The tinfoil wrapped burrito steamed with flavor as I opened it and inhaled. Determined to prove the greasy man wrong, I took a bite of the beef, chewed, and grinned.
It’s not so bad.
Then the heat began.
My tongue shrivelled up.
The Mexican food kicked me hard. Quicker and hotter until my grin switched to a gasp, wheezing in spicy agony.
Water!
Oh, my God, I need water.
My eyes streamed with tears as I grabbed both burritos, left my commandeered table, and bolted toward the convenience store blinking with billboards of ice-cold water and cola bottles.
Charging inside, I yanked open a glass-fronted fridge, grabbed a water, and tore off the cap. I downed it in three seconds. And still, the fire burned my tongue and lips.
Gasping, I grabbed a chocolate milk.
Struggling with the cap, I finally got it open and took a few greedy sips. The full-fat milk helped temper some of the hateful rage. I exhaled a sigh of relief.
“I hope you’re going to pay for that.” A shop girl with pink hair raised an eyebrow.
Wiping my lips with the back of my hand (something I would never do in my real world), I nodded and collected another water bottle while somehow hugging my mostly-untouched burritos. “Yes, sorry. The spice caught me unaware.”
She grinned. “Oh shit, did you piss off Pete?”
“Pete?” I placed the two water bottles (one full, one empty) and the half-drunk chocolate milk onto the conveyer belt.
The shopkeeper passed them over the scanner, ringing up the sale. “Yeah, the guy who owns the Mexican street meat.” She giggled. “He makes a mean taco, but man, he’s cruel on the hot sauce.”
I ran my tongue over my still stinging lips. “I kind of asked for it.” Shrugging, I smiled. “I don’t get out much. I wasn’t aware not to antagonize food sellers.”
She bagged my purchases. “Yep, everyone knows that. Especially not to piss off the street kings.”
I dug into my wallet and pulled out a twenty. She took it, opened the register, then passed me my change. The fact she spoke to me with no tension or concern made me relax.
I was so used to talking to women from a boss-employee relationship. No one joked in my presence or told me what to do in case I fired them. And those who did try to befriend me only did so for a promotion or raise.
I could taste fakery like a rotten apple.
We shared another smile before awkwardness crept in. I didn’t know how to end a friendly conversation or even when to leave after buying something.
The girl saved me from standing there like an idiot. “Well, you have a good night. And don’t piss off any more people, you hear?”
I nodded. “Got it. Thanks for your help.”
“No sweat.” She gave me a small wave before disappearing from the till to finish stocking a shelf with chips.
Making sure I had both burritos and my valuable liquids to get me through the fire-breathing dragon of Pete’s revenge, I left the shop and re-entered the manic world of shoppers and tourists.
I ducked and jived through the crowd, intending to sit back down and try the blander chicken burrito, only to find my table and chair had been nabbed by a family with three young children who blinked glassy-eyed with tiredness in the glow of the bright neon lights.
All the other tables were occupied.
Oh, well.
I don’t mind. I can walk and eat.
Laughter caught my ears. I glanced at a table two down from where I stood, where four teenage girls sat. My lips twitched to share in their joke as I looked at what they were laughing at. Horror slammed into me instead.
They sneered and giggled at an elderly homeless man picking up aluminum cans in a trash bag.
I ached for him and the hopelessness of his situation. He was fully aware of the jokes and whispers, doing his best to ignore the girls as he chased a can caught in a puff of wind.
I’d been on the opposite end of homelessness all my life. I’d been born into a role that would ensure I’d never know the pain of cold and hunger. I’d been given so much, and what had I done? I’d run away for the night like an unappreciative teenager.
What was I thinking?
Embarrassment coated my insides. I couldn’t look at the clothes I’d taken from Belle Elle or the food I’d bought with money grabbed from the till. Things I had every right to use but somehow felt like I’d stolen and broken my father’s trust.
The girls continued to laugh as a can rolled out of the man’s trash bag through a tear in the bottom.
I wanted to slap them for their immaturity and lack of empathy. I wanted to forget I’d ever thought I wanted to be a typical girl rather than who I truly was: a capable young woman who would never stand by while another was ridiculed.
Marching toward the homeless man who knocked on fifty (Dad’s age) with a scruffy gray beard and holey beanie, I stopped and picked up the can. “Here you go.”
He froze.
The way he watched with trepidation and suspicion lacerated my heart. His entire body waited for abuse, fearing what other misfortune I’d bring into his life.
“It’s okay.” I urged him to take the dinged-up can.
He did, reluctantly.
Once he’d tucked the can into his bag, I looked at the gauntness in his face and the way he licked his lips at my burritos.
My own hunger vanished.
“Here.” I pushed the plastic bag containing the water and chocolate milk, followed by the burritos, into his arms. “You have them. I’ve only taken one bite. I’m not contagious, I promise.”
His mouth fell open as he cradled the icy drinks and hot food.
Awkwardness fell and tears I didn’t understand itched my spine. The look in his eyes was full of shock and utter gratefulness.
