~ levi
[ 10:47 PM ]
"Wow. You look so sexy, little angel."
Astraia looks over from her body mirror to me now standing in the doorway of her bedroom. I lean my shoulder on her doorframe, one hand in my pocket with the other holding my cylinder glass of a little Hennessy. I observe her growing curves through the little black dress she now wore with the slit and matching pumps.
Her curly hair was sleekly pulled back into a low bun with her edges neatly made in pretty swirls, and her plump lips were outlined and glossed with her long lashes fuller by mascara. This dress showed that she was growing from severely underweight, anorexic-looking, to full and thick, growing evermore into exactly my type which was making it harder to keep my hands off of her.
"Thank you." She replies while glimpsing back at herself in the mirror, "I guess I'm ready."
"Mmm." I hum cautiously as I approach her and set my glass down on her dresser. "This is work again, so you are to be on your best behavior. But we have to lay down some ground rules, to avoid another incident, yes?"
She turns to me and nods. She looks down as she slightly lowers her head. I continue, "You are not allowed to talk to anyone, you ask for my permission to speak. You're allowed to leave my side, but you are not allowed to leave my line of sight. You ask for my permission to go somewhere I can't see you. If someone approaches you, you come straight to me. And if I find you breaking any of these rules, you're going to be punished. Do I make myself clear?"
She nods again while keeping her head lowered. I snatch up her chin, "Speak."
"Yes, Sir." She answers while looking me in the eye and grabbing my wrists with her hands. I let her go and soften my tone a little. "Good. Let's go."
[ 11:26 PM ]
I would be making myself known to one of my targets tonight. She'll be coming to this club for her friend's birthday, and they're all single middle-aged women no doubt in need of and in search for a good fuck. This would be easy.
We arrive at the jumping club, and I hold Astraia's waist as we enter. The air is smoky and hot and the music is loud. We walk through the dark crowd til we approach an available booth. We sit down and I raise my arm above the seat before glimpsing down at Astraia at my side. She bobbed her head to the beat and sat properly beside me, gazing into the crowd.
I lower my lips down to her ear, "Go dance, Angel."
She looks up at me, "I can?"
I nod reassuringly, and she smiles a little before sliding from my side and scooting her way beside a group of women, starting to dance. Although they didn't know her, they seemed completely accepting of her dance moves and let her dance with them. I chuckle softly as I watch, lowering my eyes from her face to each of her curves.
I watch her for a moment before remembering my purpose for coming out. I stand from the booth and walk into the crowd towards the DJ's booth where I request the announcement of target Miranda Keenman's birthday, and from this, it gives me a clear view of where they were in the crowd.
As I begin to make my way towards the group, a heavy hand lands on my shoulder as my name is called from behind me. I turn around, surprised to find Axel Mando standing there.
"I thought that was you," He smiles at me.
"Mando..." I'm a little surprised to see him here. He had a glass in his hand and he spoke with the slightest slur over the music. "Fancy meeting you here!"
"Yeah, fancy that." I point my thumb over my shoulder, "I'm actually busy right now though-"
"Wait, wait! I been trying to get in contact with you, Levi," He grabs my shoulder again when I try to turn around, a bit tighter this time. I look back at him expectantly and he continues, "I know you've probably heard about my brother missing."
It's been over a month now. I fake frown and nod, "Yeah, I'm sorry to hear that. Has police found anything yet?"
He looks down at his cup, "Not a goddamn thing. There's only one thing that could possibly be a lead."
My eyebrow arches as I become more in-tuned to his words. I hope he speaks carefully with his next ones. "Oh? What would that be?"
He looks up at me with an upset look in his eyes, "That girl you were with that night."
I push my eyebrows together and cross my arms, "What do you mean?"
"Are you still with her?"
"Answer my question," I demand, "How could she be a lead?"
"Witness reports described him leaving the building with a small girl wrapped in bandages." He answers while rolling his tongue through his mouth, "The only girl at that gala with bandages was Astraia. And apparently she was acting crazy right before they left, bumping into everyone and doing 360s."
I try not to clench my jaw as he continues with a frustrated sigh, "But I don't get it. Frail girl like her couldn't have done anything to Austin. And if she could, what's the motive?"
"Nothing. She's the sweetest girl I know." I say, "And if something did happen, I would've known about it."
"But that's another thing. What do you even know about her, Levi?" He shakes his head and sets his hand back on my shoulder, looking at me as though he was concerned for my own safety, "When we tried to look her up, there was nothing. It's almost like the girl doesn't even exist. She has no record, couldn't find her date of birth, no place of residence, nothing! She doesn't even have a last name!"
