Chapter 14 Better To Disappear
BETTER TO DISAPPEAR
Thirteen years ago
“What are you still doing here?” I asked her, pulling my bike out from where it was stashed behind the bushes.
“Detention.” She announced in a cheery voice. I stopped rolling the bike and looked at her sideways.
“You do know that detention ended like half and hour ago right?” I was still trying to picture why she would be on campus any longer than necessary.
“Principal Moore had recruiters for the Ivy League schools set up to meet tonight. I’m supposed to be going back with him.” She shrugged, going back to writing.
“Oh.” My heart sank for her as I realized who the recruiters were that were coming.
That was why he wanted me out of the house, so he could entrap another rich high schooler into his debauchery.
I looked at her as she continued to write her English paper. I wasn’t sure of the words to describe what would happen if she did go with Uncle. It was like a frog caught in my throat, and all I could do was swallow the mucus that had gone astray.
“Don’t go.” I managed to choke out my voice, though not as strong.
“I have to,” she smiled bitterly.
I nodded, not saying anything else as I got on my bicycle and headed away. Dread filled me with each passing moment.
There was laughter and music emanating from the house as I snuck up to the side door.
It was already getting cold outside. The wind whipped around my neck, forcing me to speed up with my lock picking.
I didn’t know what to expect as these parties were always held on fight nights.
Uncle didn’t bother showing up for fights anymore.
It was all automated now that I was a top contender, and of course he didn’t want blood money here—always clean it before you come back.
I knew he had a string of adolescent girls here.
I usually would just get in by the time the maids showed up, well after sunrise, but it didn’t stop me from seeing the blood, booze and juices throughout the household.
I was disgusted that a man could do such a thing, not even married and worse yet these girls probably didn’t realize that they were being held hostage for the entire night, used and abused.
I still wasn’t sure why in the hell I was here, unsure if it was stupidity or ignorance, but I had nowhere else to go. I needed to get the stash of cash I had hidden away.
There were four guys sitting around the large table, which held drinks and poker chips. Cigars were lit, filling the room with a thick cloud of smoke.
I slipped in through the side door after my fumbling of the lock, careful not to be loud as I locked the door behind me and crept through the kitchen.
Giggles reached my ears, and I froze in my tracks. That wasn’t a man’s laugh. I snuck closer to the den, despite every fiber of my being yelling not to get involved.
There in the center of the table stripping her blouse was Mia.
She giggled as she stood up, grabbing onto the arm of the closest man.
He was a man in his late thirties, slightly overweight but not horrible to look at.
I’m guessing he was a big shot within the organization.
Mia hoisted herself further up on the table.
By the looks of it, she had lost her skirt already in a round.
Strip poker or something strip related by the lack of currency on the table.
I was mesmerized by her expressiveness, the slow unbuttoning of her top three buttons, pausing and laughing with a shake of her head, her curls falling against her backside in lush locks of brown.
She bent down to retrieve her drink from the one that helped her up on the table, giving him a nice warm smile of course that didn’t matter when he was staring down her shirt.
She was showing an even better view to those opposite her, as they crowded around her lacy red thong on display.
Barely an inch of fabric between her pussy and their eyes.
I was frozen in my spot, so turned on but unable to do anything but just watch.
She righted herself and began unbuttoning from the bottom up, meeting halfway in the middle to that last button that would have made those perfect breasts pop, she began dancing with the music feeling the beat, her eyes closed as her hands skimmed across her stomach lifting the shirt to reveal more of her perfect little body, and then they trailed down her stomach towards her core, teasing herself skimping down her thong line temping with the possibility they’d come off, but instead she gripped her hips moving her hands around to her ass.
It was out of this world, the amount of control she had over the men in this room, myself included, as she treated us to a drink from the goddess herself.
Finally, the last button came undone, and the lacy red bra came into view as her hand roamed up her center and around her neck, a short gasp escaping her. She was totally in the moment.
Someone joined her on the table, pulling her against him and grinding his hips into her ass, but she didn’t flinch; instead, she turned toward him, letting the blouse fall on the table.
“Who’s next?” She giggled while drawing on the guy’s chest. She wasn’t looking up, just taking her hand in circles against the hem of his shirt.
I didn’t need to watch this. I was already disgusted with myself for kissing her earlier without permission. I vowed not to be like my father, and definitely not my uncle.
I snuck upstairs to the smallest of rooms — my room.
I had paid the rent on this tiny hollow of a room every single week.
Whatever I thought I earned would be taken if it was more than the expected winnings.
I got smart enough to bet on myself. At first, it was pennies I found on my walks home, slowly building my way up to betting hundreds.
It was nowhere near the millions that Uncle had, but it was mine, and only mine.
Hopefully, enough to get out of this place and disappear.
I made it to the door of my bedroom and slipped in.
The thud of the bass from downstairs muffled my footsteps, not that it would matter much with the state of drunkenness that everyone was in.
I was thankful for the cover, but I was uneasy about Mia being down there.
She was a good girl; she didn’t deserve to be treated with disrespect; she was smart; she was capable.
She could make her life meaningful. I needed to get my cash and get out of here.
Mia was not my girlfriend; she was a girl I kissed.
That did not mean I owned her, or that I was obligated to save her.
Take care of your own shit, Scott, and get the hell out of here, I reminded myself.
Looking into the room, the reminder of why I needed to get out just came into clear focus. My single bed against the wall and the one table beside it was all that would fit. It was a million-dollar house, and the one section of the house I was allowed was barely even habitable for a dog.
