by B. B. Hamel
“That was a cluster fucker,” I said.
“Thanks to you, we managed to keep some of the girls.”
And you managed to murder a bunch more, I wanted to say, but I bit my tongue.
“Only did as ordered.”
“You got the cars out because you think about shit. You did what had to be done because you’re not a coward. That’s why I sent you, Brooks. Dante is a fucking coward, even though he’s got a lot of experience.”
“Dante is who he is,” I said.
“Yeah. That’s fucking right.” Gian knocked his drink back and so did I. “Listen, Brooks. I want to promote you.”
That came as a surprise. I genuinely didn’t think that was what this was about, though I’d had my suspicions. “Why now?” I asked.
“Because you’ve proven yourself time and again. This shit with the girl, who fucking cares? You say she’s dead, so she’s dead. That’s all that matters to me.”
“I appreciate the trust.”
“Like I said, you fucking earned it. And Dante, well, he’s been spouting off at the fucking mouth for too long. He’s not as useful as he once was.”
“So what do you want me to do, take over Dante’s territory?”
“That’s exactly right.” Gian leaned back in his chair, grinning hugely at me. “Interested?”
It was a very, very tempting offer. Dante’s territory was rich and important to the Barone family, and I knew that if I become the local boss, I would definitely elevate my fucking life.
But I wasn’t sure I wanted to elevate my life. I was happy where I was, content with what I did. If I became the boss, that meant I wouldn’t be a killer anymore, wouldn’t be a hit man. I’d be a fucking boss.
Then there was Emma. Gian seemed to be suggesting that he didn’t care if Emma was alive or dead, that he could just ignore it. If I told him that Emma was really this new girl, whatever the name was, he’d probably believe me, mostly because he didn’t care. We could be free, and I could make a lot more money.
But would she want that? I couldn’t imagine she’d want me working for the mafia, not after what she’d seen.
“Can I think about it?” I asked him.
He laughed. “You fucking serious? Any other guy would be freaking out for this chance, but not you. Shit, Brooks, I definitely have the right guy for this.” He shook his head and laughed again. “Sure, fucking think about it. Two days. How’s that?”
“That’s generous. Thanks, Gian.”
“One last thing. If you accept, you have to kill Dante. Take him out, and the territory is yours.”
I nodded. I’d expected that. “Fine.”
“Good. Think about it. Let me know.”
I stood up. “Anything else, boss?”
“That’s all. Go fucking enjoy this place, yeah?”
“I can handle that.”
He nodded and I turned and left.
He wanted to make me a boss, and all I had to do was kill a man I already strongly disliked. It should have been an easy choice.
But it wasn’t, not at all, not with Emma in my life, whatever she meant to me. She wasn’t going to be okay with this. I couldn’t imagine she’d want to stick around.
As I walked slowly back to the apartment, I dreaded telling her. I didn’t know how I felt about it or what I wanted from it, but I knew she’d be upset. I wasn’t going to lie to her though. I wasn’t going to hold this back. We’d come too far together, gone through too much shit to start lying like that.
Maybe I’d be a boss, or maybe not. For now, I was going back to the room to think and to see her, maybe figure this shit out.
24
Emma
After Brooks left for his meeting, I couldn’t help but wrap myself in a fluffy white robe that I found in the closet and lounge on the couch. I felt strangely good and safe, my head still buzzing from earlier, and I let out a long sigh.
I’d never experienced wealth like this before. I knew that people like the Barones lived in places like this, but it still felt completely unreal. I leafed through a packet that I found on the coffee table and realized that there were menus and lists of places I could go, like a sauna or even a small doctor’s office.
This damn place came with room service. I couldn’t help but laugh. I came from a neighborhood where the closest grocery store was actually a little bodega that barely carried any food. Here, though, I could have them deliver a full breakfast to my door with only a phone call.
I wished I had come here sooner. But then again, I likely wouldn’t have been allowed in here if it wasn’t for all the insane stuff that had happened.
Really, if it weren’t for Brooks and Louisa. They were the only ones who seemed to care at all about what happened to me, as far as I could tell. With Brooks away at this meeting, I was really and truly alone for the first time in a while.
I didn’t know what I wanted from all of this. I didn’t know where this was going or what our options even were. Louisa just kept saying that she was going to help us, but I didn’t know what that really meant. I didn’t know if she was going to somehow get the mafia to stop thinking about me and hunting me or if she was going to get me out of the city.
And I didn’t know what that meant for Brooks. If I was safely smuggled out of the city, that meant he’d be able to get back to work. He could go back to his old life without a problem and he wouldn’t have to worry about my safety. Louisa could look after that, or really I could look after myself.
Everything felt simultaneously fixed and still completely up in the air. It was bizarre the way all of this was shaking out.
Just as I got up the nerve to call room service and get something to eat, there was a knock at the door. I got up, half expecting to find a cart of food already waiting for me, as if the Barones were so rich they could somehow read my mind.
