The Arrangement 20

  “Oh, no, you di'n’t!” Her head sways as her gaze narrows.

  The tiger is going to rip my head off now.

  I turn to run, but there’s nowhere to go. I crash into a tower of boxes and duck behind them as they topple to the side. Mel evades them and is on my heels, swiping at me, yelling as she chases me in circles. “What the fuck is wrong with you? I’ve never done a damn thing to you!”

  Panting, I yell back, “You sent me to Black! You’re full of shit, just like the rest of them!”

  I swat at a bike that’s leaning against the wall and toss it down. It clatters when it hits the floor. Mel swears and stops to pick it up. I pause behind a six-foot tower of boxes and watch her.

  “What do you want me to tell you, Avery? The truth? Or more shit? I hate Black. I always have, but the woman has the right connections. I am a dumbass college kid, just like you. I stepped into a shit-storm when I met you. Since then Black has had me watching you. Then I found out what she really does.” Mel goes pale and shakes her head. “That’s some messed up shit. You ever wonder why there’s a call center in that building? Did you look around?”

  “Yeah, it’s a front.”

  “No shit, Sherlock. But a front for something worse. If they find her hookers they think they nailed her, but that’s not how she makes her money.”

  My lips part and I want to ask, but I’m not sure if I want to know.

  “Tell me.”

  “It don’t matter,” Mel says shaking her head. “As long as we keep playing dumb and acting like we don’t know--”

  “I don’t know!” I step out from behind the box and start talking with my hands. Once I begin, I can’t stop. “I don’t know anything anymore. My Dad, the one who loved me, wasn’t my real father. My brother is freakin' Vic Jr. I had no idea. I see nothing! I know nothing! And I’m sick of it. So, spill! Tell me why you’re following me, why you’re here now, or walk away.”

  The corner of her lip lifts and then falls quickly. Mel sighs and nods.

  “Fine, have it your way. I started with Black the same way as you--a friend brought me in. We’re there together until last summer and then she takes an internship overseas. When school started this year, she didn’t come back. Black said she moved on to bigger and better things. I assumed she found a real job. Fast forward to you. I think I’m helping you by bringing you in. Black must have been eyeing you for other reasons, but I don’t suspect that then. She gives me a kickback every time you work. So I encourage you to keep at it.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  “Surviving justifies anything. I already told you that, and I’m not apologizing for it.” Mel clears her throat and sighs. “The thing is, as I work less, Black shifts my job. Now instead of the random fuck, I’m moving cargo and checking spreadsheets. It’s an OCD wet dream.”

  “So you love it?”

  “Yeah. It gets me outta doing the nasty while still earning the same money. It’s a good gig. I know it’s too good to be true now, but at first I thought the same as you--the call center is a cover for the brothel. Since I’m stepping up, I don’t care. Add in the dead hooker and I really don’t want to go back. Black makes it seem like I’m looking out for you, the way I would a little sister. Since I feel that way about you anyway, I didn’t see it as a bad thing. So, I followed you. I watched you with Marty. I found out way too much shit about Marty.” Her face goes blank for a second and then she shakes her head as if trying to dislodge a thought. “That boy has issues.”

  “I know. Back to Black, please.”

  Mel looks at me from under her brow. “You know he’s not a fairy, never was?” I nod. “You know he was working for Victor? And that he was supposed to slit your throat when you got hot and heavy?”

  “Yes, get on with it.” Mel makes a face and waits. “What?”

  “You forgave him? What the hell? You seriously let that little fucker off the hook? He’s been following you around so he can kill you. He was a fucking assassin hired by a mob family, and you’re still acting like he’s a harmless puppy!”

  “No, I’m not. I know what he is, what he’s done, and what he does. What I don’t know is anything about you.”

  “Me?” She presses her hand to her chest. “Me? You think you don’t know me? What about you, Avery? I thought we were friends? Then I find out from someone else about all this shit. You didn’t tell me anything! You slept with Trystan Scott! You never even said anything. He’s a fucking rock star and you nailed him and said NOTHING.” Her jaw locks as she stares me down.

