Chapter 8
Finn receives word that Rocco still isn’t behaving after our little chat, so we make our way down to Rocco’s Cabaret on a quiet Wednesday afternoon. The fallen leaves crunch under my shoes as we walk towards the double doors stained a dark brown. The building itself is a bit garish, looking more like the ancient pantheon with its white plaster columns supporting the triangular roof.
Finn leads the way inside. I scare people because of the whispers that run rampant of my torture methods, but Finn is scary just because he is like myth made flesh, a huge wall of muscle and bone.
Glancing around, I don’t see Rocco anywhere, but Michelle, one of the girls that works at the strip club, is cleaning tables. Finn turns on his charm and waltzes over.
“Hey Michelle, is Rocco around?” he asks, resting his arms on the table she was cleaning.
Michelle straightens, glancing at me before turning to Finn. “He’s not here. Why are you looking for him?”
“We are concerned that some of management”s decisions are negatively affecting the staff”s morale.”
A harsh laugh escapes Michelle, but I recognize the flash of fear that crosses her face as she tries to turn her laugh into a cough.
So does Finn. He tilts his head. “Maybe you can help us. Tell us what you know.”
Her head is shaking before she even begins backing away. “I’m not getting in the middle of this. I’ve worked too hard and long to become a manager here so I don’t have to be on the floor every night. I’m not risking it for some asshole.” Michele says, glancing around.
I hold up my hands, stepping around Finn. “I promise we can keep you safe. We can keep everyone safe, but only if we know what’s going on.”
“You’ll have to kill him to keep us safe.”
“I know.”
Michelle sighs, sitting down in one of the chairs.
Sitting across from Rocco, I pick up a blade, twirling it between my fingers.
Despite my desire to put my family on a better path, there is darkness within me. And perhaps that is why I so strongly believe in a better way. That way I can pretend that in my heart I”m not the biggest monster of them all.
The killing, the darkness, the blood. In it, I find the silence I crave. In it, the beast within is soothed. The only other thing that quiets the inner desire is Avalina. But she is no longer mine.
So, death was my answer to the demons that swirled under my skin. My beast needed to be let out of his cage.
I inhale deeply, savoring the feel of letting the reins of control go, feeling the tightness in my skin give way to a pleasurable hum in my blood.
Bending my neck to one side and then the other, I smile, feeling like I could breathe for the first time in months. I wanted nothing more than to feel like this always.
Pointing my knife to the stack of passports Finn and I found in Rocco’s office, I sigh. “Let’s try this again, Rocco. Why the passports?”
“Who the fuck told you about the passports?”
“What matters is what you tell me about them. I already gave you a second chance. Do you think you’re going to get a third?”
“Besides,” Finn looks up from where he’s sitting with Rocco’s laptop, combing through the hard drive, “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors about Kieran. Do you really want him to do that shit to you? Tell us what we want to know and I’ll make sure you get a quick death.”
“Motherfuckers, I’m going to kill you!” Rocco screams, his face turning as red as the blood I was hoping would be dripping on the floor soon.
I turn to Finn, shrugging. “I guess he wants torture, then.”
“No!” Rocco yells. “God, no. I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you.”
Turning back to Rocco, I gesture with my blade still dancing between my fingers. “Go on.”
“The passports, they’re insurance, okay? So the girls won’t talk.”
“And what would they talk about? Tea parties and nail salons?”
“Fuck. They’re trafficked okay? Sean runs a circuit where girls come in on ships or he kidnaps them and he places them in his businesses.” Finn and I exchange a glance as Rocco keeps spilling the beans. “He keeps their passports as collateral. They’re trapped. We pay them peanuts, so they have no way out.”
“And that shipment coming in next week? It’s not guns?” Finn asks.
“It’s girls.” Rocco sighs, hanging his head. But I know it’s not in shame, but rather he thinks because he told us what we wanted that he’ll be let off the hook. He’s relieved.
Rage pummels through me, hot and heavy, and I’m moving to bend down towards Rocco before I can process the thought, my blade stabbing into his crotch.
Rocco bellows, surprise flashing across his features while my cold stare drinks in his agony as my knife saws deeper. Behind me, I hear Finn mutter, “So much for a quick death.”