Page 24 of Dark Angel
The door clicked shut behind her and a key turned in the lock. There was no handle. She hadn’t figured on being trapped. The lights inside dimmed and she could hear Spike walking away. The sound of sobbing came through the thin walls and Spike’s footsteps stopped. A door opened and a shuffling sound came from the passage outside. Beth pressed her face to the window and stared at the young girl being dragged along by her hair. She flinched as Spike backhanded the girl across the face and then landed a punch to her belly. The girl doubled up and fell to her knees sobbing in pain.
“What’s worse, him or me?” Spike dragged her up and held her nose to nose with him and then pointed to a man standing in the doorway. “You’ll stop crying and tell him how much you love him. Hear?” His large hand went around her neck and he squeezed, lifting her to her toes. “Or we’re gonna have a problem.”
The girl’s eyes bulged and her lips went blue. Her eyes swiveled toward him and she nodded. Mascara ran down her cheeks to mix with the tears. Spike dropped her and she fell to the floor gasping. He smiled at the man and then dragged her roughly to her feet and shoved her back inside the room. He turned to the man. “You wanted a fresh one. Some of them just need a little convincing, is all. I’ll give you extra time with her tonight.” He shrugged. “Next time she’ll call you Daddy. If not, you’ll get Delores for free.”
“I’ll take Delores now.” The man wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I’ll wait upstairs.” He walked away pulling on his jacket.
“Okay, time is up, gentlemen.” Spike peered through the windows and then opened the doors and glared in at the girls. “Clean yourselves up. We have a full house tonight.” He followed the clients up the steps.
In a flash, Beth’s dark side reared up, and the need to rid the world of men like Spike tore into her. Just how long had he been torturing young girls? What did he do with them when they became too old to please his clients? Did he sell them on or toss them into the bay? Rage tore into her and she bit the inside of her mouth so hard blood spilled over her tongue. Desperate to stop him, she took deep breaths. Losing control now would cost her and the girls their lives. Calming, she looked around the tiny room. Inside was a sink, a chest of drawers, paper towels, and a bed. On one side of the door was a red button, which she assumed was used when the clients wanted to leave. She sat on the edge of the bed to consider her situation. She could get out of the room easily enough using her lock picks but getting the girls out past the men and Spike would be difficult. She needed to come up with a plan. With ten minutes between clients, she at least had a chance to think. A buzzer sounded, which she assumed was the end of a session. What a strange way to run a brothel, but then it seemed a pedophile would do anything to gain access to children. Beth removed her earring and went to work on the lock. It opened in seconds and she replaced her earring and moved into the hallway. After checking each room, she opened the doors and beckoned the five girls into the hallway. Speaking to them in a group was a risk. If desperate enough, one of them could go straight to Spike and spill the beans. She looked at the desolate faces and took the risk. “Do you want to leave this place?”
To her surprise they all nodded in agreement, although they all wore the same vacant lost stare. It was as if they’d lost hope. She smiled at them. “If you do as I say, we can get out of here together.”
“Spike will never let us go.” One of the girls shook her head. “If he catches us trying to escape, he’ll beat us and then withhold the drugs until we’re screaming.”
Beth moved her gaze from one to the other. “He won’t catch us. What we need to do is to clear the clients from upstairs. I figure he has a reputation for supplying the best girls, so he won’t want to ruin that and we can use it to our advantage.”
“How can we do that from down here?” The girl leaned sleepily against the wall.
Convinced she had a good idea, Beth smiled at them. “You must all get sick. You can pretend to be vomiting, can’t you? He’ll think he’s given you something bad to eat or there’s something wrong with the drugs. He wouldn’t risk sending down valuable clients when you’re spewing.” She looked at them again, trying to gauge if any of them would rebel against the idea. “Once we get rid of the clients, I’ll deal with Spike.”
“We’re not going to get far on the streets dressed like this.” The girl lifted her chin. “Someone else will grab us and we’ll be in more trouble. At least we’re inside here and not out on the sidewalk.”
Trying to be calm and patient, Beth sighed. “You’ll have to trust me, won’t you? I can get you out into the alleyway. You turn right at the end of the alleyway and head for the fast-food restaurant. There’s a gray van out front. The man inside is with me and will keep you safe. We’ll help you get free of drugs and back with your families.” She smiled at them. “I promise you’ll be okay, but we all have to stick together. For this to work, everyone must get sick at the same time. The moment you hear the next clients arrive, fill your mouth with water and spew all over them. I figure that should have the right reaction and they’ll hightail it out of here on the double.” She waited until they all agreed, some even giggled. “Okay, get back to your rooms. Leave everything to me.”
