Their threats didn’t faze him, even if they had been men, unless they raised guns, which no amount of training could protect him against. Ethan simply said, “It’s cool, it’s cool! I’m her cousin!” It took a second to register in their heads, but when it did, the girls ceased hostility. “What the hell were you thinking?” he said to Kayla. “You’re so much better than this.”
“Apparently not,” said Kayla. “Now, will you leave me alone?”
Since when does she hate me so much?
“Hey, hey,” said one of her friends. “This is your cousin. He just looking out for you, Kay.” Ethan liked this one already. “I’m sorry, bro. Kay’s a sweetheart, but she don’t trust nobody.”
“I’m Ethan,” he said, offering a handshake. The girl looked at him like a madman, but shook his hand nonetheless.
“I’m Sierra,” she replied. “These are my girls. I know Kayla’s fresh meat, but I got her back.”
“Your girls?” asked Ethan. They were continuing to stand idly in the parking lot, which made him uneasy.
“Yeah, I take care of them when the boss ain’t around. So, pretty much all the time. Sorry she didn’t tell you she was hookin’ now. But who would, you know?”
“Nobody else has to know, Kayla. If you just come home with me, we can talk about this and I’ll try to –”
“I’m not going home!”
“Can we at least talk about this?”
“No.” Kayla started to walk away, which shocked Ethan.
After a couple seconds of confused hesitation, her friends followed her, and it dawned on Ethan that she was perfectly willing to take off while leaving them both on terrible terms. Offended, and angered, Ethan ran toward Kayla, gripped her by the wrist and pulled her toward his car. Kayla resisted, dragging her weight. Her friends tried pulling them apart, but Ethan’s grip was too tight, so they both pulled mace.
“Stop! Stop!” shouted Kayla, waving down the girls before they tried their weapons. Everyone paused. She shook her head, slowing her breathing. “Ethan, I’m working. Can you just… I don’t know…”
“I’m sorry, Kayla. I really just want you to be safe.” He looked at the other two. “Will you at least let me buy time with you?”
Kayla looked to her friends, who shrugged, then back at Ethan. “Fine, but no tricks!” she sternly warned.
“No tricks,” promised Ethan.
“Fine, then.”
–––––––
The following night, Ethan remembered the intersection Kayla had said to find her at. When night fell, and time came for Kayla to start working, he parked a dozen feet from her station.
Neither Lilith nor Phoebe had said anything about the endeavor, so perhaps they were ignorant of it? Deep down, Ethan was certain Phoebe was knowledgeable of his activity. Perhaps it could be called a campaign. A very slow, poorly planned campaign. Regardless, Phoebe was too intelligent and too observant to not figure it out. Why would she let me do this? he thought. She told me to stay out of it. She ordered me, like one of her lackeys. I’m disobeying now. Either she’s letting me disobey, or… Maybe she really doesn’t know. His mind debated the two options – remain, or go home. I’m already in this deep… If it means saving Kayla, then I’ll live with the consequences.
Eight minutes after he parked, he saw Kayla walk to her corner. She was wearing a jacket that extended down to her thighs, with a midriff-exposing shirt and short-shorts. A friend of hers, one he hadn’t seen before, was with her, but kept walking when Kayla stopped. Once the friend was out of sight, Ethan turned the ignition and rolled the car toward Kayla. She looked annoyed, even from a distance. She must recognize my car by now, he thought. She stepped up to the door, and he rolled down the window, handing her thirty dollars. “How long does this get me?”
Leaning on the door, Kayla said, “You know how fucked up it is to be buying time with your own cousin?” she asked.
“A hooker’s a hooker.”
“I’ll give you fifteen minutes. That’s generous.” Ethan then handed her an additional forty dollars. She was stunned, but looked at him and said, “Money pays for the job, not the time.” Now, he was feeling played, so he retracted the forty. “No, just… Fine, I’ll take the forty and you get half an hour.” Ethan agreed, and gave it back. Kayla said, “I’ll be right back,” and was gone for only a few minutes. When she returned, she got in the car. “Roland’s cool with half an hour.”
