Bare

by Morgan Black

  I signed the book at the front desk, and I walked upstairs to the dressing room. Some the girls had already started their shift; I was working fairly late. Monique passed by me, and gave me a wink. I was glad that we were finally friends. At least, I think if Monique had friends, I would be one of them, and I knew that she would bail me out of jail anytime I needed it. I could trust her, but Hudson didn't trust anyone, so I couldn't tell her about us. She sashayed down towards the wooden doors, and out onto the ramp down at the club. I dropped my coat at my station, and shook out my hair before following her. As soon as I walked into the cigar smoke-filled room, I felt safe. No one would ever try anything at the club; they weren't that stupid. Security was tight, and the Madame knew everyone’s secrets.

  Immediately, I noticed a few men eyeing me up, and I walked over to the bar to get a tray full of drinks. It was the easiest way to get an introduction. The bartender quickly filled the tray with six shots of tequila, and I began wandering around the tables. I noticed many of the men were already preoccupied with other girls, so I steered clear of those tables. Getting into a catfight was not my plan. I noticed a booth in the back that was for some of the higher-end clientele where their glasses were empty. I figured, if nothing else, I could at least get a tip.

  “Drinks, boys?”

  A man in his early fifties with a black suit and red tie spoke. “What do you say, gentlemen?”

  They nodded in agreement.

  The first man spoke again. “What do you have?”

  I smiled at him flirtatiously. “Why don’t I sit down and show you?”

  “Join us.” I thought I heard a hint of a Russian accent, but it was just my nerves.

  I sat down on the edge the booth next to him, and put the tray on the table. “Tequila,” I said, winking at him.

  He smiled broadly at me, and then took a shot in his hands. “Gentlemen? We don't want to turn the nice lady down, do we?”

  There were three other men at the table, all in similar suits and red ties. They looked at me greedily, and I suddenly wondered if I'd gotten in over my head. I'd never been to one of the high roller tables before. This may have not been my best idea. The other men raised their shots, and all downed them in one gulp.

  The man I had been speaking to shook his head as he set the glass back down on the tray. “That's got a bite to it, doesn't it?”

  “I'm sure it does. Only the best tequila served here.”

  “Are you new around here, girlie? I don't recognize you.”

  “I've been around. But not for long.”

  One of the other men spoke, sounded more like a growl that a voice. “What's your name?”

  “Calla.”

  The first man I’d been talking to nodded. “We might have some information that could interest you, Calla. Perhaps a business arrangement.”

  This was moving a lot faster than I expected. “Oh? And what is that?” I asked innocently.

  “Why don’t you take my card?”

  “Your card? You mean your membership card?”

  “No. My business card. In ten minutes, we’re going to leave this table, and I will leave it here for you. I think you're going to be very interested in who I do business with.”

  I gulped. “Okay.”

  “Time for you to go, Calla, so we can make our exit. Leave the tray.”

  I nodded, and swiftly got up from the table. I walked back to the bar, and stood leaning on it, watching the table like a hawk. In just a few minutes, they left, and I took a deep breath before walking back over, and picking up the tray. Beneath it was a hundred dollar bill and a business card.

  It red letters it read:

  Rudolph Lenko

  Shit. I was in trouble.

  6

  I picked up the card, and slipped it into my bra. I dropped the tray off at the bar, I looked over my shoulder to make sure no one was watching, while I stealthily moved up the ramp, and back into the dressing room. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. All of Hudson's concerns were validated in just a single introduction. I grabbed my phone, and dialed Hudson's number. I needed that protection, now.

  “Calla? I thought you were working tonight.”

  “I am. Your boss is here. You are right, Hudson. I can't work at the club anymore. I need you to come get me. I don't want to leave alone.”

  “Shit. I’ll send my driver right over. I’ll be following in a separate car, so I can see if you're being watched. Do not leave the club's doorstep until you see the car pull up. Do you understand me?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I got it. How long?”