  I can’t help it. I smile. “That topic is a little intimate for a total liar.”

  Mel sucks in air through her nostrils, flaring them as she breathes. “You did not go there. I swear to God, Avery--”

  “Stop swearing and just do it! If you’re here to drag me back to Black, do it! If you’re here to shove a knife in my heart, stab away! I can’t take this anymore, and I sure as hell can’t beat the knife ninja to even get past the door.” I step out from behind the boxes and face her.

  Mel watches me closely, her eyes flick from my hands to my feet and back to my face. She anticipates an attack. Her body says as much. I sit down on the floor and hold my hands up.

  “I’m done,” I say wearily. “I’m not fighting you.”

  Mel hesitates. A moment later, she says, “I’m not here for Black.”

  “Then who are you here for?”

  A deep voice comes from the hallway. “Mel works for me.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Gabe steps into the room and spots me on the floor. I’m sitting cross-legged and leaning back on my hands. My confusion leaks onto my face.

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  Gabe smiles at me and shakes his head. “You don’t listen for shit, you know that, right?”

  I can’t help it. I smile. “My dad used to say that.”

  Gabe walks in, dressed in his usual sleek suit. It’s a little big for him. He opens his lapel and pulls out a wallet. A moment later, he’s handing it to me.

  “You’re on the cusp of something so much darker than a Ferro could ever do to you. Open it.”

  I feel the cold leather in my hands, and flip it open. A gold badge shines under the bare bulb. I glance up at him again.

  “You’re a cop?”

  “FBI.”

  “That’s the wrong jurisdiction for prostitution, isn’t it?” My eyes bounce from Gabe to Mel and back to Gabe. “You guys don’t do that. Why are you watching Miss Black?”

  Gabe pulls a folding chair down from the stack of crap along the wall and opens it. He sits down and takes off his jacket, placing it neatly on his lap.

  “When I started this case, I thought I knew what I was walking into, but I had no idea. It’s so much more than we originally thought, and Black is careful. That woman covers her tracks. We haven’t been able to nail her on anything but prostitution. When first looking at her business, it’s designed to reveal an active madam who sells girls for five to six figures. She has specialty clients--high profile. It’s the kind of establishment that a DA would take down with pride and never assume there’s something more nefarious going on. But there is. People started disappearing over the past few years. Multiple women.”

  “Where’d they go?” I ask, looking over at Mel, who is uncharacteristically silent.

  “It’s not a pretty story, Avery. It’s the kind of thing that gives me nightmares, and I’ve seen more than most. But this? What Black does? It keeps me awake at night.” Gabe pauses and shudders as if overcome by a disturbing memory.

  “I was lucky she wanted you.” Mel swallows hard. “You know how she was suddenly very interested in your virginal situation, right? Well, it turns out that fetishes are her specialty. If you’ve got enough money, she’ll make it happen. That side of her business soon outgrew the regular side. And when a girl comes in and gives free reign the way you did, she knows you’ll go all the way.”

  My stomach dips and I resist the urge to squirm.

&
nbsp; “What are you talking about? I did go all the way. Sean is--”

  “Sean Ferro is not her target clientele. Not anymore.” Gabe exchanges a look with Mel.

  “Tell her. Otherwise, she’ll walk into it and not know what’s happening until it’s too late.”

  “I’m not selling myself again,” I say with a laugh. This is absurd. “After everything that’s happened, you really think that I’d--”

  “I really think you’d end up asking Black for help. Yeah, I can see that. With Constance Ferro dead, and Sean… I’m sorry, but you’re in a bad place. I can see you asking Black to help you crush Vic and I can see her saying yes because she wants you.” Mel says it carefully so I don’t lash out.

  “Wants me for what? You keep saying Black’s hiding something. Who cares about fetish clients?” I glance at Gabe.

  He takes a deep breath and leans forward putting his elbows on his knees. He’s close enough that I can smell him now, aftershave and Tide. His badass vibe mixed with his squeaky clean smell suddenly seems funny.

