This whole situation was a nightmare. After Andrusha dropped me off, I had walked into the club and called the police. Within minutes, Detective Klaassen had shown up with her team. They hustled me down to the police station, put me in a windowless room, and left me. They didn’t let me eat, drink, or use the washroom until I had all but begged for a reprieve.
When they started to grill me, Detective Klaassen was the worst offender. She repeatedly asked me how I had managed to escape. She knew about the vehicle chase, but from what I could tell, she didn’t know about Andrusha’s involvement.
She tried to break me to reveal what had happened. She had threatened me, cajoled me, and verbally abused me.
“Olivia, if you don’t tell us what you know, I can charge you with obstruction.”
“Olivia, give me some motivation to try to keep you safe. Tell me what you know. Let me know you’re on our side.”
“Whoever you are protecting, Olivia, he isn’t here now, is he? You’re left holding the bag. You’re the one talking to the police, not him.”
I kept my mouth shut. I was more than a little afraid of the consequences of telling her about Andrusha. I didn’t know who he was, but I knew I didn’t want to mess with him. He had asked me coldly but politely not to mention his involvement, and I had kept that promise, even though it was costing me. Besides, I didn’t know how well it would go down with the police that I had escaped with someone who wasn’t a law-abiding citizen.
Finally, after hours of interrogation, she opened the door and motioned with her head.
“Come on. Time to go to the safe house.”
The two men who waited for me didn’t wear uniforms, but neither did they look like detectives. There was a rough edge to them that worried me. They put me in the back of an unmarked car and ignored my questions while they talked sports. They brought me to a cheap motel, tossed their bags on the bed, and then cracked open a case of beer between them.
“What a fucking dump,” one of them said, lighting a cigarette.
“Just another day at the office. Want to play cards?”
Ignoring me, they spent a few hours drinking and playing cards while I huddled on one of the beds. Their behavior shocked me. Why were they drinking? Why hadn’t I been given my own room? Maybe they were only temporarily protecting me until the real detectives arrived? I had no idea, but I knew enough to keep my mouth shut. I had met men like these two in the strip club and the ones with a mean streak were the most unpredictable.
One of the men, who was more than a little drunk, looked over at me. “What are you staring at?”
I hesitated. “Are you sure you should be drinking?”
They looked at each other and then started to laugh. “What the fuck is it to you?”
He lit a cigarette and turned around in his chair to look at me. “No one on the force wants to protect you. No one. I’m the last man standing. You think they give a shit if I drink?”
I swallowed. “What do you mean, no one wants to protect me?”
“You’re an uncooperative stripper. Two cops are in the hospital because of you, and another two are dead. No one wants to put their ass on the line for you.”
I frowned. “Well, you’re here.”
He lit another cigarette and blew a steady stream of smoke towards me. “I’m here because my career is hanging by a thread and I owe Klaassen a favor.” He gave me a cold smile.
There was a look in his eyes that scared me. Not wanting to aggravate him further, I didn’t speak.
He looked me up and down. “You don’t have a body of a stripper. How’d you even get that job?”
“What do you mean?” I stuttered.
“I doubt anyone wants to see you naked,” he complained.
I huddled further back onto the bed.
The other cop snorted. “Good one.”
They both laughed.
The other cop spoke. “Want to get something to eat?”
The first cop threw his cards down. “Yeah, what the hell.”
I stood up, my bag in hand.
“Where the fuck you think you’re going?” one of them said.
“I thought we were getting something to eat.”
“We’ll bring you something.”
The thought of being left alone terrified me. “You’re both leaving?”
The one cop looked back. “Lock the door and don’t answer it.”
I rushed to the window and watched them walk down the stairs to the car. I could hear their conversation. “You want to hit Panther’s?”
“Hell, yeah.”
I listened in disbelief. Panther’s was a strip club. What kind of cop went to a strip club during his break? Not the good kind. I debated my options. I could call Detective Klaassen but what would I say? She was already pissed that I wouldn’t tell her about where I went after the last shooting.