  “No more than ten minutes. Get your stuff, and don't tell anyone where you're going.”

  “Okay, got it. I'll be here.”

  The phone call ended, I quickly gathered all of my belongings, and shoved them into my purse. I wrapped my coat around me, and put my hair up in a bun. I thought if I looked just a little bit different maybe I would be safer.

  I waited right next to the club’s entrance until I saw the black town car pull up. The driver waved to me, and I ran quickly across the sidewalk. “Ms. Hart?”

  I nodded.

  “Let me get the door for you, miss.”

  He opened the door, and I got inside. I breathed a sigh of relief that no one had tried to grab me or, even worse, shoot me. I didn't know how they would feel about Hudson and myself being a real couple. About me knowing all his secrets, and knowing that he wanted out. I saw a car following us, and I felt comfort in knowing that Hudson was close. I closed my eyes, and rubbed my head for a moment, trying to dissolve the stress headache that was beginning.

  We drove in silence for a while, and I guessed that we were going to the airport. I wasn't worried that I had hardly any of my own things. Hudson would take care of all that. It was just another advantage to having a boyfriend with an unlimited checkbook.

  The car stopped abruptly, and I expected Hudson to open the door, so I could fall into his arms. But that wasn't who opened the door. I looked down at the short balding man with a broad smile who I now knew as Rudolph Lenko. I gasped for breath as he smiled at me, looking devilish and smug. I tried to open the other side, but it was locked.

  “Like I said, Ms. Hart. We have some business to discuss.”

  My mouth dropped open. Suddenly, the driver side door opened, and a gloved hand was over my mouth. “Help!” I screamed, but the glove stifled it. I couldn’t breathe. I was kicking and attempting to bite my assailant, but it was useless. Within seconds, the world went dark.

  7

  I felt sick, and my head was throbbing. I tried to open my eyes, but they felt like they were so heavy that I would never get them open. I rubbed the back of my head, and felt the sticky substance of my own blood. I didn't remember getting hit, just the gloved hand stifling my screams as they attempted to pull me out of the town car. For a moment, I kept my eyes closed, and I wondered what Hudson's reaction was when he got to the club, and realized I was already gone. They must've had my phone bugged; it was the only way they would've known Hudson's plan to follow the town car. They were smart, smarter than I'd given them credit for.

  Slowly, I willed my body to open my eyes so I could take in the sights around me. If I got a hold of Hudson, anything I could tell him could be paramount in my rescue. But the world was blurry and dark. I felt around on the floor, and I realized it was cold, concrete, and a little damp. I was probably in a basement somewhere, or maybe a warehouse. I'd no idea how much time had passed, and if they had flown or driven me to a new location. I couldn't imagine that they would have kidnapped me and kept me in the same place. I was praying I was still the country. If I wasn't, Hudson would have no chance of finding me. I reached into my coat pockets, hoping that possibly I had some way of contacting him, but of course, they took my cell phone. They would have tracked the call anyway.

  The room started to take shape as my vision cleared, and, sure enough, I was in a warehouse, kneeling with my legs splayed out to the side of me on the cold floo
r. There was a chain-link fence behind me, and when I turned around, it was clear that this was a holding place for some of the goods. Bottle after bottle of prescription drugs filled shelves in the caged area; this is where they kept their money. I couldn't believe the amount of drugs in the eight by ten area here that was gated. As I carefully swiveled my head around and continued to look at the warehouse, I realized that there was at least eight other cages like this one. There were millions of dollars worth of drugs in this place. Shit.

  When Hudson had talked about it, he was helping clinics and people who couldn't afford the proper insurance for their drugs, but that's not what these guys were doing. This was their stock, and if they had this much, they were making a lot more than Hudson was. I looked for an exit, and saw the red lights to my right at the other corner of the warehouse. But, right in front of it, sitting around a table were four of Rudolph's thugs playing poker. One was smoking a cigar while the other was raking in some chips. If I could just slip by them unnoticed…

  “Looks like the girl’s awake,” one of them said in a gruff voice.

