Chapter 10
Ruby
I am mentally and physically exhausted, to the point where I’m not sure I can go on for much longer. I went from being a carefree stripper, saving all my money so that I could eventually move away from it, to a very stressed out stripper who is scared to death to go home every night.
The sketchy part of town I live in never worried me. I’d lived in worse places. I didn’t want to spend my money on a nice apartment when I’d be there only to sleep and store my belongings. I didn’t even have a lot of those.
What I had not expected was for anyone to find out where I lived. In retrospect, I guess I was incredibly na?ve, stupid even. Everyone knows about looking things up on the internet. I don’t have a computer though, never have been computer literate, and I’d have a hard time figuring things out on there.
But the one lesson I learned is that I should’ve never danced under my real name. How hard would it have been for me to come up with an alias of sorts?
Now, I have Hawk of the Savages MC visiting me every night. He fucks me, tells me things that I rush to report to Lala as soon as he is out of my apartment.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I have been amazed at how easily he’s been sharing information with me. The words just come out of his mouth. I am careful about asking questions, but sometimes I worry that I didn’t understand what he told me, so I ask for clarifications.
It’s been going like this for a few weeks now, and with each day that passes, I get more attached to him. He doesn’t come to the club anymore, as he told me he worries that Bricks or one of his people would notice him there. So I rush through my sets, praying every night that I don’t have any private sessions booked.
Hawk, on his end, leaves me an envelope full of cash after each one of his visits. I cried when I counted the money the first time. Since then, I just grabbed it and hid it in a locked metal box under the boards in my living room. It is in an obvious spot right in the middle of the small living room, with an area rug covering it. Hiding it in plain sight.
I also called my financial planner and asked him about moving to Louisiana. He was a bit hesitant about it, and told me that he was not licensed to work there, so he would need to refer me to someone else if I left. Since he’s been the only one to be nice to me and actually help me, I cried about it after we hung up.
All that just to once again say that I am exhausted. My brain is fried, and my body needs rest.
I pull into my designated parking spot at the apartment, although, no one really cares about that around here, so I’m grateful that it’s open. Making sure I have my phone, bag and keys, I get out of the car and lock it. It is an old crappy Honda Civic that barely runs, but it’s mine, and I’d be devastated if it got stolen.
I look around, expecting to see Hawk waiting for me, just like he’s been doing for the past weeks. Disappointment fills me when he’s nowhere to be seen. I don’t smell his cigarettes either, so I know he hasn’t been around here, at least not since last night.
A sudden thought occurs to me. What if all this information I’m giving to Lala to give to Bricks ends up getting Hawk killed? I couldn’t live with myself. Then again, I wonder why I would even care.
My heart squeezes in my chest at the thought of never seeing him again, not because he left town, but because he’s not alive anymore. Because of me.
I have developed feelings for Hawk, and that can’t be good.
My thoughts are scrambled in my head, and that’s how I don’t pay attention to the footsteps I hear coming from the parking lot.
“She’s a little older than what the boss likes,” someone with a thick accent says. “A little fat, too, no?”
“Nah, man, she’s got big tits, that all.”
I freeze in front of the main door to the house. My keys are digging into the palm of my hand, and I regret not having it ready to go straight into the lock. Now I’m scared it would make noise.
“She better not fight,” the first voice declares. “I’m not in the mood for it.”
“I got the chloroform ready, man.”
Without thinking, I drop everything to the ground except for my keys and my phone. Then, I jump off the rickety porch and take off running.
“Oh shit,” one of them says. “She’s running.”
“That’s okay, she’s fat. She can’t get far.”
I curse the moment I decided that flip-flops were appropriate footwear when one of my feet slips on the smooth surface and I twist my ankle. I let them fly off my feet and continue running. The concrete hurts my feet, and when I notice a dark yard, I take a hard left and jump over the fence.
My breathing is heavy, but I force myself to keep my mouth closed so I wouldn’t make noise. I hear the two men’s heavy footsteps as they run by, and it takes them a second to realize that they can’t see me running anymore.
“Fuck, she’s gotta be around here somewhere,” one of them says.
I slowly make my way to the yard next to this one, grateful that nobody pays their electric bill around here, or the houses are abandoned, so there are no lights on. A small whimper escapes me when I step on something sharp, and I’m pretty sure I’m bleeding.
Carefully, I continue clutching to my keys and phone as I tip toe from one yard into the next, listening for the voices behind me. At some point, it sounds like they each took a side, and I’m pretty sure that if I continue this way, I’ll end up on the other side right in between these two.
I stop and press myself against what looks like a barn of sorts. I’m sure a stronger wind could knock it over easily, and I pray that my weight against it won’t do any damage. I squeeze my eyes tight when something runs across my bare foot, most likely a rodent of some sort, and force myself not to scream in horror.
The two guys following me are close, way too close for comfort, making me wonder which way to go, if anywhere at all. At some point, I think they passed me as I can hear them walking somewhere ahead of me.
Terror invades my body, to the point where I’m not sure I could move right now even if I wanted to.
“How the fuck did she get away?” one of the faceless voices calls from across one yard.
“She’s here, don’t worry, man,” the other one responds. “We can fuck her before we turn her in. Not like she’s a virgin anyway.”
They laugh like it’s the best thing ever. Flashbacks from my past hit me out of nowhere. At that time, I wasn’t running because they caught me before I knew what they were up to.
