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Original story below, but you can find a revamped version in my collection "The Fall of Souls: and six other twisted stories about unlikable people", available on Amazon!
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There she stood, alone, clutching her purse close to her body as she craned her neck, searching the dark for the bus that never ran on schedule.
I walked up, giving her a slick smile. "Hey, baby, need a ride?"
She didn't reply, but she squared her shoulders and clenched her jaw.
"The bus doesn't come this late, but I'll drive a pretty thing like you anywhere you want."
She remained tense and silent, her gaze focused on the far end of the street.
I leaned sideways to catch her eye. "C'mon, baby, smile for me. I won't bite."
She reached into her purse and I stepped back. I hadn't yet forgotten the sting of pepper spray. She pulled out her phone and I sighed in relief.
"You want my number?" I asked with a dry smirk.
She turned her back on me and began walking away, her phone to her ear, and I followed. "Hey! You're just going to ignore me? I'm trying to be nice here!"
She walked faster, her heels wobbling over the cracks in the sidewalk as her voice echoed down the empty street. Whether she was really talking to someone or pretending, it didn't matter. I matched her pace, keeping myself between her and the road as I eyed the narrow alleyway coming up.
"You know, you shouldn't be out here dressed like that," I said, closing in on her. "Gives people the wrong impression. Or are you a tease?"
I reached out to grab her, but she managed to dodge me as she ran. Cursing, I gave chase, only to skid to a halt a few seconds later when she flung herself at a man who had just turned the corner. He seemed as startled as I was as she wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered something in his ear, but then he hugged her back and glared at me.
"Have you been bothering my girl?" he asked.
I shook my head and stepped back. They didn't know each other, but that didn't matter. Tall, muscular, clean-cut, and oozing wholesomeness, he was everything I wasn't. He was tailor-made to play the knight in shining armor, the hero that rescues poor damsels and whisks them away.
The woman shot me a cold glance as the man put his arm around her shoulders and led her away. Once they turned the corner, I tilted my chin up in determination, vowing that this would be the last time I let myself be humiliated this way.
The night was young at my former favorite haunt, and I ignored the drunk dancers, pulsating music, and heavy miasma of sweat, alcohol, and cologne as I made my way to the back. I knocked five times upon an unassuming door, then I took a deep breath before I knocked twice and twice more.
A small window slid open and a suspicious eye studied me.
"I'm here to see Lady Anastasia," I said.
"Drop off any phones and weapons."
I slipped my phone and switchblade through the slot beneath the window, and a few seconds later, the door creaked open. Cassius ushered me in and patted me down before he nodded towards a set of carpeted stairs, and I ascended until I reached a mahogany office draped in shadows.
There, Lady Anastasia was leaning back in her leather seat, her legs propped up on her desk, a glass of ruby liquid in her hand.
"Oscar!" She greeted with a patronizing smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Today was the twenty-second woman," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
"I know." Her amber eyes glinted in the dim lighting as she chuckled. "Ulysses told me what happened. Good thing that girl still saw him as her hero or else she wouldn't have counted. I'm glad you avoided self-defense damage this time because Eleanor wants you to scare a little filly her way tomorrow. She'll send you her preferences by morning."
I took a deep breath to gather my courage. "No, I'm done."
She raised her eyebrows in faux surprise. "I thought you enjoyed harassing and assaulting girls? You sure made a habit of it at my club."
"I'm not like that anymore."
"As inspirational as that is, I believe we agreed on a hundred girls in exchange for me keeping your crimes a secret. Or do you want me to send my security camera footage to the police?"
Despite my efforts, my voice began to shake. "That was before, I know better now."
"Know better than to do it again, or know better than to get caught?"
"Than to do it again. I'm sorry for what I've done and I promise to never repeat it."
"Isn't that wonderful," she said with sardonic admiration. "It took you twenty-two girls to reach this stage, just imagine how much of a changed man you'll be after one hundred."
Anger tinted my anxiety. "I don't need to get to a hundred, I've learned my lesson already. You're forcing me to do this for you, not for me, and I don't even know why."
She smiled and swirled her thick drink. "Have you ever been a hero, Oscar? Have you ever gotten a taste of profound gratitude?"
"You aren't heroes. You're frauds."
"The only thing that matters is what the rescuee believes." She took a sip and closed her eyes, humming in pleasure. "Mmm, and that makes all the difference."
She licked the dark red sheen off her lips and I shuddered. "I still don't get why you're blackmailing me to do this when there are tons of people out there in actual trouble you can 'rescue'."
"Why go through all that time and effort when we can have you put your skills to good use?" She raised her glass to me with a wink. "You and Sharon are convenient pets to have."
I wrinkled my nose at the mention of my wretched partner. While I was the sleazy creep with a violent streak, she was the greasy groper who didn't take no for an answer, and we worked in tandem performing our humiliating acts for Lady Anastasia's clan.
"Please," I said. "I promise I've learned my lesson. Please release me."
"Is this remorse talking, or frustration?" she asked, smiling as though she already knew the answer.
"Remorse," I replied, trying to hold her wry gaze.
"Be that as it may, your only way out is to own up to your crimes. Are you willing to go to prison to spare the remaining seventy-eight girls you owe us?"
"I won't be sparing anyone. You're going to keep hunting, with or without my help."
"I'll take that as a no?" she asked with a smirk.
"You know what? Call the police," I said, attempting to make up for my wavering voice by glaring at her. "I'll do the time, and I'll expose you and your entire inhuman operation."
Her silvery laugh echoed through the room. "Ah, yes, the classic self-sacrifice threat."
With a racing pulse and trembling hands, I walked up to her desk and reached for the antique rotary phone. "I'll ... I'll call them myself!"
She downed the remainder of her drink with irritating composure before she put her legs down and sat up in her chair. "Go ahead."
Upon noticing my hesitation, she picked up the receiver herself. "Here, allow me. Please, have a seat and make yourself comfortable. Would you like something to drink before you're taken into custody?"
My face fell as she began dialing. "No, stop!" I cried out, wincing at my failure.
She hung up with a knowing smile. "Your type is so predictable, it's why you make the perfect pets. Oh, don't look so glum, Oscar. With your success rate, you'll be done with your remaining seventy-eight girls before you know it."
The door behind me opened and I flinched when a heavy hand landed my shoulder.
"Thank you for dropping by," Lady Anastasia said to me. "Cassius will escort you out."
The End
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(Read on for a Behind the Scenes)