C8 When things get worse

The whole ride to the Casa Resort and Casino was a screaming match between me and Achille. Cursed words and accusations were thrown between the two of us, blame and explanations were thrown out the window. I watched as Madelaine’s body moved across the backseat while Achille drove like a maniac. The bleeding had stopped and there didn’t seem to be any permanent damage although she might wake up with one hell of a headache, either from the blow to her head or caused by me and my brother’s overbearing voices.

For the first time, I was glad that the Hotel and Casino weren’t open for business yet. It gave us the perfect location to hide. What would have been better than an empty hotel where no one can hear us or suspect anything? We were able to move freely, speak freely not to mention hiding the unconscious body of an innocent child, freely. It is also the first time I have the opportunity to see the hotel for myself. I have seen pictures, but it didn’t do the place any justice. A large crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling as we entered. The white marble floors reflected our movements as we strolled over them up to the stairs at the right side and onto the first floor. We entered the first room on our left side.

“What the fuck were you thinking anyway, taking the girl?” Achille questions. We have been over this, I made a judgment call almost resulting in killing the child. I heard him the first twenty-something times and I did not have an answer other than: ‘I don’t fucking know.’ He switches on the light of the room as he enters with me on his heels. Madelaine’s feather light body hung over my one shoulder. There was a double bed situated on the far end of the room, a door that led to a bathroom was situated on the right side and in the entrance to the right stood a black leather lounge suit next to a small bar fridge. The fucking rooms weren’t ready for visitors yet, but it had to do for now.

“I don’t fucking know.” I reply, finally catching my composure to not yell at him again, I softly lay Madelaine down onto the bed, making sure she was positioned in the middle of the bed so there was no chance of her falling off the bed. Achille refused to carry her. He said that it was my own doing and he wanted nothing to do with her. “She has a plan.” I repeat what I heard her say in the bar. That was the words she breathed and that was when I knew I had to take her out of there. She had something I have never seen before. She had hope.

“She has a plan?” Achille repeats my words in disbelieve starting to pace up and down in front of the door. He was beside himself. I have never seen him like this before. What was going on in that head of his? He never questioned my decision making before. “The child has a plan.” He repeats then takes a sudden halt. “We have plans… Rules. We don’t traffic whores.” He turns facing me, I could see the regret in his eyes the moment the words left his mouth, but he was right. We don’t traffic whores. Madelaine might still be a child, but she dealt with much more than she had to. She was a whore. Men paid her for sex and the way she tried to seduce us in the bar was the first sign. She knew who we were and that we had money and her trained instinct kicked in, She did what she was trained to do. She tried to sell her body. That was what these girls were trained to do. Years of drugs, money and obedience training goes into these girls and once they were set free, they were either so addicted to drugs that they had no other choice than to work the streets and get themselves a pimp or the emotional damage was to severe and they believed that was all they were good for, but there was something different about Madelaine and I couldn’t help, but to try and save that small piece of who she was that still cling to her.

“Just let me think for a fucking second.” I growl. Maybe we could assign her to someone. There must be someone out there who would want her. She is only fifteen. She turns sixteen soon. I massage my temples with my middle and forefinger. We can let her go. She would be too scared to even mention us or I could be wrong and she goes from here straight to the police and Roberto tracks her down and kills her. Think! Ben. Think! I drop my hands to my sides in defeat. “We take her home.”

“Well fuck, we cant exactly leave her here. If you haven’t noticed there are people here that will kill her just for existing.” Achille throws the obvious into the air.

“No, brother.” I shake my head. “We take her home.” I repeat the words slowly, letting him hear them.

“You seriously want to take her home?” Achille’s lower jaw almost hit the floor but he recovers quickly snapping his mouth shut before speaking again. “Do you want your mother to think you are some fucking paedophile?” He holds his hand above his heart for dramatic effect. He was such a fucking comedian.

