Behave
five
“Wake up!” the strange girl from my work place tells me. I stare blankly at her. She shakes her head, annoyed at me. “Are you really that stupid?”
She picks a cigarette from behind of her ear and lights it up. Her name is Roxy. Apparently, she’s no newcomer to New York or the Brag. The kidnapped girls and I were forced to sit in one of Cobalt’s room. Although the mansion is richly huge and luxurious, it reeks of drugs and prostitutes. While the girls were crying in a corner, I asked for answers from Roxy on why I’m here.
She continues, “You were sold off.”
“Sold?” I knit my brows.
“Yeah,” she says louder, making sure the girls behind me hears her explanation too. “Sold. You know that mummy and daddy you love so dearly? They fucking sold you to the Brag. Easy cash. Don’t bother crying. It’s not like they’re going to call a search squad to come look for you! So suck it up.”
From the tone of anger in her voice, I can tell she knows what she’s talking about and probably holds a grudge for her experience. But whatever this is, it can’t apply to me. It’s impossible. My mom would never do this. Not my mom.
“No,” I say.
Roxy lowers her head and laughs at me, her expression changing.
“Trust me. It’s a whole lot easier if you accept it.”
“No,” I shake my head, “My mom has nothing to do with this. It’s your fault. If you never dragged me to that club, I would have never met Heath or anyone!”
She cracks up.
“Darling!” she smokes, “I was told to drag you in that club. Just like I was told to get your information. It’s called recruiting.”
“Recruiting for what?” I spit, pissed off.
“To be the men’s sluts. What the fuck else?” Roxy answers back.
I draw back, covering my face with my shaky hands. I try to breathe evenly, but I just can’t. Mom would never do this to me.
“No, no, no…” I grunt.
“New ones come in every month,” Roxy keeps talking. “That’s if they kill off the old ones. You wouldn’t want to make them mad. I’d never take the chance.”
No, this won’t be my life. I stand to my feet and dash through the door. I turn the hall too quickly and bump into someone.
I look up and see Cobalt’s face, grinning at me. I gasp and track backwards.
“Oh, look what we have here? Little picker,” he says.
He then grabs a hold of my arm and I squeal.
“I think I’ll take this one tonight.”
“Cobalt,” Heath comes.
Something clusters in my throat. I fidget in Cobalt’s grasp, regretting having left the room.
“What?”
Heath pauses and looks at me for a second.
“Jed says the trailer’s ready for the morning,” Heath says.
“Good,” Cobalt simply replies.
“And I’ll take the girl,” Heath adds.
Cobalt lips stretch, “Why?”
“’Cause she’s mine.”
“You’ve already decided which one you wanted? Since when are you first to choose?” he asks.
“I do tones for you and you know I’m your best man. Can’t you let me have just have this one for myself?”
Cobalt flashes a agreeable smile, “Hm. I suppose.”
He lets me go, tossing me towards Heath.
“Enjoy, mate,” he winks to him before walking off into the room with the other kidnapped girls.
I swallow down the brick in my neck. I stare at the ground.
“Who told you to leave the room?” Heath inquires.
I don’t answer. I can’t speak to the likes of him. He doesn’t care and sighs.
“Come,” he orders.
We walk out the mansion and back to the parking lot. This time, Heath drives a shiny SUV. I sit in quietly. All I can think about is Roxy’s words. I still don’t believe her. How can any parent do this to their daughters? Just for money? Just to spare their own lives from the Brag? No, it can’t be. I wipe any tears before they can fall. We pull up to a 50-story high condo complex. We enter and elevate to the top floor. He swipes a card and the doors let us in. for criminals, they live lavishly.
“Listen, I’m not going to babysit you and tell you where the bathroom is,” Heath says, “You’ll have to find things on your own. And don’t make yourself feel at home.”
I frown to him, “Don’t even worry. I won’t.”
He raises his brow at my attitude, but quickly dismisses it and walks away. If I’m going to be stuck here, I might as well wash up and get some shuteye.
