Birdcage

Chapter 20 Lila...

Before I know it, I'm back at Maisie's house, through the front door and upstairs in my bedroom. I slam the door shut, not evening taking notice of whether Maisie was home or not. I am presuming she isn't though, because I'm sure she would be up here trying to find out what was wrong. I'm glad, I don't want to see her – I don't want to see her ever again.

I change from my work clothes and into a pair of skinny jeans, jumper and converse. I grab my holdall out of my wardrobe and pack the essentials to take home. I then go into the bathroom and put all my toiletries into a washbag, packing that in the holdall too. I look at myself in the mirror. How have I come to this? A few weeks ago, I had a job – a shit one, but a job nonetheless – a nice place to live and friends that I loved. Now, I'm unemployed, possibly facing assault charges from Max, heartbroken and last but not least, I'm not too sure if I'm still on a Russian gangs hitlist.

Mascara is smudged under my eyes from crying, so I clean my face of all make up, tie my hair up into a ponytail and head down stairs with my belongings. I pull my phone out from my handbag and see that I have multiple missed calls from Robbie and one from Dane. However, it soon starts vibrating again in my hands, Dane's name flashing before me. I cancel the call and type out a quick text to him; 'I'm going home to my parents. If there was any part of you that cared for me at all, then you will leave me alone. Goodbye, Dane.'

I wait until I know the message has sent, then switch my phone off. I stare at my pitiful belongings that sit at the bottom of the stairs, sad that things have come to this. I was determined to make a successful life here - how could things become so bad? I take one last look around the downstairs of the house; I always loved it, from the minute I stepped foot inside for the first time. I walk into the living area and stand in front of Maisie's painting, the one that has haunted me from the moment I saw it. I bring my fingers up and lightly brush the tips over the coarse paint, feeling every bump and dip. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you," I whisper.

I'm yanked from my thoughts as someone bursts through the front door. I rush to the hallway to see who it is, and find Maisie frantically locking the door behind her and shifting the deadbolt across. "Maisie, what are you doing?"

She doesn't answer right away, but instead brushes past me and into the living room, shutting the curtains. Then she turns and looks at me, pure terror in her eyes. "Lila, help me...please, I don't know what to do..." a sob escapes from her lips and I start to worry.

I try and stay calm, saying, "It's okay, I'll help you. Just tell me what's going on."

"I'm in trouble, the same trouble my father is in." Tears roll down her face, and she plays nervously with the hem of her shirt. "My father and Pierre are involved with a dark business and dragged me into it a few years back. They attend these auctions, where you pay a lot of money for young girls – it may as well be a cattle market. My father told me that if I wanted to carry on receiving his money, then I needed to pull my weight. Pierre said the same."

"I just followed their orders, pushing my feelings to the side - all for the money. Soon, my feelings stopped and it became second nature. Things changed earlier this year when Daddy started losing money on his businesses. He was getting desperate and decided to invest a chunk of money he had left into Nikolai and his operations, which seriously involved him with the gang. There is a hard drive, containing all of the information about everyone involved in the trafficking, created by Nikolai to use as leverage if needs be. However, he caught wind that the authorities had found out about the hard drive and knew it could be used to bring the trafficking ring down. Nikolai entrusted my father with the hard drive, to ensure it was kept safely away from the authorities. However, Daddy had plans to double cross him and keep it for himself to use to blackmail associates of theirs. He said it was certain to make him money and protect the family." She rushes towards me, grabbing my jumper and pleading with her eyes, as she continues.