Every hallway down which I had travelled in the past ten minutes looked exactly the same. Cracked cement floors, cinderblock walls with flickering old light fixtures mounted sparsely and worst of all, each hallway was empty.
"Left. Left. Right at the end of the hall. Third door on the left." I repeated the last of my directions to myself once again. Faint sounds drifted down from the ceiling form what I could only assume was a rather large crowd. As I approached the last set of doors my hand tightened around the small package in the pocket of my sweatshirt. I hated when RJ sent me on sketchy errands like this. Knocking two times, then four in a row, then one I waited to enter. As I stood there, the distant crowd erupted into noise and dust rained down from the ceiling.
Suddenly a short dark boy flung the door open and glared at me with skeptical eyes.
"The fuck are you 'ere for?" He slurred. The skin around his right eye was purple and swollen and his bottom lip was split. "D'you not hear me?" He huffed impatiently.
"RJ sent me." I replied in as dull a tone as I could muster. It seemed men trusted dumb girls better than they did those with "spirit". His eyes slid over my body before he stepped aside and let me in. He proceeded to make a meal of looking into the hall both directions to assure I hadn't been followed and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. would have to wander for hours though that maze of halls to get here without directions. He brushed past me and gestured for me to follow. The sound of people chanting and cheering grew louder as we climbed a narrow case of metal stairs. Clearly this was a back entrance and as I was led through yet more halls I idley wondered what high class front was on this building. I never knew how many posh establishments were actually funded by back alley affaires until I met RJ.
"No one gets rich by following the law, honey." He once told me. I laughed now, thinking of how right he was.
"What'so funny?" The short runner spit over his shoulder.
"Nothing." I mumbled, jolting to a halt as he stopped suddenly, turning to open yet another door. He pushed it open, but didn't enter.
"After you, and I suggest you don't do no more laugh'n" He glared at me as I passed and I wondered what had crawled up his rear.
When I entered the room I first noticed the far wall was completely made of glass and looked down on to a large space filled with people jumping up and down and bouncing off of each other. In the center was a clearing where two guys circled each other. One moment they were feet apart and the next they were a jumbled mass of fists and knees. I shifted my gaze, violence had always made me uneasy. On the other side of the room a small group or men stood watching the fight through the window. to my right there were tables stacked high with bills and two girls were sorting through it like crazy. This must be a betting room. Why would I be supposed to meet someone here? It was far to public a place and my heart began to race. One man, younger than all the rest,noticed me then. He was tall and lean and looked as if he belonged more in the ring than in the suit he wore. The surprise on his face swiftly dissolved into liquid fire as he glared past me at the runner boy. He flashed a smile to the older gentlemen standing with him before striding towards us, hauling us both out of the door by the elbows. Once we were a few paces down the corridor he stopped and without missing a beat backhanded the poor smaller guy across the face.
"Why in the hell would you bring her in there you idiot?" He roared. I could feel the rage radiating off of him as the boy stammered an incoherent reply.
"What ever, get out of here and don't let me see you again you imbecile." He shouted and the boy promptly took off. Great. How in the hell was I supposed to find my way back out? I waited for the angry brute to turn his attention to me before fishing the small box out of my pocket. He snagged it out of my hand and turned it over in his palm.
"Okay, rude, now how do I get out of here." I crossed my arms over my chest and looked up at him expectantly. This place gave me the creeps and I was ready to be done with this.
A wide smile appeared on his face and his tongue grazed his bottom lip. I stood my ground even though I didn't like where this was going.
"Are you going to tell me or are you just going to stand there?" I huffed.
"Come with me." He purred before strutting past me. I practically had to jog in order to keep up with him, but I refused to ask him to slow down. The faster I could be out of here the better. Abruptly he came to a stop and pointed at a door labeled "stairs".
"Go down one flight, the exit is at the end of that hall." He tapped my jaw lightly with his knuckles. "Pretty little thing like you ought to stay out of sight. Some of the guys around here don't have manners like me." He gave me a sly smile before pocketing his hands and stroking back to the betting room. I hated being sent on errands when fighters were involved, they were all so slimy.
I shimmied down the flight of stares and almost made it to the landing door when a beefy set of fingers clamped down on my arm. A small shriek was all that escaped me before I was thrusted into a wall with enough force to knock the wind out of me. What the hell? RJ was going to flip when he heard about this.
"Whats a girl like you doin' in a place like this huh?" His hand gripped my throat. "I know why. Pretty girls like to be told what to do." He sneered. He was massive and strapped with muscle and I quickly ruled out fighting him off physically. I forced a light scoff through my lips.
"Oh no big boy, you've got me all wrong see." I kept my voice as even and unaffected as possible and peeked at him through my lashed. "I'm the kind of girl that likes to be chased, let me go and lets see how fast you can run." I winked at him, praying that he was dumb enough to fall for it. I may not have been strong, but I was faster than hell.
"Oh, no. I'm tired and I'd much rather just take you now." My skin crawled when his fingers traced my hairline before lifting a strand to his nose and inhaling. I struggled for breath beneath his crushing weight. "Shh." He backed up to tug off my sweatshirt leaving me in only a nearly see-through black tank top. Once it was over my head and before his hands were back on me, I bolted through the landing door only to slam into another hard body. This one gripped my shoulders, supporting my shaking weight.
"Conner, what in the hell are you doing." The new guy growled in a voice that was strangely familiar.
"Dont play dumb Sterling." The meat head laughed, sending chills down my spine, tiny bumps raising across my arms. A long muscular hand moved to tilt my chin up until I met a pair of hazel eyes. One brow arched as he shot a confused look to the walking muscle who responded with a shrug. I must have missed something on Sterling's face because Conner's eyes went incredulous before he turned on a heel and retreated down the same staircase from which he came. What the hell When he turns his face back to me I knew what was familiar, he would be identical to the guy from upstairs had it not been for the blood dripping from a huge gash below his left eye.
His hands dropped as I backed away. There was still the possibility that he had the same intentions as Conner. Though unlike Conner, this man would have no problem securing a willing victim. Shifting my gaze to the glowing exit sign I contemplated whether or not I could beat him. He tracked my eyes to the door and laughed before rubbing the back of his neck as if making a hard decision. Hazel eyes searched me and he released a resigned sigh.
"Go on." He spoke with a wave of his hand, but my legs suddenly felt like jelly. A moment passed with our eyes resting on each other before he stepped forward and turned me towards the exit by the elbow. "Go, before I change my mind"
At that I took off. When I hit the door I paused to catch one last glimpse at him, but he had vanished.