I play with the handle that should turn on the shower. There are many knobs and I try to figure out how this high tech shower system work. Finally when water trickles down like rain, I slip out of my filthy clothes and jump in the shower. The steam covers the glass around. I close my eyes and try to meditate on positive solutions to get out of this mess. The water falls over my face, warming me up. My mind can only focus on one thing. Heath. I bite my lip, hating myself for thinking about this good-for-nothing jerk of a guy. He’s dangerous. He’s bad. Bad for me. At least I think he is. I guess he’s not the worst, since he’s saved me time and time again. But why, though? He’s rough, but sometimes his eyes are soft. He’s always firm with me, but I don’t know if he’s protecting me. The confusion makes me uneasy around him. Who am I kidding? He’s anything but soft. I clean up and get out the shower. I wrap a towel around myself and pause. I don’t have any clean clothes. Before heading out, I take a second look in the mirror. I don’t look different, just scared to death.
I creep into the hall, listening for any sign of Heath. I find a bedroom after opening the only door that’s not locked. The windows go up to the ceiling, showcasing a view of the city and its skyscrapers in gleaming lights. The night is as black as can be. I can see everything from up here. I look on the side and see a basket with a few remote controls. I bet one of them can pull down the drapes. I pick one up, after fastening my towel, and press a few buttons. After several trials and errors, I manage to turn on the 100-inch flat screen TV, change the settings of the air conditioner, change the lighting, and finally make the drapes to drop over the windows. I put back the different remotes away and walk over to the double doors at the other end of the room. It’s a very elaborate walk in closet that’s bigger than my whole room back home. I scan my eyes over Heath’s stuff. For a criminal, he keeps things clean. It’s either that or he has a cleaning lady. There’s a section for suits and ties. There’s a section for shoes and boots. There’s a section for belts near the racks of shirts, pants, and jeans. There are drawers arranged for sleeve cuffs, watches and accessories. He’s even got a small storage of cologne and stuff. I rub my feet on the smooth carpet. I don’t want to wear his clothes. It just feels really wrong. But I don’t know how to turn off the AC. So, I swing into a T-shirt and sweat pants, though they fit poorly. I roll the waistband a couple of times to prevent it from falling off me. The minute I find my way out the maze closet, I see Heath coming in the room. I freeze, not moving from the door. He talks on the phone for a minute or two, before shifting his eye my way. He keeps his eyes on me after hanging up. I swallow, nervous of what can happen. I don’t ever recall being in a man’s bedroom like this.
“Come here,” he says.
She picks a cigarette from behind of her ear and lights it up. Her name is Roxy. Apparently, she’s no newcomer to New York or the Brag. The kidnapped girls and I were forced to sit in one of Cobalt’s room. Although the mansion is richly huge and luxurious, it reeks of drugs and prostitutes. While the girls were crying in a corner, I asked for answers from Roxy on why I’m here.
She continues, “You were sold off.”
“Sold?” I knit my brows.
“Yeah,” she says louder, making sure the girls behind me hears her explanation too. “Sold. You know that mummy and daddy you love so dearly? They fucking sold you to the Brag. Easy cash. Don’t bother crying. It’s not like they’re going to call a search squad to come look for you! So suck it up.”
From the tone of anger in her voice, I can tell she knows what she’s talking about and probably holds a grudge for her experience. But whatever this is, it can’t apply to me. It’s impossible. My mom would never do this. Not my mom.
“No,” I say.
Roxy lowers her head and laughs at me, her expression changing.
“Trust me. It’s a whole lot easier if you accept it.”
“No,” I shake my head, “My mom has nothing to do with this. It’s your fault. If you never dragged me to that club, I would have never met Heath or anyone!”
She cracks up.
“Darling!” she smokes, “I was told to drag you in that club. Just like I was told to get your information. It’s called recruiting.”
“Recruiting for what?” I spit, pissed off.
“To be the men’s sluts. What the fuck else?” Roxy answers back.
I draw back, covering my face with my shaky hands. I try to breathe evenly, but I just can’t. Mom would never do this to me.
“No, no, no…” I grunt.
“New ones come in every month,” Roxy keeps talking. “That’s if they kill off the old ones. You wouldn’t want to make them mad. I’d never take the chance.”
No, this won’t be my life. I stand to my feet and dash through the door. I turn the hall too quickly and bump into someone.
I look up and see Cobalt’s face, grinning at me. I gasp and track backwards.
“Oh, look what we have here? Little picker,” he says.
He then grabs a hold of my arm and I squeal.
“I think I’ll take this one tonight.”
