Bad Company

Take It or Leave It

The next afternoon passed slowly. He had no sure way of knowing what time the rest of the guys would be returning. As he sat on the sofa, he studied Nitori across the room as she hummed while playing on the iPad. He was enthralled by her sullen natural beauty. Everything about her was innocent and naïve. Her wide, round eyes, scanned over the screen. She sat against the chair with her chin resting on her knees. The expressions on her face shifted from sheer amusement to deep consternation. Her teeth lightly clamped her bottom lip as she grinned widely. A small grin bent his lips. “Fucking beautiful…..”, he mumbled to himself.

Time seemed to stand still as he was lost in Nitori. Nancy’s words kept echoing through his head. And she was right, if anything happened to Nitori, he’d be carrying the burden of responsibility. Christian nodded off into a nap. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been sleep, but when he opened his eyes, the sun was gone. Then he felt frantic, he’d left Nitori unattended and unchained for God knows how long. He glanced up and didn’t see her. His heartbeat halted. “Fuck!” he huffed as he sat up. Then something was behind his legs as he tried to move. Christian looked down and ran his fingers through his hair while chuckling in relief.

Nitori was in a tiny ball, curled up, wedged behind his knees sleeping. She was quiet as a mouse and she’d compacted herself considerably. She made him see the bright side of the situation. He was happy that she didn’t see him as the bad person he felt like.

Then the feeling of dread washed over his conscience. In a few days, Nitori would be in the hands of some stranger, off to meet a possibly terrible fate. His friends were pouring all of their time and energy into tying up the loose ends of the deal. In that moment, Christian knew he had to go against the grain. He wouldn’t let them sell Nitori without a fight. Death wasn’t his biggest worry about the whole situation. Nitori was his major concern. Vivid, grotesque images began to flood his mind about the possibilities of what people would do to her. He sealed his eyes tightly and covered them with his hands. He needed a plan.

Suddenly he jumped to his feet and ordered, “Nitori go put some clothes on, and get your shoes! Hurry up!” She stared wide-eyed at him for a few seconds. He sprinted to her and took the buds from her hears, and reissued his demand, “Get dressed, we’re leaving!” Nitori paced into the back room. She emerged five minutes later dressed in a long white dress and the tennis shoes he bought her. “You don’t have any pants or something warmer? It’s cold outside”, he said running into the room and attempting to find something himself. Just like her, he was out of luck, everything else was dirty and they didn’t have time to search. He grabbed the shirt and hoodie that Nitori slept with, and made her put them on.

He grabbed his keys, gun, and Nitori’s hand. They made for the door with haste. The quicker he could get her out, the greater head start they’d have over the guys when they returned. Even in the still of the night, the street lights gave too much away and that made him nervous. As they sped up the street, Christian started to feel relief. They were away from her captivity, and he was getting ready to take her to the police station. He would tell them everything, and take whatever punishment he was facing.