by Silks, Lacey
“I should have known that someone as beautiful as you was already taken. I’m Sean. Can I get your name, at least?”
“Kendra, and I’m sorry for spilling your chips, Sean.”
“Thank you. Kendra. Are you staying at the hotel?”
“Yes, we’re here for a bachelorette party for my friend who’s already married. That sounds strange, doesn’t it?” Why was I feeling so flustered?
He laughed, “No, it’s not. People do weird stuff in Vegas. Stay clear of the southeast corner of this casino if you want to keep clear of trouble.” He winked with a mischievous look.
“Sounds like legal advice. Are you here on business or pleasure?”
I wasn’t sure why I continued our conversation, but Sean was very easy to talk to.
“A little bit of both. I don’t get to be on the other side of the country often.”
“You’re from the East coast?”
“New York.”
“Me too.”
“Well then maybe I’ll be lucky enough to run into you there one day. Call me if it doesn’t work out.” He handed me a business card. “Enjoy your stay, Kendra.”
I put the card away in my back pocket without looking at it, saying, “It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
We stood up at the same time. Sean turned toward the poker tables, leaving me in awe. I wasn’t sure why I remained in that spot for a few seconds, but the warm feeling of being wanted surprised me.
As I washed my hands in the bathroom, a woman came out from one of the stalls. Her eyes and nose were reddened, and I held my breath, remembering the haze I used to be in when I was using. I wondered how much she’d had, whether she’d mixed it with a drink, and how long she’d been doing. She turned on the tap beside mine. I warily leaned in to her, saying, “I almost died doing what you do. I was kidnapped by a sex trafficker, sold to men, raped by several at a time, tortured, and hit.”
The old me, the one in need, would have asked for a hit, but I didn’t.
She just stared at me, so I continued, “You still have a way out and you’re the only one who can make a choice to do so. You can get in touch with her if you need help.” I handed her one of Allie’s business cards, which I now carried everywhere with me. “She saved my life.”
The woman wiped her nose on her sleeve and straightened her clothes. From the look in her eyes I first thought she was going to curse at me to mind my own business. Instead, she reached out for the card, said, “Thank you,” and then walked out the door.
“You’re welcome,” I said to myself, because she was already gone. Chances were Allie’s card would end up in the trash somewhere, but it didn’t change the warm feeling in my chest. I could really pull through this, and I would never stop thanking Julian and my new friends – who were probably beginning to wonder where I was.
As I headed back to the table, I got that same sensation of someone staring at me. I swiped my hand behind me, looking back at my ass to make sure I wasn’t dragging toilet paper. Goose bumps spread across my arms. I stopped and turned around. Behind me, a man with darker grey eyes stared with intent. He had that European look about him, exotic and dangerous at the same time. While his features didn’t compare to Sean’s, he was certainly on the luckier side of the gene pool. What in the world did they serve in the water here? It seemed everywhere you looked, another Chippendale lookalike strolled by. But his clean-cut suit didn’t match the unkind look he was giving me. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited, as if contemplating how to approach me. There was something familiar about his face, but I couldn’t quite place it. The wider jaw bone, widely spread eyes, and sunken cheeks reminded me of someone, but I couldn’t remember who. One of his brows rose for a moment, lifting a fraction of his other brow, which was too close to the center. It seemed he was trying to make that initial contact, but was wavering.
I inhaled a deep breath in and took a step toward him. There was only one way to find out who he was and why I’d caught his interest. Something deep inside told me it was more than just a lustful glare of desire, the same kind I’d experienced from Sean. I was used to those the same way I knew how to dismiss them. It seemed this man knew me, yet I didn’t know him.
“Can I help you?” I finally asked.
“Hello, Katherine,” he smirked.
Everything inside me shut down. My heart rate jumped a gear into its Ferrari speed.
“I’m sorry, but you must have mistaken me for someone else,” I took a step back.
“No, I haven’t, Kendra.”
“But you just called me Katherine. My name is Kendra.”
“But it hasn’t always been, has it?” He said it like he wanted me to know that he knew my secrets – all of them. My knees trembled. Whatever his intention was, the tone of his voice, unlike Sean’s, was not kind.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Peter Donato, and I’ve been looking for you.”
CHAPTER 18
The familiar last name swallowed me whole, and I thanked God I’d just peed a minute ago, or otherwise I’d soak my leather pants. That’s why he looked so familiar. His face was younger than that of the teacher I remembered cupping after he tried to seduce me. The memory brought a bitter taste to my mouth, along with the rekindled agony of abuse while I was held captive. I wanted to forget the moment I grabbed Mr. Donato’s nuts and squeezed them until he squirmed in pain. But that first sexual contact with a man had left me scarred. Donato left me no choice. He would have assaulted me and perhaps raped me, but back then I had enough strength and smarts to fight off the bastard in the only way I could.
This man in front of me resembled my teacher, and I wondered how closely related they were. And what the hell was this guy doing here? Why was he looking for me, and how did he know who I was? My old name was supposed to be hidden from everybody, especially those in Congress. But Mr. Donato, my high school teacher was just that, a teacher – not a Congressman. Peter’s identical last name had to be a coincidence, didn’t it?
