Chapter 14
Addison
Istepped off the plane and stretched. I enjoyed flying but hated how tiny the seats were. I had way too much hips and ass to be trying to squeeze into those miniature seats. I wanted to upgrade to first class but of course Bruno would tell Mr. L since he had to fly with me. Normally, I wouldn’t give a damn, but they didn’t know I had money saved up. As soon as I would have upgraded my seat, I would have been asked a million and one questions about where I got the extra funds. I was going to keep my bank account secret as long as possible. If I couldn’t convince Mr. Adalyn to help me, it was all I had left to escape.
After retrieving our bags, Bruno led us to a black on black Lincoln town car. A short young looking man, probably in his early twenties, was standing next to the trunk with a sign that read Bruno’s name. I arched an eyebrow with realization that Mr. L must’ve sent for us. I inwardly groaned. I just wanted to go to my hotel and shower off the airlines, but I didn’t have much of a choice.
I observed the driver and noticed he had on a formal black suit that was a size too big. The white shirt underneath his jacket was clearly a white beater and it had stains on it. His rich hickory skin was so ashy, I’m sure he could have started a fire by rubbing his hands together. The man’s hair was in an afro that was matted on the side – probably from sleeping on it. I shook my head. Either all his uniforms were at the wash, or his ass wasn’t paying attention in orientation about dress code.
Finally reaching the vehicle, I noticed the driver licking his lips as his eyes roamed down my body. I grimaced.
“My name is Jerome and I’ll be your driver, miss. Nice to see you again, Mr. Bruno.”
“Get in,”
Bruno snapped, ignoring the man. I shot my head towards him and back at the driver. Yeah, no way.
“Now!”
Bruno demanded, pushing me towards the backseat.
“Damn, you not going to at least open the door?”
Bruno yanked the door open before pushing me inside.
“Fuck boy,”
I muttered under my breath as I settled in the backseat.
Rolling down the window, I took in the warm summer air and smiled. Since I lived in Dallas the majority of my life, I was use to the heat and the humidity. When I moved up north with my grandmother, it took a while for me to adjust to their type of summer.
“Roll the damn window up!”
Bruno barked from the front seat.
I rolled my eyes and obliged. I couldn’t wait to get away from this Berenstain Bear looking asshole. I continued to stare out of the window, enjoying the city. Even with the window up, I could still hear the buzz of the streets. The honking horns as we steadily moved through traffic, the mixture of laughter and music as we passed a few restaurants. It was just after ten in the morning, the perfect time for brunch. I turned to my left as we passed Independence Hall, the ultimate tourist attraction.
I smiled as the memory of my grandma taking me there when we first moved in with her. I didn’t want to go because I hadn’t seen my mom for a few days. We had literally unpacked the last bag, and she was gone partying with her friends. I thought I was too boring for her because she would complain about how she needed more excitement in her life. So, when my grandma offered to take us to this historical site, I declined. I wanted us to go somewhere bold, fun, and entertaining so that my mom would stay around.
“I’m going to tell you something important and if you don’t remember anything else I say, please remember this. Do not go through your life trying to please anybody, do you understand me? People in this world don’t give a damn about nothing if it doesn’t have anything to do with them. Go after God’s heart, he’s the only person that won’t disappoint you as long as you keep your eyes on him.”
I sighed. As much as I loved my grandma, I didn’t understand how she could give me such advice when she was chasing after her daughter’s heart. Over the years, I witnessed my mom being self-centered and greedy, yet my grandma begged her to come home. She pleaded with her to do something better with her life and that she would be there to support her through it all. Even when she knew my mom wasn’t listening, she coughed up money or some type of presents whenever my mom asked or was mad at her.
I balled my hands on my lap as we began to slow in the car. A part of me wanted to be just like my mom - not giving a damn about anybody but myself. I could’ve shrugged my shoulders and let my grandma figure out what to do about her daughter and the house, but who was I kidding? I could never be that heartless.
The car finally stopped, and I noticed that we arrived at an office building on the edge of the city. Not too far from downtown, but far enough to have decent parking and minimal traffic. The building was two stories and a deep navy color. If the sun wasn’t shimmering off the exterior, one would say the building was black. The parking lot was damn near full of cars and I couldn’t help but wonder what Mr. L did for a living. I mean, I knew that he ran multiple brothel houses and sold men and women overseas, but that doesn’t call for an entire office space.
“Head inside and the receptionist will tell you what to do next.”
The driver instructed Bruno.
“Can y’all help with my bags?”
I asked, looking between the pair. I shouldn’t even have to ask these grown ass men. I mean, they didn’t even bother to help me load the bags in the trunk and I had to sit in the backseat with them. At least they can carry them to the door for me or to the next vehicle I was going to be in.
