by Tim Sabados
“And then what?” Charlie sat his drink on the bar. “Follow them?”
“We’d have to,” Aryssa answered in a tone dripping with doubt.
“A little risky, don’t you think?” Charlie wrapped his thumb and forefinger around his glass. “They know who you are.”
“The girls will keep quiet,” Aryssa said.
“That’s not who I’m worried about,” Charlie interjected. “You and I both know that there’s more of Sammy’s crew somewhere out there.”
Aryssa solemnly gazed at her glass. Things were looking bleak. They had managed to find seats at the back of the bar. Had avoided the bouncer in the lobby. How long could they sit and wait before someone would recognize her?
Charlie noticed Aryssa’s defeated expression. “Let’s give it some time. You never know what might pop up.”
Aryssa took a consolatory swig of her old fashioned. Nodded her agreement, but suddenly stopped. A voice managed to punch through the noise of the crowd, hook her attention and urge her to spin around.
Was it her imagination, or had she actually heard a thick Eastern European accent?
Aryssa focused on the direction of the voice, hoping she could confirm what she had heard. Two well-dressed couples were gathered around the high-top table directly behind her. A waitress slid by with a tray of drinks. Two men were laughing over something one of them had said. Another man, wearing a gray suit, approached two women who were standing near the bar. A couple hugged and…
Aryssa froze. Could it be? There in a booth along the wall. She tapped Charlie’s leg. “It’s her.”
Charlie spun slowly. “You see someone?”
Aryssa nodded. “The blond in the booth. Black dress with the busting cleavage. Sitting with the balding guy in the white dress shirt.”
Charlie casually glanced in the direction Aryssa was describing. “How do you know her?”
“It’s Kami. The only woman I talked to in that room.”
“Are you sure?”
“Very,” Aryssa answered with certainty. “We’ve got to get her out of here. She’s the proof we need.”
“Hold on,” Charlie cautioned. He held Aryssa’s hand to stop her from leaping off her seat. “You can’t just run up there.”
“What am I supposed to do, then?”
“You don’t know who could be watching,” Charlie said. His eyes ran over those standing near the booth. “We need to be careful.” A pause. “I’ve got an idea.”
33
Charlie needed to be absolutely sure. He—no, they—couldn’t risk discovering the woman wasn’t who Aryssa thought she was. Worse yet, what if there was a guard nearby? He cautiously followed Aryssa and diligently watched for any sudden movements. Any last bits of doubt disintegrated when Aryssa stepped up to the table without so much as a hint of trouble.
The blonde’s eyes widened. Surprise arched her brows. Jaw slackened. She quickly regained her composure, glanced at the man on the other side of the table, then back to Aryssa.
“How are you, Kami?” Aryssa infused her voice with astonishment. “It’s been such a long time.”
“It has,” Kami said in her thick accent. “Of all the places.”
“What’s it been? Something like three, maybe four…” Aryssa let the unfinished sentence hang in the air.
“At least,” Kami answered. “Why you come here when you have the night off?”
Aryssa sat her drink on the table. “Oh you know, just wanted to check this place out.” She gestured over her shoulder. “Have you met Charlie?”
Kami shot a nervous glance past Charlie into the crowd. “I’m Kami.” She extended her hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Charlie gently shook Kami’s hand.
Kami turned to the man across from her. “And this is…”
The balding man cut her off before she could say his name by quickly extending his arm. “Nice to meet you both.”
Charlie shook the man’s hand first, then Aryssa followed. The balding man casually looked at his watch. “I hate to be rude,” he gestured toward Kami, “but we really should be going.”
Kami seemed to reel backward at his sudden insistence, but quickly regained her composure. “Yes, I think so,” she responded politely. “Maybe we go now.”
Aryssa leaned forward. “So soon?” Charlie nudged the small of her back. She took his cue and slid into the booth next to Kami. “I was really hoping we could catch up.”
“Maybe another time; unfortunately we’re running late,” the man said more firmly.