I chewed on my lip. What if that cop had been telling the truth? What if no one on the police force wanted to protect me? If I complained about them, maybe no one would help me.
A vehicle drove into the parking lot making me jittery as I watched from the closed curtains. The couple that got out seemed harmless. I paced around the room. If no one protected me, how far could I really go on the money Andrusha gave me?
I pulled out the card that Andrusha had given me. I had already memorized the number, even though I knew I’d never call him. He was as dangerous as the men I was on the run from. I thought about how he had calmly fired his weapon, seemingly indifferent to the fact that he was engaged in a gunfight.
He said he could protect me.
It didn’t matter. I had made my choice.
I looked around the motel room. My choice was to either remain with the cops or attempt to go on the run, on my own. At least the cops would pay for things and they had guns. I was safer with them. There was no way I would last on my own.
I waited two more hours for the cops to return while my stomach gnawed with hunger. I hadn’t eaten all day, and I was growing faint. I needed to eat something.
Digging into the envelope of money that Andrusha had given me, I pulled out one twenty. Creeping out the door, I looked around. There was no one around. Across the parking lot, next to the manager’s office, there was a vending machine.
Pulling my hoodie over my head and sticking to the shadows, I made my way down to the manager’s office.
He was a bald, older man who didn’t look up from his television. “What?”
“Can I have change for the vending machine?”
He looked annoyed. He slapped down change and took my twenty without giving me a second glance.
The vending machine was half-empty. I opted for a granola bar and a small bag of chips.
Without thinking, I walked to the payphone, fumbling with my change.
“Andrusha.” His deep voice rumbled in my ear making me feel marginally better. I had absolutely no idea why I was calling him.
“I don’t know why I called,” I said a bit lamely, looking around the dark lot.
A car entering the parking lot had me pressing into the shadows. It was the cops. I watched as they got out of the vehicle.
“Where are you?” Andrusha spoke in my ear. The sound of his voice soothed me.
One of the cops stretched. “Damn, I feel nothing but horny now.”
The other guy drum-rolled his hands on the roof of the car. “Good thing we got a piece of ass upstairs.”
The guy paused. “She’s a bit uptight.”
“She’s a stripper. She’s used to handing her ass to anyone who wants it.”
“Yeah, why not?”
Horrified, I watched as they lumbered up the stairs. I needed to get out of here.
“I have to go,” I whispered.
“Tell me where you are,” Andrusha demanded.
Shouting sounded from above.
“I’m sorry I called,” I murmured into the phone before hanging up. I looked up and made eye contact with one of the cops that was leaning over the edge.
“The bitch is on the phone.” One of the cops flew down the stairs with surprising speed.
In panicked fear, I bolted around the building, but ran into a tall fence. Before I could get any further, he had me pinned against the building.
His breath stank of beer and cigarette smoke. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”
“Nowhere,” I lied. “I thought you were someone else.”
“Stupid bitch,” he snarled. “Let’s go.”
He marched me back up the stairs, not caring when I tripped. He hauled me to my feet and shoved me into the room. I stumbled and half fell on the bed. Terror clouded my vision as I realized my mistake. I should have left when I could. Why hadn’t I left?
“Where was she?” The other cop asked.
“On the phone.”
The cop looked at me. “Who the fuck were you talking to?”
“My mom,” I lied.
They both laughed.
“I think you need to motivate us a bit for protecting your ass.”
I looked between the two men, understanding his meaning but playing dumb. “What do you mean?”
The bigger cop put his hand on his belt. “I think you know what we want.”
Terror clawed at my throat. I needed time to figure out how to get away from these animals. “Uh, okay.”
They both looked at each other. “Yeah?”
I let out a shaky breath and looked around. I caught sight of the bathroom. That could buy me some time. “Why don’t you two relax with some drinks. I’m just going to go freshen up.”