Instead, as soon as I opened the door, Louisa stepped into the room and shut it behind her.
“Louisa,” I said. “Hi. I didn’t expect you.”
“Let’s talk,” she said. I watched as she walked over to the table and sat down, crossing her legs neatly and smiling at me.
I followed her, fascinated by her every move. She was such a strange person, so abrupt and forward. She seemed like she didn’t mess around and didn’t have time to pretend she was something she wasn’t.
I sat down across from her, feeling somehow inadequate. Louisa was smaller than me, but she seemed to loom so large whenever she was around.
“What do you think of me?” she asked.
I blinked, surprised by the strange question. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “You’re hard to get a read on.”
“Do you trust me?”
“You haven’t given me a reason not to so far.”
“Good.” She looked around the room. “Do you know how we bought all of this?”
I shrugged. “I assumed with all your money. Your family has been in business forever.”
“True,” she said, “but it’s more than that. My father was one of the most ruthless businessmen in the whole city for a very long time, and although he’s gotten much older, he’s still as shrewd as he once was. All of this is only possible because of that intense and unwavering dedication to the family.”
I nodded. “That makes sense, but I don’t know why you’re telling me this.”
“That’s the sort of man I come from,” Louisa said, looking at me. “That’s what I’ve inherited. But I disagree with my father in a lot of ways.”
“Human trafficking,” I said softly.
“Exactly.” She paused for a second, studying her nails. “All of this is built on the backs of the dead. This table, these rugs, this air, it’s all because my father was more violent than his contemporaries.”
“You don’t seem against violence,” I said, narrowing my eyes.
“I’m not,” she admitted frankly. “Violence is a means to an end, and for my father, that used to be true. But things have begun to change in the mob.�
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“Is that something you’re trying to change?”
“Somewhat,” she said, “but not exactly. I wasn’t lying to you when I said that I want to give power to the powerless.”
“What do you really mean by that?” I asked, surprised at myself for being so forward.
“I wanted to join my father’s business. Years ago, I refused to go to college, refused to become the good girl civilian that my father wanted me to become. I wanted to join the business, because I knew I’d be good at it. When he refused, I locked myself in my room.
“But that was foolish and childish, and I soon realized that. Instead of lounging around and crying about my problems, I began to learn how to use computers. The internet was my window into the world, and I gained some serious skills. I spent all day and all night learning my craft, and eventually I entered into some intense and important underground hacker groups.
“That was the start of the Spiders, though we weren’t the Spiders back then. Really, we never chose a name; Spiders was given to us. At any rate, what began as a small gang of activist hackers slowly grew into my current organization of dedicated fighters.”
“Are you all women?” I asked.
“No,” she said, “but we are mostly women.”
“How did you put all of this together without leaving the compound?”
She smiled ruefully. “I didn’t. Well, at first I did, but soon it grew too fast and got too large, and I found myself sneaking out more and more.”
This woman was amazing. She said all of these things with a straight face, almost as if nothing was special about what she was saying, but it was actually incredible. Louisa couldn’t have been much older than me, and she was probably actually my age, though it was hard to tell with her. But she had accomplished so much in such a short time.
She was dangerous though, and I could tell there was something she wasn’t saying. I felt comfortable around her, but I knew that might be a dangerous mistake to make.
“Why are you telling me all of this?” I blurted out, unable to stop myself. “I’m nothing, not important. Why are you helping me?”
“You’re not nothing, Emma,” she said, her face intense and serious. “You’re a survivor. After all this, you think you’re nothing?”
I shook my head. “I’ve gotten lucky. Brooks helped me.”
“Yes and yes, all true. But most women in your position would have quit or crawled into a little hole somewhere to die. But not you. Kasia told me what you did back at the safe house.”
“Kasia survived?”
Louisa nodded. “And so did many of the other fighters. But the girls, they survived because you took control of them, you talked to them, you made them understand. That’s an incredibly valuable asset, Emma.”
“I just did what anyone would do.”
“Listen to me. I want you to join my organization. I want you to become a part of us.”
I gaped at her. There it was, the real reason for me being here. I knew there was something she’d been holding back from saying, knew there had to be more to this trip to the compound.
But I would never have guessed this.
“What about Brooks?” I asked her stupidly.
“He’s none of your concern anymore,” Louisa said. “I know you’re fond of each other, but as we speak, Brooks is being offered a serious promotion within the mafia, one I doubt he will turn down.”
I frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. I thought he was in trouble with them.”
Louisa laughed. “He was, or at least he was with Dante. But his real boss, Gian, doesn’t give a shit about any of that stuff. Gian only cares about results, and Brooks gets results, as you’ve seen. Brooks is being offered to run his own territory, and that will make him a very rich and very important person within the mafia.”
I found that hard to believe. Brooks didn’t seem like the type of person who wanted power, or really cared about promotions.
“So what?” I asked her.