He quickly stuffed the food into the baggy pockets of his jacket and swigged the half-empty chocolate milk until it was gone. Wiping his lips with the back of his hand, he murmured, “Thank you.”
I smiled. “You’re welcome.”
I knew it was time to leave. But I couldn’t walk away—not yet.
Pulling my wallet out, I took the twenties, minus eighty dollars for me (as emergency funds to get home), and placed them into his hand. “Please, have this as well. Eat and have a night in a hotel somewhere.”
He curled his fingers tightly around the money. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything.” I stepped away. “Have a good night. And I’m sorry for those girls laughing at you. That’s terribly rude. We’re not all like that.”
He blinked as if coming out of a fugue.
“Goodbye.” I walked away feeling better and happier than I had in...well, forever.
Chapter Six
ELEVEN P.M. AND the novelty of walking around a bustling city had begun to wear.
I didn’t want to spend any more money on food—just in case a taxi cost over eighty. I had no idea how much transportation would be to get home.
My feet ached from all the miles I’d traveled. My back hurt from not being used to standing. And the crowd steadily became less polite and more disorderly as the night grew later.
The jostling of limbs and pushiness made me nervous, and thoughts of returning to a quiet bedroom where I knew who I was and how to play by the rules enticed me.
Stepping from the curb, I shot across the road (narrowly missing a speeding car), and stood on the corner where a pile of rubbish had gathered from passing pedestrians and shop-fronts ready for collection.
I looked up and down the road, hoping to see the yellow glint of a cab. I hated that only a few hours into my bid for freedom, I already wanted to go home. I truly was a boring girl like the food vendor had said.
But at least I’d explored on my own.
I know now I’m not missing anything.
I can put my childish whims behind me and agree the grass is not greener on the other side.
I stood for a
few minutes, waiting for a ride but nothing came. Deciding to change my position, I joined the crowds again and carried on a little further. Once the congestion thinned out, I stood in front of a small alley and resumed my search.
Left, right, look and hope.
I stayed in place so I could raise my arm quickly the moment I spotted a cab.
The world faded around me as I focused on waiting for a ride. The allure of soft sheets and quiet rooms helped delete the chaos I’d been a part of for a few short hours.
I didn’t notice the two men at first.
Perhaps I was too naïve or blind, but I didn’t expect a hand to lash around my elbow on both sides—two men crowding me between them.
My heart leaped into my throat, gagging me from screaming.
My eyes popped with disbelief as they jerked me backward into the alley.
No!
I didn’t comprehend what was happening.
Let me go!
I’d never been handled with such force before.
Their touch dug like five-finger traps into my arms.
Hurting.
Bruising.
“Help!” My heart stuck in my throat, preventing any more than a strangled beg. My uselessness gave them all the time they needed.
With a sinister chuckle, they dragged me deeper into the darkness, away from streetlights and people and taxis.
“Let me go!” I struggled, kicking and flailing. “Help! Help! Someone—”
But it was too late.
They pulled me further, laughing louder as my feet skidded uselessly on the grimy ground. In some strange recess of my mind, I noticed how dirty my shoes had become. How black now smeared the pristine white.
“No! Stop!” I lost my shock-stupor, giving into fighting terror.
I bent and buckled.
I kicked and squirmed.
But they were too strong.
The street was too far away.
The world was too obsessed to care.
“Let. Me. Go!”
“Shut the fuck up.” The harsh command was as sharp as a fishhook, digging into my mind with evil.
“What do you want?” I fought harder, winded and so, so worried. “I don’t—”
“Told you. Shut the fuck up.” They held me tighter, their fingers digging into my flesh like cleavers. “What we want is our business, not yours.” One of them laughed.
Three-quarters down the alley, where the sounds of a busy metropolis were muted in favor of rankness from awful smelling trash, they shoved me forward, slamming me against the wall.
The air in my lungs vanished, leaving me empty.
I doubled over in pain as the nodules of my spine crunched against brick. I tried to suck in a breath, my long hair tangling in a mess over my shoulder.
I peered up through the blonde strands, doing my best to formulate an escape. To them, I was an inexperienced little girl who they could rob and hurt with no consequences. I had to prove to them otherwise.
Even if it’s the truth.
The men chuckled, nudging each other with congratulations.
I didn’t wait to see what would happen next. Pushing off from the wall, I sprinted through the small gap and dug for every bit of strength and courage I had. My mouth opened to scream—to scream as loud and as long as I could—but one man grabbed me, slamming me into his chest. The other plastered a metallic smelling palm over my lips, silencing me.
Sandwiched between the two, I understood my dire situation.
The terribly, stupid bad situation.
“Where do you think you’re going, little bitch?”
Hardness, where there should be no hardness, prodded me in the front and the back. They ground their cocks against me.
I shuddered, understanding right away that whatever they wanted from me wasn’t just monetary but physical.
And I can’t do a thing to stop it.
Tears sprang to my eyes, but I did my best to blink them away. I’d let shock get me into this mess. I wouldn’t let pity make it worse.
Their breath turned heavy as they pressed harder into me. Not caring that their heads touched each other in their bid to consume me.
My bones turned to ash as my heart suffocated.
Please, please don’t let them hurt me.
