Chapter 23 - Alyssa

My spirits were high as I headed to the meeting spot Jones and I agreed on. Once I paid him, he would be out of our lives forever. As I arrived, I noticed he had brought four of his men. This wasn’t part of our agreement. We were to meet in private.

If Piotr or the others found out what I was doing, they would not be pleased. Asking the driver to stop a couple of feet away, I considered leaving. Jones waved at me as I sat in the cab. He would not let it go if I didn’t comply. Getting out slowly, I asked the cabby to wait.

He nodded in agreement. Closing the door, I stood momentarily before walking toward Jones and his men. I was about halfway when I saw Jones wave the cabby away. Turning, I saw him acknowledging Jones before he drove off.

Something was off; the situation suddenly didn’t feel right. But with no cab and nowhere else to go, I decided to keep to our agreement. Jones stood with his hands on his fat hips. “Come on, I don’t have all day,” he spat as I neared them.

“Here’s my earning, Jones,” I said as I held out the envelope filled with money. “You just remember our deal and stick to it, okay?”

Jones grabbed the envelope, chuckling as he checked the contents. “You don’t tell me what to do, little girl. Remember, I own you!”

“Right, take her,” he said to his men as he headed to his car.

I turned and started running, my heart pounding in my chest. How could I have believed he would do the honorable thing and stick to our deal? I hadn’t gone far when I felt a hand closing around my wrist.

The guard yanked me so hard that I almost lost my footing. My shoulder burned as the muscles pulled and twisted. I let out an agonizing scream, but there was no one to hear me. I tried to fight as the guard dragged me back to the cars. I bit him and kicked his legs, but his grip was solid.

I racked my brain, thinking of all the training I had done with Piotr. But nothing came to mind. I couldn’t remember anything. The guard shoved me up against the car. He took out cable ties and constrained my hands and feet before shoving me into the car with Jones.

“We had a deal,” I mumbled as tears started their way down my cheeks.

Jones laughed, filling the air with a deep crackling sound. “Aw, come now, girly. You surely know you are worth more to me. I can now use you against Piotr and his dreadful Ungodly Organization.”

“What? What do you mean?” I inquired softly.

“After all the trouble they’ve been causing me, it’s time for payback, don’t you agree?” he hissed.

I had to find a way to let Piotr know what was happening. Glancing out the window, I knew there wasn’t much time before we would arrive at his underground hideout. I noticed the area we were passing. Up front would be the bar where Mila and I got drunk.

As we neared the corner, I hoped someone would be outside. Hopefully, the waitress that served us. The car slowed to a stop at the intersection. As it came to a brief stop, I turned to the door and pulled the handle.

Feeling the door opening behind me, I pushed with all my strength. I went headfirst out of the open door, tumbling to the road. Jones yelled at his guards. Getting to my feet, I pulled my phone out of my back pocket. Turning, I tossed it to the curb and screamed at the top of my lungs.

As the guards grabbed me, I saw the door open and three waiters stumbling out. I recognized the one and felt a slight tinge of relief as she came running over. She stared at me and Jones as they pulled me back into the car and drove off. I could only hope she remembered who I was.

Sitting up, I looked out the back window. She was bent over, picking up my phone. Jones was grumbling next to me, but I didn’t care. I felt sure Piotr would get the message. How long it would take, I didn’t know.

Jones took me to the underground club where most of his dealings took place. Everyone was surprised to see me. By the way, some of the girls were looking at me, and I knew this wasn’t going to end well.

The guard dragged me to the locker room. Shoving me to the floor, I felt panic taking hold of my mind. Why was he putting me in the locker room? Before I could form an idea, Jones came storming in.

He slammed the door shut behind him. A loud ‘bang’ echoed through the room. Instantly, my throat closed; it felt like my head was suddenly swelling. “Jones,” I huffed as I tried to squirm away from him.

I spoke softly, hoping he had some kind of humanity left in him and that he wouldn’t hurt me. “Please, please let me be. I did what you wanted, didn’t I?” Glancing up at him as he towered over me, I swallowed hard.

The look in his eyes was that of a crazy man. He appeared disheveled. The level of anger radiating from him set off all kinds of alarms. It was something I had never felt or seen.