  “That seemed to be the start of it,” Gabe begins. “Black entices guys like Sean Ferro with beautiful women, then appeals to their darker sides--their need for something beyond what is acceptable.”

  Fear rushes through me as ice climbs up my spine. He knows. He knows what Sean did to me, what he did to the others. The monster isn’t a secret. I try not to show my feelings on the subject.

  “And…”

  “And Sean Ferro is a pussy cat compared to what else is out there. Black finds girls who give no limits and offers them positions of power while ensnaring them with contracts and payment advances. It seems like something minor at first--maybe succumbing to fear--but then she passes them through a chain of clients, in order from most timid to most extreme. Women were abused, raped, scarred, starved and beaten within an inch of life. Some guys went too far. Black knew they would and did nothing to stop it.”

  Horrified, I sit there and stare at him. “That can’t be true. She said she does background checks. I saw them! Then there’s you, the other thug, and the bracelets. When I was in trouble, you were there.”

  “It’s all part of the show,” he says, nodding. “It makes you feel secure taking risks you wouldn’t normally take. Maybe it starts with a little strangling and S&M. You have a false sense of security. You think we’ll come if you need out. But one day we don’t come, and things go too far.”

  “She’s killing them?” I stare at Gabe and Mel. That can’t be. I would have noticed if girls were disappearing. Wouldn’t I?

  “No. That’s the thing--Black doesn’t hurt the girls. She sends them out with a false expectation of safety. The client can pay to go as far as he wants--even if that means the girl will die.”

  The blood rushes from my face.

  Mel interjects. “Those are the lucky ones, Avery. The transactions I was tracking--they weren’t boxes of goods.”

  My stomach sinks. “Then what were they?”

  “People. Girls. She sold them--alive, battered, and dead. In cages, crates, and cargo. She fucking sold them!” Mel’s muscles tense and it looks like she wants to punch something.

  Gabe keeps talking, explaining how it starts with something small, just what you’re comfortable with. It’s like a really good date. It might even be fun. Then it starts to slip into something else, but the girl stays. She says she’s open to anything, and Black holds her to that. I hear Black’s words rush through my mind.

  I cut Gabe off. “She offered me a position as a madam.”

  “She had a buyer,” Gabe says with a nod. “You narrowly avoided being sold.”

  Mel turns around and punches a box. The stack shakes but doesn’t fall.

  “That’s what happened to my friend.” Mel stares at the cardboard as she speaks. “She never came back, Avery, and Black wanted you for the same reason--you have that little bit of spunk, but it’s not enough to save you. That’s why she separated us. That’s why she didn’t choose me.”

  We’re silent for a moment.

  “You don’t have anything to nail her with?”

  “Nothing that will stick.” Gabe’s eyes fix on mine. “That’s why I kept telling you to run. Once she has a buyer, the rest is a matter of time.”

  Swallowing hard, I ask the question even though I don’t want to know the answer.

  “Who’s my buyer? Do we know?” Gabe sees where I’m going.

  “It wasn’t Sean if that’s what you’re asking.”

  I nod slowly. “Did he ever do something like that?”

  Gabe shakes his head. “Not that I’ve seen. Sean Ferro is a calloused sonofabitch with a sordid history, but he didn’t come around for other services. He was solely interested in you. The offer came from another account holder, one with a necrophilia request. Either way, your path with Black ends in a coffin.”

  CHAPTER 5

  I haven’t slept for nearly a week. Every time I close my eyes, I dream of Sean. Our last few days play on a loop in my subconscious. I see his face, the hurt in his eyes, immediately followed by a double gunshot. I wake up covered in sweat, ready to scream. Heart pounding, I throw off the blankets.

  Mel is sleeping across from me. She’s got one eye open and her hand wrapped around a knife.

  “Go back to sleep.”

  “I can’t.” Rubbing my face, I stretch and throw my legs over the side of the bed. “I keep seeing his face. The last things he heard weren’t good.” I get up and pull on a pair of jeans and throw my hair into a ponytail.

  Mel groans and pulls the pillow over her head. “Not again.”

  “I need to run. I have to clear my head.”