Being normal was suddenly the most idiotic concept in the world. I would gladly return to Belle Elle and never leave the crystal tower of business for the rest of my life. I would work every hour, of every day until I died if I could just walk away from this untouched.
Please!
I wriggled in their arms, trying to bare my teeth beneath the guy’s palm to bite. He kept my lips firmly glued while his hips thrust against me from behind. His rocking knocked me off balance into his accomplice’s sickly embrace. “Know what tonight is, pretty girl?”
My nineteenth birthday.
My stupid attempt at being normal.
I sucked in a breath, dragging in their scents of corruption and filth.
“It’s the night you give us a good fuck then, if you’re good, we let you go.”
Horror flowed like ice water only to solidify into a glacier as his friend whispered, “We want your money and your jewelry as well as your cunt. Give them up willingly, and this will end much better for you.”
He reached down, cupping me between the legs.
I moaned like a feral cat about to be butchered.
“Don’t and things will get very, very bad.” His fingers clenched around my core. “Fucking bad. Got it?”
When I didn’t move apart from blinking yet more terrified tears from my vision, he pressed his groin into my belly. “Nod if you get it.”
I didn’t want to obey.
I wanted to tell them to die.
His friend snaked his arm around my middle, clutching me so hard my ribs bent, and the hardness in his pants bruised my spine. “Nod, bitch, then we’ll let you go.” He thrust again. “But if you scream, we’ll beat you fucking bloody, and you’ll wake up with nothing. Not even your clothes.”
My lungs ached from lack of oxygen; caustic terror burned holes in my veins, drowning me in blood.
The man in front kissed my cheek. “Last time. Nod if you agree to our terms.”
What else could I do?
I had no weapons, no experience. The most I could hope to do was delay by obeying until I spied an opportunity to run.
Please let that opportunity come sooner rather than later.
It hurt even more than stepping from Belle Elle in shame, but I nodded.
The moment I did, they stepped back. The one in front readjusted his trousers, fisting himself. “Fuck, it makes me hot when they obey.”
They?
How many women had they done this to?
The world had been a vibrant adventure before. Now, it was a cesspool of criminals.
The man behind me came to my side, hemming me against the wall. They placed themselves strategically to block my exit. The shadows kept most of their features hidden, but one wore a baseball hat with a red logo, and the other dressed in a white jacket with the Adidas logo on the front pocket. They were the same height (about a foot taller than me) and both had dirty teeth as they smiled matching evil grins.
The one who’d been behind me in his Adidas jacket pointed at my neck. “First, let’s focus on the jewelry, shall we? Give me that necklace.”
I gulped. “What?”
The one in the baseball cap wagged his finger. “No talking. Do what we say, or you’re fucked.”
I flinched as he once again fisted the hard length visible in his pants. “First, we get what we want, and then you get what you want.”
What I want?
My lips curled in disgust.
What I want is for you to drop dead in agony.
His accomplice chuckled. “What you want is a cock, stuck-up bitch. You can’t deny it. Well, it’s your lucky night. You’ll get two soon enough. Now, hand over that fucking necklace.”
“
Please...” I clamped my hand over the sapphire star that I’d only had since breakfast but already meant so much. “Don’t—”
“Breaking all the rules, aren’t cha?” A fist came out of nowhere, crashing against my temple.
Bright pain detonated through my skull, forcing me back and sideways against the wall. I couldn’t see past flashing lights. I couldn’t hear through the ringing in my head. But it didn’t stop one of them from grabbing the chain around my neck and yanking hard enough to break. The white-gold sliced into my nape before giving way, making me cry out in pain.
A hand landed on my breast, squeezing hard while a foot kicked my legs open and fingers grabbed between my thighs.
I moaned again, shaking my head to rid the receding punch. “No...stop.”
A hand smashed over my mouth. “Shut the fuck up.”
My vision slowly came back as Adidas dug his hands into my jacket and pulled out my purse. He counted the bills while Baseball Cap kept me gagged and pressed half-standing, half-slouching against the wall. “Eighty bucks? Seriously, that’s all you have?” His sneer was accompanied by gross breath. “We’ll just have to get it out of you in other ways.”
Digging his hand into my back jeans pocket, he pulled out my Belle Elle identification card. The flash of my portrait in a crisp black blazer and my blonde hair artfully coiled reminded me how far I’d fallen from my queendom.
If they killed me, my father would never know what happened. There would be no way to I.D my body or any explanation of how I ended up in an alley on my nineteenth birthday and not safe at home with him.
I hated how selfish I’d been.
How stupid.
If I survived this, I would never bemoan my life again. I would never take my company for granted. I would live an existence of utter gratefulness.
“Noelle Charlston. Looks like you have a cushy office job.” Baseball Cap smirked. “Bet you use that nice ass just for sitting rather than anything else.” He leaned into me, pressing his erection against my hip. “Ever been fucked over your desk, office girl? Ever given a boss a blowjob for a promotion?” He thrust hard. “I like the thought of you giving me a blowjob.” He nodded at his friend. “Get her on her knees.”
I scrunched up my face as I screamed internally.