It's good see he doesn't suspect me, but Astraia was my responsibility and I promised to protect her from the consequences. I shrug my shoulders, "I mean, she's here with me if you'd like to speak to her. Then you'll see she's the last person to make a man go missing."
His eyebrows raise, "She's here? Tonight?"
"Yeah, she should be around here somewhere..." My words trail off as I look around me, searching for Astraia who was supposed to be in my line of sight at all times. And she was. I saw her to my left, paying me no mind as she continued to dance, this time without the random girls but with a man pressed behind her.
They grind together with his hands feeling wherever they pleased on her body, and I feel a chuckle raise up in the back of my throat. I turn back to Axel and smile, "You know what? Why don't we continue this in a booth. You go pick one and I'll go get Astraia and meet you there?"
He agrees and then heads to the right as I head to my left. I step through the dancing people until approaching Astraia. She didn't notice me until it was too late.
I pull Euphoria away from the stranger by the back of her neck, into my body where she looks up behind her with dark eyes. They widen as I smile against her ear and tighten my grip while placing my other hand on her hip, "Ah, little Angel, you made a friend."
She starts to say my name, but I pull her behind me when the man grabs at her wrist to pull her back to him. I step in front of him, grab his wrist and turn him around. I pull his wrist far behind his back and wrap my other arm under his other and around his neck, locking him in a half Nelson and threatening to break his wrist at the same time. I speak over his available shoulder, "I should fucking kill you for laying your hands on her."
"It was just a dance, dude!!!" He yells out, and I let him go and shove his back, making him stumble forward and rub his wrist while looking back at us. His face is contorted in pain before he cries out at Euphoria, "Your boyfriend's a fucking psycho!!!"
He stumbles off into the crowd before I turn back at Euphoria standing behind me. "I thought we laid out rules, Angel."
"I didn't break them." She claims in a mumble as I take her hip and turn her to start walking the opposite way.
"We clearly have to talk about what it means to be mine, but we will discuss that when we get home." I set that aside however because we had more pressing matters, "But right now, you're going to go talk to Axel Mando."
He feet stop abruptly as she looks up at me, "M-Mando?"
"That's what I said. They've linked you to his brother's murder." I say down to her, "But lucky for you, you don't quite have a background. It's hard to find you."
I notice her chest rise sharply through her frozen body, realizing her past was something else we'd probably have to discuss.
"What, do you expect me to get you out of this?" I wonder teasingly, knowing damn well I would, "You ran out the gala with him with all of the party to witness. Then he suddenly disappears."
Her terrified look at me quickly turns into a glare, "I'm not dumb, you know. If I go down for Mando, you come with me."
I snatch her by her chin and smirk at her as she raises both of her hands to grip my wrist. "Oh, you're being real bold tonight, huh?"
She's been snarky with me since I forced her down in the basement a week or two ago, and honestly, it was interesting to see this side of her. To say the least, it gave me anticipation as I knew she'd eventually give me a reason to punish her.
I let her go and sigh. "You're right, though. And I made a promise to you that night anyway." I push my hand into my pocket while lying my other onto her back to lead her again. "That's why you're going to explain what happened. That he took you out during your panic attack and eventually took you home to fuck."
"What?!"
"He'll believe it. He knows his brother tends to take advantage of young women in their moments of vulnerability." I explain knowingly, "I'm going to pretend to be devastated like I didn't know, and then we're going to leave."
"B-But-"
There were only a few people between us and the booth Axel waited for us in. I stop and lean down to her ear, "He took you to his bachelor pad on Vella Avenue, got you drunk off Bowman 1957, woke up the next morning and went home. Got it?"
I don't actually give her time to review as we approach, "And make it believable."
Her jaw briefly clenches as we walk forward, and Axel's gaze falls upon us. I smile and wave at him, "I found her."
"Hello..." she forces a small smile as we take our seats across from the Mando brother. He held onto his glass and also forcefully smiled back at her, "Miss Astraia. It's nice to hear your voice for the first time."
She chuckles softly, "Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better."
"You look better," He downs his glass before getting to his point, "So...uhm... you've heard about my brother right? Austin?"
She nods her head and slightly frowns, "Y-Yeah... I'm sorry to hear about that..."
"Just get to the part where you say you think she's the reason she's missing." I gesture to her, and she quickly looks over at me with the most subtle look of surprise on her face.
