Page 4 of Anthem of Love and Loathing

Instantly, Loverboi’s grip on me vanishes. Momentum catches up. My body weight shifts, my ankle twists, and I land on my hands and knees on the sticky floor. Adrenaline spikes my heart into overdrive and I quickly crawl away from Loverboi, making sure to put the couch between us.

“What are you doing here, boss?” Loverboi sounds confused as another man enters.

Brown square-toed alligator shoes fill my line of sight. Dark trousers. From this vantage point that’s all I can see of the newcomer.

The door closes.

His steps are measured and heavy. “You stole from me.”

A chill zaps up my spine. I don’t need to see. That voice is too familiar. It’s a voice I’d prayed I would never hear again.

“Hang on a minute.” Loverboi backs up, hitting the couch with his leg.

I crawl deeper into the shadows until I’m behind the couch.

“I would never,” Loverboi’s voice shakes. “You and me... we got history. I’m loyal to you. Hey, what are you... you don’t need to—”

Tick.

I cover my mouth with both hands to stifle the involuntary sob that breaks free from my chest. I recognize the sound for what it is.

Loverboi grunts. His body hits the floor with a thud that’s softened by the carpet. Footsteps come closer. I need to disappear, but there’s nowhere to run to and nowhere to hide.

I stare at the flap that runs along the back of the couch to hide the taller than average legs. I probably won’t fit, but what other choice do I have?

I drag the flap over the top of me and wiggle sideways as far as I can go. Somehow I fit into the small, disgusting and musty space. My nose is buried in the underside of the upholstery, my breaths shallow.

There’s something cold and rubbery pressed to my shoulder.

I can only imagine what it is and try not to puke in my mouth. A used Trojan is the least of my problems.

Oh fuck. Is my foot hanging out? Is it visible?

Squeezing my eyes shut, I focus on making myself as small as possible. I can’t let him see me.

The couch above me creaks. A thousand tons of pressure pushes down on my ribs. I start to get lightheaded.

“You can come out, girlie. I won’t hurt you,” he says.

Liar. There’s no way I’m going to do that willingly. But at least, he hasn’t realized it’s me. Surely, he would have called me by his favorite pet name for me had he recognized me. The door opens as someone else enters. “Whoa, you’re a big one, aren’t you? Much bigger than the other—”

Heaven. She must have seen him enter and decided to check on me since Walt isn’t around.

She gasps. “What happened to him? Oh my God? Is that bloo—”

Tick. Thump.

I squeeze my eyes shut as I wait for the thud. Poor Heaven.

The couch creaks as the man from my past gets up. His footsteps move a few feet away. “Pity.”

The door opens again, he walks out, and it closes behind him. Still, I don’t move straight away. He could be waiting for me.

After a few moments when he doesn’t come back, I struggle out from under the couch and crawl over to Heaven. Her beautiful blue eyes are open, emptily staring up at the ceiling. My shoulders shake as I suppress a sob. I haven’t known her long, but she was good to me. She was nice to me. She helped me learn the ropes when I started at Scarlet.

She didn’t deserve this. To die at the hands of a thug like him. He must have thought there was someone else in the room until Heaven made the mistake of coming to check on me. What if he works out there was another girl in here? Gary was watching like a hawk earlier... I choke on a breath.

I need to go. To get far, far away from here. Scrambling to my feet, I press my clammy hands to my midsection and try to calm my rapid breathing. Tottering in my heels to the door, I step outside while clinging to the wall.