“Who’s Roland?”
“Drive somewhere!” she demanded.
Ethan aimlessly drove ahead, turning onto random streets, until finally parking next to what looked like a video store. “Is this okay?” he asked.
Kayla looked at her watch. “This is fine. You have twenty-four minutes left.”
Having no idea where a good place to start would be, Ethan voiced the foremost thought in his head at the moment. “So, who’s Roland?”
“My boss.”
“You mean your pimp…”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, Ethan, my pimp. Are you just here to pass judgment?”
“No, no, I’m not.” He nearly put his hand on her leg for comfort, but he worried that might be interpreted as sexual. “I guess I just… I want to know what’s going on. Is there anything I can help with?”
“You could leave.”
“Why are you acting like this? You’re treating me like some stalker that won’t leave you alone.”
“‘Who’ won’t leave me alone. And, yes, because in a way, you are.”
Ethan slammed his head back against the seat. “You don’t have to be a pain the ass, Kayla. I’m your family. We’ve always gotten along. I’m trying to help. It’s what people do for those they love.”
“Oh, so I’m a pain the ass now?”
“Yes, you are.” Kayla nearly retorted, angrily, but Ethan cut her off. “Don’t even think about throwing that back at me. You know you’re being a pain, and you know you don’t have to be. There’s a thousand things I could have done tonight. I could have called the cops, I could have asked Phoebe to get involved… And trust me, she could make sure you never even think about being a prostitute again. But I chose to talk to you. I’m your family, but I’m trying to be your friend, too. So just stop being a bitch.”
Ethan half-expected Kayla to be so offended she’d leave the car, but she didn’t. She remained. For a minute or two, she was completely silent, until finally whispering, “Sorry.” She looked at him with sadness in her eyes. “I’ve just given up. On everything. I don’t care anymore, Ethan. You shouldn’t care either.” She started gesturing by waving her left hand a lot. “Please don’t, you know, take that as a challenge or something. I really mean it. I don’t care about what happens to me, and nothing’s gonna change that.”
“Nothing? You sure about that?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
He put a comforting hand on her leg, ignoring the potential for her to misinterpret that. “You might not care about yourself, but do you care about what I think? I mean, it’s pretty selfish to push someone away like this when they still love you.”
Kayla shrugged. “Like I said, you shouldn’t.”
“Like I said, I care anyway.”
She looked into his eyes for a brief moment. “Thank you. That means a lot. Just … don’t get your hopes up. Now, will you drive me back?”
Ethan wondered if his time was up, but didn’t check. He felt her ‘thank you’ sufficed as a good enough start. Baby steps, he thought. This is probably going to take a very long time. The thought of paying so much money every night, or every other night, was excessive. He asked, “Will you tell me where you take breaks?”
“Why?”
“So I can visit you without having to pay.”
“I can’t promise my friends will like it if you’re there.”
“By friends, you mean Roland?”
Kayla nodded nervously. “Him too. I mean, he counts as well. You probably shouldn’t come at all, in case he’s there
with us.”
“I’m surprised you’re not demanding I keep paying.”
“You’re family, and we’re not fucking. Plus, I know you’re just going to find a different way to not leave me alone.” Ethan nodded, firmly agreeing. “You really want to know where I take lunch?” Ethan nodded. “Okay… I’ll tell you. Promise me you’ll be careful, though.”
–––––––
The location was the basement of a residential house. Kayla had said nothing about how to get in, though, which Ethan realized only after arriving the following night. He had put on a black coat with black pants before leaving the house, and had parked over a mile, all for the sake of avoiding standing out. The house, which was at the corner of the block, had two short steps leading into the basement from the outside. He had quietly reached the door and slowly turned the knob, but it didn’t unlock.
Should I knock or something?
