Machi

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She's going to get us killed.

Dragging her behind me, I walked quick and fast, not even caring if her feet were touching the floor. Imperial was on a mission of destruction, her body being the first to go if she didn't stop her fucking outbursts.

These people were bad, they would torture her, they would beat her and scar her with more than just physical wounds. Her mind would shatter into a million pieces and she would never be able to put herself back together.

What if she helps them to see? What if she turns out to be my downfall?

No. I won't allow that to happen.

Watching the crowd, I kept my eyes open for Ethan, trying to make sure he was long gone and had found his way to his perch to watch the show. Glancing towards the rafters, I could see his face as he spoke to a man cloaked in shadows.

I assumed it was Sylvan, the man who had welcomed me in, who had given me compliments or reprimand on my work, always using the mouth of his pigeon. No one ever saw him, not unless he decided you were worthy of his time.

After everything I had done, his door was still closed to me.

Well, what he thought you did. That fucking bastard.

If he only knew how far I'd go.

Ethan was the least of my worries, he was just another fly hovering over a piece of shit; a toy, a frail set of hands to do Sylvan's bidding.

I didn't really give a shit about what he thought, he could like me, he could hate me, it didn't matter. I could destroy him without breaking a sweat, and I planned on taking him out too—when the time was right.

But he wasn't the reason I was there. It was the man he retreated to like a dog searching for praise, Sylvan was the man I was after.

It took me way too long to get this far. Two years of my life had already been spent in this godforsaken place. I wanted to get out, I was ready for this all to be over, but not until I finally got to meet the man in charge.

There was unfinished business I needed to take care of, and until then, I was stuck. I refused to leave without saying my peace. In all reality, it didn't matter how I left, leaving on my own good graces wouldn't be granted with a handshake and an admiring nod.

The day I decided to leave would be my last.

Men like Sylvan don't release their grip, they don't bid farewell and wish you good luck. Men like him make sure there are no loose ends, they'd nod you goodbye and wave a hand to the executioner. One bullet, that's all they needed to keep their secrets buried.

And that didn't bother me one fucking bit. I had accepted my fate long before I got there. I knew getting involved would end with me in the ground.

But Imperial wasn't going to have to endure this place for any longer than was necessary. The minute I could get her out, I would. She just had to do what I told her to.

I didn't give her any directions that were too hard to follow. No talking, no looking, stay behind. That was it.

Why is it so fucking difficult for her to listen?

She needs answers, M, you know that!

Her feet slapped and smacked behind me as her fingers gripped my hand to keep up. Was she looking? Was she watching what was going on around her?

Not if she knew what was good for her.

It wasn't just Ethan watching my every move, there were others. Men who wanted to move up, sick assholes that wanted a taste of power; when all they really deserved was having their balls cut off.

But eyes were eyes, every single move I made had to be exactly what they expected.

Coming to the end of the first row of seats, I whipped her forward and shoved her into the aisle. “On your knees,” I demanded, placing my hands on her shoulders and guiding her down to the floor. She didn't resist, her body was malleable, folding over in submission.

Standing beside her, I stroked my jaw and tried to calm myself down. She didn't know what this world was, she was pushed into it. . . By me.

If she only knew what was buried in my past, what drove me into a place like this. . .

What keeps me here.

I was just as bad as all the other men in this room, I wouldn't deny that. The things I had done to get there, the women I had traded just to put my name on a pedestal, to get me noticed by the man in charge.

I had one mission, one single goal in mind, but it never involved bringing in someone who was truly innocent.

Imperial was unaware of what she had stumbled upon, she didn't get to hear the speech I would give the other girls to get them to come willingly. She had fallen into the rabbit hole, and there was no way out, except me.

'Not everything is smoke and mirrors, Machi. Maybe sometimes, things are exactly what you think they are.' Her voice played in my head, reminding me how much hate I had for this place.

Girls came and went, some stayed by proxy, some went home with high bidders and their heavy hand, others. . . Others never made it out at all.

That part tore at me the most, it made it harder and harder each time for me to turn my head and keep up this charade. 

But the show hadn't even begun yet, I hadn't even started. Everything I had done was just to get in, and I couldn't get out until it was finished, until I finally delivered what Sylvan had coming.

She doesn't belong here.

I'm the only one that can keep her safe.

Imperial was staring down at her knees, her fingers wildly tangled with each other in her lap. She didn't move, she didn't roll her head or shift her waist, she just stayed completely still.

Taking the seat beside her, I rested my forehead in my hands. “I'm not angry with you, I can't be. It's not your fault you don't understand yet.”

Her leg wiggled as she tucked her fingers between her thighs. But she didn't dare lift her face to mine.

