19. The Devil in Seoul #2
Her eyes widened in horror at the sight of the tall, scarred white man with startling green eyes. The very man so many of the other girls had warned her about. She stumbled backward, putting distance between them.
“Relax,” Jamie started in Korean. “I’m just-”
She tried speaking in Korean, and Jamie cringed. Her Korean was indeed awful. “I speak English too,” he said. Closing her mouth, she tried to cover her breasts. “I’m just checking on you,” he said. “For safety purposes…”
She blinked at him. “Th-thank you…”
Her voice was deep and soft. She sounded young. She had an accent that he assumed contributed to her challenges with speaking Korean. His eyes roamed her clean bed before he looked at her again. “You haven’t fucked anyone yet,” he said.
She bit her lip with a shake of her head. “Were you threatened?” he asked.
She shakily exhaled. “No, I… I’m just… not ready…”
Jamie assessed her before putting his bag down. She watched him curiously as he dug through his bag and pulled out a joint. Lighting it up, he took a few puffs before handing it to her. She looked at him apprehensively. “It will help,” he insisted.
Taking it from between his fingers, she put it to her lips. “Don’t inhale too much,” he warned. “Or you’ll-”
She immediately started coughing. “That,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets. She took another puff, slowly inhaling. “...what’s your name?”
Trying not to cough, she handed him back the joint. “Njeri…”
Jamie caught her trying to hide her body from him. “If you don’t wanna fuck anyone tonight… then don’t…”
Njeri scoffed. “It’s not that simple…”
Jamie didn’t push. He knew many women were there because of a debt they owed. Some were there because it paid well. Some of them had families to take care of. Children.
They reminded him of his mother. Selling their bodies to undeserving men to survive in a hostile world.
Staring at her snagged bra, he reached for her, and she flinched. He paused briefly, staring into her fear-stricken eyes until her shoulders slowly relaxed. Looping his finger into her bra strap, he fixed it. Taking one last puff of his joint, he carefully put it between her lips.
“Keep it,” he said, picking up his bag. He opened the door to leave when she called out to him.
“Thank you… JJ…” she said quietly. Jamie looked back at her and nodded before closing the door behind him.
“This will be temporary,” Ian said, opening the shades to let in the moonlight.
“Until we find a more residential place to stay, rather than jumping from hotel to hotel.” Turning around, he looked at Deja sitting on the bed with her legs folded beneath her.
Her unbuttoned blouse hung from her shoulder as she cradled Chloe, suckling her bosom.
Shoving his hands into his pockets, Ian looked down at her fondly. “You look radiant…”
Deja chuckled. “I’m just breastfeeding, Ian.”
“Well…” he said, cocking his head to the side. “...motherhood looks lovely on you.”
Her face broke into a smile as her cheeks flushed with warmth.
As he raised his hand to caress her cheek, she leaned into his palm, holding his tender gaze.
Ian’s eyes softened as his thumb affectionately pulled at her bottom lip.
“Being in love with you is… frightening. It’s like plunging head-first into a bottomless pit with no guarantee I’ll survive… ”
Leaning down, he affectionately pressed his lips against hers when the bedroom door swung open. Deja looked at Caleb, startled as he quickly approached. He pecked the top of her head before kissing Chloe and nodding at Ian. “I’ll see you guys in a few hours,” Caleb said, heading for the door.
“Wait, Caleb,” Deja said, covering her chest. “Where are you going?”
Caleb looked back at her. “Out.”
Her face fell as she exchanged uncertain glances with Ian, who nudged with his head before holding his hands out for Chloe. Caleb sighed with impatience as Deja handed Chloe to Ian and quickly approached him. “Can we talk?” she asked.
“Can it wait till I get back?” Caleb asked, reaching for the handle.
“No, it can’t,” she said, grabbing his hand. “Caleb, look at me.” Sharply exhaling, he looked down at Deja. “I’m worried about you,” she said.
“Baby, there’s nothing to be worried about,” he insisted.
“Caleb.”
“I’m serious.”
“So, you’re telling me you’re not leaving to go look for your brother,” Deja said frankly.
Caleb’s jaw tensed as he averted his gaze.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, Deja tenderly grabbed his head, turning him until he looked at her.
“Caleb… I know you wanna look for him. I know you wanna see him. But can’t you wait until we all talk this out?
We just got to Korea. We don’t even know if he’s here. ”
“I know he’s here. I can-... I can feel him,” Caleb looked at her. “...we have the same heartbeat…”
Deja looked at him tenderly. “Then why can’t you just wait?”
“Because I need to know!” Caleb blurted before shakily exhaling. Grabbing her hand, he affectionately kissed her fingers and looked at her with large, emotion-filled green eyes. “I need to know why he hasn’t tried to talk to me yet. Why… he went straight for you instead…”
Deja’s face fell as Caleb avoided her gaze. “...he has to know how I feel about you…” Caleb said more to himself before he looked at Deja helplessly. “He’s not a bad guy. He’s just…”
“Misunderstood?” Deja asked.