“I’m sorry, but I need to get back to my friends.” I turned toward the roulette table where I’d left the girls, except they were gone. Someone else sat in their spot. Did I get the tables wrong? I swiveled on my foot, checking my bearings. In a casino this size, it was easy to get lost. I listened for Laura’s high squeaking and Sam’s laughter, but couldn’t hear either among the dinging coin machines.
“Your friends are already in our custody.”
“Custody? What are you talking about? Who are you, exactly?”
At that same moment, two bulkier men stepped out from between the slot machines, one on each side of me.
“Kendra, don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be. We just have to ask you a few questions, that’s all.”
It sure didn’t seem like that was all.
“And harass my friends? You haven’t exactly answered my question: who are you?”
“If you want to see your friends, you’ll come with me.”
At this point I knew that I couldn’t abandon the girls. And since they weren’t waiting for me at the roulette table, these thugs must have taken them in too. I needed to play it smart.
“Follow me.”
I stayed in my spot, contemplating. Whoever this guy was, he had to have the casino’s security on his side, so I had no chance even if I wanted to run to safety. Plus, there was no way I was leaving Sam, Allie, and Laura on their own. In the past I’d gotten my friends into enough trouble, and I wouldn’t do anything stupid – especially since we’d done nothing wrong. And my chances with two black belt karate holders and ex-cops were probably better than on my own.
Where the fuck were those Leprechauns when you needed them? Probably stuffed in Laura’s pockets.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” Donato’s tone held the hint of a threat – the kind I didn’t quite appreciate.
“Fine.”
Donato lead me out a side door right beside the washrooms. T
he security officer opened it without asking to see his ID or anything. I wondered whether Laura’s lucky streak finally ended and the casino had decided they couldn’t lose any more money on her, cutting her off. But that didn’t make sense. This guy called me Katherine for a reason. If he knew who I was, then he probably knew the family I came from, and that could be dangerous for me and my friends.
We walked down a well-lit hall. One of the lights flickered above my head. The eerie atmosphere reminded me of a movie – The Green Mile – and I hoped I wasn’t walking to death row.
Perhaps I was overreacting. Maybe by some chance they’d mistaken us for someone else. What would Julian do in this situation? He definitely wouldn’t have allowed another man to threaten me the way Peter had. Neither would Tristan or Gabe or James. Now part of me wished we’d taken their offer of coming along.
“I need to make a phone call,” I said reaching for the phone in my pocket.
“Don’t bother. The signal has been disconnected.”
“Why would you—”
“—for the exact reason you’re thinking. So you couldn’t call the Crosses.”
Yeah, there was no way this was a coincidence or mistaken identity.
Crap! This is worse than I thought.
But I had no time to finish the thought as Donato opened a door to a windowless room. The two security guards who followed us stayed behind. Inside, Laura, Sam, and Allie sat by a table, their hands cuffed behind them. Allie’s and Laura’s cheeks were flushed with red, and I swear their gazes spat acid at Donato. Their hair was messed up and a darker spot appeared on Laura’s shoulder. I had a feeling the girls hadn’t come here by their own free will either.
Two other guards stood in the corners of the claustrophobic room, staring into one spot like statues.
“What the hell happened when I went to the bathroom?” I asked, as Donato sat me on a chair beside them and cuffed my hands. This was the second time old feelings I’d tried to manage swarmed through me. The metal against my wrists, tight grip, forced to comply against my will; it all began building up into a panic inside me.
I took a deep breath in and repeated in my mind: I’m just sitting down. They’re not going to hurt us.
“We were hoping you could tell us. Come on, K. Are you using again? Is that what this is all about? Did they catch you in the bathroom with drugs?” The disappointment in my friend’s voice pierced my soul.
“Sam, you know I wouldn’t.”
Although I knew that was the exact thing the old me would have done. Her accusations were well-founded. After all, I was the reason she had been buried in a coffin six feet under by a mobster and nearly died.
“I would never do that again, Sam. I promise,” I said in a quieter voice, praying she would believe me.
Sam simply nodded that she did, her eyes glistening. I could only assume she was reliving the memory of what had happened to her and couldn’t get a word out; and I couldn’t blame her.
“I’m sorry,” I said to her. It was an apology for my past doing, which I had imprinted in my mind.
“I want to call my lawyer,” Laura and Allie said at the same time.
“You’ll get your chance. As soon as Katherine here tells me where her parents are hiding.”
“My parents are dead, you fuck!” I spat back. Except the conviction in my words wasn’t exactly as strong as I’d hoped it to be. Why wouldn’t it be?
My split-second view of Allie’s shocked face told me she recognized the name by which they called me as well. But she didn’t let on that she knew anything about my past. Donato’s focus remained on me.
“Who exactly are you again?” Sam asked. I felt proud she found the courage to ask.
“My name is Peter Donato. I’m the son of Christopher Donato – the man Kendra killed.”