  Another one chugged a beer, and slammed it down on the table. “I thought you gave her enough to last a few more hours. The boss ain’t even back yet.”

  “This one’s strong-willed, I tell you.”

  “You already jumped her once, then you had to hit her over the head as she woke up on the way here, and now she's fucking awake again. You must not know your script, man. You’re not dosing her high enough.”

  So I'd been drugged, twice. And the thug that hit me over the head had made quite a dent. I tried to seem like I was still pretty out of it, but my alertness was coming back to me piece by piece. The pain was excruciating. He really ripped open my skull. I didn’t look at the floor, I didn’t want to see all the blood.

  I looked at the exit sign again. I was thinking how far I could run before I blacked out. I didn't know what I would do if I could make to the door, but I felt like it was my only option.

  The two men that were talking pushed their chairs away from the table, and sauntered over to me. I closed my eyes again hoping that they wouldn't do anything to me if they thought I was still injured. The blood on the back of my head gave them a good indication that I was. The one bent down and grabbed my chin, holding it just a hair away from his face. “How you feeling, girly?”

  These two thugs didn't look like Rudolph's other men. They were simply muscle; they didn't have any other interest in the extra business.

  “I guess she doesn't want to talk, do you?”

  I wouldn't give them the pleasure of hearing me speak. I was sure my voice was gravelly, and I didn't want to let them know how terrified I was. I had to be strong.

  He tossed my head back, and stood up, looking at the other men at the table. “Call the boss. He's got a lot of talking to do to this one.”

  I waited to see if they would say anymore, give me more information. But, instead, they walked away, I had to make a move.

  This was my chance. “Talk to me about what?”

  The other guy smiled; he was missing a couple of his teeth. “So she can speak. Good.”

  “I asked you a question. What does Rudolph want with me?”

  “It's not what he wants with you, girly. It's what Hudson owes him.” He spread his arms out wide, “It's what he owes the Empire.” He laughed to himself, and the other guy joined in.

  “He'll come for me.”

  “We know that. We were counting on it.”

  I needed more time. “And what do you think he owes?”

  He cocked his head at me, pulling the tight collar on his shirt even closer to the skin. “He owes the boss money. Lots of money, sweetheart. More than you could ever imagine. He took drugs to Switzerland, and didn't pay for them. This isn't the type of place where you do dishes to pay off your tab.”

  He had stolen from them? Is this why he was so worried about me going back to the club? Was this part of his way to get out? I couldn't believe he had put me in such danger. I hoped he had some underlying plan. “Hudson wouldn’t do that. He's loyal.”

  The man got so close to my face once more that I could see the stubble on his cheeks and the bags under his eyes. “Loyalists don't sell where they're not supposed to. We’ve got eyes everywhere, sweetheart; we know exactly what he's been up to.”

  “Is that how you found me?”

  He shook his head at me. “You work at the club. We would've found out about you, regardless.” He looked towards his comrade. “Tie her hands, and put some duct tape on her mouth until the boss gets back. I don’t want to hear anymore of her shit.”

  “No, wait!” I put my hands up in protest. “What does Rudolph want to know about me? What info is everyone talking about?”

  They both got quiet. They didn’t know any more information than I did. I wasn’t just bait.

  “Not our concern. Get rid of her,” he instructed the bigger guy.

  He lifted me up underneath my arms, and attempted to throw me over his shoulder, but I played dead weight. It gave me the opportunity to deliver a swift kick to his balls. He immediately dropped me, and I sprinted towards the exit doors. Without the boss here, these chumps’ mistakes were my best possibility of getting out. I knew that once Rudolph was back, I didn't have a chance in hell. I ran towards the door, but the two thugs at the table got up and blocked my way. I could hear the other guy yelling curse words at me. I considered slugging the guy to my right, but I knew the other would grab me, and I wanted to keep their filthy hands off of me. I considered my options until I felt metal at the back of my head. He pushed it into the already open wound. I screamed and grabbed my head in pain.