“I just need you to trust me, you have to trust me.” Dropping my hand, I grabbed her forearm and lifted it up, braiding our fingers together.

She still wouldn't look up at me, but I could see her eyes. The soft glow of light over us made her eyes glisten as tears sat on the surface. She wasn't blinking, her gaze was wide and empty, holding the tears in place like glass shields.

I could feel her muscles quivering and her hand shaking as I held it tight. I wanted to console her, I wanted to place her head in my lap and brush my fingers through her silky sun-colored hair.

None of this was her fault. If she hadn't been there that night, she wouldn't have ended up in here with me. I almost let her go, I almost told her to just run. . . But they came back, Fior and Z showed up sooner than I expected.

It was too late.

If I had more time—even five more fucking minutes, she would have been on her way home. Only that's not what happened.

Rubbing the back of her hand, I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. “From here on out, don't question what I tell you to do. I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm trying to give you what you want.”

Her hair swept over her cheek, covering her face and blocking me from seeing her. I didn't like it, I didn't want the soft profile of her jaw or the pouty lips that dressed her face to be hidden from view.

There was a tenderness in my heart that beat for her, a glimmer of weakness for this poor girl that ended up in my hands. She had crossed into a battleground, unaware of the war that was taking place.

She wasn't meant for any of this. Imperial didn't come from the streets or have a thirst for the needle. Her mind wasn't charred and corrupted by the transfer of hands and sex for a hit from the pipe.

Imperial was just a girl, a normal girl.

She can handle it, she's strong.

I can feel it, I can feel what she has inside.

All the others I brought through those doors were teased and tempted by the devil's playground. I tempted them with money, with a roof over their head and all the niceties that came with it. And they agreed to it, allowing this world to have them.

Women of the streets were spit on, they were used and abused as if they didn't deserve to breathe in the first place. Not one of my girls ever appeared on the news because the world just didn't care enough about the lost soul who chose drugs over a working class career or having a family.

I saw it differently, I knew the world was wrong. And that was exactly what I set out to prove.

Sniffling, she brought her fingers to her cheeks and wiped them clean. Letting her head fall onto my thigh, she wriggled her body in tight. Wrapping a hand around the base of my leg, her fingers curled over the tongue of my shoe and played with the small tag on the inside.

The weight of her against me made my heart beat faster, the scent of coconut in her hair forced my muscles to stiffen. There was something that sparked inside me, something that lit a small flame in my gut, making me warm.

She was beautiful, far too beautiful to be in a place like this. Not one inch of this girl belonged there, she was meant for more, meant for a world that wasn't filled with this type of pain.

Running my fingers through her hair, I let the frizzled strands tighten around my fingers then loosely fall off. “This place is harsh, Pixie, it will eat you up and spit you out, devouring anything you ever thought you were.” Twirling a thick lock around my hand, I spiraled it tight against her scalp. “It's not kind, it's not forgiving. . .” Pausing, I caressed the side of her face, drawing long strokes down her throat. “It's exactly what nightmares are made of.”

I felt her inhale a sharp breath and hold it in. Her back dipped in as she rolled her shoulders, creating a small pool at the base of her spine. Sweat was beading up over her skin, riding the center of her back and filling the tiny crevice.

My eyes kept drifting to the watery basin, ready to taste her, ready to lick her up and feel her coat the back of my throat.

No. . . You can't, it's not allowed. They'll kill you if they think you crossed the line.

Death can't find me yet, I need more time.

Moving her head against my leg, she didn't look up. Reaching around, I placed my hand under her chin and tipped her face up.

Her eyes were closed, pinched up tight; a silent demand of not wanting to learn. Leaning down, I kissed her forehead, allowing the subtle flavor of her skin to seep between my lips.

“You don't have to fear me, I'm not a monster, even if you think I am.” Rubbing the spot my lips had graced, I ran my thumb over her eyebrows. “You're only going to see what you think you already know. But it's not what you think it is, not all of it. We all have our reasons, some are different than others, and mine. . .” Biting my bottom lip, I took in a deep breath. “Mine run black.”

Sylvan had already done enough, he had tarnished my existence and turned living into torture. Until her. . .

Imperial brought the first glimmer of light back into my dying soul. She made me feel when I thought there was nothing left to live for.

I wasn't going to let any harm come to her, no one would touch her, no one would lay a finger on her.

The curtains drew back as the lights dimmed to blackness. A bright spotlight hit the stage, illuminating the vast open space.

Grabbing the sides of her face, I turned her towards the stage. “You can look now, Imperial.” Holding her jaw in my hand, I placed my lips on the outside of her ear. “Don't be afraid, things aren't always as they appear, remember that.”