by Lyra Parish
Three a.m. flicked on the clock, and I dressed. Abbot and his handful of men would be waiting at the airport within the hour. Together we would wreak havoc.
Before leaving, I poured a shot of Johnny Walker and slammed it back. The alcohol burned, but I welcomed the sensation. It woke me from my haze, took away the numbness, and made me feel something.
The moonlight swept over the slick pavement. The frigid morning air seared my lungs and reminded me of home and running. I missed the constant rhythm of my moving muscles, an experiencing that activity that freed my mind and calmed my body, but I hadn't had time to run. Probably why I felt like shit lately. Well, that and the girl I had feelings for was kidnapped in front of me. Motherfuckers would burn before it was all said and done. Just thinking about it pissed me off again. I pushed harder on the gas.
At the airport, Charlie waited with the limo at the corner. I didn't have to meet them because their itinerary was set, but I needed to speak with Abbot alone. I needed to know that he understood what was to happen, the game plan. I needed to know that he was playing by my rules. Let the man run rampant and he would tear all of the bastards apart with his bare hands. Although Abbot made the perfect partner, because he was unafraid and unstoppable, it also made him a liability. I didn't need him slashing people into shreds.
Who they worked for didn't matter to him. All he knew was they weren't one of his own, which meant automatic enemy. Also, power hungry was his middle name. I knew how he thought. He could wipe them all out and take over the underground, and while that would be nice, it would only create unnecessary wars.
When they stepped from the double doors, the lot of them couldn't be missed. Tall, wearing leather jackets and boots, they looked like fucking Twinkies all dressed the same with disdain painted on their faces. Smile you fucks, but they were emotionless. But then again, it wasn't a smiling matter.
Charlie opened the door to the limo and all of them got in except for Abbot. He made eye contact with me and came to V. I unlocked the door, and he plopped on the seat.
"Nice fucking ride, man. You look like shit. Still."
I lifted an eyebrow at him. He looked wired.
"Like a pile of fucking shit," he added and punched me in the arm.
"How was the flight?"
Charlie pulled away, and I followed behind the limo.
"Sucked ass, but that's to be expected. Any news? Have you found a lead?"
A smile swept across my face, and one filled his too. Amped Abbot was ready to fight, even after flying across a huge fucking ocean. This man had gangster in his blood. He lived it, breathed it, and enjoyed it a little too much, but I understood. That destructive part of me begged to be released, and I pulled back the reigns. Not fucking yet, Finnley.
"I met two men that have seen her in the underground scene. She's there. I know how to get there. They are making sure she stays alive. Watching her for me. But they won't step in if anything else happens. So I thought we could pay them all a visit."
"Right now."
"No."
Abbot flexed his fist, and his knuckles popped.
I laughed at him and added, just a tad of sarcasm in my tone, "You’re so intimidating. When did that happen?"
"When you decided you didn’t want to be in the business. After seeing those four guys you bloodied to all fuck, I decided to step up my shit."
I laughed. "Bastards deserved it. Don’t regret a tad of it."
Abbot nodded his head in agreement.
"I’ve got your back down there, F. I will fucking kill them all if they even try to get near you. My men have my back. Together we will take every single one of those bastards down."
"Just know a large majority of the women down there don’t want to be freed. They are dirty whores. Prostitutes. Addicted to cocaine and money and sex. Drugs course through their veins, and all they are worried about is their next fix. If you opened the door, they would happily stay in the shadows. That’s who they are. That’s who they will die being. There are women who were captured and thrown underground by the human traffickers. The ones who want out, we can try to help, but the others, who refuse to leave, will only slow us down. But remember, behind every prostitute is a pimp, and they will come for us."
We sat in silence as I followed behind the limo.
"The illegal side of the business isn’t glam, clients, and regulations. It’s abuse and slavery and is almost worst than the Moulin Rouge. There is a side of the business here rotting away. Many turn a blind eye to it and ignore it.
"And your girl is there."
I nodded.
"And you have no idea who is responsible for her taking."
I shook my head.
"We go tonight. We fight tonight. We kill tonight," he said between gritted teeth.
I didn't need to give Abbot rules, just basic instructions with only one goal in mind: find Jennifer. Save those who are worth saving and get the fuck out of there. I never crossed the line between the glamorous side of selling sex and the abusive side, but tonight I would go in headfirst with the best men–men who weren't afraid, men who laughed at danger, crime, and rules.
Blood might be shed. People may be hurt. I didn't give a shit what it took. Sometimes love was worth fighting and dying for.
Tonight a war would submerge in the pits of Vegas' mini hell and that vicious part of me that didn't give a fuck, laughed.
Thirty-four
My bastard entered and handed me clothes. I took them and laughed.
"This is it?"
"Shower."
He left me to wash in the rusty-colored water, again. A person never realized how wonderful clean water was until they didn’t have it. They didn’t realize how wonderful freedom was until they were locked in the same room for days.
I put on the panties that were nothing more than a joke and the bra that barely covered me. Then Luke entered, along with Jesse. She snarled at me like a feral animal with blood red lips.
