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Zee stood in front of Charlie. Gun in right hand lowered. She was sitting on a chair next to the door fuming, her handbag draped over her left shoulder. The world had gone completely crazy; there was actually an organization that recruited mistresses for wealthy married men! Zee thought. She is beautiful and her father described her as smart as a whip. What the hell was she thinking? Zee knew in the real world that desperation and lack of options led to acts of stupidity that often brought on trouble, deep trouble. But she was young and there were endless paths she could take. He reminded himself that long ago he too had made bad decisions and found himself caught in a deadly web. And someone had saved him. It was the reason he did what he did.
“Why?” Charlie glared up at Zee.
“Why what?” she asked, rubbing the arm he had grabbed her by.
“Why would you put your body up for sale?”
“Don’t judge me!” Charlie shouted. She shot up from the chair, her head barely clearing Zee’s shoulders.
“I don’t want to end up like my parents. My mother ended up dead because she couldn’t afford proper healthcare and my father works endless hours and we still go hungry sometimes and bills barely get paid. My family has been poor for as long as I can remember. I have a chance for a better life with Mr. Darby, he practically has a money tree.” Zee stared down at her.
“Listen little girl. Those kind of trees always yield bitter fruit.” Charlie frowned then pouted.
“You will merely be flesh to be desired and used. Maybe even beaten into submission when the urge arises, shared with anyone he chooses. Then one day you’ll be nothing but a shell of a human being and you will be tossed aside like garbage!” Charlie stepped away from Zee. She walked towards the centre of the room and turned back to face him.
“I am not going with you!” she hissed. Zee flashed her a vacant smile.
“Charlie Higgins. My job is to take you back to your father. You can come willingly, biting and screeching or with a tag on one of your pretty feet. But when I leave St. Lucia you will be with me.” Charlie watched him with great disdain. Zee walked over to the kitchen counter and set down his gun. He dragged off his shirt and draped it over the back of a bar chair. Charlie’s expression gradually softened as her eyes wandered to the impressive span of muscles on his chest. Zee caught her gaze.
“I was around almost a decade when you were born. When you become a woman then you would have the privilege to look at me that way.” Charlie scowled and went to sit on the only bed in the room. He glanced at the smooth skin of her thighs that became exposed as her navy blue dress shifted upwards when she sat down. Zee inhaled deeply and slowly in an effort to clear his head. It didn’t help much.
“You’re wasting your time taking me back, I will just run off again,” Charlie muttered.
“Suit yourself. You do whatever you want after I deliver you to your father but until then we’re playing Simon Says. And I think you have a pretty good idea which one of us is Simon,” Zee told her in a stern voice. He opened a black backpack that was on the floor next to the chair and pulled out a pair of handcuffs then grabbed the gun from off the counter. Charlie’s eyebrows shot up in apprehension and she stiffened slightly. Zee dimmed the lights, walked across the room and rested the items on the bedside dresser. He snatched Charlie’s bag off her shoulder and searched through it, taking out her cell phone and tossing the bag back to her. She caught it and set it on the floor. Zee popped open the back of the phone, pulled out the battery, threw it to the ground and smashed it under his black boots. Charlie watched him in silent rage. After killing the battery he grabbed Charlie by her shoulders and effortlessly tossed her onto the middle of the bed. Her eyes became full moons of shock as she bounced on the mattress and fell onto her back. She didn’t budge, just looked up at Zee in barely veiled panic. He climbed in next to her and had one of the cuffs on her right wrist before she could blink. He fastened the other one to the metal headboard. Zee pulled off his boots and laid on the bed, turning onto his right side, his back to Charlie.
“Try to sleep. If you can’t, keep quiet so I can.”