Dance Moms - Chlobird

Chapter 17 : The Bigger Fish

She stepped out of the club and made her way back to the car. While waiting to cross the road, two identical white Range Rovers pulled in front of her, blocking her path with their monstrosity.

Doors from both vehicles opened simultaneously, with a pair of men from each door, blocking Chloe's escape paths on both sides, their coordination seemed well trained.

Chloe assessed the situation. These men wore tailored suits with the buttons undone, a common practice for professionals to access their firearms. But they didn't need to, their broad shoulders and giant size already sending the message: Don't fuck with us.

She was caught at a disadvantage. Surrounded by tall men and tall vehicles, she was out of view in a bad neighborhood where pedestrians would turn a blind eye. If she is taken, no one will speak a word.

"Get in." the big man cocked his head towards the front Range Rover, inside she could see someone waiting.

I told you not to get involve! Her other self protesting.

She wondered if Harish sold her out, but it didn't matter now, she was trapped, and the only way out was to deal with it as briefly as possible.

She stepped into the vehicle, and was immediately hit by an aroma of jasmine. The seats were arranged in a face-to-face setting, wrapped in expensive white leather, highly contrasting with the black interior frame.

Sitting at the rear was a man in a light-colored suit, she couldn't tell if it was beige or white under the dim light. He was in his late forties, with a strong Hispanic feature of a firm jaw and a well-trimmed beard. His eyes were still like the dead, staring at her like a predator.

Chloe took her seat opposite the man, with her back against a wall that separated them from the driver. The guards slammed the door shut with a thump, it sounded heavy, bulletproof no doubt. In fact, the whole vehicle felt heavily armored, the side windows were so thick and tinted she could hardly see the outside, the front and rear views could only be seen from display screens, running a feed from exterior cameras.

The Hispanic man looked at her in silence, nor did he move, just stared at her with those big dark eyes. Without giving an order, Chloe felt the vehicle moving.

"Where are we going?"

"Do you know who I am?" when he finally spoke, his voice was soft but with authority.

"I'm not interested." Chloe shook her head, staring back into his eyes.

"My men told me you took them out last night. You alone."

"That's not true. The bouncers helped."

"You're funny." the man amused, but soon returned to his straight face. "My name is Carlos Aldama, and Harish is my business associate."

"What you do with Harish is not my business."

"Then why did you defend him?"

"I didn't. I was trying to get out, your men were on my way."

"There are two kinds of people who run from that situation, either they don't want to be involved with gang business, or they don't want to be caught by the police."

"You forgot the third option."

"What's that?" the man arched his eyebrows.

"Innocent bystanders."

"I told my men to get all the customers out. We don't want to destroy our business, you know."

"But you already did. Open fire in a crowded place already drives the business out."

"A necessary attention, for someone who was disrespectful." Carlos smiled.

"Where are we going?" Chloe asked again, trying to find her bearing beyond the dark window.

"Why? What are you afraid of?"

"I worry how far I need to walk back to my car."

"What do you do for a living?"

"I think we've been through that already." Chloe shook her head.

"Been through what?"

"That part about getting to know each other." Chloe returned his stare. "We won't see each other again, neither of us wants to interfere with each other's lives, so why don't we call it a night and part our ways?"

Her request was replied by another long silence, the man named Carlos continued to lock eyes with hers, as if trying to see inside her heart.

Finally he made a faint nod, almost unnoticeable, and Chloe felt the car slow to a stop. Apparently there were cameras inside the compartment too.

The door swung open, held by the same guard who let her in. Chloe stepped out into the air of night, forgetting how cold it was.

She watched the two Range Rovers drive away, then spotted her Ford where she left, the message was clear:

We know what car you drive, we have your license plate, and we will know more.

* * *

A guard entered the first vehicle and shut the door, waiting for instructions. The panel behind him lowered, revealing the driver and the front passenger.

"What do you want to do?" Carlos asked.

"Find out who she is." the front passenger instructed.