“Late,” Charlie said. “I hate being late. Never like it when other people are late, either.” He purposefully paused. “A sign of disrespect, don’t you think?”
“I agree.” The man started to scoot his way out of the booth. “Then you’ll understand why we need to be on our way.”
Charlie stepped to the edge of the seat and effectively blocked the man from getting out. His irritation welled up in his throat. “Looks like you’re going to be extremely late to wherever you were planning on taking her.”
The man’s brows furrowed. “Who are you to tell me what’s…”
“A bit of advice,” Charlie intruded. “In a matter of minutes this place will be crawling with cops.” He held up three fingers. “You can stay and try to explain yourself.” Curled one of the fingers into his fist. “Leave through the back and simply go straight home.” Closed the second finger. “And if you try to warn Sammy, well, I’m sure you can guess what will happen.”
“I paid good money for tonight,” the man said defensively. “I deserve to…”
“Really? You want to argue about this right now?” Charlie tapped his wrist. “Time’s ticking.”
“I think you’re bluffing,” The man stated spitefully. “For all I know you could be trying to take away what’s mine.”
“What’s yours?” Charlie’s voice grew hot with anger. “She’s a human being, not a possession.” Balled his hands into fists. “I’m about to add a fourth option. Me taking you out back and pounding some sense into you.”
The man’s shoulders curled with defeat. He looked over at Kami, then toward Charlie. “Fine. I don’t need any of this.” He tried to squirm through the tiny space Charlie had left between him and the edge of the seat. “I expect my damn money back.”
After a few seconds of letting him struggle, Charlie stepped back. The man stood up, his face as red as a cayenne pepper. He straightened his white dress shirt and scurried away toward the back exit.
Kami gulped her wine. “You shouldn’t have done that. What happens if he tells?”
“He won’t,” Charlie said reassuringly.
“How do you know?” Kami asked.
“His doubt.” Charlie answered simply. “He can’t say for certain that I was lying. I’m betting he’s more worried about explaining himself to the police.” A pause. “Call it self-preservation.”
Kami sighed. “Are the police really coming?”
“Not yet,” Aryssa said. “But they will be.”
Kami swiped her finger under her eye. “This is too much. What if the police work for them?”
Aryssa laid her hand on Kami’s shoulder. “No way. Not here.”
“It happens,” Kami said. “Where I come from, it happens.”
Aryssa opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She glanced at Charlie as if pleading for his help.
A sudden pressure crawled onto Charlie’s shoulders. He needed to get Aryssa and Kami out of here before someone noticed. “Look, we came for you. We want to get you back home.”
Kami shook her head. “My sister. What about her?” She sniffled. “If they find out, they’ll kill her.”
“She’s going to be safe,” Charlie said.
“You don’t know that.”
Charlie sighed. “You’re right, I don’t.” He paused. “But they say that to scare you.” Tapped his temple. “It’s a mind game to make you stay and do what they tell you.”
“He’s right,” Aryssa said. “The man that brought you here—I know him. He doesn’t have that kind of connection to get your sister.” She caressed Kami’s arm. “I’ll bet he doesn’t even know that she exists.”
Kami sipped her wine. “I don’t know. Maybe I go back to room and wait for the next one.”
“I told you there’s a room,” Aryssa said to Charlie. She held Kami’s hand. “Where is this room?”
Kami gestured toward the ceiling. “Twentieth floor. It’s very big.” She tapped her glass. “They have two of them for tonight.”
“Two of them?” Aryssa said with a hint of surprise.
“Yes, two,” Kami confirmed. “I should go now.”
“No. No you shouldn’t,” Aryssa said determinedly. “No woman should be forced to do what they’re making you do. Charlie and I came here to expose all of this.”
Charlie held up a phone. “We’re making the call once we get you out.”
Kami sniffled. “Where will you take me?”