“I don’t see any other option…” A loud bang in the hallway sounding like glass breaking followed by footsteps apprehend our attention and Achille immediately draw his weapon and exit the door to find the person the steps belonged to while I quickly glance over at the lifeless body still lying on the bed before doing the same. Could this night get any fucking worse?

I could see the silhouette of my brother disappearing down the stairs to my left so I decided to inspect the right side of the hallway. He was more than capable of handling himself, besides I think a little distance could do us both some good. I held out my gun as I moved through the hallway, searching for whoever was trespassing. Truthfully I was praying for that person to rather be caught by me than by my brother. He was not going to take it easy on them. Not today anyway.

I have swept the whole first floor and was just about to return to the room when a small flicker of a light coming from the stairs leading upwards ceased my attention. If Achille was here he would probably have plenty to say because I didn’t check the stairs, but in my defence I didn’t think any sane person would go up in a building when they were trying to flee the scene, but I was wrong, not only about the fool being stupid enough to go up, because this person seem to be particular and special fucking stupid, I smile as I follow the light coming from a smartphone. I slowly round the corner of the stairs my gun pointed directly in front of me, but suddenly my heart drops. Oh, for fuck sakes! This couldn’t have been worse.

“Please don’t shoot.” A small voice pleads from the body sitting in the corner of the stairs her legs bend in front of her as she holds up her hands. The light that gave her away now floating above her head, in the air, held up between her fingers. I couldn’t help but stare at the photo on the background of the phone.

The most beautiful woman that I have ever seen was visible through millions of pixels. Her wavy black hair spiralled alongside her soft tinted face, complimenting her high cheekbones. I would have taken her for a pure bred Italian descendant if only it wasn’t for her sparkling emerald green eyes protected by long dark eyelashes. There were small dents in her cheeks as she blew a kiss at the camera.

“Get up and give me that.” I prey the phone from her fragile hands taking away the picture already embedded in my memory. What the fuck was a woman like her doing here? Alone? At night, dressed like that. “Let’s go.” I point the steel end of my gun against her bareback pushing her a little forward to start walking. She cringes as the coldness touches her skin. She was dressed like a fucking whore. “My brother is going to love this.” I remark out loud. The words wasn’t supposed to be spoken, but what did it matter. My night was not getting any easier either way.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I question her as soon as we enter the room where we all will probably spend the night. A very awkward and crowded night, we should have occupied a bigger room. The woman turns around to face me and that exact emerald eyes I saw on the picture that looked so happy suddenly were full of terror. The sudden urge to take her into my arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay overwhelmed me, but I fight it off like it was death clinging to me, I would anyway be lying to her. Nothing about this was okay. What was happening to me? Get your shit together, Ben.

“Please give me a chance to explain.” She begs her eyes staring directly into the barrel threatening her life, the gun was pointed directly at her before she backs up slowly until the back of her legs hit the couch behind her causing her to lose her balance and fall backwards with her ass on the pillow, but she doesn’t protest. She takes the seat as if she initially decided to sit there. She is clumsy, proud and too talkative. I hated it.

“This is going to be good.” I chuckle losing my seriousness for a moment but quickly take back momentum, hoping she didn’t notice. I nod my head giving her permission to continue.

“I lost my work 3 weeks ago because some prick couldn’t stand a woman showing him up.” She rolls her eyes and I wanted to tell her to stop stalling and get to the point, but I decided interrupting her might only slow down the process instead, so I didn’t say anything. “Can you believe they fired me because they believed that I was sleeping with my boss, who is a married man by the way...” She informs me like I should have cared or had an opinion about it. Even if I had I would probably believe the man if I was judging by what she was wearing. My eyes scan over her short shining silver dress with its small straps and low neck. “They said that it was a conflict of interest and…” I clear my throat and her eyes shot back up to mine again, glad to know she didn’t notice me staring at her. “Anyway… I have been searching for a job to no avail so tonight I decided to stop. I got an eviction notice and my car was already impounded so why the hell keep searching right?” She shrugs throwing her hands up in the air. Her body was starting to relax, but I kept my gun pointed at her. I didn’t want her to get to comfortable.