by Tia Siren
Chapter 9
Allen
I looked in the mirror as I mussed my hair. I wanted to look like some cocky asshole who was looking to win a few bucks tonight as opposed to a police officer. I was wearing worn jeans with boots and a buttoned black shirt and my scruff was even longer than before.
Captain Peterson was pleased with the report and had made the calls to get a search warrant that allowed the cops to look through everything in the club. They were just waiting on some approvals, and he clapped me on the back when he thanked me for my hard work.
He didn’t know the half of it. He didn’t know that I bought one of the victims—saved her, and he had no idea that I was playing dirty poker for the money to pay for her tonight. With any luck, he never would.
I’d thanked him and told him that it was no problem. I hope they found enough to lock that creep away for doing what he did. I managed to save my girl but what about the others?
I couldn’t help but to walk up and tell that slime ball that she was mine after looking into her eyes. They were scared that night, and I saw all her emotions as she looked around. I could admit that I admired her body as well, but I was trying not to focus too much on that right now. She needed to want me before anything happened between us, and I didn’t have the time that night to know if that was the case.
I heard a knock at the door and went to get it, letting Brandon in.
“Ready for this?” His smile was tense.
I took a deep breath and nodded. He was dressed like I was, and I thought we both looked like a couple of guys in Vegas for some fun. That was what I was going to portray myself as, and we already had a story about talking to a drunk guy at a casino. That was our excuse for knowing about the poker game, though we were both too drunk to remember names and details.
He drove tonight so I could get my head straight about all of this. I played poker with some of the other police officers and knew my way around a table, but this was a lot more than drinks with the guys.
I stared out at the street as we drove, thinking back to the night at the club when I saw her. I played back the feeling that filled my soul and reminded myself why I was breaking so many rules. I just had to get through the next few days and get the girl settled. After that, I could start dropping hints at work about my new girlfriend I met in the casino. She was terrific, and we were having a wonderful time. Something had to explain the fact that I might be getting married.
Brandon turned into the parking lot of the restaurant and parked in the back. He looked at me. “I found out the game is in a warehouse behind the main building.”
“Great,” I replied as I surveyed the scene. It wasn’t far away but still a little remote and off in the dark. We got out of the car and strode over to the dingy building where a couple of massive guys stood by the door, glaring at us.
Brandon told them the code word to get in, and tonight, it happened to be “river.” I guess it changed nightly to keep people that didn’t belong here away. The man nodded at him, and we walked inside to look around. The warehouse was large and mostly used for storage, but there was a makeshift bar in one corner along with a big table at which about ten men sat. The room was filled with smoke, and I narrowed my eyes to see more as we sauntered forward.
I drained my savings for the buy in. I made good money but it wasn’t cheap living here in a house, and I lived simply. I touched my pocket where the money was secured since I didn’t want to give anybody a chance to see my wallet with my ID in it. We approached the bar and asked for two beers before looking over at the table. It was surrounded by three even bigger men. Along with the dealer, they were watching everything closely, and I felt my heart jump inside of my chest a bit.
The dealer looked us over as we slid into some seats, and I nodded at him with a lift of my chin. “You boys have the cash for this?” His voice was low.
“Sure do,” I replied grinning and reached for my cash. Brandon had a little more money than I did at the end of each month, and he wanted to play as well. We were both pretty good at the game.
I looked around the table, greeting the other men that all looked older and incredibly shady. This wasn’t good. I faked an easy smile and said something about how fun the strip was, playing the role of a tourist. It was my most important one yet.
They basically ignored us, and the dealer passed out cards to the eight of us playing. As familiar as I was with the game, my hands were shaking a little bit, so I rested them on the table as I looked at my hand. Brandon gave me a quick look, and I decided what my next move was as the dealer revealed his card.
Fuck me. He could have a great hand. I could lose everything tonight and then I’d have nothing. The guys playing went through their choices as I looked over my hand again and realized that I had a good hand myself. I was just too nervous to see it before. I kept my face neutral as some of the others got more cards and then slowly dropped their cards on the table, cursing. The dealer glanced at their failed hands and then at Brandon and me. Brandon revealed his cards first, showing a four of a kind. I sucked in my breath and dropped my royal flush down as the table stared silently at us.
The dealer looked down at the cards, and the three big men leaned forward as he reached into a metal drawer and counted out bills. He handed Brandon a stack as well as me, and we looked at each other with grins on our faces. I realized that I was holding fifty-five thousand dollars in my hand. I could get her now. “What do you think? That’s pretty lucky!” I looked at Brandon with a signal in my eyes that I wanted to leave and he clapped me on the back.
“Hell, yes. We get to back home with some money. Thanks, guys.”
We stood up and the men that were guarding the table stared blandly at us. The others were glaring at us, and I made my way slowly towards the door to leave as we laughed and played it up. In reality, we were very aware of our surroundings and ready to fight if necessary. I tucked the money into the same pocket as before and hooked my thumb inside to keep it there as we walked out the front door of the warehouse. The guys gave us a surprised look and Brandon laughed. “We got lucky, boys. It must be tourist luck or something.”
