All I Need

Chapter 18 - Mistake Number Four

Elias

There was a metal chain tied around the back of the truck. Luckily enough, Nasir had bolt cutters in his car. He cut the chain and lifted the door, revealing something that none of us were expecting.

A dozen women were sitting on the floor, with their hands tied behind their backs and duct tape covering their mouths. They were also dressed in very little clothing, leading me to believe that these were...what the fuck?

"What the hell is this?" Alexander scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. "A fucking party bus?"

"A waste of time." Taio wiped his bloody hands on his shirt. "That is what this is."

Mr. Li began to walk away, along with Alex, but I couldn't stop staring. These were Nathaniel's girls...probably the ones that he wanted to work at my hotel. Why would he put them here? Was this some sort of sick joke? Taunting me about not taking the deal?

"Let's go," Alex commanded, pulling my wrist, getting me to move. "Come on, Elias-"

"We can't leave them," I said, walking towards the women.

The one in the front shivered when I got too close. She had curly black hair and her eyes were a deep brown, tears streaming down her face. She began to shake her head, scared that I was going to touch her. I held up my hands to show mercy, but she scooted back to get away from me.

"It's okay." I stepped up inside the truck and crouched down next to the woman, ripping the tape off her mouth. "We won't hurt you."

"Please." she sobbed. "I...I don't know anything. He made us-"

Alex approached before she could finish, looking at her with uncertainty. "I get it now. These are Nathaniel's hookers."

"Cállate." I scolded him, making sure that he didn't get as close as I was. The last thing I needed was Alexander being a smart-ass. "No nos dirán nada si les insultas."

(shut up, they won't tell us anything if you insult them)

"Es la verdad." he retorted, glaring at all the frightened women behind me. "Cómo sabemos que no están aquí para seducirnos?"

(it's the truth, how do we know they're not here to seduce us)

I grabbed the blade from my pocket and began to cut the rope that was tied around the black-haired woman's wrist. Once she was free, she exhaled sharply, glad that I cut the bindings and not her. I did the same to the next woman, cutting the rope and removing the tape from her mouth.

"We're not taking them back to the hotel," Alex argued. "That is a terrible idea."

"No, Elias is right." Nasir chimed in, climbing onto the truck and helping me free the women. "We can't just leave them here, they'll die."

"Good." Alex scoffed again, rolling his eyes and walking back to the car. "Anyone who works for Nathaniel deserves death."

Ignoring him was the best option right now. They needed to be saved. They were tied up, helpless, and unable to move. I knew exactly what that was like, and Alex knew that I knew. He just didn't trust anything that had to do with Mr. King, and I couldn't blame him for that.

After we finished, I scanned them all very closely. A woman at the back had her arm covering her chest, she didn't even have a shirt on. Why didn't she have a shirt on?

It didn't matter. She felt exposed and uncomfortable, which was the last thing she needed to be. I took off my own shirt and gave it to her. "Here."