“Somewhere safe,” Aryssa answered. “Someplace they don’t know about.” She brushed a strand of Kami’s hair off her face. “I got out and then risked coming back here to help. If I can do it, then…”
The strain to get things moving weighed heavily on Charlie. “I hate to sound pushy, but we should…” He thumbed over his shoulder. “We’ve got to go before someone notices.”
Aryssa held out her hand. “Please, you’ve got to trust me.”
Kami set her wine glass on the table. Bowed her head. Her chest fully inflated then slowly collapsed. She finally lifted her gaze to Aryssa and smiled ever so slightly. “We go,” she whispered. “Thank you.”
“You’re doing the right thing.” Aryssa’s voice was filled with relief. “It’ll work out for the best, you’ll see.” She grasped Kami’s hand and helped her out of the booth.
Charlie grabbed Aryssa’s free hand and began to snake his way through the crowd. Could he get the two women out of the hotel without drawing attention? With the way things were going, it sure seemed like he could.
34
Sammy casually set his drink on the high-top table that stood just inside the bar. He slowly scanned the room and within a minute or so spotted three of his women. Each one of them was sitting close to her client. Each woman thinned her lips into a smile, as if she truly meant it. Focused her attention. Winked. Stroked an arm and most likely an ego. Effectively primed their men for what lay ahead. In essence, doing everything that was expected of them.
Two of them had already escorted their client upstairs to one of the suites. Sammy checked his watch. Right about now they were indulging the men in their deepest fantasies. Doing things their wives were either too scared to do or were flat-out incapable of doing. By the look of these men, maybe it was more like too prudish to even consider. Sammy chuckled. Despite everything that had happened earlier, tonight was going off without a hitch.
He looked over his shoulder at the bouncer sitting near the entrance, then up to Ariek, who slowly paced along the balcony with his phone pressed to his ear and finally to one of his other men sitting at the end of the bar with his back pressed against the wall. His attention was glued to the nearest television. Sammy quietly huffed his displeasure and made a mental note to tell him to keep his focus on the task at hand.
Some of his men were out of his sight, like the two brothers who were upstairs watching over the rooms. The bouncer out back, near the alley. Not the brightest of the bunch and damn if he didn’t smoke like a chimney. Hopefully he was doing what he was supposed to be doing and not taking one of his frequent naps in his car.
The chatter of the crowd, the driving music, the flowing drinks and the sexual tension that saturated the atmosphere—all of it uplifted Sammy’s mood. Still, he yawned and tried to rub the fatigue from his eyes. It had been a long and stressful day, and it wasn’t over yet. There were still a few women unaccounted for. He would have to wander through the bar and find them. But first things first.
Sammy pulled out his phone and logged into the account. As if he hadn’t checked it already, but he felt the need to make sure that there were no sudden discrepancies. Everything looked on the up and up, except—what was this? Why was the final tally lower from when he had last looked? He anxiously scrolled through the accounts. Who had suspended their payment? Why had they taken their money back?
It took several minutes to find the amended account. Of all the people, why him? This was his third, maybe fourth, time using Sammy’s services. Always had paid. Kept quiet. Seemed satisfied. What woman had he chosen to be with?
Sammy balled his hands into fists and squeezed his frustration. That damn blonde from Bulgaria. The one who had been talking to Aryssa. Should’ve known there’d be a connection. He immediately scanned the crowd. Where in the hell was Kami?
Several people milled around the hotel entrance. It was too crowded to clearly see all the way to the back of the bar. He needed to find her and it needed to be done now. Sammy started to make his way through the throngs when something snagged his attention.
Three people were weaving through the couches and chairs in the lounge toward an exit at the far end of the lobby. They moved with too much purpose—more like a little too frantically. A man with long dark hair, dressed in a suit. A blonde in a sexy dress and…was that…that…Aryssa?
Sammy motioned to the bouncer sitting at the bar, but his concentration was focused on the television. “Damn it.”
He scampered to the boundary that divided the bar from the lobby just as the long-haired man swung open a door. “Hey!” Sammy yelled.
