“All right, all right. Just gotta check, you know? Pretty girl like you, might be a working girl. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Well, I’m not,” I say hotly.
“Ok, ok, I didn’t mean it. I get it. Starbeam it is.”
We both get in the car. I’m happy the plan is on track again as we pull out of the parking lot. I look around surreptitiously and breathe out a sigh of relief when I see Daire’s car trailing us at an unsuspicious distance.
The guy, whose name is Norman, continues to make gross comments as we drive the couple blocks to the motel. I’ve never been to the Starbeam Motel, I’ve never been to this side of town at all, so I have no idea where we are.
We pull up to a single story building. After parking, we walk into the lobby and Norman purchases a room. He tries to buy it for “an hour, maybe two”, but the owner makes him pay for the whole night and he grumbles as he hands over the cash.
As we walk to the room, I look around for Daire’s car, but I don’t see it anymore. Norman isn’t very big. I’m five five and in my platform boots we are about the same size, but I don’t know if he has a gun on him or anything and I don’t want to be trapped in a room alone with him.
“After you,” he says as he holds open the door to the room.
I glance around nervously. I know I look suspicious but I don’t care anymore.
“I just…” I can’t think of anything to say to stall and I can tell he’s getting impatient.
“Come on,” he says gruffly. “Get your little ass inside. Don’t be a tease.”
“It’s just that—” I look down at my phone and see a text on the screen. It’s from an anonymous number and says, “Go inside. We got your back”.
I look back at Norman, who isn’t even trying to be nice anymore, and decide to go in. I don’t have much to lose anyway and if things go really south I think I can take him.
We walk into the dingy room and the second the door closes he’s on me. I try shoving him off but he’s stronger than he looks. He keeps grabbing and pawing at me as I push him back.
“Stop!” I yell.
“Don’t be a tease! You’ve been asking for it all night.”
We struggle for a bit and he manages to pull down my halter top and starts trying to pull up my skirt. I pull back on my clothes and he takes the opportunity to push me on the bed. Things are getting out of control—and that’s when I knee him in the balls.
I’ve never done it before and I don’t even realize what I’m doing until it’s done. He stops immediately and doubles over to grab his crotch, writhing in pain.
That is the moment when the Vicious Crew kicks down the door and bursts into the room. Daire and Theo rush forward to grab the guy, but seem confused that he’s not attacking me and I’m just standing there adjusting my clothes. They expected to find a damsel in distress.
“What the fuck is this?” Norman asks through teeth that are gritted in pain.
“Don’t speak,” Daire says and Theo kicks him in the stomach.
Norman moans in even more pain and falls forward. Theo and Brax grab his arms roughly to keep him on his feet, and also to keep him from running away.
“I didn’t do it!” Norman starts yelling at Daire. “It wasn’t me! Your asshole father has the wrong guy. I didn’t do nothing to screw him over, it was the Mayor! He’s the one who screwed both of us! He’s the one who made me do it.”
Daire delivers the next kick personally and Norman finally shuts up.
“Take her to the car,” Daire commands.
Alec grabs my arm and leads me outside. I want to know what the hell is going on, but I’m also relieved to get out of there. There’s a lot of violent, manly energy in that gross motel room and it feels amazing to be away from it and breathing in the fresh night air again. Alec takes me to the passenger’s side of Daire’s car and helps me in, before going over and getting into the driver’s side.
“Is that what this is about? Did that guy do something to Daire’s father?” I ask as we both stare forward towards the motel.
They shut the door behind us so I can’t see anything, but I can hear muffled yells from Norman and I wince. I’m pretty sure they are beating him up. I know that he just tried to assault me so he deserves it, but I don’t like hearing it.
“Yeah, he stole a bunch of product from Daire’s dad.” Alec is staring intently at the closed motel door. I can tell he wants to be in there with his boys and he hates that he’s not.
“What kind of product?”
Alec suddenly looks at me like he didn’t realize I was in the car, like he is seeing me for the first time. I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean to say what he just said.
“Uh… could you just pretend I didn’t say that?”
“Only if you tell me what’s going on, otherwise I’m telling Daire what you said.” Who is this girl and what have you done with Addison?
Alec sighs. “You promise you won’t say anything if I tell you?”
I drag my fingers across my lips like I’m locking them and throwing away the key.
He sighs again, before turning back to stare at the motel door while he says, “I know you aren’t dumb. You know how much danger you’re in and I think you’re smart enough to keep your mouth shut, so I’ll tell you. Daire’s dad is in the mafia, mine too.”
My mouth drops open. I shouldn’t be surprised though. It was always obvious that the Vicious Crew are into some dark and dangerous stuff.
“That guy in there stole a shipment coming in from Denver and then hid the product. We think he’s taken it to another state to sell it off without raising suspicions. He’s denying the whole thing but we have our sources and we know he did it. Daire’s dad hired us to set this whole thing up so that we’d get him away from his crew, get him alone.”
I don’t know what to say to that. This situation is absolutely insane. All I can think to do is whisper, “I won’t tell.”
“I know.”
And we go back to staring at the motel in silence. The sounds of Norman yelling have stopped and it’s eerily quiet.
“They won’t kill him, will they?” I ask softly, but I don’t really know if I want to know the answer.
“No. They are just roughing him up a bit while waiting for our dads. They won’t kill him.”
I’m only a little bit relieved.
Soon we see another car pull up. It looks very similar to the SUV that we are currently sitting in. Out of the backseat a distinguished, tall, older man gets out and I immediately know from the way he carries himself that it’s Daire’s dad. When he walks closer to the motel, I can see in the light that he looks just like an older version of Daire. Same cocksure walk, same defined jaw, same thick chestnut hair—though his is graying in the corners.
Two other men get out of the car and follow him. I can see a fourth is staying in the driver’s seat to wait for them. One of the guys walking towards the building looks vaguely familiar and then I realize it’s because it’s Alec’s dad. They aren’t as similar in appearance as Daire and his father, but there’s no denying that they are related.