  “You’re trying to kill me.” Mel throws her pillow and sits up. “We’ve slept for a total of five hours in four days, and you spend most of your awake time working out.”

  “So I don’t flip out! Pick one, Mel, crazy Avery or buff Avery.”

  “Shoot me.” Mel flops back on her bed.

  We’ve been staying at Gabe’s nephew’s house on Long Island. He lives a few blocks from the cemetery where my parents rest. I pull a sweatshirt over my head and gesture for the knife.

  “Just give it to me. I can go on a run and make it back fine.”

  “Really?” Mel arches a dark brow at me. “You’ve got not one but two psychos trying to find you, and today is the funeral of New York’s most hated woman. You seriously expect me to let you go out alone?”

  “No. I’m saying that I can go out alone. Whatever is going to happen, will happen anyway.”

  “Not while I’m there. Give me a minute.”

  “Yeah, sure.” I don’t want to argue with her. Since Mel told me about Miss Black’s main business, she’s had this haunted look in her eyes. It’s like she helped facilitate evil things and there’s no way to wash the blood off her hands. Innocent women are gone, possibly dead, and she had a part in it. It’s not her fault, but I understand her horror. I wonder what nefarious thing my actions set in motion.

  The TV clicks on in the kitchen. Gabe’s nephew is up and getting ready for work. The loudest news story all week has been about the body on the beach. They haven’t released the name yet, but I already know who it is. I’ve tried to reach Peter and Jon, but they’ve gone dark. I haven’t heard a peep from Marty or Trystan either.

  “I can’t wait anymore,” I call out to Mel. “I’m going to lose it. I’ll be out front.”

  “Fine, be right there.” Mel is so grouchy.

  I walk past our host. He’s wearing a tattered red robe the color of dried blood. His hair is sticking up like he didn’t sleep at all, and he’s holding a newspaper in one hand and a steaming cup of coffee in the other.

  “Morning.”

  “Hey, Avery. Is Mel going with you?” I nod. “I can wait with you until she gets ready.” He drops his things and is ready to stand.

  “I’ll be right out front. Really, it’s fine. You can see me through the window. I won’t leave without her.”

 
“Uncle Gabe will kick my ass if you do.”

  “I’m not leaving, Tim. I’ll see you tonight. Maybe I’ll cook something.”

  He laughs. I’ve been cooking non-stop since I got here. Tim’s house is stuffed with lasagna, ziti, meatballs, and enough sauce to cause a tidal wave.

  “Anything you want, Avery. Feel free to make pancakes.”

  “Yeah, you just don’t want meatballs for breakfast.”

  “Does anyone?” Mel asks blurry-eyed from the doorway behind me. “Shit, I need coffee.” She makes a beeline for the pot. “Go stretch. I’ll be right there.”

  I nod. Mel isn’t a morning person. “See you later, Tim.” I push through the backdoor and start my day.

  CHAPTER 6

  I’m pushing myself harder, trying to ignore the burn in my lungs and the pain in my side. I want to feel nothing. I want to feel numb from head to toe; my broken, dying heart reminds me of everything I’ve lost every time it beats. I can’t face the world without him, I won’t.

  I’ll never come to terms with losing Sean.

  I’ll never move on.

  There are few people in my life that have left such a dramatic impression on me. For better or worse, and I prefer to think Sean was for the better, he pushed me, pulled me, and tried to meet me where I was. He tried to be what I needed. And failed. I failed.

  I’ve lost everything and everyone dear to me.

  The girl running at my heels is watching me, torn between two worlds. If Mel hands me over to Black, she’ll be an instant millionaire--everything she ever wanted delivered on a silver platter. If she protects me, she gets nothing but honor. Honor doesn’t buy much these days. I’ve slept with one eye open since she told me about what Black really does. Mel’s confession should have convinced me she was on my side.

  But it didn’t.

  It convinced me Gabe is truly a good guy, but it proved that I don’t know Mel as well as I thought I did.

  ‘Surviving justifies everything.’ That’s her mantra, her motto. So, why not trade me in for a new life? Her old life is worth peanuts in comparison.