TWENTY-FIVE
When people make plans, something inevitably goes wrong, and Beth waited for something bad to happen. The girls were drug addicts and under the influence of heroin. They might panic, believing their source would be terminated if they left Spike. Stomach cramping with anticipation, and just waiting for someone to tell Spike she had a van waiting at the end of the alleyway, she sat on the bed. To her surprise, as the clients started filtering into the hallway, including the elderly man Spike had chosen for her, the sound of spewing came through the walls. She stood and looked at the man eyeing her with a lecherous grin.
“You’re new, but I prefer my girls no older than twelve. You’re way too old. I’ll wait for one of the others.” The man turned to go, one hand poised over the red button.
In a wave of disgust, Beth grabbed him by the hair, pulled him against her, and wrapped her hands around his head. He flapped at her and the stink of unwashed old man wafted into her nostrils. With one quick twist and a satisfying snap, he collapsed onto the floor without a sound. She stared down at him and smiled. “Well, I prefer my pedophiles dead.”
Beth stepped over his twitching body and pressed the button. She could hear voices outside as Spike apologized to the clients and ushered them back up the stairs. She banged on the door and waited for him to return. When the door opened, she indicated with her thumb to the dead man lying in a pool of urine. “He died.”
“Dammit, he’s a judge and we needed him.” He stared at the body. “Heart attack?”
Beth shrugged. “How should I know? He clutched his chest, peed himself, and fell down.” She lifted her chin. “I know I’m drop-dead gorgeous but I didn’t expect this on my first day.”
“You’re older than what he usually likes but attractive and sassy, but not hot enough to kill him.” Spike blew out a sigh. “Dammit, with one girl down, I figured you’d be able to take up the slack, but now all the girls are sick. I can’t just have you working with them all spewing close by. It’s not good for business.” He looked around as if trying to make up his mind. “I’ll need to get him out of here without anyone seeing. He can’t be found here and if you know what’s best for you, you’ll keep your mouth shut.” Spike stared at the man, shaking his head. “I’ll wait for the clients to leave and then bring my car around. I can’t involve anyone else, so you need to help me get him into the trunk.” He smiled at her. “I’ll toss him in the bay”
Beth nodded. “Fine by me. I heard they pulled a girl’s body out of the water That wasn’t your missing girl, was it?”
“Scarlett?” Spike leaned over her, crowding her. “Who told you she was dead?”
Sitting on the edge of the bed and casually crossing her legs, Beth smiled at him. “Word gets around, and one of my johns mentioned you had a girl called Scarlett here. She was a favorite but then went missing a couple of days ago, so I assumed it was her. He also told me about your setup and that’s when I asked Billie Jean where I could find you.”
“Billy Jean needs to keep her mouth shut.” Spike straightened. “What else did she tell you?”
Beth chuckled. “I hear lots of things, like who supplies the young ones. It’s a guy they call the Pied Piper, right?”
“Nah, never heard of him.” Spike shook his head. “People who know me know I don’t do street deals. The only way to get clean merchandise is from an auction on the net.” He stared down at the dead body. “Man, that guy’s already stinking out the place. My Lincoln is in a parking garage. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.” He left the room shutting the door behind him.
Being able to keep time in her head, Beth waited for the footsteps to recede and attacked the lock again. Heart racing, she crept to the top of the steps, eased open the door a crack, and peered into the hallway. She could hear Spike explaining to his clients that the girls had all come down with something, and as soon as they’d stop puking, he would let everyone know. He’d offered them a discount to smooth things over. As if sensing her looking at him, Spike suddenly turned, but Beth anticipated his move and shut the door softly. She moved silently down the steps unlocking the doors to the girls’ rooms as she went along the passageway. “Turn off your lights so Spike can’t see you’re missing. Grab a blanket from the bed and wrap it around you. You’ll be running for your lives, so wear something sensible on your feet or nothing.”
She looked at the assembled group of five wide-eyed girls. “Remember to creep out, one at a time. The doors to the rooms along the passageway are all open, if you hear someone coming, get into the room and hide. There are plenty of sofas in there. Keep out of sight and wait for my command to move on.”
“What happens if Spike comes back?” One of the girls stared at her with dead eyes.
