“Mr. Broz, will it be your regular drink today or would you like something sweeter,” she asks, purring, as she runs a single finger over the top of my hand.
“My regular would be perfect. Please, also send me Monacha, please.” I murmur.
“As you wish, Mr. Broz,” she says as she spins around on her heels, swaying her hips suggestively as she leaves the room.
I lean my head back on the black velvet chair, the events of the day running through my mind, trying to pick through what I might have missed while in the moment. Finding nothing at this time, I know over the next few days I’ll continue to relive the events until I’m completely and utterly confident that I haven’t dismissed anything. The sound of the door opening brings in the madam of the strip club, holding my drink.
“It’s never a good thing when you come to see me instead of the girl I asked for,” I say, reaching for my drink.
“The one you wish to see isn’t here at the moment. So I’m here to see if you would like another one of the girls, or I could offer myself as a replacement,” she whispers, taking a seat in my lap and running her hand up my chest.
I reach up with my free hand and wrap it in her hair, guiding her to her knees. She seductively looks up at me through her lashes. I take a sip of my whisky at the same time that she reaches forward for the button of my trousers, releasing my hard cock from its tight confinement. I direct her puckered lips forward, enticing her to take my cock between her bright, red-coated lips.
I close my eyes, trying to enjoy the feel of her hot mouth wrapped around my cock, only the eyes of my dark angel invades my mind. I picture her rosebud lips slipping around the tip of my cock, her dark hair wrapped in my fist as I guide her up and down.
Growling, I pull Madam off my cock and stand, zipping up my pants. I help Madam stand from her place on the floor, handing her my glass, and several hundred-dollar bills.
“I got something to take care of. Enjoy the drink. Thank you, as always, for being willing to take care of me.” I give her a tight smile, tipping my hat to her before leaving in a rush.
I burst through the door leading into the back hallway, taking a long, deep breath before making my way out of the building. Once outside, I’m met with a now cold, misting rain. Turning in the direction of my office, I start walking in that direction, enjoying the night, and feeling that eerie feeling that life is about to change in a drastic way. A turn that I may never come back from.
Hell, maybe a shakeup in life is exactly what I need.
CHAPTERFIVE
EVORA
“Always tryingto get your ass killed,” the snarky bitch in my head growls.
I continue sitting in the middle of the road, staring at where, for the second time in less than two days, a large SUV almost took me out. A knock on my window causes a scream to escape. I look over at a dirty, scraggly man standing there, smiling at me in a way that creeps me out and makes me feel as if spiders are crawling all over my skin. I gun the engine to get myself out of there, and to my rundown shithole apartment that only offers the smallest, barest amount of protection.
Pulling into the parking lot, that is so crushed that it’s nearly gravel, I park in the space closest to the entrance of my apartment, eyeing the people hanging around doing only gods know what. I gather my bag, my purse, and coat before throwing the door open as I release the keys from the ignition. Stepping out, I close the door being sure to lock it. Lord knows there's nothing worth taking from it, yet hoping, with all hope, that the beast is still there when I decide what my next steps are.
I make it up the utterly destroyed sidewalk, keeping my head down so as not to draw attention to myself. I sigh just as I make my way into the dirty, rundown hallway. Finding one of the many children playing outside the apartment door, continue playing without a care in the world, as God only knows what the adults in charge of them are doing inside. As I pass them, I hand them the small pieces of candy that were tucked in my purse, the only thing I allow myself to splurge on. Once inside, I can finally take a deep breath, and let the stress and worry of the day fall away. Slowly, I stumble to my couch, falling onto the cushions in a heap, letting my fear and anxiety take root and lose it.
I have no idea how long I sit there letting the past crash over me. Again and again those memories plague me. Reminding me of all the things that have happened, the things I couldn’t stop, and the things I allowed in order to make it easier to make it to the next day. I sit, letting myself be drowned by the sorrow, heartache, and shame that is left by those who never cared.
When the tears and shaking have stopped, I know that it’s time to pull myself up by the boot strings again. To mend the broken parts of myself and figure out what my next steps are. Now that the rat bastard knows where I am, there is no way that I can stay, yet I find that leaving breaks my heart worse than anything he did, or ever could do to me. When I’m finally able to pull myself up off the couch, I shuffle to my tiny bathroom.
“Thank Christ you’re done moping over that stupid fucker.” The ever-snarky bitch in my head huffs.
I just shake my head, trying to decide if I’m finally losing it or not. Deciding that’s a problem for another day, I turn the knob to get the water in the shower as warm as possible. I step into the spray, washing the dirt from my past down the drain. Once I’m all clean, I dry myself as quickly as possible before rushing to my bed, praying that in the morning a solution will show itself when I wake.
If only I had realized when I crawled into my bed, it would be the last time my life would not be shrouded in utter fear.
The door burst open, slamming against the wall, jerking me out of the most peaceful sleep I’ve had in ages. I sit up with a scream just as three men, dressed in all black, come marching through the door. Two of them come at me with hands everywhere, pulling me from my bed as the last man tosses my things about, ruining every materialistic thing I have. I struggle, fighting off the hands holding onto me, trying to carry me out of my room. I finally wiggle free, hitting the floor with a thump, knocking the wind out of my lungs.
“Fucking keep it together. The boss wants her unharmed, at least for now.” One of them chuckles.
The sound of the chuckle sends chills down my spine, letting me know that I’m in more trouble than I’ve ever been in. I fight harder, praying for the first time in a very long time that I find a solution and escape. Either that, or someone comes to the rescue before things get further out of hand. I don’t care if I end up injured if that means that I get away from them. My arm connects with something hard, causing the man at my head to grunt, howl, and cuss.
“Listen here, you bitch. If you don’t quit your shit, I’m going to ignore the orders I was given to do no harm,” the man says.
I don’t let that scare me into stopping. I continue to kick, claw, and slap, not willing to go this time without a fight. I'll brawl with these assholes for as long as my body can keep up. The only things that can stop me is if I’m too hurt to go on, or if I’m fucking dead. I double down on my efforts to get free, ignoring the pain that starts to take over my body.
“I’m fucking done,” is growled in my ear, just as my vision goes black.
I wake, stretching out my stiff muscles. The sheets on my skin are like the gentlest of kisses. I haven’t felt anything this luxurious since I ran from the rat bastard. He would only use the most expensive satin sheets money could buy. It’s that memory that stops everything in its tracks, including my heart beat.