The smaller cop grinned. “Fuck, yeah.”
I grabbed my bag and walked to the bathroom, trying not to show how scared I was. I looked back at both of them at the doorway. “I’m just going to have a quick shower and make myself presentable, and then I will make… uh… all of this worth your while.”
“Take your time, sweetheart.”
I shut and locked the door. With shaking hands, I turned on the shower and then focused my attention on the small window over the toilet. It was tiny. I lifted it up, but it got stuck halfway. Desperate, I stood on the toilet and heaved at it with my entire body until I got it up all the way. I stuck my head out the window. It was a long drop to the ground below, without a drainpipe or anything to help me get down. There was no way I could survive the jump without breaking a bone.
I looked around the bathroom for anything I could use to protect myself, but it was useless. Aside from two grungy towels and a roll of toilet paper, there was nothing here to save me.
I sat on the toilet, wildly digging through my bag, looking for anything that I could use to help me. There was nothing.
The door rattled. “What are you doing in there?”
“Almost ready,” I called.
Fuck it. I was going to take my chances with the window. I might break a leg, but at least they’d be forced to take me to the hospital. If I had to choose between a broken bone and dealing with those two savages, I’d sacrifice a bone.
My best chance was hanging out the window feet first and then dropping to the ground. It was awkward, and I was struggling to get both my legs out the window when the door swung open with a mighty crack.
“What the fuck you think you’re doing?” The cop grabbed me by the arms and yanked me back inside. Without ceremony, he dragged me into the bedroom.
I kicked and screamed blue murder. “Get off me.”
“Shut it, bitch.” He hit me hard across the face, stunning me into momentary silence.
I cried out again when he flipped me onto my stomach. I felt him drag my hands behind my back. Cool metal handcuffs snapped around my wrists. The cop crawled over me, pinning my face down with his weight. I felt his big hand brush my hair from my face, and he leaned down.
“I was going to be nice to you tonight, but fuck that. You’re going to get it rough.”
I screamed again when I felt his big hands cup both of my breasts. He roughly tore my T-shirt off my body. He flipped me over onto my back and hit me hard across the face. I tasted blood on my lips as he shoved his big hands beneath my bra before ripping it off.
“Don’t hit her face,” the other cop complained. “We don’t want anyone asking questions.”
My breath was erratic. I involuntarily cried out when I felt his mouth trail down my stomach before he bit the skin hard.
“Don’t do this, please don’t do this,” I begged.
When he put his hands on my pants, my instinct to fight took over. I kicked as he started to unbutton my jeans. A scream that sounded like a wounded animal escaped out of my throat.
He grinned down at me as he reached up to force my T-shirt into my mouth, muffling me. “As much as I love to hear a woman scream, you’re going to wake the dead with that racket.”
Oh my god! Was this really happening? Why hadn’t I left when I had the chance? I shut my eyes, willing myself to not cry. I refused to give them the satisfaction of knowing how much they hurt me.
A tremendous crack sounded. Andrusha and Viktor stood in the doorway. Both of them held big weapons in their hands.
“What the…” said the other cop in a shocked voice.
The cop on top of me spun around, reaching for his weapon. Andrusha moved fast, hitting the cop with his gun with such force that he collapsed off the bed in an unconscious heap.
The other cop lifted his hands. “We don’t want any trouble here.”
“Keys,” Andrusha said.
The cop motioned with his head towards the table. Viktor moved towards him and knocked him out cold with the butt of his gun.
I watched with wide eyes as Andrusha looked over the messy table with disgust before plucking a set of keys off the table.
Our eyes met as he leaned over the bed. I felt one big hand cup the back of my neck before he gently lifted me to a sitting position. He pulled my T-shirt out of my mouth.
“Stay with me, okay?”
I felt him mess with the handcuffs behind my back, and then my arms were free. I wrapped my arms around my chest, mortified that he was seeing me partially naked. Which didn’t make any sense since I was used to dancing topless six nights a week.