"Give it to her."
Luke came to me and held my arms behind my back. Jesse dipped the needle into a glass vial. I jerked away from Luke, and he tugged me to him, then slammed me on the ground. He straddled me and forced my arms above my head. I couldn't fight him any longer. Luke was too strong.
Jesse bent down and shot the liquid hate into my arm. I screamed at the top of my lungs. "I hate you. I hate you both."
Luke relieved me of his massive weight and yanked me to my feet. He latched on so hard that I thought he might bruise my arm. I didn't wince. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction. We walked through the hallway, but instead of climbing the stairs, we turned right. Luke stopped walking, turned, and looked at Jesse. The drugs coursed through my body, and my vision wavered. I had to stay focused and tried to blink hard. Nothing worked. Whatever they gave me was different this time.
"What's this?" Luke asked. His voice seemed to echo.
"It's time, Luke. Time for you to fuck her and get this charade over with. I'm not waiting any longer."
"This is not what I agreed to."
I slightly turned my body and stared at him, or tried to. For the first time since I had been captured, Luke seemed worried which frightened the shit out of me.
"There weren't any stipulations when you signed the papers to take her virginity. Now fucking enter."
He let go of my arm and turned completely around to face Jesse.
"I don't want to do this here, in front of people. I want to take her to my house."
My mouth dropped open.
"Then maybe you should have been more specific with your requests."
Jesse forced herself on me and slammed me against the wall. The drugs that mixed with my blood flooded me, and I couldn't control my strength. Everything was moving, and weird. Unstable.
Jesse flicked the blade of her knife and held it at my throat. I wanted to choke the life out of her. I wanted to see her die in front of me.
The hate that she released scared me.
I tried to
ball my fists.
"Either you fuck her, or I'll find someone else. Or maybe I'll kill her right here and be done with it completely."
I stood still trying to plaster myself to the cool brick wall. Any movement and the blade would have sliced through my main artery.
"I'll do it. I will. This isn't my ideal scenario, but that's okay. Consider it done," Luke said.
Jesse smiled and slowly removed the knife from my throat.
"I'm wondering if I can trust you, Luke. Don't make me question you."
She flipped the knife closed and tucked it in her boot. I slid down the wall and closed my eyes when Luke wrapped his arms around Jesse and held her passionately.
"You know you can trust me." He pushed her away and stared into her eyes. "You know me. You know how bad I want this so we can move on. It will be over tonight, and we can move on together."
"I won't move on until Finnley is mine."
"Am I not good enough for you?"
She never answered.
I didn't know if he was serious or if he was acting. Luke. I wanted to yell at him, scream his name, ask him what the hell he thought he was doing, but I didn't want to die. Jesse was capable of horrible things, and killing me seemed to be at the top of her list. I would keep quiet so I could live. I would shut the fuck up for Finnley.
I swallowed back the bile that rose in my throat. The sickening feeling that everything I believed was wrong taunted me. I let out a long sigh trying to recoup, and they both turned their heads and stared at me. Luke pursed his lips, narrowed his eyes, and slightly shook his head. Jesse's nostrils flared.
"I want to fucking kill her. I hate looking at her."
"After I take her virginity, Finnley won't desire her anymore. I know my brother. He wants her for that, and that's all. Once I take it, he will be over her and move on to the next best thing."
"Good." She flipped her hair over her shoulders pushed Luke away. He came to me and lifted me from the ground. We stared at one another, and I just wanted to know what he was doing. He swallowed, then interlocked his fingers with mine and looked at the door.
We entered.
Yellow buzzing lights hung from the ceiling. A bed stood in the middle of the room and window walls surrounded every inch. On the other side sat people in chairs, watching us. Voyeurism wasn't my thing.
Luke leaned down and whispered in my ear as he ran his fingers through my hair.
"I didn't expect this. I'm not sure how to get out of this one."
I laughed and shook my head. "You're a fucking idiot."
He moved me closer to him, kissed my neck, and whispered in my ear again, "You're right. I'm sorry. I thought I could handle this. I thought I could save you."
"What are we going to do?" I asked.
He pushed me away and searched my face. "Pretend."
Then his lips crashed into mine, and I pretended as I slipped in and out of reality. I pretended that Luke was Finnley, and that I would never be able to kiss or see him again. Luke gave me everything he had, and I wouldn't believe he faked it.
He ran his fingers through my hair, and my lips hurt from his hard kisses. His tongue wrestled with mine, and he latched onto my hips to steady me. My legs were like noodles and I forced them straight.
Luke moved me toward the bed and gently positioned me on top of the soft mattress. I forced my stuck eyelids open.
Were we really going to do this? Was he really going to fuck me in front of a hundred people when I had no control over my own body?
I didn't want to. I didn't want to kiss him, be close to him, or even pretend.
I wanted my Finn.
I wanted love.
I wanted to be away from here and forget it ever happened.
Luke kissed up my stomach and trailed his lips over my breasts. He moved my face and forced me to look at him, then kissed me again.
"Please, Luke. Please don’t."
I begged him. I wanted him to stop.
