The Bleak Spots

Chapter 4

-Chapter 4 : The Calm Before
The Storm-

"Why did you help us?", Conrad asked as he looked straight at Karen's eyes while Louis sat silently, listening to what Karen was going to say.

"Because you remind me of myself", Karen said, her closed hand resting on her chin with the index finger pointing upwards. Conrad's eyebrow raised slightly after her statement.

"What do you mean by that?", Louis said for the first time, clearly interested with the topic.

"I know how it feels to be a property of someone and I also know the nightmare we have to face after that", Karen replied, her blue eyes never leaving Conrad's. She saw how Conrad's eyes narrowed a little before he averted his gaze to look down.

Conrad took his cigarettes' box and the lighter from the table with his slightly shaking hand before he pulled out a cigarette.

"What are you talking about? I don't understand", he said, his voice trembling a little. Conrad cleared his throat awkwardly before he put the cigarette between his lips and lit it.

Louis patted his friend's shoulder briefly as he felt the tension that came out from Conrad. He saw Conrad turned his head to look at Louis, giving a tiny smile and nodding his head.

"There is no need for you to lie to me, denying will lead you nowhere. And, as for the answer to your question. Lets just say that last night, I heard you screamed", Karen started, cocking her head to side. She watched Conrad's eyes widened at that.

"I thought that someone attacked you so I came to your room but I found no one inside besides you-", Karen got interrupted as Louis lifted his index finger.

"I'm sorry for interrupting miss Karen, but, you said that you know how it feels to be a property of someone. Have you ever been one? A property?", Louis asked, making both Conrad and Karen's attentions focused on him.

"You have a sharp mind, Mr. Louis. I like you already", Karen said with a smirk on her lips.

"Well, yes, I was a property to someone but I'm not going to tell you any detail because you two are basically strangers to me. You could've been a wolf in sheep's clothing for all I know. Oh! That makes me remember about something!", Karen exclaimed loudly, snapping her fingers. Suddenly her face turned to serious as she looked from Louis to Conrad and back to Louis.

"Who are you? Last night's party was not the kind of a party that any people could attend to it. I never met you two before and I have met a lot of people from the criminal world. You two are either new mafia members or undercover polices or maybe... CIA agents?", Karen said as she looked at the two men with unrelenting stare, silently studying their body languages.

Louis was about to answer when Karen lifted her hand, signalling for Louis to stop. 

"More importantly, I made sure that only the members of the underworld could come in. I've told my subordinates to put a chip on the attendants' invitation cards. So, can you both show me your invitation cards?", Karen continued as she pressed her lips together, now her gaze turning into a cold and calculating one.

-9-

Louis watched as Karen looked between Conrad and him. He glanced at his friend, finding that he was busy between smoking and sipping his coffee. He turned his eyes back to Karen when she started to speak, listening to what she said.