FOUR: L'ISSUE

DANICA

"You!" Yvonne hissed as soon as she walked in.

What's up?

"You- you..." Her unexplainable anger amused me. She froze for a few seconds then let out a bitter laugh.

"I hope you're happy... I really do," she seethed. "But just keep in mind that you will be back."

Okay... Why are you so angry though?

"You're a worthless piece of shit. He's just doing it for the press and social media. Not because you're of any use," she said, finally allowing her own words to calm herself.

I was an odd mix of confused and entertained by this.

"What are you talking about?" I flinched as soon as the words left my mouth. She just stared at me.

"You'll be back," She said, a smile forming on her lips.

"Need I remind you that if you make anyone think badly of me I will have you killed? You must understand that we have unique ways of doing things here. It may not be acceptable to most people, but I do this because I care. So don't mess up your own life just because you couldn't keep your own damn mouth shut."

Great speech.

She turned around and started to walk out. She turned and gave me one last look with mixed emotions in her eyes.

She's dead inside too. Then she left. And just like that, the peace I had managed to sustain left me and I was tortured by thoughts. Random but maybe relatable thoughts. Deeper and deeper I sank into my mind again. She had unlocked my curiosity.

And then, it was him I couldn't stop thinking about. So I spent the whole night thinking of him.

For years I had convinced myself that there would never be a way out of here because I didn't want to have to face the disappointment that would crush me years later when I grew old in this dump and died of torture.

But something about this man gave me goosebumps. He both terrified and comforted me in a very strange way.

And somehow, I found myself wanting to see him again.

What is wrong with you...

I tried so hard to force the thought of him out of my mind but it didn't work.

...

In just a few hours, my whole world started to revolve around him. It was a particularly unusual morning because I was hosed down and locked into a fresher jacket. But what made it entirely life changing was, of course, watching him sign a few papers and being helped into a sleek black car. It went by in a blur.

"Should I take this off?" His touched snapped me back into reality.I stared at him, dazed.

"You okay?" I nodded hesitantly.

He held up his hands with the keys to the locks in his right hand as if at gun point.

"I'm going to take this off. You don't seem comfortable," he said slowly. "Okay?" I nodded but screwed my eyes shut when he leaned over. He froze for a few seconds, then slowly unlocked.

Then he took it off completely revealing a plain black shirt. I had a pair of baggy white pants that made me look homeless. But maybe I was.

He stared at the jacket as if wondering what to do with it. "Don't get rid of it. You'll need it," I said, making him swallow visibly.

"Okay."

...silence.

"Are you hungry?" I nodded. "What's would you like to eat?"

I shook my head. "A-anything would be fine." I replied.

"Can I ask where you're taking me?" I said glancing at him.

"Well the hotel is fully booked so you'll have to stay with me for a while. I'm so sorry about that. But if that's not okay I can just buy a house or..."

Hotel? I guess going back to the club won't be so bad. It's a breath of fresh air compared to the hospital.

"U-umm... Are you my new manager? I haven't danced in a while."

He seemed so confused.

"What? No. You're coming to stay with me."

And slowly, things started to add up. Well not completely but at least now I knew that he had gotten me out and Yvonne was pissed about it.

The situation was overwhelming and I hoped I wouldn't have another panic attack.

"W-why?" Oh my god he's into human trafficking. That's why he's so rich...

"Did you want to stay there?"

I just thought that if I said yes he might take me back but if I said no he would find out Yvonne was crazy and she would hunt me down and kill me for that. Besides, she did say I would be back.

And so I was shocked when the word "no" left my mouth with a shaky breath.

"P-please no... I-I-I can't go back. Please don't let her take me back."

I broke down completely and he just stared at me not sure what to do.

"Its okay. You're never going back. I promise."

NOIR

I wanted to reach out and...Hold her? Help her understand that everything will be fine.

But I couldn't. I had no idea how she would react to anything. So I sat there silently.

"Okay so the bathroom is right there. You can take a shower or bath or whatever... Umm.." I pinched the bridge of my nose, wondering why I was being so awkward.

Then for some reason she started taking off her clothes in front of me.

"Woah... Ummm..." She froze and stared at me with wide eyes.

"You can... Do that in the bathroom."

She hesitantly walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

I sank into a chair with a heavy sigh. Just then, my phone began to ring. I was irritated until I saw who it was.

"I got the email," he said as soon as I picked up.

"And?" I asked hoping he wouldn't hear the desperation in my voice.

He laughed. "You know how busy I've been and I still have a lot to deal with," he said, making my heart sink a few centimeters.

I sighed. "Please?" He laughed again. "Asher, you can't just change everything with that word."

"Okay, what do you want, Neil?" I asked.

He laughed. Again!

"You seem to be in a very good mood," I remarked sarcastically.

"Asher, what I want, is something you can't handle and can't provide."

"Name it."

It was his turn to sigh.