CHAPTER 19
The room fell silent as three pairs of eyes stared at me, waiting for an explanation. Donato indicated with his gaze for the security guards to leave us, and they did. The room, stripped of any decorations, blurred into a gray haze of walls, chairs, and the table. Near the ceiling, a red light blinked on a camera. What was happening here? There was no way this was legal at all. And why would they accuse me of murder?
“I didn’t kill anyone! I want my lawyer too. Are we under arrest?”
Donato simply sat on the desk’s edge, smirking.
“We’re not. He’s not a cop, and they handcuffed us by force. We’re being held against our will, unlawfully. You’ve picked the wrong people to bust, asshole.” Laura tugged on her handcuffs for the umpteenth time as if by some magic they would break this time and let her free. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if the cuffs miraculously fell off her wrists – at least for her.
“You have no cause to hold us. And, believe me, you’ve just messed with the wrong group of women,” Allie warned in a more forceful voice. I’d never heard her speak with such authority. Despite her growing stomach, she could definitely stand her ground for a pregnant woman.
“Save your breath, pretty face.” Donato seemed unfazed. His phone buzzed and he checked the message. Frowning, he mumbled, “Shit!”
That had to be good for us, didn’t it? I wished Julian were here. And Tristan, and Gabe and James. I wish one of us knew what to do.
“Someone’s messing with the...” He stopped himself before he finished. “I’ll be right back.” And he left.
I heard four long exhales, including my own, echo through the room.
“Allie, I’ve never seen this guy, and all I did to Donato was what I told you. I grabbed his balls and squeezed them.”
“When did this happen?” Laura asked, suddenly more interested in my story.
“When I was in high school. My teacher harassed me and was on his way to sexually assault me. Apparently this asshole is his son.”
“But you didn’t kill him,” Sam stated.
“Of course not! Don’t you think I would have remembered that?”
“Just like you remembered never shooting a gun?” Allie’s eyes widened.
Was it possible I could forget a murder? The same way I’d forgotten that I shot guns and rifles and had trained for the Olympics?
“Ah, fuck!” I felt my jaw tighten on its own. Those nightmares I’d had could have been real! The gun I’d seen in my hands, the spilling blood. The images that had haunted me for years. But still… could I really have murdered someone and forgotten about it? And if I had, then why? Was it in cold blood, or premeditated? I didn’t think I could kill anyone. I’d rather people like Christopher Donato were thrown in jail with a lonely cellmate.
“K, that hair pin you have… Can you scoot closer to me?” Laura wiggled her hands. The sound of the chain against the metal chair sent a wave of chills over my body, but I pulled through.
“Hold on.” I pulled the chair across the linoleum floor.
“This still doesn’t make sense...”
As Sam started analyzing our conversation, the door knob wiggled back and forth. I held my breath, freezing mid-way to Laura. All four of us stared at the only exit out of the claustrophobic room as if it was the gateway to heaven. And if it was, I swear four angels just stepped through – disguised as Julian, Tristan, Gabe, and James.
Another sound of four long exhales resonated.
“Are you hurt?” Julian knelt at my side, and out of nowhere was holding a metal thread between his lips while he fumbled with my cuffs.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“We’re getting you out.” He removed the tool from his mouth and quickly kissed me. His mouth tasted like cold wind, and I wondered how he’d bypassed the security at the casino. “Did they hurt you?”
I dismissed his questions because obviously we weren’t hurt; not physically at least. But I couldn’t deny that this ordeal had scared the living shit out of me.
“No, I mean what are you doing here, in Vegas. Like two and a half thousand miles from home?”
“Oh? You think we�
��d let you four be on your own, on the other side of the country, when all that ever happens is one of you ending up at the hospital or buried when you venture on your own?” Tristan spoke up.
I guessed that was meant more for Allie and Laura, as those two always found trouble before it found them. And I couldn’t really blame Sam for ending up underground. I’d been the one who’d coerced her to do the illegal money exchange for me that got her kidnapped. But at least I’d been high and didn’t know any better. Now, when I honestly hadn’t done anything wrong – or at least I thought I hadn’t – people from my past were out to get me anyway.
Perhaps Julian had been right to keep my past a secret all along.
“Were you spying on us?” Allie asked.
“We weren’t, but when James called—”
“You were spying on us?” Laura accused James.
“I was following a job order, babe.”
“Don’t babe me, just get these damn cuffs off so I can wring little Donato’s neck.”
Yeah, Laura had the mouth of a shark combined with Batman’s courage.
“Hold on with the wringing.” Gabe added, “He’s got some major muscle behind him and we need to be careful.”
“I still don’t get how or why you got here.”
“When James told us you were staying at this casino, we were on the plane within an hour. And it’s a good thing we were. I thought you said you were staying at the Mirage?”
“What does that have to do with anything?” I asked.
“This casino is owned by Donato’s father – Peter’s grandfather. He’s in Congress.”
Odd chills swept through my body. Just the mention of Congress reminded me of when my parents were alive. My father always had to deal with a load of crap. From laws passed under the public’s eye when the press’s attention was focused on world issues to bills approved for the convenience of specific states and their governors. That branch of our government had shadier shit going on than Toronto’s mayor.
By this time my hands were freed. Julian rubbed my wrists and whispered, “Are you sure you’re okay?”