Exclusively Hers

3 - Mom, can we keep it?

Monday morning @ Evermall High School
Hope’s POV

    I sat in the front seat of my father’s car while we were parked outside of the school, waiting for the drop off line to dwindle. I was biting the nail of my thumb nervously.

“You'll be fine princess, it’s your senior year and I couldn’t be more proud of you both.” I looked over to my father, offering a close-lipped smile. It wasn’t a cold shoulder, I just feared I would puke if I forced anything more. I was always like this when a new year started, needing everything to go perfectly organized.

However, it’s not like I could tell him that was actually the last thing on my mind right now. I looked back to staring out at the large building Raffe and I have been attending for the past three years. The heaviness on my chest was lies upon lies and anxiety of having to look around the corner wherever I went.

For hecks sake, my friends and I were holding a man captive in a basement. I was in deeper shit than my parents would even be able to imagine we got ourselves into in the span of one weekend.

“Raffe, buddy. Wake up, we are almost to drop off.” I pulled my hand from my mouth to peer at Raffe slouched sideways across the backseat. Poor thing was unable to sleep well after Saturday night.

Two days earlier, Saturday night @ Rodriguez residence . . .

We stared at the man who was now awake, his eyes scanning us as we awaited for his first words.

“Abode?” Was all he said, his accent messing up the pronunciation. I wrapped my arms around myself as Carla snatched an old metal pipe that was leaning against the wall in the corner.

“Let’s get right to the point,” Carla voiced and Raffe clasped his hands together behind his head in disbelief.

“Oh god, I thought you were joking about this.” Carla said how it would be smart to also use him for information rather than as a sitting duck. Kidnapping him was one thing, but torturing information out of him was another. It’s not like he was a good guy, but. . .

“This is like something you only see in movies,” I voiced.

“Because it is,” May finished. Wes hadn’t said anything, standing near the man’s chair with his arms folded over his chest.

“Who is the owner of the brothel?” Carla really did go straight to the point. The man in the chair looked to the pipe and then to her with an expression less alarming than it should have been.

“All of us are.”

“Come again?” Wes said with a raised brow. He turned his head to Wes’ direction but didn’t look up at him, letting his head straighten in front of him again.

“We all own the brothel. We are a family, you guys can join if you would like.” A loud clang sounded through the basement when she smacked the pipe down on the cement floor between his legs before him. I jumped in surprise, but the man didn’t move, the only reaction being the slight flinch in his gaze.

“We don’t want to be apart of you fuckers sick and twisted game you call family, we want those kids out and the owners in jail.” Carla’s tone was slightly raised.

“Why would you want that?” He questioned like we were the brainless ones here.

“Because they are there against their will being used for selfish people’s enjoyment. They are fucking minors, dude. The hell is wrong with you?” Raffe spoke out. The man only stared at us like he didn’t catch onto anything we had just said. Carla reeled the pipe and was getting ready to swing, but I held my hand and stepped forward slightly.