CHAPTER537
Camilla stares me in open mouthed astonishment. I guess the penny finally dropping as to why I am how I am. She sees in me, what I saw in her. Some sort of kindred, who maybe in another lifetime, could have been real friends.
“I’m sorry… I never knew.” She backtracks pathetically, stunned by what I said, and I guess momentarily at a loss for words. A tiny hint at the human within her, before she closes it back up and snaps the ice queen back in place.
“Like it would have made any difference to you… Just go away, I’m done here.” This is going nowhere, and I don’t want to be involved with her problems, or the mess she’s made. I truly think she has made her own bed and needs to lie in it. If only to save so many girls from what she does to them.
I turn to walk away from her, throwing back a nasty glare, a parting goodbye in a way, seeing her turning to walk off too. The end of the fake friendship we never had and walk into a tall figure who has come up behind me. I walk smack into a hard, tall body, blocking my path and recoil with an ‘ouch.’ Making to apologize when he cuts in first with a dangerous tone, that halts the breath in my lungs.
“Going somewhere?” He snarls at me, grabbing my arm with an odd accent as I try to back away; I turn in panic towards Camilla, a million things racing through my head in that split second. Thinking the bitch has somehow set me up again, but she’s being manhandled by two more men, dragging her into the alley nearby, kicking and fighting hard and I realize this isn’t her…This is what she is running from.
My heart leaps into my throat, blood draining from my face and I impulsively make a run for it, instinct telling me to get the hell away from this. He hauls me back effortlessly, as though I am nothing more than a piece of paper, and wraps arms around my upper body cruelly.
I try to struggle, turning and twisting to break free and aim a kick at his shin with my full fury and strength, but he’s too strong and fast, grabbing me around the face and waist to get more control and hauling me after the two men in the ally. Lifting me off my feet so I can only kick my legs out and try and buck in his arms. He squeezes me tighter, almost breaks my ribs in the process, suffocating me with the palm pressed to my mouth so I can’t even yell out or bite.
My heart is beating fast, face aching with the force I am being smothered, as we are trundled into a black car parked in the shadows and I realize they must have seen her and come around behind us to park here. All the while we were standing arguing, the men she was hiding from had spotted her and that tell-tale bright red hair. This is my fault.
Shit!
I’m thrown into the back seat of the car as Camilla is thrown on top of me, a man caging us at each side as a hand comes to my throat to pin me back against the seat and keep me still. I automatically freeze, knowing that fighting in here is futile and these are men who think nothing of putting a bullet in your head or a knife across your throat. I don’t have to know who these people are to have a sense of the danger I’m in. Obedience is what they are going to get, sense tells me to stop fighting.
“Well, well, Camilla, my love.” The heavy English accent, so like Camilla’s, comes from the front, a male husky tone, as a man in the passenger seat turns to face us. He’s wearing black shades, a stubbled middle-aged face, dark shaggy hair that’s semi groomed and wearing an expensive leather jacket. “We’ve been looking for you love.” He smiles at her and it’s completely sinister, a crooked, evil smile that does not bid well for either of us. He has an air about him, that he is a guy you do not piss off.
“Tyler. I haven’t been hiding, I’ve been trying to get your money.” Camilla’s turned white as a sheet, with wobbling voice and clearly terrified. Losing all her poise and mannerisms as her accent gets a little shaky, dropping its upper-class edge and sounding less refined. I stay painfully still, regulating my breathing so that I don’t fall into a panic attack and try to keep my head. Everything inside of me is poised in fear and all I can keep thinking about is how much I need Arry right now.
“Bull shit, don’t you think we know you’ve been giving us the run around? We’ve been watching the bus and train depot for days. Actually, we were on the way there to check early hour departures.” He sniggers, as though there’s something funny about that and keeps those shades trained on her. I can feel the eyes of the man beside me, watching my every breath, the one holding my throat tight; and doing a visual sweep of my legs under my dress. Sickness and fear sweep through me yet I stay completely still, knowing that if this goes the wrong way, I may be subjected to my past all over again, and I can’t fall to pieces.
“I need more time, I’m trying to get the money. I’ve had a bad run of luck; I just need more time.” Camilla’s sobbing, her face bruising where it looks like one of them has slapped her and blood pouring from her nose still, where I hit her. Complete numbness overtakes me, that old me, climbing into the depths of my head, where I know I can endure so much. Scared, terrified, but this weird sense of calm has come over me, dampening it all, and I’m already trying to look for ways to get out of here, to escape. Eyes skimming every door and person around me for a possible maneuver. I don’t care if they keep her, she deserves whatever happens to her, but I will not stay here to be abused or murdered because of her.