He tossed the second set of cuffs towards Viktor and then sat down on the bed beside me. My bottom lip trembled hard as his cool blue eyes assessed my face. He lifted my bag onto the bed. “Can you get dressed for me?”
I nodded, working hard not to cry, and pulled my clothes back over my shivering body.
“Come on.” He held out his arm to me. “Let’s get you out of here.”
He walked me downstairs and then opened the back door of a black SUV. He held the door open as I scrambled to get in.
“I need to help Viktor take care of some stuff. Can you wait here?”
I felt panicked that he would leave me down here. “Please don’t go!”
“I need you to wait here.”
It took all my energy to nod in agreement. He gave me another unreadable look before he shut the door.
From the back seat, I watched as they carried the two limp bodies of the men over their shoulders. They brought them down the stairs and dumped them without care into the trunk of the police’s own vehicle. Then they went back upstairs. I was pretty sure I was in shock. My entire body was trembling. I didn’t think I was crying, but wet tears kept leaking down my cheeks. My nose trickled blood. I put my head back, gagging as I felt the blood drip down the back of my throat. I cleaned myself up as best as I could, but without a mirror, I had no idea what state my face was in. Part of me didn’t want to see.
After a long wait, they both came back outside. Viktor was carrying two trash bags, and Andrusha was carrying the cops’ bags. They tossed everything into the back seat, and then Viktor got into the driver’s seat.
Andrusha walked across the parking lot and got in the driver’s seat in front of me. He didn’t speak, but his eyes met mine in the rearview mirror.
“Where is Viktor taking them?” My voice sounded small.
“Someplace private, so we can have a talk with them.”
I swallowed hard. “What’s in the trash bags?”
He started the vehicle. “We wiped down the room.”
“Why?” I knew it didn’t matter, but talking about it helped me not think about what had just happened.
He pulled the SUV on the road behind the police car. “Are you hurt?”
I licked my bottom lip, tasting blood. “I’m okay.”
“Want to tell me what happened?”
I looked down at my trembling hands. “They questioned me at the police station for hours.” Our eyes met in the rearview mirror, and I rushed to speak. “I didn’t tell them anything about you.”
“What happened after that?”
“We came to this motel. Those guys said no one wanted to protect a stripper, and they were the only ones left willing to do it. They were drinking, and then they went to Panther’s. I was at the vending machine when they came back. I heard them speaking. They were saying things, and I got scared.”
“That’s when you called me?”
I looked out the window in shame. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know who else to call.”
“I told you to call me if you got into trouble.”
Our eyes met again. I worked to not cry. “The cop dragged me upstairs. I tried to climb out the bathroom window.”
“You would have broken something jumping that far.”
“It was better than the alternative. The one cop caught me and dragged me to the bed.” I worked to swallow the lump in my throat. “How did you know where I was?”
“I traced the payphone you used.”
I didn’t even want to know how he’d managed that. “And my room?”
“We heard you scream.”
A sob escaped me before I managed to clench my teeth against all the emotion bubbling out of me.
We didn’t talk after that.
I couldn’t believe that I had been assaulted in the hands of the police. What would happen to me if the police couldn’t help me? They had been my last shred of humanity in this world. What was left for me? How would I survive the likes of Bunko, who was trying to kill me?
I sat listlessly in the back seat and stared at the back of Andrusha’s head. Our eyes met in the rearview mirror again. His gaze was so dark and unreadable. Now what would happen to me? I was now as scared of the police as I was of Bunko. I was only marginally less scared of Andrusha. To date, he had saved me twice and hadn’t hurt me, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t.
This man can protect me.
We drove through the city and ended up in the same place we had started this morning. Both vehicles were driven into the bay area.
I sat in the back seat while Andrusha got out and headed around to my side of the vehicle. He opened the door.
“Come on. Let’s get you up to my place.”