“This was way too easy,” my perpetrators from back then laughed. “You promised us a hunt.”
Now, I have people truly hunting me down, and I have a feeling that, should they catch me, I will not make it out alive.
I force my body to relax and allow me to move, then with quiet steps and barely breathing, I peel my body off the wall of the barn and slowly make my way out of this yard. Walking in the opposite direction than where the two men are is the only logical thing to do. I can’t go back home, that would be too easy.
I am almost back on the sidewalk when my left hand relaxes and I drop my keys. They make a loud clinking noise in the quiet night. I freeze and stare at them on the ground, unable to think anymore.
Suddenly, I hear heavy footsteps running through the grass behind me. It is enough to snap me out of my stupor and propel me forward. My bare feet hit the concrete, crying out in pain with almost every step I take.
The good news is that I am a bit ahead of them since they were at least two yards past me when I dropped my keys. The bad news is that I am not a very fast runner, so them catching up to me should not be much of a challenge, if any. But I don’t give up. Instead, I continue running with sore feet and fingers cramped around the phone I’m still holding in my right hand.
I gasp in surprise and excitement when a building comes into view. It’s sort of lit up, and I realize it’s the cheap motel that’s only minutes from where I live. I doubt that any of the residents would help me, not in this sketchy neighborhood, but hopefully the staff will. I pick up my pace, feeling the men behind me closing in on me.
When I finally reached the motel, I can’t focus enough to figure out where the front desk would be. I rush around one corner but stop short when I run into a body.
I don’t know how they got here before me, but now I’m caught. I close my eyes and let the tears run down my face. There is no fight left in me.
Strong hands grab me by the arms and shove me hard. A door slams closed just as I land on the hard floor, looking around in fear. It is dark in here, and all I can see is a small glimpse of movement through the dirty curtain that hangs off an even dirtier window.
My breath hitches in my throat when I hear running footsteps approaching. I am scared and incredibly tired, but, most of all, I am now confused.
“Hey, man,” the voice of one of my attackers sounds from the other side of the door. “Did you see a girl run this way? She’s kinda short and has fat tits, can’t miss her.”
There’s a long pause followed by a loud cough.
“Do I look like I saw anything?” he growls.
I gasp in shock and rush to cover my mouth with both hands when I recognize the new voice as being Hawk’s.
“Hey, man, we’re not looking for any trouble with you. This girl…”
“Get the fuck outta here before I put a bullet in your head,” Hawk instructs. “Then you won’t have to worry about looking for any girl. Besides,” he chuckles sarcastically, “pretty pathetic that you can’t keep a girl, and you gotta chase her around. Why’s she running anyway?”
“It’s a game we like to play with her,” the second voice from earlier takes control of the conversation. “It’s our thing.”
There’s a long pause again followed by one of them clearing their throat and spitting on the ground. Since that person also coughs shortly after, I’ll say it’s Hawk doing all that.
“Go play somewhere else,” he tells my two attackers. “I just wanted to take a piss outside and smoke my cigarette in peace. I don’t give a fuck about you or what you wanna play with hookers.”
Tears run down my face, and I can barely breathe through my nose anymore as I have my hands pressed over my mouth. There’s this ringing in my ears now, making it impossible for me to listen to the rest of the conversation between Hawk and the other two, but I could swear they’re actually laughing toward the end. I guess they made fast friends over their common love for hookers.
“You should go look on the other side of the building,” his words penetrate through the fog in my head. “By now she got way ahead of you though if she went that way. You’re wasting time talking to me here,” he laughs.
“Fuck, good point. Thanks, man.” The two men sound rushed now, and also not very smart.
I press myself against the wall, scared of what is going to happen to me next. Hawk saving me from them doesn’t mean much. I don’t trust anyone anymore, not that I have in years now.
The door to the room I’m in opens and closes with a loud bang, making me jump from where I’m sitting on the floor. A small yelp escapes my mouth before I can stop it.
Hawk’s heavy boots head my way, but he doesn’t stop in front of me like I was expecting. Instead, he sits on the squeaky bed and leans forward, elbows on his knees. He stares at me for the longest time, his eyes boring into mine before they travel down the length of my body.
The tank top I have on feels obnoxious now after hearing those men’s comments about my body. I’ve never felt as self-conscious about it as I do now, despite the fact that I know I look decent and I make good money off it.
He finally sighs. “You are in a world of trouble, little girl. What the fuck am I going to do with you now?”
More tears spill out of my eyes, and my entire body starts shaking.
“I don’t know who those people are.” My voice is barely higher than a whisper. “They said something about their boss wanting me. I don’t know who their boss is.”
Hawk shakes his head in awe, most likely at my stupidity.
“I have good news and I have bad news,” he tells me. “Which one do you want first?”
“I don’t know,” I sniffle out.
“Fair enough,” he chuckles, but he doesn’t look amused. “The bad news is that those people want to sell you to a sex trafficking ring.”
My eyes widen in shock, and I am not capable of forming words. That is the business Hawk is in. All this time I thought I was helping to take him and his posse down, but they’re coming after me.
“W-what is the good news?”
He winks at me, which only serves to scare me more.
“The good news is two-fold. One, they are not smart enough to pull this shit off. And two…”
He looks me dead in the eyes, determination obvious on his face.
“I will not allow those fuckers to hurt a hair on your head.”