CIARA
I was still fuming by the time I arrived at the one bedroom apartment that was my abode for now. I tended not to stay in places for too long. In fact, this was probably the longest I'd stayed in one location.
My encounter with the douchebag at the restaurant was fresh in my mind and I regretted not punching him. Pushing him hadn't been nearly enough considering how much of a asshole he was.
The worse part was that I'd actually liked working at the restaurant. It was a fairly decent job and paid well but I would have rather died than let that excuse for a human make the manager fire me. It had happened before.
I grabbed a can of Sprite from the minifridge I kept in the kitchen and took a big gulp of it to calm myself down as I headed to my bedroom. I might as well get some rest since I was now out of another job.
Good going, Ciara, I toasted to myself.
I had just plopped down on the bed to get some shuteye when I noticed the envelope propped up on the lamp placed on the nightstand. A familiar red rose emblem shone in the sun and all thoughts of the customer from the restaurant instantly took the backseat.
I suppose I always knew it was only a matter of time before they found me.
Still, despite my best efforts to remain calm, my mouth had gone dry and my hands were shaking as I reached out to grab the letter.
I managed to open it with my shaky hands and read the content to myself.
“Hello, Annalise or do you prefer Ciara now?
You hid yourself well, I'll give you that but I told you you couldn't hide forever. Now that I've found you, it's time to pay up or don't and suffer the consequences. Just so you don't feel pressured, I'll give you the grace of a month. One month and then I want my money. Paid in full. Or you can just surrender nicely and save us both the trouble. Either way, we'll meet in a month. — Yours truly, Victor Rossi.”
I couldn't remember how many times I read the short message over and over again but each time filled me with more dread and fear like never before.
Victor had finally found me and now I had a month to pay a debt that had been pending for years.
Hot angry tears filled my eyes as I crumbled the note and fell back on my bed, staring silently at the ceiling.
I didn't even have up to one-fourth of the money I was supposed to pay. How exactly did I raise the full amount in a month? Do I just go on the run again and hope he doesn't find me? How long would I keep running away from the monster that was Victor Rossi?
Now that I thought about it, he probably had my place being watched right now so if I tried to run, he would know and pick me up.
I exhaled deeply and closed my eyes, hoping to find an escape while I slept. However, even that was not meant to be. I'd just started dozing off when my phone blarred loudly in my pocket, jolting me awake.
I sleepily brought it to my ear and mumbled, "Who is it?"
"It's me. I have a job for you," the person on the other line responded and I felt my ears perk up at the sound of a familiar voice.
"I'm listening," I said now very much awake.
When I wasn't working fairly decent jobs in the day, I worked at an escort agency at night. That was the job that had prompted me to invent the name, Ciara Bloom. I had had a lot of aliases since I went on the run after turning 17 but Ciara Bloom was the one that really stuck.
As for my real name, I used to go by Annalise Harper but that part of me died a long time since.
"I have a really exclusive client and he's going to pay a lot so you may have to drop your chastity clause. That okay with you?" Tanner, the owner of the escort agency asked.
I glanced at the letter in my hand and shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"
Tanner had been gracious enough to let me work for him without offering sex to any of the clients he sent my way. It was unconventional in the line of business but he said he liked me. I was a lot more intelligent than a lot of the other girls at the agency. I was more than than arm candy and could actually hold a conversation with my clients and other people at the events I escorted them to.
On any other day, I would have refused and apologized to Tanner but desperate times call for desperate measures and I was very desperate right now.
"I'm glad to hear that. It's a gala being held by a prestigious banker so drop by the agency soon to get ready."
"Will do. Later, Tan."
"Later, Cee." He hung up and I tossed my phone aside as I tried to brace myself for the night ahead of me.
***
After going through the hassle of getting ready to escort a client, I was waiting for said client who was running a little late but I was used to that. What was actually on my mind was what would happen afterwards.
It was my first time having sex with a client and I still had no idea what he looked like. I hoped that he wasn't going to be like one of the old, wrinkly men I'd seen a few girls escort. There was also the fact that I hadn't been sexually active in a while and I was a little anxious.
I knew that it had to be done and at least, I was having sex with him of my own volition and not under the orders of someone else.
With that in mind, I took a deep breath and steeled myself for the night I had ahead of me. Someone notified me that my client had arrived and was waiting for me by his car.
I walked outside and headed to the black Mustang I saw parked outside, a Mustang that looked eerily similar to the one driven by the douchebag from the restaurant.
It couldn't be him though, right? Right??
As I got closer to the car, the driver's door opened and someone stepped out. His eyes instantly fell on me and the look of displeasure and disgust I saw on his face mirrored the way I felt.
This can not be happening!