Red

C H A P T E R F I V E

They went on to discuss boring stuff like securing ammo and how many lives were lost this month. They went through every recruit and every invoice and after listening in on plenty of my fathers business chats I was seriously losing the will to live. Finally Ace called the meeting, dismissing everyone. I leaned over the table and started collecting the dirtied glasses.

A large hand slapped my backside and gave it a hard squeeze, I almost jumped three feet into the air. Call it natural instinct but I swirled around faster than my dark hair could keep up and slapped him across the face with the metal drinks tray that I was holding. All guys immediately pulled out their guns but the one I hit sat clutching the redness of his cheek, utterly shell shocked.

Ace raised his hands at his men and they reluctantly lowered their weapons. His jaw ticked in frustration and his breathing became deeper, trying to remain a handle on his calm. Ace stood up and paced the room a couple of times, everyone watching him in pure silence. He pulled an axe off the wall and ran his finger across the blades edge.

I wasn’t coming out of this alive.

“Do you think you’re a precious gem?” Ace questioned me, batting the handle of his axe backwards and forwards in his hand.

“I -” I didn’t know what to say.

I was stood in a room with his best men playing on the enemy team. Each man had a gun and wanted to place a shiny, neat bullet right between my eyes. On one hand I could keep up the facade, pretend to be sheepish and innocent. On the other hand - if I’m going to die anyway I can blow my cover and go down fighting.

“You belong to me. You are mine. The only thing you get to keep is your anonymity. In my club you treat my men with respect.” He stepped behind me and placed his hand around my throat tipping my head backwards. With his other hand he highered his axe and I closed my eyes, preparing myself for fight or flight. “Unless of course, they are not worthy of your respect.” He slipped the axe into my hand and I opened my eyes looking down at the weapon.

Ace moved himself over to the table and grabbed the guys hand he slammed it down flat against the table and held it in place.

“Boss, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. She looked like she wanted it.” the guy started pleading. I looked at the heavy axe in my hand and the scene playing out in front of me.

“Go ahead, slice his fucking hand off Red.” I raised the axe into the air and took a deep breath, ignoring the begging falling out of the perverts mouth. In that moment adrenaline rushed through my veins, giving me super strength and excitement burst through my rib cage in the form of a pounding heart. I threw my entire body strength into this one hit, ensuring I made a deep, neat slice right through his bone.

I yielded that axe like it was Excalibur and I was King Arthur. He screamed as his hand detached cleanly and fell on the floor, I couldn’t help but smile sadistically. I found something so satisfying in violence, it calmed me to my core.

“Let that be a lesson to anyone who sticks their hands where they don’t belong. I suggest you get yourself to a hospital and see if they can stitch it back on.” With that Ace left, he just walked out leaving a lot of stunned faces behind, mine included.

I did three scopes of the downstairs main room, luckily everybody kept their hands to themselves and I don’t know if that was because word traveled fast or if people just remained on their best behavior whenever Ace was around. It was clear his men were terrified of him.

“Hey Red.” Blondie rushed past me, making up drinks in the bar. I guess the nickname stuck, although my hair is long, pin straight and brunette. She left the bar area and delivered her drink to someone on the far table. Then she returned back to the bar. “Heard about earlier in the conference room, you’re lucky. That could have gone so differently, the boss only lets his most valuable men in that room.” I nodded in agreement.

“Hey Blondie?” I chewed on one of the thin plastic straws before removing it from my mouth and placing it in someone’s drink. “I gave him a dance yesterday and he said it wasn’t how he liked it.” I felt a little embarrassed admitting that and I never get embarrassed. I’ve danced for men before, usually in a bedroom situation but I’ve never had any complaints.

“Well talk me through what you did.” She asked between fixing up more drinks.

“He asked me for a dance, so I approached him, closed the curtains and climbed on him rubbing myself against his crotch.” Blondie started laughing.

“You don’t close the curtain unless you’re offering an intimate act. Poor guy was probably disappointed because he was expecting a blowjob and just got dry humping.”

“Shit.” I cussed.

“And the Boss only allows backwards lap dances, we’re not allowed to look at him, if you climbed on him facing towards him he wouldn’t have liked that. Watch, I’ll show you.” She placed her tray down and walked towards his table. I could see them talking to one another and then he nodded his head.

Blondie climbed on his lap, facing outwards - towards me. She bounced her ass up and down on his lap a few times, arching her back with her fingers running through her hair. There was no disputing that the way she moved her body around him looked sexy.

Ace pulled his eyes up and my breathing hitched as our eyes locked from across the room. Chocolate brown eyes to arctic blue. Blondie continued to twerk and grind all over his body but his eyes gazed past her, only staying attached to mine.

Every natural instinct in my body warned me to look away and yet I couldn’t. This dangerous, off limits man was captivating me in the most hypnotizing way. He had a beautiful, half naked girl worshiping him like he was royalty, yet his focus was on me and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking or feeling.

“See, that’s how he likes it.” I blinked, only now noticing Blondie was standing right beside me. I zoned out and forgot to watch the rest of the dance. I glanced back at Ace but he was now looking away, engulfed in conversation with another man.

Around five in the morning, or so I’m assuming as there are no clocks here and time can get lost, people started clearing out. The same six or seven men were left behind. I stacked all of the clean glasses back on the shelves, humming along to the stupid porn soundtrack that plays out on repeat.

“That was quite a skilled attack on Sebastian earlier this evening.” I spun around on the spot, my eyes widening to see Ace sitting on one of the bar stools next to a sleeping drunk.

“Thanks.” I replied coyly.

“You know what interests me?” He tapped his index finger against his plump lower lip thoughtfully. I shook my head gripping my washcloth. “That was a heavy axe, I placed my hand over his wrist because I didn’t I want his arteries to bleed out and make a mess. I placed my other hand on his elbow, locking him in place.”

I could feel my saliva thicken and my heart race, I knew exactly what he was getting at. Ace was no fool.

“For a novice that wasn’t a great deal of space to work with. Yet there you go -” he motioned a make believe axe movement down on the bar counter “bang in the center of the allocated space. You used the right amount of force to cleanly cut through his skin and his bone. I was expecting a small graze if I’m honest, or you to miss and slice through my own hand.”

“Just lucky I guess.” I shrugged and then turned away from him, I didn’t want my face to give anything away.

“The thing is Red, I don’t believe in luck.” I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I heard movement from him so I turned around to see him standing up. “I don’t know who you are but I know you’re not who you claim to be, it’s only a matter of time before you slip up and reveal yourself. I look forward to that day.” A perfect smile crossed his lips, it was gorgeous but I think that’s what made it so evil.

He walked towards the door but before going through it he rose his two fingers at me and pretended to shoot.

Shit I’m in trouble here.