Then he heard the voice of a man, shouting angrily at someone. Listening closely, during the short moments the man was talking calmly, Ethan could narrow down a few key words: “past two weeks,” and, “money,” and some names as well, including Kayla. The other names he didn’t care to remember. Whoever was shouting inside the house, Ethan noticed they were smart by being far from any walls, where passersby could hear the altercation. His heart pounded loudly as he debated whether to break in or wait. The moment he made the decision to move, the shouting ceased, and footsteps approached the door. He barely had enough time to run and hide.
“Okay, girls, give me a kiss,” said the man as he stepped outside where Ethan had stood only seconds ago. He judged from the man’s choice of words that it was Roland. The girls with him had to have been Kayla’s friends, because among them was Kayla’s black friend he couldn’t remember the name of. Sarah? No… Sierra. Kayla wasn’t among them, though. He concentrated hard, but still couldn’t see her. “I’ll see you ladies tomorrow,” said Roland as he walked away.
Once Roland was out of sight, the girls went back inside. In case Roland forgot something and came back, he waited five minutes. Finally, he ran back toward the house, tried turning the knob, and ended up needing to knock.
“Ethan?” answered Sierra. “Kayla told you we’d be here?” Before Ethan could answer, she said, “Well, come in. We’re just having lunch. We’ll be outta here in about fifteen.”
Inside, past the entryway, Ethan saw that the basement was setup like it was meant to be its own living quarters. He didn’t even see stairs to the upper floor. There were five girls seated on couches and stools, but Kayla was not one of them. “Where’s my cousin?”
“We thought she was with you,” said one of the girls – the brunette who looked like she might be taller than he was.
“Why would she be with me? You mean, nobody knows where she is?”
“She ain’t off to a good start,” said Sierra. “The boss is tryin’ his luck with some more expensive customers.”
“Corporate scumbags?”
“Something like that, prob’ly.”
His heart sank a little. “So… You guys pretty much have no idea where she is.”
The tall girl answered. “Yeah, pretty much.”
Ask them things. That’d be the smart thing to do, thought Ethan. “Hey uh… So what are your names?” He immediately regretted the question, feeling it was a waste of time. While the girls answered, Ethan pondered what more crucial questions to inquire.
He paid no attention to their attire, except the one who was dressed in a white long-sleeve shirt and tie, like a secretary, including spectacles. She was the first to introduce herself, as “Ky,” which he figured had to be short for “Kylie.” Then, the tall one, wearing the least amount of clothing, probably because she had the most to show for being tall, said her name next: “Mai.” The following two to introduce themselves were the short ones, but to Ethan were undeniably the most beautiful: “Lisa,” and, “Amanda.” The first impressed he had of Amanda, she was miserable, just judging from how she spoke and her sunken eyes. Amanda was the only blonde of the bunch, like how Sierra was the only black girl, save for Kayla had she been present. Then, the last one, who had a noticeably, but not extremely, crooked nose, and prominent zits, introduced herself as, “Sarah.” Nobody looked alike, so he figured none of them were related, but they hung around each other very comfortably, like they were all sisters.
“Nice to meet you all,” replied Ethan. He didn’t know how else to respond to learning names he expected to forget once leaving their vicinity. “So, what was all the shouting?”
“Just Roland,” answered Sierra.
“What’s wrong? Why was he shouting at you guys?”
“He wasn’t.” The one replying was Amanda, who continued to stare at the ceiling as she added, “He caught me keeping a bunch of cash.”
“Whoah, hold on a second!” said Mai, standing. Now on her feet, Ethan saw she was only an inch shorter than him, at most. “Don’t tell him anything,” she said to Amanda. “How do we know we can trust you? Are you a cop?” She smiled, then stumbled back. In a drunken stupor, she said, “Nah, you’re no cop. You’re too young. Too skinny, too. For real, though, who are you?”
“I’m Kayla’s cousin, Ethan. She told me I’d find her here, because this is where you guys have lunch.”
Sierra raised a hand calmly. “Chill, sweetie, he’s cool. Kayla told me ‘bout him.”
“Where can I find her?” asked Ethan, with no intention to waste more time.
“We don’t know,” Sierra answered.
