Chapter 13: 13 - Danger, danger, danger


    So I said the only thing I could say, “Fancy running into you here.”


    Shock did not begin to cover the look on Masked Idiot’s face. He was astonished. bbergasted.


    Bewildered. Stupefied. Then, he was angry. Pissed. Furious. Enraged.


    I gulped. Olly, if I die because of this, I will haunt you till you’re forty.


    “What,” he bit out through a jaw clenched so tight it had to hurt, “the hell are you doing here?”


    Not only did he visibly want to kill me, it was also abundantly clear his less than friendly reaction wasn’t


    doing me any favors with the gun packing bodyguards. The second one also proceeded to take his gun


    off safety. One small mistake, an ill-timed twitch or a muscle spasm in their trigger finger and I’d be a


    goner. Deceased. Dead. Lost to this world. Starting another journey. In a deep eternal rest. On another


    in.


    “I was...” My voice came out tiny and croaky. Even to my ears, I sounded terrified. “I just... I happened


    to be in the neighborhood.”


    “I know your routine.” His tone was icy sharp. “You did not,” his cold gaze met mine, “happen to be in


    the neighborhood.”


    I shivered, my heart pounding a little harder. No otherbination of words had ever sounded as


    menacing. And to think just a few days ago, he was offering mefort while I cried.


    “I was. I... Uhm... I...” I gulped, discreetly wiping my sweaty palms on my skirt. Think, Avy! “I had an


    emergency meeting.” Itched on to the excuse, then pinned on the lie, “Around here.”


    “At the Calthorpe? You had a meeting here?” Cynicism coated his tone.


    I shivered and tried not to dwell on how the child criminal was now looking from me to him and back


    again with a spective glint. Nothing to see here.


    “No, I... no... not the Calthorpe exactly. Just... just in the area?”


    Dear Lord, pretty pretty please help me. Not once since we’ve had our arrangement had I given as


    much thought and importance to Masked Idiot’s opinion as I did at the moment. Those times I didn’t


    have a gun pointed at me, loaded and ready to be fired.


    “You know, I was actually just leaving. I’m gonna go so... you know, don’t...” I swallowed hard. “Don’t


    shoot me.”


    Never had I sounded more imploring, more solicitous. If any of my ssmates heard that, chances


    were, they’d do a double take just to be sure it was me. I was Avy Johnson. Avy Johnson demanded,


    threatened, issued ultimatums and on good days, reasoned with her opponents. She did not implore,


    cajole or beg. Desperate times...


    “You know,” the girl spoke up, a dazzling smile on her face. “She could work. She’ll just take Tammy’s


    ce in the auction. No harm done.”


    She who? She me? No harm done? No harm to who? Was that a joke? Did she think I hadn’t heard


    what they were talking about? Human trafficking and whatnot?


    Out loud however, I went with, “You know, I can’t. My father is waiting for me. If I’m not home soon, he’ll


    send a cop after me to find out why. He’s the sheriff.”


    Yes, I was tantly lying and name dropping but if being crass saved my life, I was willing to run, fly,


    soar, teleport even, with it.


    “No, he’s not,” Masked Idiot countered tly, barely flickering a nce in my direction.


    Fuck. Of course he’d know it was a lie. He had been stalking me for weeks. I should’ve known that he’d


    have figured out by now that my parents were scarcely involved in my life. Shit. Immediately, I began to


    prepare a fake reason why my dad absolutely urgently needed me today.


    “She won’t work, Ellie.” He faced to the cute girl with the heart of a demon, Ellie.


    Even her name was misleading. How could she look so cute and angelic yet talk about selling me off


    so casually like I was meat? I had really underestimated Masked Idiot. I pegged him for a fool and


    decided he wasn’t worth the trouble because the signs weren’t obvious. I should’ve known better. The


    best criminals were those who didn’t seem like good criminals. He was with a human trafficker for


    heaven’s sake and I had pegged him down as a rich kid going through a phase.


    From the look of things, I was going to pay dearly for my mistake.


    “Well, the only other option is ‘Chel.” The girl shrugged her tiny satin covered shoulders. “Do we really


    want to put this on her? He’s here, you know? He’ll buy her to prove a point.”


    Yes! Put this on her. Let’s sacrifice ‘Chel instead, whoever she is. I vote ‘Chel.


    It registered in a not-so-distant part of my mind that the bodyguards were slowly putting their guns


    away -thank sweet baby Jesus- and that I was willing to sacrifice an unknown girl to save my ass. I


    didn’t want to think about thetter but in my defence, it was a me-or-her situation. Saving us both


    wasn’t on the table and I couldn’t exactly choose a stranger over myself. That would be stupid, the


    idiotic kind of self-sacrificing stunt actors pulled in movies. I’m not a hero. Judge me all you want.


