I stood in front of a vending machine; its lights flickered, casting an eerie glow. Inserting my coins into the vending machine I pressed the sticky B4 button for Hot Cheetos and the chips got stuck. Fucking great. I stared at the dangling bag, kicking the machine a couple of times the chips fell. I turn my head at the sound of kids laughing excitedly and running down the motel sidewalk toward the pool, their floaties bouncing with each step. Their parents soon caught up with them yelling for them to slow down.
Then a part of my heart breaks thinking about those four girls whom I thought I could save by taking them to the station, but their parents were still on the News channels begging and pleading for their children back. Kicking the vending machine out of anger I manage to fuck up again.
I didn't bother turning on the lights when I walked into my motel room. Threw the keycard on the table near the window. I fell back on the bed staring up at the darkness, my thoughts go to Yemaya and how I wanted to visit her grave and take a plant since plants had been her favorite. She had a green thumb when it came to indoor plants–
The sudden grating sound that came from the recliner in the corner of the motel room startled me, causing me to jump up. With a soft click, the lamp beside the chair turns on, instantly illuminating various corners of the room. Elio sat in the recliner, a smile playing on his lips.
"Ciao(Hello)," he said, sudden anger growing in his eyes. "You looked thrilled to see me, mio caro(my dear)."
I'm rooted to the floor. My mind went blank and I lost the inability to speak. Elio cocks one of his thick brows and motions for me to come to him, but I don't move, my legs didn't want to move toward danger. Elio starts counting down from five giving me a chance to get my ass over to him. And I didn't want to discover what happens when he gets to one.
Giving myself some kind of false hope that Elio wouldn't do anything crazy, I walk over to him taking tiny little steps. When I get to him, I leave a gap between us. The door was only a few steps away, calculating how fast I could get to the door if I needed to, but if he decided to shoot me, there was no outrunning a bullet.
I rubbed my clammy hands on my jeans. "I was planning on calling you."
Just a few feet away, in the bathroom, my smashed-up phone was nestled in the small trash can, surrounded by crumpled tissues and a discarded toothpaste tube.
Elio glares at me, the anger behind his eyes only growing more intense, making me flinch. The silence from him wedged between us making me uncomfortable.
"I don't like for people to play with my money," Elio said with calmness, but every drop of anger laced his words. "You played with my money. Do you know how fucking hard it is to find little girls who haven't been fucked?"
And when I don't answer, Elio starts to get up from the recliner. I took a small step backward. "I don't fucking know."
Didn't care to know either.
Elio takes a step with each one I take backward. The lamp's glow played tricks on the room, casting haunting shadows that distorted Elio's features, making him appear more sinister.
"Hard." He spat. "Do you know how much a rich old man would pay–"
"Okay, you lost money? No big fucking deal." I said, my legs hit the edge of the bed. I fall to the mattress on my ass, staring up at Elio. "Don't you got some kind of fucking self-conscious? Those are fucking kids. Innocent fucking kids you just out here snatching–" Without warning, a forceful slap jolted me. The fiery sensation on my face was unbearable, causing tears in my eyes.
"You're going to pay me back, Mr. Jensen." He said.
"I ain't paying shit back." I spat out in anger.
He lowers down to my height staring me in the eyes. "I'm cutting off your father's treatments and that money that would be wasted on him can go to paying me back."
