“I went to the gate first. No one was there and I didn’t see a buzzer or anything, so I walked along the fence hoping I would see someone to ask.”
The big, mean man again, “He expecting you?”
“No, sir, he isn’t.”
Both men chuckled, but I wasn’t sure why. The younger one said, “Walk back around to the front and we’ll let you in.”
“Okay, but is Phoenix here? I don’t need to come in if he’s not here.”
“Yeah, darlin’, he’s inside. I’ll take you to him.”
Oh, thank goodness. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do if he wasn’t there.
I was nervous. I hadn’t anticipated being led into a building surrounded by an iron fence with a bunch of large men around. How would I get out if I needed to? What kind of danger awaited me inside the clubhouse? I could be trapped in there for years with these men, just like I was at the farm. I didn’t want that. Not again.
We reached the front gate and I turned to the younger man. He was starting to punch in a code on a keypad I had not seen. “You know, it’s really not that important…I’ll just catch him later. Thanks anyway,” I said quickly and turned to walk away. Before I could break out into a full sprint, a hand wrapped around my upper arm and yanked me back. I yelped and another hand came around to cover my mouth.
The younger man leaned down to my ear and asked in a low tone, “Now why are you trying to run off like that? Makes me think you’re up to something.” I shook my head from side to side vigorously, but he continued, “We don’t like it when people who got no business being out here come sniffing around our territory, sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong. So, we’re gonna go inside and have a little chat.”
As he slowly made his way into the warehouse, dragging me along with him, I began to shake and tears ran down my face. I was so stupid. Why did I think I could do this? I had never been off of the farm, except for school and the occasional (extremely supervised) trip into town for clothes or other supplies. I had no idea how to survive in the real world. I had only been able to survive in a world that was an illusion manipulated into my reality.
I was terrified. I couldn’t even begin to take in my surroundings due to the tears blurring my vision, which meant I had no idea where they were taking me and no idea how to get out of this place. The man kept his hand over my mouth and his other arm wrapped around my waist as he pulled me deeper inside the clubhouse.
Finally, the man let me go and I was pushed down into a chair. I wiped the tears from my eyes and face and looked around. I was in an office, facing a beast of a man sitting across from me behind a large desk. He did not look happy. I glanced behind me and saw two men standing guard at the door. The two men from outside were standing on either side of me.
The man at the desk spoke first, “What the fuck is this?”
“We found her snooping around outside the fence at the back of the warehouse, Prez,” explained the BMM.
I mumbled, “I wasn’t snooping, sir.”
“What the fuck were you doing then?” asked the beast behind the desk.
“Like I told them, sir, I’m here to see Phoenix. I went to the front gate, but no one was out there. I didn’t see a buzzer or anything, so I walked along the fence hoping I would see somebody to ask.”
“I see,” he growled. “Who’s supposed to be on gate duty?” I jolted at his tone. One of the other men answered his question.
“Get his ass in here now!” the beast roared.
When the man they called Pete came into the office, the beast stood. “When this lovely little thing came to the gate today looking for Phoenix, she couldn’t find anyone to ask.” Pete looked down as the beast rounded the desk. “So she took a stroll along the fence to see if she could find anyone around to ask.” The beast was now toe-to-toe with Pete, who was still looking at the floor. “And do you know what happened next, prospect?”
“No, Prez,” Pete mumbled.
“She was drug in here by Dash and Shaker, trembling from head to toe with tears streaming down her face!” he roared. “All because she was looking for me! Now get the fuck out of my office and plant your ass at that gate. I don’t care if you shit your damn pants, you fucking stay there until I say otherwise.” The beast looked to the men standing around the room. “The rest of you clear out, too. I’d like to talk to this sweet little thing without you mongrels looming around scaring her more than you already have.”
The men quickly exited and the beast, apparently Phoenix, returned to his desk. He took in a deep breath, paused for a moment to study my face, and then settled back into his chair. “My apologies for the way my men treated you. Now, I’m Phoenix. What is it you want with me?”
Hesitantly, but with as much confidence as I could muster, I stated, “I need a new ID and the documents that would go along with that. I was told you could help me.”
Phoenix pushed back from his desk and crossed his muscular arms over his impressively large chest. His face was a mask of indifference when he crushed my world. “I can’t help you with that.”
What? No. This wasn’t happening. What was I going to do now? I didn’t plan on this happening. I didn’t come up with a backup plan. I had nowhere to go. They would find me and I would have to go back. No. No. No. I couldn’t breathe. What was happening? My chest hurt. Everything was blurry. Why couldn’t I get air into my lungs? I needed to breathe.
A light tapping on my cheek startled me, causing me to suck in a huge breath of air. “That’s it. Do it again. A little slower this time. Good. Good. A few more times.” I did as I was instructed. After a few slow, deep breaths, I wiped my eyes with my hands. Phoenix was squatting in front of my chair, his hand gently resting on my knee, coaxing me to breathe.
He patted my knee and stood. “That’s much better. Now, who told you I could help you with getting a new identity?”
Assuming honesty was the best policy at this point, I softly said, “Carbon.”