“You,” he spat. “Keep quiet! You will do as I say or pay the price!” Bending over, Jones picked me up by my shirt. I tried finding my feet as he dragged me to the steel bench in the corner. My feet scrubbed the smooth floor but didn’t appear to be working. My body felt cold and limp. My lungs burned as if I had swallowed a ball of lava.

Gasping, I tried forming some kind of logic to account for his anger. My mind flooded with all the horrid things he might do to me. No logic and no words came to mind. As he forcefully shoved me to the bench, I felt a sharp pain shooting up my back.

Silently, I prayed that Piotr would find me quickly. Jones had lost his mind, and no one knew what he would do. Jones lifted his hand as if readying to hit me. I cowered in terror on the bench as perspiration started covering my body.

My heart was pounding inside my ribs. “Ple… ple… please,” I begged, lifting my hands over my face. My voice was barely audible. My breathing jagged, and I battled to speak.

Before Jones could hit me, the door swung open. “Boss,” one of the guards said, stepping into the room. “The client has arrived.”

Jones glanced down at me. The look on his face had not changed. He grinned, an evil grin, then turned and headed out.

As the door closed, I let out a deep sigh of relief. I knew he wouldn’t be gone long and had to find a way out. Looking around, I tried to find something I could use to break the ties holding me. The place appeared empty, but it was surely cleaned after the last fight. My heart sank as I realized there was no hope.

Slithering off the bench, I rolled into a bundle and cried. I had no idea how long I had been sulking when I heard the door opening. Lifting my head, I saw two other girls approaching me. I wiped my eyes with my arms.

“Hi,” Lilly said. She had been with Jones for as long as I could remember. She never said much, kept her head down, and obeyed his orders. I wondered why she would come in here but then saw the clothes she held.

The other woman was carrying a bucket of water and a cloth. “It’s time to clean up,” Lilly added as she sat on the edge of the bench.

“No, no,” I replied, trying to sit up and move away from them. “Please, you have to let me go, please,” I begged.

Lilly glanced down at the clothes in her lap. “I’m sorry, we can’t. There are two guards outside the door. Jones said you must get ready for the match.” She nodded at the other woman who placed the bucket down and wet the cloth.

This couldn’t be happening, I thought as the woman wiped my face. There was no way out; this I knew. I felt numb as despair settled in my heart. Once the woman had wiped down my legs and arms, Lilly cut the ties and handed me the clothes. I chucked them onto the bench as I got up.

“Please get dressed. Please don’t make him any angrier.” She whispered as she stood. The other woman walked closer and held me as Lilly removed my clothing.

“No, Lilly, please no.” I pleaded as she collected my clothing. I felt humiliated, scared, and angry at the same time. I knew it wasn’t their fault. At least I still had my underwear on.

I watched the two women walk to the door. They stopped, glanced back at me, and then left. Once they were gone, I got up and changed into the clothing Jones had sent. It was one of the worker girl's outfits and made me feel uncomfortable.

The skirt was way too short. It barely covered my butt, but the top, the top, was even worse. The flimsy white see-through top only had three buttons. My breasts protruded from it like a cut-open pie. It displayed more than half my breasts.

Clutching the two sides of the top, I walked to the door. Knocking, I listened. Someone was scurrying outside before it opened. The guard popped his head around the door as he spoke. “Yes?”

“I can’t wear this; let Jones know the clothing doesn’t fit.”

The guard scanned me up and down, smiled, and closed the door. I stood waiting for a reply. After a while, the door swung open, and Jones stood before me. He grabbed my arm, pulling me with him as he huffed. “There’s nothing wrong with the clothes. Stop thinking you’re better than any other woman. You’re a whore like all women.”

We exited the corridor and headed to the fighting pit. Jones handed me to one of the guards, who took me to the chair I was tied to the first time I saw Piotr.

Once again, I was tied to the chair. However, this time, I wasn’t sitting in the dark. Jones had installed a spotlight and made sure it shone down on me. I felt dirty sitting there on display. With my hands and feet tied to the chair, I couldn’t even cover myself up.

Lowering my head in disgrace, I knew what would be going through the minds of the men arriving shortly. Even though I wanted Piotr to rescue me, I didn’t want him to see me this way.