“Get out the damn car and leave your bags here. After we meet with Mr. L, the driver will take you to your hotel.”
I opened my mouth to protest but thought against it. There really wasn’t a point to argue since I knew it wasn’t going to get me anywhere. Exhaling loudly, I yanked the door handle and scooted out of the car before slamming it in Bruno’s face. I stomped towards the entrance, not bothering to wait for him. As soon as I reached the door, I felt his hand grasping my elbow and spinning me around. I tried to pull away when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the side of the building.
“So, help me, Addison, if you come in here showing your ass, I’ll knock your teeth in.”
“You can’t touch me!”
“Oh, on the contrary, I can. As long as you stay pure, I can slap the shit out of you. And you know what the best part is? If you haven’t noticed, Mr. L doesn’t need to visibly see you every single day. Meaning, the bruises will be gone about the time you need to send your new owner a new picture of yourself.”
My breath caught in my throat as his hand circled around my throat. I started to move away when he began to squeeze. My eyes bulged and I thrashed underneath his tight grip. A slow menacing smile crept across his face causing my heart to race. Was this really happening? As much shit that I talked to Bruno, he’s never went this far. Yes, he’s threatened me before, but I thought I was untouchable. How na?ve of me.
“Now, am I going to have any more problems with you?”
My head shook as tears began to well in my eyes. He removed his hand, causing me to gasp loudly for air. My heart pounded through my ears as I bent over resting my hands on my knees, trying to regulate my breathing. The realization that I was truly trapped stabbed me deep into my core. I mean, I knew I had a plan to try and run away, but since Bruno was so comfortable putting his hands on me, I’m sure he’d tell the others to do the same. Like he said, I didn’t physically see Mr. L and only had to send pictures when it was requested. Hell, even that, I had taken several pictures in advance so that I could just send them instead of dropping what I was doing to accommodate the perv’s request.
Bruno sniffed as he fixed his blazer. He snapped his fingers in my face and pointed towards the front door. I didn’t argue and did what I was instructed. I swallowed the lump attempting to form in my throat as I followed him up to the receptionist desk. Looking around, the space reminded me of any old office building. Off white walls with beige furniture were presented in the lobby area. A few plants that were obviously fake and collecting dust sat in the far corners while magazines from three years prior sat unopened on the lobby tables.
“Good afternoon, sir. How may I assist you?”
I glanced over Bruno’s shoulder to see a fairly young woman, probably in her early twenties, sitting behind the desk. She was gorgeous with her golden skin and long black hair that was pinned up into a bun. Her sharp green eyes looked Bruno over and there was no mistaking the lust.
“Hey Vickie, we have an appointment with the advisor to lease an office space.”
Her smile slightly faltered as she looked at me and back to Bruno before she cleared her throat.
“Of course, Manny will guide you at the elevators.”
Bruno nodded before grabbing my wrist and pulling me in front of him towards the elevators. What the hell was going on? Why were we meeting somebody about renting out an office space. Where is Mr. L? My mind raced with a thousand questions, but my gut was telling me to keep my mouth shut.
Once we made it to the elevators, a tall Asian man, I’m presuming was Manny, stood with his arms crossed behind his back. He had on a black polo t-shirt that was tucked in to black jeans with a matching bomber jacket. His chestnut brown hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and I couldn’t help but notice the tattoo on the side of his neck - a snake baring his blood coated fangs.
If we hadn’t spoken to the receptionist, I would have assumed he was just another man waiting to get on the elevator. From how he was dressed, compared to other elevator attendants, there was no way he worked here. Especially with his all black Air Force Ones on his feet. Hell, he looked like he was ready to beat somebody ass instead of ensuring other guests arrived at their proper locations.
Manny examined us as we approached him before placing a hand over his ear, showing the gun discreetly tucked into the front of his waistband. I realized that he had on an earpiece and the woman at the receptionist was providing him instructions to lead us to that advisor. Was he a part of security, too? It would make sense to have undercover security posing as a regular client. With a quick nod and affirmative to the walkie talkie on his wrist, he pressed the button to call for the elevator.
We stepped on the elevator, and I watched as Manny pulled out a badge from a pocket inside of his jacket and scan it over a kiosk that was located under the elevator buttons. After the scanner lit up green, he pressed the number for the top floor. I opened my mouth to ask where we were going but thought against it. Not only did I not want Bruno trying to choke me again, but I didn’t want any problems with Manny. From the way his eyes were roaming over me, I couldn’t tell if he wanted to pistol whip me or bend me over. Either way, I stared down at my shoes and avoided eye contact with him.