"Wait, what?" She plays along.
"I-I'm not saying I think it's you, Astraia, just... you're the last person he was seen with..." Axel sighs deeply while shaking his head, "People were saying you looked like you were about to faint or something."
She nods as her eyebrows sink in, "Yeah, I was starting to have a panic attack. You know, after my surgery and having those bandages, and being at a party like that... I was getting so many stares and felt like I was being judged. Y-Your brother helped me out..."
"He helped you out?"
She glimpses at me sadly before looking back at Axel, "He helped me outside where I could get some fresh air, then we started talking. I mean, I was mostly listening and responding with head nods or shakes, but he was so kind, made me felt like I belonged at the gala like anyone else, despite my bandages."
"Well then why didn't anyone see him come back in or for the rest of the night?" Axel wonders while looking over to the side. Astraia looks over at me again, "...C-Can we speak in private, Levi?"
"What do you mean?" I softly scoff with a little bit of amusement, "Why?"
She sighs deeply and looks down at her lap. "I've been trying to tell you, but I guess now's a good time than ever..." She meets my gaze, "You know when I texted you that night that I was headed home early? Because of my anxiety?"
I nod with fake confusion but real focus on her face as she was laying it a little thick but still selling it to Axel. "I actually went to Austin's bachelor pad that night."
"...what?" I let my smile slowly fade from my face as I spoke quietly. I let my eyebrows hesitantly furrow as she continued, shaking her head while she laced her tone with desperation, "Y-You took me to that gala thinking it would make me feel better but it didn't! And he understood that-"
"So you decided to sleep with him?!"
"Wait, you slept with my brother?" Axel interrupts, and we look over at him. Her expression was regretful while my breathing deepened with growing anger.
"We got drunk, off this liquor! Uh... Bow...Bow something 19 uhh..." she scrunched her face until Axel interjected again, softer and quieter this time. Sadder.
"Bowman 1957."
And that tone and the look down at his glass let me know that he was sold. He continues, "That was his favorite Scotch... Fuck, did you spend the night?"
She nods, "Y-Yeah... when I woke up, I went home."
"Was he there when you woke up?" Axel asks, and I look over at her, trying not to show my urgency and alert. I failed to mention this in her instructions, and depending on this answer, it could determine whether her spending the night at Austin's penthouse could be proven or not.
She glimpses at me for the slightest moment, but I couldn't give her the answer directly in front of Axel. I open my mouth to interrupt the conversation, but she speaks before I could get the sound out. She nods her head, "Y-Yes...he was."
I slightly exhale in relief as Axel closes his eyes and nods. Then he shakes his head and rubs his hands over his face.
"Well I'm back to square one then, I guess." He says sadly with frustration, "Damn it, what could've happened to him?"
"If we're done here, I think it's time we go have a talk, Astraia." I say angrily, grabbing her forearm and pulling her out the booth to her feet. I look back down to Axel."I hope you find your brother, despite...all this... seriously." I dismiss in a serious, genuine voice, "I hope he shows up safe and sound."
"You probably want him a little roughed up," He glimpses at Astraia and speaks jokingly, but it doesn't last long as I tell he truly didn't mean what he said, "But thanks. Me too. And good luck with...that...."
I nod and turn to leave with that, pulling Astraia along beside me. She slightly trots in her heels to keep up my pace, "Wait! What about your work?-"
"She can wait." I answer back.
We leave the club and we head back to my Lexus. When we're in our seats, I see her catching her breath while I roll my eyes with a bit of agitation. I didn't like complications, but I suppose they're were inevitable, with or without Astraia.
"...well that was scary." She peeps as I put the key in the ignition and start up the car.
"When you lied to me about seeing blood on the floors that night during the storm, I knew you were a good liar." I explain while pulling off, "Good enough to handle something like that at least."
"You knew I lied about that?"
"You left a footprint behind." I answer, "If I didn't know that you could lie, I would've never let you talk to him."
"So you like making my life harder?"
"You like making your own life harder." I correct, "I laid out clear rules for you and you still managed to get in trouble."
"After that performance?!"
"Don't forget I caught you with that man's hands all over you. And all these smart ass remarks I've been letting slide," I remind knowingly. She quiets down and looks back out the window. "I didn't break any of your stupid rules..." she pouts.
"I wonder if you'll still be talking back with my belt around your throat."
She goes completely silent this time til we make it back to my house.
<< A/N >>
Shall it get spicy in the next chapter? Mmmmm idkkk 🤔🤫