by Kelsie Rae
I need a fucking vacation.
“Meh.” He shrugs, seeming amused, yet indifferent. “We got a lot of exotic fruit this time around, though; am I right? I mean, did you get a look at the passion fruit?” With his fingers pressed to his lips, he kisses them dramatically like a good ol’ Italian appreciating a fine wine.
Passion fruit is a code word for attractive, and he’s not wrong. There were multiple girls in Sei’s last run that were gorgeous, including my Little Bird.
“Yeah. I’ve seen the passion fruit,” I grumble. “The problem is keeping those types of fruit ripe and unspoiled when every one of our guys is banging on their doors for a taste. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
Cutting his gaze to mine, he lets out a slow puff of smoke from his lungs, and I hold his stare with ease.
“I’ve been given one job, Sei. And it’s to keep the fruit in good condition until they’re transported. Stop sending your men to fuck with them.”
“Fuck them, Dex,” he corrects me with a grin. “I’m not sending them to fuck with them. I’m sending them to fuck them in general.”
“And I’m telling you it’s a bad idea. Burlone wants to make sure they’re not all spoiled within a week—”
“Fuck you, Dex. I can do whatever the hell I—”
“Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen,” Burlone admonishes us from the hall. I hear his footsteps echo around the office as he steps across the threshold and walks to his chair behind his desk. “Is there a problem here?”
With gritted teeth, I tear my gaze from Sei and turn to Burlone. “You gave me one job, Burlone. One job. Sei and his men are trying to taste the fruit you adamantly told me couldn’t be touched. What the hell am I supposed to do?”
Burlone sighs with his thumb and forefinger on either side of the bridge of his nose. “Sei, touch whoever the hell you want. Just leave the passion fruit alone. By some miracle, they’re both virgins, and I want them to stay pretty for a little while longer. Understand?”
A seething Sei opens his mouth to argue before snapping it closed in fury. We both know it won’t do him any good.
“Now, let’s get back to business, shall we?” Burlone states.
Sei’s nod is jerky, almost robotic before he rummages through his pockets and pulls out another cigarette. Once it’s lit, Burlone continues, “Dex, how are the fruit doing? Any issues?”
“Do we have any clothes for them? If they’re not going to be sampled then—”
“Now you think they need clothes? They’re whores, Dex. Get it through your fucking skull!” Sei shouts.
Burlone lifts his hand, immediately silencing Sei before addressing me. “Sei’s right, Dex. You need to stop looking at them like human beings. Hell, I was generous to leave them with their underwear. Look at them like fruit in the grocery store. Some are a little more round. Some have a few bruises but still promise a sweet flavor. Some have been dropped on the floor too many times and are rotten on the inside. But all of them are fruit, and none of them need clothes. Understand?”
My heart is pounding against my ribcage as both sets of eyes turn to me. With my hands clenched at my sides, begging for a fight, I barely restrain myself from shredding both of the sick assholes in front of me. It takes every ounce of discipline I possess to unfurl my fingers and grit out, “Yeah. I understand.”
“Excellent. We have a photoshoot for them next week. Make sure they’re presentable and not so damaged that it affects their likelihood of being sold. Now, Sei, how’s our little friend doing?”
“Kingston?” Sei sits forward and rests his elbows on his knees with a satisfied gleam in his eye.
“Yeah.”
“He’s good. And by good, I mean miserable. Sent one of his goons with the girl to get her shit from her apartment. I’m going to assume they’ll be shacking up from now on so he can keep an eye on her. Saw them talking to the homeless guy in the parking lot. Handed him a business card in case he sees anything fishy happening around her place.”
“Good. Anything else?” Burlone prods.
“Nope. I think that’s about it.”
“Then you’re dismissed.” I’m out the door within seconds, stalking toward my room like it’s my own sanctuary. One where I won’t be able to hear the women screaming as they’re taken over and over again.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I turn in the opposite direction and head to the gift shop. Burlone might’ve said no clothes, but he didn’t mention blankets.
