the paper was a fully loaded Glock and about ten black bags each containing about two dozen rounds of ammo.

  I checked that safety was on then slipped the gun into the pocket of my hoodie. Next I hid the ammo in the bottom of my rucksacks, then sat on the bed a little stunned.

  Alexei had helped me. Even left me an emergency telephone number.

  But why?

  Forget it Gray. Stop questioning your good luck. Take it by the horns and make something of it.

  I nodded to myself, then stood and set the roses on the table by the window. I lay on the mattress and willed myself to sleep but it was a hopeless exercise. Time slipped by, way too slowly for my taste, but there was nothing to do but tick off the ticks and wait for 3.30am.

  In that time I'd figured on a plan.

  At exactly 3.15am I rose and headed for my closet. I stuffed clothing and shoes into my rucksack and left it back inside the closet.

  At 3.20am I opened the balcony window and pulled the curtains apart. At 3.25am I shoved a large vase off the mantelpiece and dashed behind the floor-to-ceiling drapes, edging to the corner by the wall and making myself as small as possible.

  The door slammed open and footsteps sped to the open balcony doors. The guard was speaking to someone through his headset and was about to head out of the room when he stopped.

  His back was to me and I grabbed the opportunity to slip out onto the balcony. I plastered my back to the wall behind the open door and held my breath. The closet door opened and slammed shut, the fabric of the drapes slapped against each other as he searched behind them. He grunted and I peered in the gap between the door and the casement to see him on his knees looking under the bed. Then he spoke again and hurried out of the room.

  Doors opened downst
airs and I knew they'd be searching the grounds. I flew inside grabbed my bag and fled the room, scurrying downstairs and down the passage to the basement door. Just as I entered the passage the basement door opened.

  I did a 180 at the speed of sound and sped around the corner into the darkened kitchen. I listened until the footsteps disappeared and then scurried down the passage again, heading to the basement, took the right turn at top speed and barreled down toward the dead end. A single door filled the wall and I tapped the code in my fingers shaking so much I had to hold my hand while I pecked at the keys.

  It gave a low buzz and the light remained green for armed. Damn it. I tried again and this time I went slower. I pressed the six numbers and then heaved a sigh of relief when the alarm beeped and the light went red.

  That would warn anyone who was looking at the security board so I knew I had to run for my life. I shoved the door open then slammed it shut behind me. It clicked and the alarm beeped but I didn't even imagine that anyone would miss the disarming of the door.

  Just as I thought I was free, the door beeped again and someone flung it open. Andrei stood there, scanning the area. When his gaze landed on me, he looked confused at first. Then his hand went to his hip for his gun and the next thing I knew, my gun was in my hand and I'd fired a shot.

  Andrei fell to the ground, moaning. I was terrified I'd killed him but I didn't stick around to find out.

  I ran down the courtyard and along the winding road.

  I ran into the yard of a darkened house six doors down. The property didn't have a fully fenced yard and I hid between the garbage cans at the back for almost an hour. There was still enough darkness out there for me to put some distance between myself and Nikolai's men.

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  Gray

  I can't believe I'd shot Andrei. For all the help he'd given me, I'd thanked him by shooting him. The memory of the gun shot, of Andrei falling to the ground, stayed with me, like a ghost pointing an accusing finger at me.