“Cobalt,” Heath comes.
Something clusters in my throat. I fidget in Cobalt’s grasp, regretting having left the room.
“What?”
Heath pauses and looks at me for a second.
“Jed says the trailer’s ready for the morning,” Heath says.
“Good,” Cobalt simply replies.
“And I’ll take the girl,” Heath adds.
Cobalt lips stretch, “Why?”
“’Cause she’s mine.”
“You’ve already decided which one you wanted? Since when are you first to choose?” he asks.
“I do tones for you and you know I’m your best man. Can’t you let me have just have this one for myself?”
Cobalt flashes a agreeable smile, “Hm. I suppose.”
He lets me go, tossing me towards Heath.
“Enjoy, mate,” he winks to him before walking off into the room with the other kidnapped girls.
I swallow down the brick in my neck. I stare at the ground.
“Who told you to leave the room?” Heath inquires.
I don’t answer. I can’t speak to the likes of him. He doesn’t care and sighs.
“Come,” he orders.
We walk out the mansion and back to the parking lot. This time, Heath drives a shiny SUV. I sit in quietly. All I can think about is Roxy’s words. I still don’t believe her. How can any parent do this to their daughters? Just for money? Just to spare their own lives from the Brag? No, it can’t be. I wipe any tears before they can fall. We pull up to a 50-story high condo complex. We enter and elevate to the top floor. He swipes a card and the doors let us in. for criminals, they live lavishly.
“Listen, I’m not going to babysit you and tell you where the bathroom is,” Heath says, “You’ll have to find things on your own. And don’t make yourself feel at home.”
I frown to him, “Don’t even worry. I won’t.”
He raises his brow at my attitude, but quickly dismisses it and walks away. If I’m going to be stuck here, I might as well wash up and get some shuteye.
I play with the handle that should turn on the shower. There are many knobs and I try to figure out how this high tech shower system work. Finally when water trickles down like rain, I slip out of my filthy clothes and jump in the shower. The steam covers the glass around. I close my eyes and try to meditate on positive solutions to get out of this mess. The water falls over my face, warming me up. My mind can only focus on one thing. Heath. I bite my lip, hating myself for thinking about this good-for-nothing jerk of a guy. He’s dangerous. He’s bad. Bad for me. At least I think he is. I guess he’s not the worst, since he’s saved me time and time again. But why, though? He’s rough, but sometimes his eyes are soft. He’s always firm with me, but I don’t know if he’s protecting me. The confusion makes me uneasy around him. Who am I kidding? He’s anything but soft. I clean up and get out the shower. I wrap a towel around myself and pause. I don’t have any clean clothes. Before heading out, I take a second look in the mirror. I don’t look different, just scared to death.
I creep into the hall, listening for any sign of Heath. I find a bedroom after opening the only door that’s not locked. The windows go up to the ceiling, showcasing a view of the city and its skyscrapers in gleaming lights. The night is as black as can be. I can see everything from up here. I look on the side and see a basket with a few remote controls. I bet one of them can pull down the drapes. I pick one up, after fastening my towel, and press a few buttons. After several trials and errors, I manage to turn on the 100-inch flat screen TV, change the settings of the air conditioner, change the lighting, and finally make the drapes to drop over the windows. I put back the different remotes away and walk over to the double doors at the other end of the room. It’s a very elaborate walk in closet that’s bigger than my whole room back home. I scan my eyes over Heath’s stuff. For a criminal, he keeps things clean. It’s either that or he has a cleaning lady. There’s a section for suits and ties. There’s a section for shoes and boots. There’s a section for belts near the racks of shirts, pants, and jeans. There are drawers arranged for sleeve cuffs, watches and accessories. He’s even got a small storage of cologne and stuff. I rub my feet on the smooth carpet. I don’t want to wear his clothes. It just feels really wrong. But I don’t know how to turn off the AC. So, I swing into a T-shirt and sweat pants, though they fit poorly. I roll the waistband a couple of times to prevent it from falling off me. The minute I find my way out the maze closet, I see Heath coming in the room. I freeze, not moving from the door. He talks on the phone for a minute or two, before shifting his eye my way. He keeps his eyes on me after hanging up. I swallow, nervous of what can happen. I don’t ever recall being in a man’s bedroom like this.
“Come here,” he says.