We turned to go to the car, hurrying as soon as we were out of sight. Brandon started the car and pulled out while I looked around, relieved to see nobody coming after us. I trusted few in this fucking city, especially when it came to illegal activities. He drove to my house as I watched closely behind us to check if we were followed.
Once I knew that we were in the clear, Brandon pulled into my driveway and the open garage next to my car. We closed the garage and headed inside to count the money again and look closely at it. I could see them giving us counterfeit bills but upon close examination, they were real. “Holy shit. I can’t believe this,” I said as I set mine on the table and ran my hands through my hair.
“That was lucky. I didn’t want to sit there any longer than I had to,” Brandon murmured as he looked at his own cash. “I should consider buying a place like this. Settle down some.”
“I’d wait on that. We might both lose our jobs if any of this gets out,” I warned him as we shared a look. My nerves were still racing, and I took a deep breath to calm down.
Once I could talk, I dug out the cheap card that Ricky had given me and dialed the number from my home phone. He answered after one ring, and I greeted him like the guy that was just at the game. I needed to be the cocky kid who wanted a virgin bride. “I have the money. I am going to grab a marriage license and pick her up first thing tomorrow if that works for you.”
“How does ten work for you? I have late nights as a club owner.” I wanted to tell him to go fuck himself since he was nothing more than a shady club owner, but I agreed. He told me to meet him behind the club, and I freaked out as I wondered if they’d be searching the place. I know that they were still waiting.
“That works. I’ll see you then.” I ended the call and grabbed my laptop to check emails. I’d be fucked if they were searching the place as I arrived to p
ick up my prize. We all would. Scanning the lines, I checked a few and realized that they were going to go in Thursday night. They wanted the place to be jumping when they searched to see things for themselves.
I would be long gone by that time and let out a sigh. I decided to rent a car to get her just to be extra cautious, in case I was followed. We were damn lucky that nobody caught us tonight in Brandon’s car.
“Everything good?” he asked.
“I am meeting them behind the club tomorrow morning,” I replied, nodding. I secured our money in the safe in the closet along with my extra weapons and paperwork before we headed out to eat, feeling a lot more relaxed than earlier.
We went to the diner and grabbed a table in the back before I let my shoulders slump. “Holy fuck. This is happening.”
"Yeah, it is,” he replied as I stared at him. “What are you going to do once you have her in your car?”
“You mean the rental car I am getting in the morning,” I replied. “I have no fucking clue. Take her to breakfast?”
“She might ask you to take her ass straight home, wherever that might be.” Brandon smirked as he reached for his water.
We ordered some dinner and chatted about the following day, with Brandon ribbing me here and there as we ate. I knew that he’d support me no matter what, and I needed someone to have my back in this. We might take a long fall together, and we’d need someone.
He went to his house after we finished, and I went home and sat on the couch and stared blankly. I was going to have a woman here with me tomorrow if everything went well. I got up and started to clean, burning up the nervous energy that I had as I played the next day through my mind on repeat.
Chapter 10
Nicole
On Tuesday night, Ricky had the guy outside tell me to be ready by nine thirty in the morning. I stayed awake, staring at the ceiling. I didn’t know what to expect. I tossed and turned as the hours dragged, trying to focus on the TV so I could fall asleep.
I think I’d just closed my eyes when there was a knock on the door. I blinked, rose to walk to the door, and looked through the cracked peephole to see Bennett standing there. I opened the door and let her in with a yawn as she looked me over. “Morning?”
“I heard we need to get you dolled up for your fiancé?” Her voice was curious as I groaned.
“I guess.”
“I brought coffee and donuts. Take a shower and let’s do this.” Bennett set two bags down on the bed. I wandered into the tiny bathroom, looking around the room for the last time before I stepped under the weak shower spray. I cleaned off and washed my hair as I took several deep breaths. I was leaving today. That is what mattered.
I got out, and she dried my hair for me then straightened it with a flat iron as I sat silently on the bed. “I wonder what he’s going to be like.” I smiled weakly.
“I hope he’s great,” Bennett said. “We should keep in touch.”
“I’d like that.” Somehow in this, we’d become friends. I valued the time that she spent with me here in this sad, little room just keeping my spirits up. She worked on my hair as I wrapped my arms around my knees and listened to the morning news show on TV.
Once my hair was done, she did my makeup. It was better than that first night and subtle for the daytime. I laughed and told her that there was no way she was going to cover up the circles under my eyes as she gazed sympathetically at me.
“You’ll be beautiful. Besides, he already picked you.” A frown crossed her pretty face. “Ricky sent that fucking belt with me. He wants you wearing it when the guy picks you up. Disgusting.”
I pouted and closed my eyes as she put liner on my lids. She took her time, and I savored this moment since I had no idea what was to come next. I hoped to see my sister as soon as I could.
Bennett looked at me as her eyes lit up. “Your phone!”
