Eva

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“Why were you with Carmine?” a skinny blonde asks me before I recognize it’s Gwen, Roman’s sister and the woman who has a past with Carmine.

Confounded, nothing comes out of my mouth. I’d rather avoid talking as much as possible since I’m tangled in a web of lies among these people.

“There was a mix-up,” I say, making her frown while she inspects me from head to toe.

“Hmmm, I saw him switch the name cards, so I also know he initiated it. Not you. I won’t tell Roman, but avoid him from now on.”

“Fine,” I reply absentmindedly as I realize that while Gwen keeps Carmine occupied, I can take advantage of it to get him off my back. “Carmine’s in his room if you’re looking for him.”

Her eyes twinkle in eagerness, revealing how much she wants him. After a nod, she pivots around and struts away.

Since I’m supposed to be working in my room now, this is my one chance to sneak out before dinner starts at six p.m. I scan the area as the sun sets on the horizon, and everyone’s inside due to the winter coldness. Without retrieving my coat, I tear outside, go around the pool, and run toward the gate at the edge of the property.

“Oh, my god.” It’s extremely cold, but I deny myself any time to think and climb over the fence, jumping down on the other side.

With chattering teeth, I race forward along the main road before dashing onto the first side street, toward my beat-up yellow car. Thank goodness, Carmine didn’t frisk me well enough to discover my key in my ballet flats, so when I reach my vehicle, I bend down and grab it from my shoe to unlock the door. Hopping inside, I slide the key into the ignition and turn it, cranking up the heat. Fortunately, there’s a plum blazer lying on the back seat, so I throw it on, rubbing my hands up and down my arms for a few moments to warm myself. Then I drive away to get Carmine’s watch and visit the one person I do all of this for.

***

Within fifteen minutes, I’m in the South Loop and park in front of the white brick Orchard Children’s Institute, which is a residential school for kids with special needs. After stepping out of the car, I go through the revolving doors and then left toward the receptionist.

“Kayley.”

She looks up in surprise. “Hey. Good that you’re here. Brandon’s upset because he hasn’t seen you in two days.”

“Is he in his room?” Usually, I visit him daily, but I wasn’t able to because of Roman and Carmine.

“Yeah. I’ll go with you. Everyone’s almost gone, except the night staff anyway.”

“Okay,” I say as she rounds her desk, and together, we head down the immaculate lobby to the end of the hall where Brandon’s room is located.

After opening the door, I find him seated on the bed with an employee in her white and green uniform attempting to calm him while he slaps the side of his head with his purple notebook that he’s always drawing in, mumbling, “Where’s Eva?! Where’s Eva?!”

I rush up to my little brother as the woman moves out of the way and catch his wrists before he hurts himself more, hunching down before him and tossing the notebook aside. “Honey, I’m right here.”

“E-Eva. Y-you gone,” he speaks in a childlike tone for a thirteen-year-old. Hooking his arms around my neck, he holds on for dear life, and I stroke his hair that’s the same exact black color as mine.

Few people understand Brandon because, like many children with Down syndrome, he has difficulty with speech intelligibility. Especially when he’s upset, he expresses himself disjointedly. However, the staff here is wonderful, so I glance at the woman and smile pleasantly, indicating that she can go.

“I-I missed you,” Brandon sniffs and I pull back, caressing his cheeks.

“I missed you too. It’s just so busy at work that I couldn’t stop by yesterday. But I’m fine,” I lie since he believes I work as a waitress.

“I thought you forgot me. Like mom,” he mentions, breaking my heart.

“Silly. I would never forget you.” I press a kiss to his forehead and wanting him to be upbeat, I change topics as I plop down beside him, “Did you eat supper already?”

He nods as he wraps his arms around my middle, and I love how cuddly he is. I embrace him tightly, making him chuckle. After he’s soothed, he snatches his notebook that’s lying on the sheets and whips it open.

“Look, I drew us.” He shows me a simplistic black and white drawing, and I grin proudly while he flips pages and talks animatedly.

Thank goodness, my brother’s happy here, where he’s been receiving suitable education and guidance for the last six months, even though it costs me two thousand dollars each month, which is the only reason I started to work as an escort at Club 7. On top of that, I also have to cough up the rent for my studio apartment in the South Loop, but that only costs a couple hundred dollars.

When it comes down to it, I willingly sell my body because I’m the only person around who can make sure Brandon gets proper care. We share the same weak mother who had children with two no-good men who are no longer in the picture. The only things we know about our fathers are our different last names and that they must be white, because our mother is Indian and both Brandon and I are a mixed-race with our light skin-tone that turns bronze in the sun, black hair, and grey eyes.

Throughout the years that our mom was home with Brandon, we had a humble existence, but at least I was able to try to get a degree with financial aid and the money I made at my part-time job. Only, her alcohol addiction eventually ruined her and she couldn’t handle the responsibility of taking care of him anymore – she was regularly too drunk or lazy to send him to school or even attend to his most basic needs. I helped as much as I could, but I was either at work or at school most of the time. As a result, she abandoned us a year ago on a gloomy winter day, leaving a ridiculous note that said I was old enough to take care of him. I was forced to drop out of college in order for us to have enough money to live, and I haven’t spoken to her since.

After six months of being alone with Brandon and working full-time, I began to realize that I couldn’t leave him by himself so often in our studio apartment – I needed to get my brother the best care and schooling as possible.

Abruptly, Kayley asks, “What happened at the party?”

Kayley’s currently my only friend, whom I met after I started to investigate schools for my brother when my mom disappeared, and she’s the one who told me that a good way to make money fast is to work for Club 7’s underground club. Apparently, it’s a well-known secret in the Loop. I’d exhausted every option by working twenty-four seven as a waitress, yet it didn’t earn me nearly enough to get Brandon into the institute. Therefore, I was cast into a situation I wasn’t ready for. I chose to plunge into this twisted existence where your only worth is your beauty.

However, at present, I desperately want out, so I tell Kayley, “The guy from Club 7 was there.”

Her brows knit together. “Who?”

“The handsome, arrogant ass whose watch I still have,” I explain and her mouth drops open.

“What was he doing there?”

“I don’t know. But he’s hounding me for the watch. I have to give it back, which is why I snuck out to come here. But it’s”—I rub my palm over my forehead—“a party with games.”

“What kind of games?”

“There was a silent auction first, for all the women. And these guys, Kayley, they’re the mafia. Club 7 is part of the mafia!”

“Shit.” She mouths, “Did you have to sleep with anyone?”

“Not yet, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to get out unscathed. It’s an entirely different world. I’m in way over my head. I’m not sure it’s worth the two thousand Roman promised me.”

Kayley makes a face while I stroke Brandon’s hair as he draws in his notebook.

“This sounds dangerous, Eva. Maybe you shouldn’t go back?” Kayley proposes. “There’s got to be another way to get the money.”

Mulling over my options, I decide that I can simply send Carmine’s watch to Club 7. It’s stored in Brandon’s desk drawer here. And then I won’t have to return to Roman’s. In essence, he knows nothing about me, so I nod in agreement just as Brandon looks up, and I follow his gaze to where a tall man is darkening the doorway.

Kayley swivels around and I shoot upward to shield Brandon from view as he says, “Isn’t this adorable...”

Then he swaggers inside while a stone drops in my stomach and pure dread courses through my veins.

He followed me?!