“Brooks won’t need you anymore,” she said pointedly. “Come join me. I can give your life meaning. You’ll help people, Emma. You’ll save more women like the girls you helped last night. We can do great things together.”
I shook my head, totally overwhelmed. “I don’t know,” I said.
Louisa stood. “Think about it. Let me know. But please, Emma, be careful around Brooks. He might not be the man you think he is.”
I couldn’t say a word as Louisa turned and left the room. The door shutting behind her felt like a concussion grenade going off in my brain.
I was spinning out of control. Louisa wanted me to join the Spiders, thought that I could be an asset to her. She wanted me to do important work, the sort of thing I never imagined for myself. I always thought I’d end up working in some diner for the rest of my life, maybe get married, maybe pump out a bunch of kids.
But suddenly I was given the opportunity to join a group of women dedicated to giving power to the powerless.
The only thing holding me back was her warning about Brooks. It felt wrong, and I could feel myself rebelling against it. So far, though, Louisa hadn’t lied to me. If Brooks really was being given this promotion, maybe I did need to worry. Would he actually betray me in the end in order to further himself?
That seemed so unlikely, but Louisa’s words kept coming back to me. Maybe Brooks really wasn’t the man I thought he was. Maybe Brooks really was more dangerous than I thought.
I had a lot to think about, and I felt like I was totally trapped. I returned to the couch, not hungry anymore. The novelty of ordering food had completely worn off.
This whole place was built on blood and death, and Brooks might want to move further into that world. I knew he was a killer, but I didn’t think he was evil.
Maybe I was wrong about him, and maybe Louisa was right.
25
Brooks
I walked slowly back toward the apartment, not sure at all what the hell I wanted to do. The only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to see Emma.
I unlocked the door and pushed through. I found her sitting on the couch, wrapped in a big, comfortable-looking white robe and staring at the television absently.
“Hey,” I said. “You look comfortable.”
She looked up at me. “Oh, Brooks. I didn’t hear you come in.”
She had this faraway look on her face that I’d never seen before. I narrowed my eyes and sat down on a chair across from her. “Been having fun without me?”
“Sure,” she said absently.
“Have you gone exploring yet?”
“Not yet.”
I stretched my legs out. “Been too busy thinking about my thick cock between your legs, I’m sure. Can’t muster up the energy to leave.”
“Not exactly. Louisa visited me.”
“Did she?”
She nodded. “Had some interesting things to say.”
I sighed. I’d been expecting this, or at least something like this.
Louisa didn’t do anything for no reason. Sure, she helped people, but I couldn’t imagine her just helping us and expecting nothing in return. Whatever Emma was about to tell me was going to be the beginning of whatever Louisa actually wanted.
“What was that then?” I asked finally, taking the bait.
“She talked about her organization, about how it started.”
“Did she mention locking herself away in her room?”
“She did, actually,” Emma said. “She told me that it was dumb and childish, but she used that time to build her empire.”
“I’m sure she did.” I frowned, not sure where this was going. Emma seemed distant somehow, angry for some reason I couldn’t understand. There was another game happening here, and I didn’t know what it was yet.
“Brooks, did you get a promotion?”
I raised my eyebrow. “How do you know about that?”
“Louisa told me,” she admitted. “Are they putting you in charge of some territory?”
I nodded slowly. “Gian wants me to take over for Dante.”
Emma’s face fell, and I wasn’t sure why, but I knew it had to do with whatever Louisa had told her.
“I see,” she said. “That’s really great, Brooks.”
“I never said I was taking it.”
She smiled. “Isn’t this something you’ve always wanted?”
“Yes,” I admitted. “I always thought I wanted to be a big boss.”
“Well, here it is, your dream come true. And you won’t need to hide me anymore.”
“That’s right,” I said softly. “You’re free to do whatever you want.”
“What do you think I want to do, Brooks?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, “but I suspect Louisa said something to you.”
“She might have.”
“And you trust her?”
“I think that I do.”
“Okay then,” I said. “Emma, something bigger is happening here.”
“You’re right,” she said. “It is. And you seem to be at the center of it.”
“What are you talking about?”
She stood up, suddenly serious. “Why have we been running around like this?”
I cocked my head at her. “What did Louisa say to you?”
“You’re important, Brooks. You’re getting a serious promotion in the mafia. Why did we need to run around like this? You could have just told them what was happening and I bet they would have forgiven you.”
“I’m not so sure,” I said, but part of me realized she might be right.
“You wanted to drag me around. You wanted to keep me prisoner.”
“That’s not true at all,” I said, feeling myself getting angry.
“I don’t understand why any of this happened, Brooks. I don’t understand why you saved me. But you got what you wanted, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I guess I fucking did.” Anger welled up inside me.
Fucking Louisa had said something to her, fucking poisoned her against me. After everything we’d been through, Emma thought she knew the truth about me or some shit. Clearly Louisa had told her something, probably one of the many fucking bad things from my past.