She went to the back of the club and went into the bathroom first. She needed to give herself a moment, and she could feel the man's eyes on her, losing her when she went that way. He was making sure that she was where she was supposed to be. The very idea of that made her sick. Vivica wasn't supposed to be anywhere. She was supposed to be there making money, not trying to dodge men, though most of her excursions ended up that way. Why was it so hard for a man to hear the word no?
She gave herself a few more minutes, looking at herself in the mirror, hoping she could get out of there clean. He was just another guy that thought that she owed him something, and he would feel justified in about anything he would try to do to get it. She knew the type and didn’t want to have to deal with him. She didn't want to be in his presence, knowing what he was, so she certainly didn't want to get chased down by him either. She needed to get away fast, before he realized what she was doing.
Vivica made her way to the door, and she glanced over at the table where Thom was supposed to be. He wasn't there and she felt weird for a moment, hoping that he was at the bar getting them another drink. It would be easier if she had a little bit more time to get out of there, before he tried to come after her.
Vivica thought she was in the clear. She smiled to herself and went out the door. Everything was going to be fine; she could just go to another bar and start there. She had a good start going on and wanted to check but knew better than to do it then. She wanted to get clear of the place, before she saw how well she had done.
“How did I know you're going to do a runner?”
Thom was standing behind the door and he grabbed her quickly. There were other men there too, ones that she recognized when he had first intervened for her. She didn't know if they were bodyguards or what, but they didn't seem surprised by Thom’s actions or interested in helping her.
Vivica realized then that she was on her own and started to put some distance between them. The men with her started to push in on her from the other side. Vivica felt discouragement run through her. Not only was she alone and they weren't going to help her, but they were helping him. That was definitely going to have to be taken into account going further.
Vivica didn’t usually get discouraged, but that was one of those times where she couldn’t help herself. She was an orphan, had been on the streets since her parents died, and she ran away from foster care. It was the worst and she figured she could make a better life on the street. Most of the time it was true, but Vivica got into some situations, like the one she was in now, and knew that being on her own, meant life was a bit more dangerous. Dangers like Thom were not that uncommon.
Vivica was sick of the Thoms in her life.
Chapter 2
Shane
Shane was minding his own business. He was getting back late from the meeting in the office and he decided to take a stroll passed Peters Street. His car was parked a few blocks away, and he didn't even bother to call his driver. Shane liked to drive, but Ernest did all of that for him. It seemed like the more money Shane made, the less he actually had to do for himself. He could pay somebody to dress him and shine his shoes if he wanted. He already had a personal assistant, drivers, gardeners, maids, there was somebody doing everything for Shane and at times, it became cumbersome. Sometimes he just wanted to leave a place and not be followed by a team of people. Nobody needed that many people to succeed.
He was thinking about the next day's meetings and what had to be done. Shane was always trying to think a few steps ahead and since he was one of only ten billionaires in the city, Shane had to stay on his toes. Someone was always there waiting in the wings to take what he had worked his ass off for. Shane used to have a different life. A life that was so simple and natural, that what he was now doing seemed off. He looked around at all the concrete and buildings and bricks and mortar, and he wished for dirt and grass underneath his feet, the sun shaded by tall trees instead of skyscrapers.
Shane chuckled to himself. He always got nostalgic when he took a short walk. It didn't take much, with the breeze and the smell that the air carried with it. It told a story and Shane’s nose couldn't help but read it. His senses came alive when he was outside, and it was probably why his ears perked up when he heard a girl screaming. This was the city; New Orleans was known for crime, and someone was always becoming a victim every few minutes or something like that. It wasn't the first time that he had heard a girl scream in the distance, but it was the first time that he wanted to go help them.
Part of him wanted to blow it off. It was only going to pull him into some drama that he didn't want to be a part of. Shane didn't need to get into drama, especially not human drama, where cops would come and ask all kinds of questions. Shane didn’t have time for any of that.
Still though, instead of walking the last couple hundred feet to his car, he turned toward the noise and started walking rapidly toward it. It wasn't like him to get involved. He usually didn’t, but today was different. It was a good thing too, because the woman was surrounded by four men, and it was pretty clear that she did not want to go with them.
“Why don't you just leave her alone?”
It was a simple question, and Shane said it in a very clear tone of voice, without any anger or arrogance or attitude. Shane knew that he could take out all the men. It would be done quickly and easily, without even breaking a sweat. That was the dark side of him. Shane liked to hold the aggressive side of him at bay, because sometimes it became more than he was able to handle. It felt like it was going to be one of those times.
“Why don’t you keep on walking, old man?”
“Old man? I am thirty. I just turned thirty by the way, so I wouldn't say that I'm old. Aging well I like to call it.”
Shane was still smiling; he was showing them that he was not troubled by the inflection of their words. All he wanted to do was get the woman out of their grips. He asked her if she was okay, and she explicitly said that she wasn't.
“I just want to leave, and they won't let me.”
Shane turned to the tall blond that seemed to be the boss of the others. He sized him up and though he was big, Shane knew that he could get bigger.
“Why don't you just let her go, and we can all be on our way? It doesn't have to be anything ugly.”
“Speak for yourself, old man. You are the one that is bringing this on yourself.”
Shane insisted that he wasn't trying to start trouble, but they didn't believe him. He hit one of the guys closest to him and saw him fall down. The other two moved back some.
That meant that only the blond man was holding the girl. She was a slight thing, had smudges on her face, probably from fighting with them, and it looked like she had been smacked at some point. She looked innocent and she was really young. Shane didn't know what to think of her, but he didn't really have time for much of an assessment, because the three men were coming toward him with intent. They weren’t going to take the hint apparently.
Shane sighed inwardly, though that small dark side of him rejoiced in the idea of getting his hands dirty. “No, seriously guys, you really shouldn't do this. Haven't you ever heard that it is rude to speak to others like that? I’m sure it is quite rude to threaten them as well.”
That got him a smile and a jeer from the blond one that he’d heard called Thom.
“Take him out. Then we’re going to take this little minx back to the clubhouse with us. I'm sure that we can find something to do with her to keep us entertained.”