The man turned his head just enough for Sammy to know that it was Aryssa’s friend from the alley. And there was that blonde Bulgarian, Kami. The third had to be her. “Aryssa!”
* * * * *
“Aryssa!”
It was purely instinctual. Aryssa swung around to look behind her. Her vision fell on the man who had screamed her name. Sammy.
Aryssa gasped. “It’s him.”
“Inside,” Charlie demanded. He yanked Aryssa across the threshold and into the stairwell. Motioned at her purse. “You’ve got to call now.”
Aryssa didn’t hesitate. She pulled out the phone and with the press of a button the screen lit up.
Charlie glanced out the tiny window in the door. Shook his head. “This way,” he whispered with urgency.
“What is it?”
“He’s coming.”
A jolt of fright singed Aryssa’s nerves. Her legs went numb, causing her to stumble. Kami’s breath anxiously chugged behind her.
“Make the call,” Charlie said.
Aryssa struggled to keep her attention on the phone and her feet moving forward. Her thumb trembled. She somehow managed to press the three numbers.
“Hello, this is nine-one-one. What’s your emergency?”
Charlie bound up the flight of concrete steps at the end of the corridor.
Aryssa purposefully stomped up them in order to keep her balance. “Um…hello. I have an emergency.”
“How can I help you?” the dispatcher asked.
“I’m at the Cad,” Aryssa answered. “I mean the Cadillac.” Took a quick breath to steady her voice. “There’s a man with a gun.”
“Has someone been shot?”
“Not yet.” Aryssa swung to the left, ran across the landing and jumped onto the next flight of steps. “He’s running a prostitution ring and threatening to…”
The phone slipped from Aryssa’s grasp, bounced off the metal railing and fell end-over-end down the shaft between the steps. It struck the bottom and burst apart.
Disbelief froze Aryssa. She leaned over the railing and stared at the broken phone scattered across the floor as if it were the victim of a horrific car crash.
“Come on,” Charlie stated. “We’ve got to keep moving.”
Aryssa sucked in a breath and followed Charlie upward. Had she given enough information? Had she convinced the dispatcher to send the po
lice?
* * * * *
Charlie was ready to lead Aryssa and Kami up the next flight, but instead stopped. The heavy thundering of feet fell like torrential rain from somewhere above. “We’re almost there,” a male voice spoke.
Was it security? More of Sammy’s men? Someone unrelated to everything that was taking place? Charlie couldn’t take the chance. Somewhere below he thought he could hear another set of footsteps stomping upward. Was it Sammy? He had no choice.
“Follow close and move fast,” Charlie whispered urgently. Without waiting for a response he swung open the wood door and sprang out onto the balcony that overlooked the hotel lobby.
Some thirty feet away a man spun around to look upon the trio. His hand holding his cell phone dropped to his side. Jaw slackened, but then quickly tightened. He scowled as he thrust his arm forward and pointed. “Stop right there.”
“Ariek!” Aryssa screamed.
Kami tried to hold back. Charlie pulled on Aryssa’s hand, dragging both Aryssa and Kami forward. There was only one way off this balcony and that was through the man with the phone. Charlie leapt and balled his hand onto a fist.
Ariek’s menacing glare morphed into shock. Brows arched. Mouth dropped open. Before he could react, Charlie’s fist connected with the bridge of his nose.
Ariek’s head snapped. Blood splattered. He flew backward into the wall and crumpled onto the carpet.
Charlie’s heart pumped confidence into his veins and it readily mixed with the irritation already swimming in his blood. He wasn’t going to let anything stand in his way. Even that large man in a black shirt that crested the elaborate staircase at the end of the balcony and ran straight for him.
The bouncer in the black shirt swung. Charlie easily sidestepped the punch, allowing the man’s momentum to carry him forward right into Charlie’s driving knee.
Agony exploded from the bouncer’s mouth. He managed to quickly recover, wrap his tree-trunk-sized arm around Charlie’s leg, plant his own foot and drive Charlie backward.