She reached into one of the bags and pulled out my little Samsung, handing it to me as I grinned.
“Amazing how much you get to depend on these little suckers.” I powered it on and was relieved to see that Ricky had just shut it down as soon as he got it, judging from the juice left. I read Noelle’s panicked texts, skipping the many voice mails. She sounded so scared. I sent her a text telling her that I’d be leaving soon and if I didn’t get home right away, I’d call her. I know that I was supposed to be engaged to this guy but in reality, we didn’t even know one another.
She responded with several smileys and hearts that made me smile while at the same time my eyes filled with tears.
“Your sister?” Bennett asked.
I nodded. “I hate being away from her. I’ve always been around to protect her.” I sighed.
Bennet dragged a finger under my wet eyes. “Your eyes are green. How does that happen?” she asked.
I laughed. “When I talk about things that I love, they change color. I wish I could say that it happened all the time.”
“They’re gorgeous.” She dabbed gloss on my lips and smiled at me. “I applied for some makeup jobs on the strip.”
“Good for you!!” I told her, hugging her.
She finished and reached into the bag to pull out some clothing and the chastity belt. “He’s an asshole.”
“I know.” I put on the fresh bra and underwear set before she secured the belt around me and slipped the key into the pocket of her jeans. I pulled on the low-cut plum dress, finding that it was obscenely short as I tried to keep tugging it down. “Damn it. I guess I should be lucky that I’m wearing clothing at all.”
We finished the outfit with some black heels, and she helped me bag the clothes that she brought me before looking at the clock. “Guess we should walk over there.”
We left the room after it was cleaned up, with the bodyguard walking close by our sides. I didn’t realize how close the hotel was to the bar before today and looked around as the sun lit up the industrial lot. I was facing the back of the bar and saw a little blue car parked near the door and two men talking. We kept walking, and after he looked over at us, I realized it was the man who bought me talking with Ricky.
I’d recognize those blue eyes anywhere.
He stared over at me as I walked slower, and the bodyguard grabbed my arm to drag me along. “You’re not going to stop this by moving slower.”
I hurried along so I wouldn’t trip, and the man stepped forward to secure his arm around my waist. “Don’t ever touch her that way again. You almost made her fall.” His eyes flashed.
The skin of his arm was hot on my waist and his body taught beside me. I stared at him.
“He paid up so I suppose it’s your turn,” Ricky sneered at me as he reached into his pocket. He counted out a few bills and handed them over. I took them, still pulled against the man’s muscular body. “In fact, I’m ordained in the state of Nevada. I can marry you kids right here and now.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “No. I don’t want to do it like that.”
“We’ll do it in a few months. She probably needs some sleep and food,” the man said.
Ricky leaned toward me, stopping when my ear was near his mouth.
“Shut up, you stupid bitch. This is a big payday for both of us.” I yelped as I was pulled back and leaned against the man’s chest.
“I assume we’re done here,” he said. “Come on.”
“Hold on,” I said, hugging Bennett tightly for a moment. We’d already exchanged numbers, and she smiled at me before she turned to walk to a black car parked a few feet away, saying nothing to Ricky.
The man watched her as she walked away, then asked who she was as he led me to the blue car. “She helped me,” I replied, nervously glancing his way.
“I’m Allen,” he offered as he reached his hand out to me. I shook it when we both heard Ricky say something. I looked over to see Bennett handing something to him before he walked over to us.
“You’ll need the key,” Ricky told Allen proudly as he beamed at me. “Show him.” I blushed and lifted my dre
ss enough to display the bottom part of the belt as Allen narrowed his eyes. Ricky handed him the key and looked at us as if he expected Allen to take it off right here and now.
“I’ll do that later if you don’t mind,” he said, looking at me. Allen kept walking us towards the car, asking if I was okay with that.
“Yeah, I haven’t been wearing it this whole time. A few more minutes won’t hurt.”
“What’s your name?” he asked.
I listened closely to his voice, smooth and rough at the same time. I looked over at him as he opened the door, seeing messy, blond hair and those eyes. He was in great shape and handsome, and I slipped into the seat carefully, trying to decide how much older than me he was.
Probably just a couple of years.
“I’m Nicole.”
He looked down at me with a warm smile. There was already something I liked about this guy. He got into the car and asked if I was hungry. I shook my head. I was too nervous to eat, and the coffee from the hotel room was making me feel sick. Allen started the car and pulled out of the parking lot as I glared at the club and motel, fading away in the distance.
“How old are you?” he asked.
“I’m twenty-eight.” I peeked in his direction.
“I’m thirty-one. Have you lived here a long time?”
“I just moved here with my sister.” This was so awkward, and I shifted in the seat uncomfortably.
“Do you like it in Vegas?” His question was curious.
“I’ll like it better now that I actually have some money.” I glanced his way again.
He winced at what I said and turned down a neighborhood street. Allen drove to the end of the street and into a driveway as I looked at the neat, white ranch style home.