Chapter Five
Little Bird
I’m going insane. I can’t handle this. The isolation. The cold. The creaking pipes. All of it. I’m so exhausted and would kill for some sleep, but I don’t dare touch that mattress. Its presence is already enough to give me hives. I can’t imagine lying on it to get some rest.
I’ve been pacing the floors, jiggling the door handle, searching the bed frame for a loose screw––anything to get me out of here.
But they aren’t stupid.
I’m stuck. And it scares the hell out of me.
At the muffled sound of keys, I turn to the door to see it swing open, revealing Dex. The only guy I’ve really seen or talked to since I was brought to this room.
“Hey.” He lifts his chin in greeting before putting a tray on the bed. “Brought you some food and a blanket.”
Hesitantly, I watch him, but don’t take a step closer to the gifts he’s placed in my cell. My stomach grumbles at the sight of the food, even though it looks less than appetizing.
“It’s soup and a roll,” he offers, motioning to the food.
“I can see that.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Is it poisoned?” I counter.
With a teasing smile, he tells me, “No offense, Little Bird, but if we wanted to kill you, I don’t think we’d need to use poison to do it.”
Good point.
My bare feet make scuffing noises against the concrete in the otherwise quiet room as I step closer. When I reach for the soup, I can feel his eyes on me. Clearing my throat, I look toward him and ask, “I’m sorry, but do you need to watch me eat?”
“Sorry.” He shrugs. “Boss’s orders.”
“You don’t look very apologetic,” I point out before lifting the spoon and bringing it to my mouth.
My nose wrinkles as soon as it touches my tongue.
“Sometimes, it’s easier to be indifferent in this business, Little Bird. Is there a problem with the soup?”
“It’s cold.”
His hand grips the back of his neck, and he has the decency to look sheepish. “Yeah. Sorry about that. Didn’t really want to get third-degree burns from one of you throwing your bowls at me.”
My mouth tilts up in the corner.
“Good point,” I mutter under my breath. Taking another bite of soup, we sit in silence until I’m almost finished and gain the courage to voice a question that’s been driving me mad. “Can I ask you something?”
“Yeah,” he grunts, eyeing me warily.
“Why’d you take me?”
“I didn’t take you.”
Bullshit.
“Okay, why’d your friend take me? Why’d your boss take me? Why am I here?” I ask, feeling frustrated. “I’m a nobody, Dex. I don’t understand.”
He almost flinches when I utter his name, but I don’t comment on it. I need answers. And I need them now if I have any hope of getting out of here.
“No offense, but most of the time, girls like you are taken because you’re a nobody,” he explains.
“What does that mean?” I notice I’m shivering and start rubbing my hands up and down my arms. I’m still only wearing his shirt that he left a day or two ago, but it doesn’t help much with warmth.
“It means that in most cases, if we thought someone was going to miss you, then we would’ve left you alone. In this business, it’s best not to draw attention to ourselves.”
“What do you mean, in most cases?” I press, practically begging for a
nswers.
His lips are pulled into a thin line, and his gaze narrows as he almost stops himself from giving me an answer.
“Please,” I beg. “I’m going crazy in here. I need the truth.”
I watch as he releases a slow breath then looks at me. “In some cases, you––or someone you know––pissed off the wrong guy, and you’re taken as leverage, or sometimes to teach them a lesson with no intention of ever being returned.”
Which is exactly what I’m afraid of. But if they don’t know the truth, then I might actually have a chance of getting out of here.
Steeling my shoulders, I push, “So what am I?” I need to know who I’m dealing with. What I’m dealing with.
He drags his fingers through his short, dark hair before gritting his teeth and telling me, “You’re a little bird who’s desperate to be set free from her cage.”
Standing from the edge of the bed, he takes a step toward the door when I stop him. “And what are the chances of that happening, Dex?”