    I immediately started inching away to freedom. No thank you, I was not going to be sold to a middle


    aged man with a pot-belly and foul breath. The fact that Masked Idiot and Ellie were talking over me


    was most likely what led the paid muscles to conclude I wasn’t a threat. Never mind that Masked Idiot


    was a trained fighter well over six feet while I barely cleared five ft. six and was dressed like a paper


    pusher. It was likeparing a manicured Chihuahua to a Rottweiler and deciding the Chihuahua was


    a threat.


    “You’re right. We can’t put ‘Chel in that situation. Avy will have to work,” Masked Idiot reluctantly


    conceded, nodding his head slowly.


    They both turned to face me. I figured it was time to make a run for it. So I spun on my heel and ran as


    fast as my shaky legs could take me. Bye. Sayonara. Au revoir. Adios.


    Well, I tried to.


    Masked Idiot must’ve read my intentions on my face or maybe it was just the standard reaction to being


    sold off because he reacted even faster than I anticipated. His hand shot out and mped on my arm,


    holding me in ce before I could even take the second step.


    “Don’t,” was all he said.


    I gulped. Doomed. I was irrevocably, undeniably doomed.


    “Go inside, Ellie. Tell them she’s on her way. Get clothes in her size and everything she will need. We’ll


    be right there,” he ordered.


    Shit. Shit. Shit. Did I mention shit? Because, shit! I was going to be sold off. Auctioned away like an


    inanimate object to live the rest of my life in misery. I knew how these things turned out. I’d heard


    stories, watched movies.


    A chill invaded my limbs.


    Ellie barely spared me a nce, nodding her understanding to Masked Idiot before she turned on her


    heel and walked into the swanky hotel, her bodyguards trailing in behind her.


    “I know you followed me,” was his first statement as soon as Ellie was out of earshot.


    My brain nked out for a full second, ‘he knows’ shing in bright neon letters in my head.


    “What?” Iughed. It came out pitchy and mangled. “I would... No. I... I didn’t. I... I would never.”


    Hearing myself stutter, I cringed. It was hard to believe that was even me. I used to consider being a


    great liar one of my talents.


    “You’re usually a better liar,” was his reply.


    I usually don’t have my life on the line. By the way, did he read a book about how to make ambiguous


    statements sound threatening because he was excelling at that.


    “You followed me. Stalked me. Do you still expect me to believe you’re just an innocent high school


    senior?”


    He was truly nailing the threatening in an ambiguous way thingy. I was quaking in my boots. Me,


    Avyanna Johnson. The girl who didn’t even scream when a criminal broke into her room. Calm,


    rational, level headed me was quaking. It made me angry. Irritated. Pissed. He had no right to talk


    about not being what one seemed to be. He had more colors than a chameleon. First, he was an


    underground fighter. Then, he was a breaking-and-entering criminal. Then, a stalker. Later on, he was


    an educationally challenged rich kid. And now, he was a human trafficker. He’d had more personality


    changes than me on my period.


    “You know too much about me. Wanting to level the ying field doesn’t make me a sketchy person.” I


    gritted.


    “And you thought what? Stalking a criminal was a smart decision?” His tone radiated condescension


    and bemused disapproval. Like how I always imagined the wolf when he finally caught up to little red


    riding hood.


    I squirmed.


    “Uhm..., well... Now, I know better so... I’m just gonna... I’m gonna go... now... bye.”


    “You heard Ellie. You can’t go.” He thinned the space between us. I gulped.


    “We need you,” he added.


    I could barely hear him over my pounding heart. Danger, danger, danger, it beat in stato. My head


    turned sideways, my eyes scanning the few passers-by on the street, none of whom seemed the least


    bit interested in Masked Idiot and me. That and they were too far to be of any help.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    So I fell back on the one weapon women have used since time immemorial.


    “I will scream,” I announced. “If you don’t let me go, I will scream.”


    “What’s the harm? Why are you being so dramatic?” he inquired, irritation coloring his features.


    “I’m being dramatic?” If my life wasn’t on the line, I might haveughed. He really was unbelievable. He


    wanted to sell me off and I was being dramatic? “If that’s your way of trying to convince me, a, you’re


    failing drastically. And b, there was never a chance. I know what you’re really trying to do.”


    “Ohe on.” He rolled his eyes exasperatedly. “It’s just an auction. For charity. Aren’t you supposed


    to be the perfect girl for this kind of stuff, with your straight A’s and volunteer work? It should be right up


    your alley.”


    “Charity?” I scoffed. “That’s rich. What charity? The charity of masked fighting criminals? No, thank


    you. I’m not going to be sold and carted out of the country for that. Or any reason whatsoever for that


    matter.”


    The bodyguards and more importantly, their guns had gone with Ellie the devil. With them gone, it was


    just Masked Idiot. There wasn’t even a conscious decision to lower my guard. It just happened.


    “The charity is for autistic kids. I’m sorry, what are you talking about?” Confusion marred his face. “Are


    you going out of the country?”


    “Autistic kids, huh? Nice cover. I heard you and little Miss Heart-of-a-demon. I know what--” I bit back


    acidly, dropping off abruptly when he shoved an embossed invitation in my face. An invitation to a


    charity ball. For autism.