An intercom screeched, and my ears rang with an echo.
"We don’t have all night, Luke."
He stood, unbuttoned, and unzipped his pants. The blue jeans fell to the ground. He stepped from them and stood in his boxers. I studied his tattoos, the thirteen, the key, the quote on his chest, then I closed my eyes. This man, this beautiful man, was about to take something so sacred away from me, not my virginity, but my pride, and all for the sake of pretending. For saving my life?
If that were the case, then let me rot, because what was to say she wouldn't still kill me afterward? Nothing protected me, not Luke, not my bastard, no one was my friend down here where the whores, pimps, and prostitutes ran wild. I was a fish out of water who was about to be fucked by a man that I once thought was kind. Someone that I wanted nothing but the best for. Someone who betrayed me to save me but…
Luke climbed back on the bed and inched my panties down my legs. The lace stayed wrapped around my ankles. I wanted to kick and thrash, but barely moved as he positioned himself on top of me.
"Now fuck her," Jesse said. "Do it."
I stared into Luke's blue eyes, and as I tried to focus, the world faded away. I thought I heard gunshots in the distance but I was lost in darkness and couldn't emerge from its depths.
"Please don't." I managed to whisper before completely losing my reality.
FINNLEY
Thirty-five
Abbot's men were happy to freely shoot semi-automatic weapons. I didn't care for the cold metal between my hands. It felt dangerous, destructible, and foreign, but in that instance, having the extra protection was necessary. I didn't know what to expect when we burst down the doors leading to the whores and pimps who ruled the underground. I never understood why it was underground, considering prostitution was legal in Vegas. Never mind. Behind every whore was a pimp. Those men truly ruled the underground with their love of money, crime, and disrespect for women. It sickened me and only fueled my hate.
As I passed, women offered cheap blowjobs and sex. The group of us scooted past them. They smelled like piss and sex, and I knew the clothes they wore were dirty. Half of them were stoned out of their mind, barely able to make eye contact or keep their heads from bobbing. I knew the horrid side of the business but hadn’t realized it had gotten so bad.
Whispers of meth, heroine, and getting the next fix echoed through the halls. I tried not to stare at them or make eye contact. I often felt like I alone could save the world, but I knew that was a lost cause. I tried once. None of the women wanted to leave, regardless of the protection I offered them. This life was what they knew. This life was what they wanted. Most of them felt as if they weren't good enough to do anything else with themselves; some didn't want to. It saddened me and pissed me off all at the same time.
We entered a room full of gangsters and pimps. Most of them were cowards, but some tried to fight. They were no match for our strength and wits. Although the guns were there for protection, I kept mine strapped across my back and fought with my hands. Too much anger raged inside of me and I needed to release my hatred physically. So I did. Once we cleared the room, we made our way up a set of stairs and turned left. We regrouped ourselves, discussed our tactics, and then entered.
I looked around and saw the hundreds of men and women seated around a glass room that acted as a sex stage for the viewers. Two people were inside. After fighting my way through groups of men, the last thing I imagined seeing was my brother straddling Jennifer in front of a fucking audience. My heart dropped in my chest. I gritted my teeth before swinging the rifle from my back, and shooting rounds into glass that encapsulated them. Men stood and rushed me as women screamed in horror. Did they really think they were fucking safe here in the pits of this shithole?
Abbot fired shots around the room, taking out anyone who came close to me. I wanted to kill them all. That thread that held me together finally snapped and the last bit of my control diminished. Shards of glass shattered across the ground and I went to Luke as he pulled up his unde
rwear and quickly put on his pants.
"What the fuck?" I yelled. I grabbed him by his shirt and slammed my fist into his face. I pushed him to the ground on top of the glass and straddled his body as I continued to slam my knuckles into his face. Luke didn't struggle or push me away. He just took it. Took all of it. My anger. My frustration. My hate. Luke absorbed it all.
"You're fucking despicable," I added.
Abbot grabbed my shirt in his fists and forced me away from Luke. "Stop. Finn. Stop," Abbot said, so calmly that it caught me off guard. I heaved and panted as Luke stood with a bloodied face.
"I deserved that," he said, running his hand across his face.
I tried to move toward him, give him round two, but Abbot blocked me.
"This was planned, Finnley."
Abbot greeted Luke with a hug. "I should have let him give it to you a little longer. Might not have been able to see out of those eyes tomorrow though."
"I didn't think you would show, fucker. Goddamn you were almost too late."
Shock covered my face. "What the fuck?"
I looked between Luke and Abbot, and they smiled.
"Yeah, man. I've been keeping tabs on Luke and where he has been since he left Paris. We didn't tell you because you can sometimes act like the fucking hulk and if he would have told you before I made it here, you might not be standing strong."
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
Jennifer made a low-pitched moan, and I pushed my way past them. Fucking antics.
"Jenn?" I leaned over the bed and moved her hair out of her face. She was clammy and not completely with me. I pulled her panties up and covered her with my jacket.
"What did you fucking do to her? What did you give her?"
"Rohypnol. But before you flip your shit it was a very small dose. Not like last time," Luke said.