“I just need to go home, but I need help.”
“What the fuck for?” Carla asks.
“I need someone to distract, Beast. Skull has him watching me. I need him occupied so I can get away. I thought you might be able to help with that,” I tell Jan, waiting for her response.
“What’s in it for me?” she asks, her greed evident in her words and the way she watches me.
“Fifty dollars?”
I wait for her answer. I’ve only been here a couple of days and Skull’s been keeping me busy, but even I have heard of Jan’s problem. She’s addicted to coke. It’s not my place to worry, but I feel bad for Beast.
“It’s going to cost more than a fifty to do what you’re asking. Fucker won’t ignore an order given to him by Skull. I’ll have to suck his dick to even stand a chance.”
“I’ll suck his cock for a fifty,” says Carla.
“Damn fucker won’t let you. He hasn’t been with another woman since he put a fucking ring on my finger. Shit, I leave just to get a break from giving him pussy. Drives me fucking crazy. He’s the most boring fuck around.”
I wince, feeling bad for Beast. I wish he could see what a bitch he’s hooked up with. I may not know him that well, but no man deserves to put up with this kind of stuff.
“So, how much?” I ask, anxious to end this conversation.
“A hundred.”
Guilt hits me as I hand her the money. I know it will go for drugs. Still, I try and justify it by admitting that if I don’t get away, no one will survive. Colin won’t quit until he makes sure of that.
“I’ll be going in there in ten minutes. You better do what you have to do because I’m not about to make sure you’re gone to finish him off.”
She’s just so freaking sweet, I think to myself. I listen as she gives me directions on how to get out of here and exactly what she will arrange, then hurry towards Skull’s room, desperate to get away from her.
“Everything okay, Beth?” asks Beast, and I come to a stop right before I can make my escape.
“Sure,” I say, trying to avoid eye contact. “Why do you ask?”
“Just checking. Skull and the boys will be back late this evening.”
“Yeah, he told me. Hey, Beast?”
“What’s up?”
“You’re a nice guy, you know. I mean… I don’t know you that well, but I can tell.” I feel my cheeks flushing.
“Uh… thanks, Beth.”
“Sure. Anytime. I… better go and take a bath. You can’t be too clean, you know.”
He grins. It’s a stiff grin, but a grin nonetheless. I’m being an idiot. It’s a wonder he’s not laughing and making fun of me.
“Bye, Beth.”
“Yeah. Bye, Beast. I really enjoyed talking with you and meeting you. You know. Just… everything.”
He does laugh a little this time, and why wouldn’t he? I sound loony. I just feel guilty that Jan’s been talking about him the way she has and that I’m using it to my advantage. I wish I could tell him all about Jan, but I can’t.
“Talk to you at dinner, Beth.”
“Yeah, sure, okay,” I tell him, opening the door to Skull’s room and needing to get away before I break down and tell him everything I’m planning.
I grab my backpack and sit on the bed, trying to calm my nerves. I only had two days with Skull as his, but they were the best two days I’ve ever had in my life. The weeks I spent meeting Skull at the coffee shop and then here at his club are memories I shall take with me to survive the rest of my life.
I get off the bed and crack Skull’s door and wait. When I hear Beast’s moans of pleasures, I sneak into the large hall bathroom. Jan said she’d have Marker, one of the new prospects who was in charge of monitoring the back of the building, wait for me and get me out of here. I wonder if Skull knows how shitty some of the people he keeps in his compound are.
It takes some prying and a lot of cursing, but I manage to get the bathroom window open and shimmy out of it. My plan was to hold onto the ledge and then jump down, but my hands slip and I fall to the ground with a hard thump. It jars me and knocks the breath out of my lungs. I have to sit on the ground for a couple of minutes before I can continue. I stand up and find my legs weak, though I think it has more to do with nerves than from falling. I look up and there’s a large man wearing a black leather cut just like Skull’s. The only exception is there’s no name or designation on it. It’s blank.
“You Skull’s whore?”
I wince. I want to argue, but I bite my tongue. Is it so far from the truth, really? Do I even care? Truth is, I would give myself to Skull over and over if I had the chance. It wouldn’t even be a question.