Ethan clenched both his hands. “Nothing? You know nothing? Nothing at all…” Sierra shrugged, the others looked away. “Would a little concern be too much to ask?” he virtually growled at them.
“Of course we care!” said Mai. She walked over to where the girls’ collection of alcohol was kept – a small, wobbly table in a corner of the room. After pouring then drinking a shot, she added, “She’ll be back tomorrow, probably. She’s just with the boss.”
“Well, I don’t trust your boss. Clearly he doesn’t respect any of you, and only cares about money.”
“That’s life, sweetheart. Everybody that way,” replied Sierra.
Silence befell the room as the girls prepared themselves to return to the street. Ethan was lost in his thoughts as they walked out one at a time, the last of which was Sierra, who rested a hand on his back and gestured for him to leave with them. “You can come back tomorrow, bro. She’ll be here, don’t you worry.”
Ethan did precisely that. The following night, he returned, this time without checking to see if Roland was present. After two knocks, the girl with the crooked nose and zits answered the door. He forgot her name. She invited him in without so much as a greeting, seeming to be afraid of him.
As he pessimistically predicted, Kayla wasn’t there.
“We don’t know, Ethan,” said Sierra. “She didn’t check in with us at all. No call, no show.”
Sierra and the others looked worried. “Is she usually punctual? Or, you know… Does she, like…”
“Always on time. Always on top of things.”
Mai, eating some fast food over the table, swallowed her bite and said, “It’s still no reason to freak out, guys. Ethan’s just paranoid.”
“Or, maybe she actually is in danger,” he retorted. “She became a whore on a whim. She doesn’t know what she’s doing.”
“She’s not stupid,” said Mai, angrily.
“Yeah, I know that. Doesn’t mean she’s perfect, though.”
“Guys, cut it out!” said Sierra.
Silence befell the room. Ethan walked over to an empty spot along the far wall and slumped down, folding his arms over his knees and buried his face in them. He brainstormed hard. Phoebe won’t help… Lily won’t help; she hates Kayla… These girls have jobs to do, or their pimp will hurt them. He thought about paying them, but he had little to no money left. After another minute or two, he came up with an idea.
“If I paid you guys,
would you look for Kayla for me?”
All five of them looked offended, and saddened. Without any hostility in her tone for once, Mai said, “We care about her, too. You don’t need to pay us to look for her.”
“I know. I believe that,” replied Ethan. To everyone he added, “But you guys have jobs, and you have an asshole for a boss. Would he let you take a day off to look for Kayla if you still got paid?”
Sierra shrugged. “Maybe. If it didn’t upset regular customers.”
“Or make the other pimps think they have his turf now,” said Amanda.
“No, the Marsdens gave their pimps their turfs. Nobody gonna use other streets ‘less the Marsdens say so.”
“Talk to Roland, please,” said Ethan. He felt nervous when he added, “And please don’t tell him about me … at all … please.”
By the next night, Kayla still hadn’t reappeared anywhere. This made it two days now. With help from the girls, Ethan had decided to sell his car for three-grand; a little over half the price it was bought new for. He paid them the full sale amount evenly, and starting early morning on the third day of Kayla’s disappearance, he and the girls started looking.
Everyone split off into pairs. Ethan paired with Sierra, taking her car around town, narrowing down Kayla’s possible avenues of asylum, if her disappeared ultimately proved to be intentional. While out, Sierra filled in Ethan on some bits about her occupation, but only details that were relevant to how she was searching for Kayla. For example, Sierra wasn’t only a street walker, but also a part-time businesswoman who personally negotiated with customers about more potential customers. It wasn’t long until the pair located Kayla, in a place Ethan hoped she would never even be caught dead at.
In Gresham, not a hundred feet from an elementary school, were low-income apartment complexes. One in particular was Amanda’s favorite place to hang out with her male friends. Sierra had received no sign that Amanda introduced Kayla to those friends, but sure enough, when Sierra knocked on the front door of one particular apartment, and an acquaintance of Sierra’s answered, when she asked if ‘someone named Kayla’ was there, that’s when they found her.
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