“I’ve been patient; it’s been a week since you checked in, a week past payment date and we’ve not heard a fucking thing from you. Imagine my surprise to be driving along the street and there you two were. Having yourselves a little girl brawl. What’s up, Honey…She holding out on you too?” He looks in my direction and I scowl back, inner fire spiking at being goaded and berating myself for a stupid reaction.
“Please, Tyler…I can get it, I swear. I just need a few more days.” Camilla continues, more tears, more pleading, yet somehow it all sounds like a well-practiced act. I glimpse her way and I can tell they’re crocodile tears.
“Really? Can’t seem to get it in the past weeks, yet suddenly you can get it in two days… From fucking where, Cam? It’s fifty grand!” He laughs sardonically, so do the men around us, like this is some sort of joke and they cruelly want to drag this out and are deriving pleasure from it. My stomach drops when I realize this has become as much as my problem as hers, and I only have a way out if she does too.
“From me… From my money. That’s where we were going, to get money from my family.” I blurt out, heart racing and tears blinding my eyes. Knowing that if there’s any hope then it comes from the fact I can have them paid off. Fifty grand isn’t an outrageous amount for my family.
“Really? And you have that kind of cash do you princess?” He looks at me dubiously, sarcasm in his tone as he takes in the sneakers, the party dress that’s now dirty from sitting on the road, and the grey hoody which belongs to Arry. I guess my face is a mess of tear stained make up and my hair has probably seen better days after my hood got tugged down in the struggle. I guess I probably look a little homeless, much like Camilla’s ‘on the run’ get up, despite this dress being couture and costing more than every outfit in here.
“No, but my family does. I just need to make a call. It’s pocket change to them.” I strain against the biting grip on my neck as he regards me silently for a long agonizing moment. Heart pounding in my rib cage so hard I can feel the pulse in every part of my body.
“One call and you can get fifty grand here?” He’s sneering at me and raises eyebrows to the driver who seems to chuckle; so far he has never turned our way, but I see his eyes in the rear-view, trained on me. Camilla whimpers some more, something about Huntsbergers and he strains to hear.
“What did you say?” He barks at her.
“Her family are rich…… Huntsbergers…. They’re billionaires in the Hamptons.” She blurts desperately, her eyes on him pleadingly. I wonder if she knew that before she conveniently met me in the hair salon that day. Made a play for me in every way.
“Why didn’t you say so sweetheart? Didn’t realize we were sitting with a little pot of gold here. Hampton’s royalty!” He laughs dryly, again his flanking men and the driver chuckle too, enjoying this little sarcastic power trip a little too much. I can barely catch my breath, but I’m keeping my cool, trying to keep my head together. Body tingling with adrenalin, now the initial shock has worn off and I’m thinking through all the possible ways we can get out of this. Who I should call if he lets me, but my heart already knows.
“Take her out to play while I talk to blondie here, don’t mess her up too much, she might be of use after we get paid.” He nods again, and Camilla begins screaming as she is dragged backwards out of the car by the hair and throat, taken out of sight to the rear when the door is shut on us again. Her voice is muffled with a cruel hand and I shudder. Panic spiking so I grip my hands together to curb it.
It’s almost like a reminder that this is not going to end well if I can’t get one of them to transfer or throw so much money at these people, that will satisfy them. Head screaming with the doubts that I can even pull this off. I don’t have that much in my own account unless I let my allowance build up. I don’t have time for that. Scared that he won’t be there for me, won’t do this for me; so many doubts about what I even still mean to him.
“Please, don’t hurt her, I’ll get your money. Please, I just need my cell.” The biting grip on my throat tightens and I can barely swallow or breathe. Holding still as a statue in fear and knowing it’s not wise to make this worse.
“Phone?” He barks at the man holding me. Commanding in an icy cold.
“In my front pocket.” My hands have been motionless by my side and as I go to fish for it but the man yanks it out instead, skimming my stomach as he does so with careless hands that make me recoil. My body shudders at the touch. Coiled and afraid, tense.
“So, who are we calling darlin? Better not be someone who is a bit too quick to call the feds, or else they won’t be finding their sweet little princess intact again.” He warns, his shades focused on me so that I can see my own reflection in their darkness. Seeing myself, my own reflection and I look awful.
“Arry, he’s listed as Arry. He’ll get the money, I know he will.” I tremble, rushing out his name with a shaking voice and knowing despite everything tonight, he will come through for me. He has too. When I truly need him, he never lets me down and he has access to billions of dollars if he needs them."