He shakes his head but doesn’t turn around. The muscles in his back are tense as he utters, “Don’t count on it, Little Bird. Not everyone is meant to fly.”
And with that, the door slams behind him, and I scream in desperation.
Chapter Six
Dex
“Boss wants to see you,” Sei says with his shoulder pressed against the wall.
“Boss is out,” I reply. “He’s at a dinner. Dante’s driving.”
Sei’s face remains blank, but he doesn’t bother to cover up his bullshit lie. “You look tired,” he notes, trying a different tactic. “When was the last time you slept?”
“Do you need something, Sei?” I ask in an attempt to get to the point. I’m not in the mood for his bullshit, especially after my conversation with Little Bird. Something sparked inside of me, and I need to bury it.
Shrugging, he pushes himself off the wall and swaggers toward me before pulling out a cigarette.
“Just figured I’d check on the fruit. That’s all.”
“They’re fine,” I grit out.
“But are you fine? Like I said, you look tired. I’m only looking out for you.”
Snorting, I quip, “I’m sure you are. Get out of here, Sei. You’re not needed down here.”
“I’m not so sure about that.” Towering over me from my seated position in a metal folding chair, he puffs out some putrid smoke. “You see, some of the men have been complaining that you’ve misunderstood Burlone’s orders.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah. They say you’ve kind of taken the fun out of fruit picking.”
“Oh, really?” My mouth quirks up on the side. “That’s a shame.”
“It is. You see, you’ve always been a lone wolf. I get that, Dex. Hell, I appreciate it. But now you’re pissing off my pack.”
“I was given orders—”
“I know your orders,” he bites out, pissing me off. “And I also know that you weren’t asked to protect all of them, so stop trying to play the hero, or I’ll have no choice but to—”
“To what?” Standing to my full height, I puff out my chest and tilt my head a few inches closer to get up in his face and to showcase my point. Sei might be big and bad to everyone else, but he’s not Burlone’s muscle. He isn’t feared like I am. He’s Burlone’s little weasel. Without the gun on Sei’s hip and his perverted ideology that coincides with the Allegretti family, Sei would be useless.
I have to give him credit, though. He doesn’t back down. Shoving me in the chest, he keeps his voice low. “I’ll have no choice but to tell Burlone that his men aren’t happy that one of the job’s biggest perks is being threatened by his goon.”
“You think Burlone will be happy if the fruit spoils?” I push back.
“I think Burlone doesn’t give a shit about the apples, yet you’re treating them all like passion fruit. Give my men—”
“They’re not your men.”
With a smirk, Sei looks up at me with his beady eyes. “I think you’d be surprised.”
My forearm is pressed against his windpipe before my mind can catch up with my actions.
Sei doesn’t even blink, though his face turns red from lack of oxygen. When I finally relieve the pressure, he coughs. “Let them have their fill of all the other fruit, and they won’t touch your passion fruit.”
“And if I don’t agree to that?” I ask, my hand clenching at my side.
“Then it’ll be interesting to see which ones make it to the tournament without any damage. You forget, Dex. I was the one who brought them here. I was the one who saw how sweet and ripe they were for the picking. In fact, I think it might be fun to take a small bite of each of them, just so they remember what it’s like to be eaten alive by a real man—”
My fist connects with the side of his face, and his head goes swinging to the left.
Shit, that felt good.
Pressing my full weight into Sei’s neck one last time, I crouch lower until my breath fans across his face. “Be careful how you threaten me, Sei. You might think I still have a heart, but it’s long gone, and I’ve lost any shred of mercy that I might’ve had under different circumstances. You touch the passion fruit, and you deal with me. Now get the hell out of here before I don’t give a shit about how much it pisses Burlone off when we fight.”
I release the pressure and watch the rage in his eyes take over until he’s vibrating with it. Then, like a chameleon, it dissipates. Cocking his head to the side, he gives me a slimy smile then walks to the closest door that doesn’t belong to some passion fruit’s cage and shoves it open.
