Dark Boundaries(6)

“Uhm … no, thank you. I think I’ll just have water for now.” Before I can ask the waiter for water, Garrett gives our orders. At least he made no comment about the water. One of us needs to be sober and make sure we all get back to the hotel.

I look back to the stage as a slow rhythmic beat starts up. A girl comes running out onto the stage. She’s a total contrast to the beat. Where the music is slow and teasing, her movements are rushed almost as if she’s scared. She darts to one side, then back to the other side of the stage before she falls down, her chest heaving. The beat picks up as a man enters the stage.

He prowls towards her. Where the other couples danced together, telling stories of lust and passion, this couple seems to convey a message of anger and fear. The bulky man stops by the girl. He yanks her up by her shoulders and as she stands shaking, he rips the gauzy lingerie from her body in one fell swoop.

I gasp at the harsh way he’s handling her, ripping the material from her body and then he throws her. She hits the dark wood of the stage and skids a few inches before her body stops. She raises her head high, as if to scream and empty eyes meet mine. I hold my breath as the man grabs hold of her hair. He yanks her back up, turns her around and then slaps her. I don’t hear the sound as his hand connects with her cheek, but it looks pretty real and painful. I feel uncomfortable.

“This particular scene seems to be upsetting to you.” Garrett’s not asking, he’s stating this.

My eyes jump from the stage to Garrett’s watchful gaze, then back to the stage. “I …”

“It’s not for everyone,” he smiles. I’m filled with a rush of disappointment that he seems to like it.

The night drags by slowly and the shows get more intense. The last show is of two men having sex with a woman. While the one man is pumping into her from behind, the other has his erection shoved in her mouth. By the time the curtain closes, I feel sick. I’ve had sex before so don’t get me wrong, I’m not some prude. But the few times I had sex it was dark, I didn’t even get to see the guy’s body. This was the first time ever I saw an erection, even if it was from afar. I just want to go back to the hotel and forget everything I saw.

~*~





Chapter Three



Garrett~

She is so out of place. Her hands are shaking and she looks like she’s about to faint. Huge grey eyes keep moving flittingly from the stage to her water. The other two seem to be enjoying the night, but Kristine definitely isn’t.

I reach over and take hold of her hand. I give it a light squeeze. “You survived. The shows are over,” I whisper.

“Barely,” she mumbles back. Her eyes flit between my hand and my eyes. I’m making her nervous. I smile and watch as her lips curve into a small smile.

She’ll be perfect. I can see Warren keeps looking at her. She’s gotten his attention as well, not as much as Riza, whose face he’s busy sucking. They sound like an Elephant slurping water. The man can’t kiss to save his own pathetic excuse of a life. He lets her lips go with a wet popping sound. I can see the redhead is struggling to not reach up and wipe her mouth off.

For a brief moment Warren’s eyes meet mine, then Justin’s. “It’s time,” Warren stands up. “They’re right.” He’s eyes skims over each girl and I know what that look means.

Disappointment flashes over Kelly’s features, where she’s been talking to my brother. I can’t help feel sorry for these girls, such stupid girls.

Warren’s still smiling as he takes out a gun with a silencer attached. I hear Kristine’s gasp and then the whooshing sound it makes through the air, as he hits Riza against the side of her head. Her body falls to the ground from the force he used. Shock vibrates through me. I’ll never get used to seeing a woman being beaten.

Justin grabs hold of Kelly and covers her mouth before she can scream. I hold Kristine’s hand tighter. She stares at Riza for another shocked moment, then she launches her body forward to get to her unconscious friend. Blood trickles from a gash where the gun connected with Riza’s temple.

“R … Riza!” Kristine manages a gasp filled with terror. “Why did you do that?”

Warren turns the gun on Kristine, a look of irritation on his face. “No!” I jump up and yank Kristine up next to me. “Don’t be stupid. You don’t have to kill anyone. Think of the money. Your father will be pissed. He wants four girls.”

Warren moves his hand so that the gun is pointing directly at my chest. I clear my face of all emotion. I shove Kristine at Warren. “Kill her then. It doesn’t matter to me. We’ll just have to keep looking, because I sure as hell won’t be telling your father why we failed him.”