  “Put your hands up and turn around. You're not getting out of here on my watch.” It was the first guy who had spoken to me, and I was starting to wonder if he was Rudolph's second-in-command. When I spun around, he held a gun in my face. “Don't think I won't shoot you. Hudson doesn't need to know. No one does. Right, boys?” He began to laugh, and the others joined in, all in on the same sick joke as he was. But I knew that Rudolph wouldn’t be happy if he shot me point blank in the head. Now, had he shot me while I was running away, he would've believed them. But, if he ended me now, he was setting himself up to possibly being killed by his own boss. I didn't know how stupid he was, but I didn't think he was that dumb.

  “You're not going to shoot me.”

  “Why's that?”

  “Because you and I both know Rudolph will end you if you do. I’m leverage. You need me alive.”

  He lowered his gun. “Alive, but not pretty.” My hands were still above my head, and my stomach was unprotected; he punched me first in the stomach, and then as my head dropped down, he kneed me in the face. I felt the rush of blood come from my nose.

  “SHIT! UGH!” I fell to the floor in agony. My face felt like it was on fire. I couldn’t breathe. Every breath I sucked in through my mouth made my ribs burn, and I couldn’t feel half my face. Just pain, so much pain.

  “Now, tell me again why I won’t shoot you.”

  “Because I'm going to shoot you first.” I heard Hudson's voice behind me, and footsteps come in the door that I was trying to get out through. There was a lot more feet that just Hudson’s.

  “You brought friends.”

  The man with the gun put his hands up as I saw SWAT teams surround us. The two men behind me moved away, and the asshole that I had kicked in the balls was lying on the ground. I heard the yelling before Hudson got to me. “Get on the ground now! Put the gun down or we'll shoot!”

  I turned around, tears streaming down my face, as Hudson had a gun pointed in my direction. I put my hands above my head, and I waited for the SWAT members to get all of my kidnappers on the ground. The SWAT team had bulletproof vests on, and so did Hudson. I could hear one of the guys yelling, “He ratted us!” Then he looked at Hudson with disgust. “You'll die for this.”

  Hudson walked over to him and spit in his face. “And you'll rot in a cell. Touch
my girl again, and see what happens.”

  The SWAT team began to cuff all of the men, and other members started walking around and took in a view of all the prescription drugs. A woman with a SWAT vest approached me. “You’re okay, you’re going to be okay.”

  She put a blanket around my shoulders. “Let’s get you out of here.”

  I shook my head. “I want Hudson. Please.” I was in the middle of chaos until Hudson came over to me. He gave his gun to the woman, and I was a hot mess on the floor, trembling with fear. I had almost just died. But he had saved me.

  I fell into his arms shaking. He wrapped his arms around me, and held me up, putting his hand on the back of my head, and pulling me into him. I was finally safe. After a few minutes of me wiping my tears on his bulletproof vest, I pulled away. “You didn't tell me. How long have you been working with the feds?”

  “After we split up the first time. You were right. I didn't know how to care about anybody. But I knew I wanted something with you, and the only way to get it was to turn this whole operation over. I knew I couldn't walk away from it if it was still there.”

  “So, you turned on them?”

  He nodded. “Just the ones I knew of. These idiots didn’t know that Rudolph was never going to show up here today. He's in the wind.”

  “And you? Jail time, what kind of deal did you make?”

  He shrugged. “I’ll be on house arrest for a year, maybe. I had to give up some of my funds, the ones that I hadn't hid well enough. But I’ll be safe. I'll be in a protective program.”

  This all sounded like more secrets. And I didn't think we could handle any more of those. “What about me? What about us?” I asked through my blubbering.

  I could hear the sirens outside, cars taking my captors away. But there had to be at least thirty agents inside the building. The woman stood by, and kept others away from us. I noticed an EMT near the door.