“Hello, Apple,” he greets the girl locked inside the room. I’ve only seen her once. There isn’t anything particularly special about her. In fact, I’m not sure I’d even bat an eye if I saw her on the street, but that doesn’t mean she deserves the hell Sei’s about to inflict on her. The door closes with a loud thud that shakes me to my core. And all I’m left with is the knowledge that I pissed off a rabid weasel then let him loose on an innocent hen.
Chapter Seven
Little Bird
The sound of low voices in the hallway wakes me from my restless sleep. Staying in my crouched position in the corner of the room, I listen for anything distinct, but it’s too muffled to make out what they’re saying.
Seconds later, something slams against the door. Hard. I jump back and press into the rough cinder block wall. My breathing is staggered as I wait to see if whoever is on the other side of the door will go away, or if my nightmare will finally come to fruition in this awful place, and I’ll be used like a freaking object. I’m shaking like a leaf when the door squeaks on its hinges to reveal a dark, shadowed figure. When I see Dex’s face, I release the breath I’d been holding, but it doesn’t stop my quaking.
“You okay, Little Bird?” A cautious Dex assesses me in my corner.
Currently, my knees are tucked into my chest with my arms wrapped around them, hugging them close as I peek up at him. I don’t move a muscle, but he can read the terror written on my face, regardless.
With as much reassurance as he can muster, he adds, “They’re not going to touch you. As long as I’m here, you’ll be safe. Okay?”
“Is that what the loud noise was? Someone wanted to get in here?”
His silence is loud enough to answer my question.
“And what about when you’re not here?” I ask, licking my chapped lips.
I watch as his gaze falls to the ground, but he doesn’t say anything. I guess he doesn’t really need to because we both know the answer.
“Get some rest, Little Bird. I’ll be right outside your door.”
There’s something about the way he says it. The resolution to my depressing future that’s mixed with a little bit of defiance too. Like maybe…just maybe…he might be willing to keep an eye out for me while I’m here. And I need all the allies I can get.
Chapter Eight
Little Bird
The next time he
comes, I’m ready. I’ve been pacing the room with anticipation, but it doesn’t stop my heart from jumping into my throat when the door opens, and Dex appears with a bottle of water in hand.
“Hi.” I smile awkwardly, and Dex’s brows furrow. “How are you today?” I continue, trying to make small talk. The casual greeting feels foreign and…strange. Especially for our situation.
With a dry laugh, a confused Dex cocks his head. “What’s your angle? Why are you acting weird?”
I guess I shouldn’t be shocked that he’s calling me out like this. Subtlety has never really been my strong suit. Apparently, it isn’t his, either.
Taking a deep breath, I begin the monologue I’ve been practicing since we last spoke. “Okay, so here’s the thing. From our last conversation, I learned that I’m not going to be set free. It sucks, but I appreciated you being straight with me. I also learned that if you’re around, then I should be somewhat safe. For now, anyway. I guess my first question is, what about the other women I met the first night I came? The ones who were in Burlone’s office? Are you supposed to keep them safe too? Or are you only really watching me because I turned out to be a virgin? I assume you make more money from girls who are…you know,” I hedge. “Innocent.” My nose wrinkles in disgust before I press forward. “That’s what the doctor was checking for, wasn’t it? When he examined all the girls after we were asked to strip down to our underwear?” I shudder at the memory of the doctor touching me when I was first brought here but push it away and wait to hear Dex’s response. Now isn’t the time for a walk down memory lane. I need answers, and I need them sooner rather than later if I have any chance of surviving this screwed up situation.
Dex blinks slowly but doesn’t confirm or deny my suspicion that he knows more than he’s letting on, so I press forward. “Okay then…I guess we’ll save that specific topic for a different day. I also made a decision about you during our last conversation.”