The nails on the walls held various school uniforms in pristine shape for the preppy hellhole I was forced to go to as it ‘looked good for school’ to have the less fortunate attend.
I rolled my eyes at that thought as I counted floorboards directly to my stash.
My knees were on either side of the board.
I’d had to pry up as I grabbed the small pocket knife that was stashed in the bed mattress.
I had just dislodged one side of the board when there was a commotion down below.
I froze. What if it’s Mia? I slapped my cheeks, willing myself to stop fucking caring; it wasn’t my job.
I had my own problems, and upsetting my uncle was not one I wanted to add.
It was probably someone stumbling into a cabinet or something anyway; there was expensive liquor everywhere, and it was strong shit.
Refocused on the now free board I pulled out the wad of cash, a little over five grand I managed to save, it wouldn’t be enough to fend off the creditors that would come as soon as uncle James stopped paying but I’ll figure it out. I had no other choice.
The music changed from the generic club thudding to something a bit slower, and my heart raced as I was running out of time. Replacing the board in the floors, I snuck back across the house and down the stairs. When I got to the last landing, my eyes locked on her form.
Mia was crouched on the steps, her eyes welling with tears as she looked at the blood on her hands.
She was shaking all over, shocked. My eyes quickly scanned the open area.
There in the hall was one of the men that had been at the table, his eyes frozen in death’s favorite emotion, shock.
The butcher knife was in his thigh; if I had to guess, the femoral.
She was mumbling to herself, “Please don’t, I’ll be good I promise.” repeating it in a trance-like state, rocking back and forth and hugging herself.
“Mia.” I called out to her gently, not trying to shock her senses but letting her know I was there.
She didn’t look up, still rocking in place. I ran back upstairs to the linen closet and grabbed a blanket, quickly returning to her and draping it over her.
“Mia, can you hear me?” I placed my hand on her cheek as I kneeled in front of her. She flinched backwards, crying out as if my contact had burned her.
“Please don’t, I was good just like I promised. Please,” she repeated, still mumbling to herself.
“Mia I am going to check the rest of the house, stay here.” I told her as I stood up. I walked further down the hall and into the den, and that was when I lost all the contents of my stomach.
There were smashed bottles everywhere. The table had been flipped over, and one of the men was lying next to it, seemingly unharmed.
I bent down to check his pulse, and there wasn’t one.
I swallowed the knot in my throat as I made my way over to the couch, where another sat, eyes stabbed and a large glass shard sticking out of his jugular.
I hadn’t seen my uncle yet, and I was feeling anxious.
How did one little girl take on four grown men?
I walked into the kitchen next, and that’s where I saw my uncle, lying face down in a pile of bile, with the knife block missing a few knives next to him.
I bent down to check if he was breathing, and when I got close, he yelled out, reaching for a knife.
My instinct to survive went into overdrive, and I kicked with all the force I had as adrenaline coursed through me.
I kicked so hard and so fast that there was a cracking sound from his back, a bloodcurdling scream came out, and I kicked him in the head, knocking him out cold.
A satisfying smile crossed my face, and I knew there was no turning back. I walked back through the bodies to Mia. She was gripping the blanket around her now, her breathing slowed, and the mumbling had stopped.
“Mia?” I asked softly, kneeling in front of her.
“Scott?” she replied with confusion in her voice.
Her eyes met mine, and I could see the haze within them as she shook her head back and forth repetitively. “This isn’t real.” she began again, banging her fists against her skull.
“Mia, I want you to listen to me okay?” I put my hand on her hand, stopping her from hurting herself.
“I need you to calm down, so we are going to play a little game. Okay?” I started unsure of exactly how I was going to calm her.
“What do you see right now? Name three things.” I pleaded.
She was still shaking and pulled the blanket closer. “Carpet.” she breathed out.
“Good what else?” I pushed.
“T-t-the blanket.” she stuttered.
“Last one.” I urged.
I needed to distract her mind enough to let her body come down from the high.
“Your hand on mine.” she finished.
“Good, let’s get you out of here.” I pulled her into me and we walked to the door.
The sound of cars racing down the street reached my ears as I half-carried her towards the exit.
The rain hadn’t let up, and I was afraid of what I was going to do next.
When I opened the door, I almost smacked into a young man.
He looked to be a few years older than I was.
He looked like hell—in a cool way. The storm had wrecked his hair, and there were a few curls sticking to his forehead.
He had a warm sun kissed golden skin tone coated in tattoos from his neck to his arms like some unfinished story.
He was out of breath and soaked from the fat raindrops that continued on.
The man looked angry and concerned, and Mia gripped my hand tightly as she stood in front of me, against the man that had just arrived.
Present day—June 30th
My phone started to ring, bringing me back to reality.
I pulled the smartphone from its confines in my pocket.
The caller ID flashed across the screen.
Riven state corrections, I sighed, knowing it wouldn’t stop ringing until I picked it up.
I hadn’t the slightest idea if this was a guard calling to arrange another meeting or if my clients wanted to speak to me.
Please God let it be anyone but Midas calling, I was hopeful as I had over twenty clients in Riven, some small fish hardly involved in anything more than robbery, but if it were the big wigs, I would have problems. I stood and excused myself out of the room, but again there wasn’t a peep from Mia.
I didn’t expect as much as I walked out of the room, closing the door behind me.