    Then he went ahead to point out the banner for the event standing in the lobby, just behind the double


    doors.


    What...? Color me confused.


    “But...” I frowned, turning the invitation over as though I’d find some hidden message on the back.


    “But... you said you were going to sell me. You... You clearly said that.”


    “Yes, auction a dance. From you. They do that even at park fairs,” he paused, eyeing me skeptically.


    “Have you really never heard of such? It’s a popr concept.”


    My frown deepened, furrows appearing between my eyebrows.


    “But the little girl is a criminal.” It was weak but it was my only argument. “She had armed muscle with


    her.”


    I was no longer following. What exactly was happening? I was lost.


    “Yeah, her bodyguards.” He was looking at me like I wasn’t quite alright in the head. “Hang on, you


    thought we were going to sell you? Like human trafficking?”


    He frowned. His tone made it clear he was not a fan of the thought.


    “Yes?”


    “In broad daylight?”


    The more he said, the dumber I felt. I nodded in shame.


    “Why would you even think that at all?” he questioned.


    “I don’t know! What was I supposed to think?” I threw my hands up in frustration. “You guys were


    talking all weird and there were body guards and... they were going to shoot me. I didn’t... It... I don’t


    know. It made sense.”


    If I wasn’t so wound up, I might’veughed. Never had I been happier to be wrong.


    “So I can walk away from here? Nothing’s going to happen?” I rified.


    “Duh.”


    I deserved that.


    “But wait,” I held up a finger, “how did you get invited then?” I had been put through enough of an


    emotional rollercoaster. I might as well get all the information I could to make it worthwhile.


    “They want money. My family has money.”


    Family of criminals? Or just rich kid family?


    I let out a long weary sigh. I didn’t have the bandwidth for that is-he-isn’t-he slide.


    “Okay, let me just get one thing straight here. Are you a rich kid gone stupid or are you from a criminal


    syndicate family?”


    He scowled.


    “My family members aren’t criminals if that’s what you’re asking.”


    “Then why do you have so much money?” I pressed.


    “We do this and that.”


    “What exactly is ‘this and that’?”


    “Things. We dabble.”


    “Things like...?”


    “Just stuff.”


    “You’re just brimming with information, aren’t you?” I gritted through a forced smile.


    He smiled back. Asshole.


    Mentally, I weighed the pros versus the cons as I carefully scanned the invitation again. I knew the


    organization the donation was supposedly going to. My mom’s firm did some legal work for them at the


    beginning of the year so the ball couldn’t entirely be a lie. I could also call Parker with specific


    instructions toe check it out if anything seemed fishy. Leaving now would mean I got the scare of


    my life for absolutely nothing in return. I couldn’t do that. It was a matter of pride. I had to attend the


    ball.


    No, I didn’t not care about my life. I had been through the mother of all wringers and the main thing I


    got out of the experience was that I could not afford to have a criminal, no matter how seemingly


    harmless, in my life who knew everything about me while I had nothing to hold against them. Nothing to


    insure my safety. My family’s safety. I needed reassurance in the form of ckmail material that I would


    always be safe and I wasn’t going to get it by seeing him only on his terms, when he intruded into my


    life. He wasn’t going to just let information like that slip out. I needed to go to his life. To his people. He


    might not slip up but chances were someone else would.


    “I’ll do it.”


    “The auction?” Surprise coloured his tone.


    I’m doing it for me, buddy. For my own interests.


    “Yes,” I affirmed, mentally praying I wouldn’t end up regretting my decision. “But before I step into that


    hotel, I’m going to make a call to my father. The sheriff.”


    I was only partly lying. I would call a cop, just not my father. He would ask too many questions. Or not


    even pick up at all. I’d call Deputy Parker.


    “If I don’t check in with him, every thirty minutes, he’ll send a unit after me so don’t try anything funny.”


    Masked Idiot shrugged nonchntly. He was either really good at faking or he truly didn’t care which


    would mean the ball, was as I suspected, not a front for illegal human trafficking. I cringed inwardly at


    the memory of how far my mind had jumped.


    “And I have to be hometest, eleven.”


    “I don’t n on staying long either. I’m not a fan of these things. Now let’s go.”


    Just as a shiny white limo was pulling up, he dragged me into the building, pulling me all the way to the


    elevators where we stood in oppressive silence as we began our ascent.


    “You really thought Ellie and I were going to traffick you?” he asked.


    Heat med my cheeks. The idea seemed so stupid and farfetched now.


    “I’ll admit, I let my imagination get ahead of me but in my defense, you’re a criminal and your guards


    were going to shoot me. How could I not jump to such conclusions with that as myunch pad?”


    “They’re bodyguards. That’s what they do. They don’t know you and you act suspicious, they react.”


    “And you guys were also talking cryptically about selling girls. What was I supposed to think?”


    “I don’t know, that we meant a dance auction?” he snapped caustically.


    I rolled my eyes.


    “I’ll take it under advisement.”