Caleb’s jaw clenched. “Loyal. He’s loyal.”
Deja twisted her mouth as her thumb caressed his cheek. “I’m exhausted from that flight. Can you please spare me one night of worrying about you? Please?”
He exhaled his frustration and kissed her fingers again. “Fine…” Pulling away from her, he grabbed the door handle and looked between her and Ian. “I’m just gonna pick up some groceries. We don’t have shit.”
Ian watched him leave before he looked at Deja, whose face was consumed with skepticism and worry. “Sweetheart-” Ian started when Keith stepped into the room, sipping a beer.
Keith’s blue eyes fell on Deja’s bare breasts barely covered by her open blouse. “Fuck the beer. Can I have some milk?” he grinned, reaching for her when Deja slapped his hand. “Wha- Oh, come on!”
“Can you guys do me a favor?” she asked.
“Yes, we can fuck you, on the bed, in the shower, on the floor. Baby girl, take your pick. Let me tell Jax to take Chloe,” Keith said, opening the door.
“No! Keith! Stop!” she whispered. “Can you please go with Caleb?”
“What? Why?” Keith asked. “He’s a big boy. He can take care of himself.”
“I’m afraid he’s going to do something he’ll regret,” she said. “Please, just… watch him?”
Ian sighed as he kissed Chloe’s forehead before handing her to Deja. “Babysitting my rebellious cousin. Just like old times.” Gently grabbing Deja’s chin between his finger and thumb, Ian tenderly kissed her. “The things I do for love…”
“Fuck this. This is the ultimate cockblock,” Keith muttered.
Standing on her toes, Deja teasingly kissed Keith. “We’ll play later—promise,” she said, pushing him to the door.
Washing his hands at the kitchen sink, Jax glanced at Caleb as he headed for the door. “I’ll be back,” Caleb said dismissively, closing the door behind him.
Furrowing his brows, Jax wiped his hands and headed for the door when Ian walked out of the bedroom, dragging Keith by his jacket. “We’ve got it,” Ian muttered, waving his hand flippantly.
“Why can’t you go by yourself?” Keith groaned.
“Because if I have to miss out, then so do you,” Ian said, pushing Keith out the door.
Jax could hear Keith calling Ian a ‘fucking asshole’ before the door closed. He looked at Deja. “...I’m assuming this is your doing?”
Deja’s mouth dropped. “What’s with that accusatory tone?!”
Jax grinned as he approached her. “Those fools will do anything you ask, and you know it.”
Deja laughed. “And you?”
Cocking an amused brow, he firmly grabbed her waist. “I think it’s time to put our daughter to bed…”
Squeezed in the shower of his apartment, Jamie leaned back against the tile, letting the water pour over his head. After scrubbing the fish odor and bloodstains from his body, he stepped out and wiped the mirror over his sink.
He stared at his reflection. “...hey, Caleb… I missed you too, bràthair… Oh this? Yeah… It’s a new tattoo… You like it? I figured you would…”
Grabbing the switchblade from the counter, Jamie held it against his scarred shoulder. “I knew you’d find me, bràthair…”
He slowly dragged the blade, splitting open his skin. “We have the same heartbeat… you and me…”
Jamie stared absentmindedly at the ceiling, letting his blood drip into the sink before abruptly snapping out of it.
Stepping into his bedroom, his towel fell to the floor, littered with newspaper articles.
Staring at his bulletin board covered with candid pictures of Caleb, he put up another picture of Caleb and Jax at the airport and used his blade to scratch out Jax’s face.
Picking up another picture, he stared at Deja before glancing above at the name of the hotel she was waiting inside. Signiel Seoul.
Putting a joint to his lips, he heard his phone ring. “...yeah…?”
“Hi! it’s uh… Marla,” came a thick English accent. Jamie grabbed another picture of Caleb and Deja kissing at her old apartment. “Hello?”
“What do you want?” Jamie grunted.
“The old Asian woman. She said you were available tonight?”
“She lied,” Jamie said, going to hang up.
“I’ll triple the price,” she said quickly. “Please. My husband has been wrapped up in meetings since we arrived here. I’m so… bored. Stuck in this penthouse suite at the Signal-Soul… Sig… However, the bloody fuck you pronounce it-”
“Signiel Seoul,” Jamie said.
“Yeah, that’s it!”
Jamie lit a match until the picture caught fire. “...be there in 20.”
Red wine spilled between her lips as she finished another glass. She reached for the wine bottle only to realize it was empty. Groaning in frustration, she dialed reception. “Hello?” the concierge asked in Korean.
“I need more wine,” Marla said impatiently. “And send someone who actually speaks English.”