“How old are you?”
“I’m fifteen, and I’ll be sixteen in a few weeks. You don’t understand. I’ve got to pull my weight otherwise they’ll give my spot to another girl, and I don’t want to go working in the clubs. You can’t pick any of the men you want, and you’ve got to have everyone. At least working here I can take who I want.”
Her hands were shaking as she pushed some hair off her face. Devil got a clear shot of the bruises along her arm. Underneath all the makeup she wore, he imagined her face was bruised.
“Where’s your pimp?” Devil asked.
“Why?”
Was she going to protect him?
Devil wasn’t in the mood to start arguing with the bitch.
“Look, you either tell me where he is, as otherwise I’m going to start shooting. If he gets away and you survive he’s going to come back for you.”
“He went out this morning. I was with him last night so he could dish out his warning. He’s with Samantha on the third floor. Last door on the right,” the girl said.
“Okay, don’t go anywhere.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because if you go somewhere then I won’t get the chance to get you somewhere safe before someone else comes looking for you. If you want to continue this line of work, then run.” Devil walked away. He didn’t know if she was going to wait around or run.
Either way, the pimp was going to get it.
The women and girls moved out of the way. They were bright enough to stay silent as Chaos Bleeds passed. Maybe it had something to do with the guns they were holding, or it could be down to the fact no one liked the pimp they were working for.
Walking up the stairs, Devil went in the direction of where the girl said they should go. He wondered what her name was.
When they got to the third floor, Devil heard the feminine cries of pain along with a masculine voice yelling.
“When a man tells you to suck his f**king dick, you f**king suck his dick.”
Moving down the corridor, Devil heard the sound of flesh on flesh.
“Please, stop.”
“A customer wants to take your ass without a f**king rubber, you bend down and beg him to f**k you.”
“This f**ker needs ending.”
The door at the long corridor wasn’t even closed. Whoever was in here knew he wouldn’t be disturbed. There was no fear of getting caught or told not to do anything.
Pushing the door open, Devil was surprised it didn’t creak on its hinges. Not moving from the doorway, Devil saw there was a single ratty chair. The scent of cigarette smoke and stale sex hung in the air. In the center of the room a large man was slapping a woman across the face. Blood ran down from her nose, and one of her eyes was swollen shut. Her body was naked, and he spotted more bruises from kicks and hits.
“You’re a f**king whore. You do what you’re told to do. The only thing you f**king worship is c**k and f**king me.” He landed another blow.
Tired of seeing the woman being beaten, Devil aimed and fired at the floor beside the pimp.
The pimp dropped the woman and turned around.
“Good, I’m glad I got your attention. I was starting to get a little f**ked off with waiting.”
“Who the f**k are you?” the pimp asked. The girl started to crawl toward them. “I don’t f**king think so, bitch. They want a slut for a gangbang, then you’re f**king doing it.”
The woman could barely stand.
“You work for Gonzalez?” Devil asked.
“I work for my f**king self,” he said, growling.
“What’s your name?” Devil asked.
“What’s it to you?” The girl whimpered as he gripped her hair, pulling her off the floor. This guy was f**king dead regardless of what he did to Judi. Devil wasn’t going to allow this man to live with what he’d seen.
“I’m a curious man. I want to know who’s working for Gonzalez and selling underage girls,” Devil said.
“His name’s Donovan,” the girl said.
“What you f**king say, bitch.”
“Devil, around his wrist, look,” Ripper said.
Focusing his gaze on the man’s wrist, he saw the bracelet that Judi liked to wear. He didn’t know why she liked to wear it. She had more than enough jewelry to replace it, but she enjoyed wearing it.
“Well, Donovan, this morning you paid a visit to a woman for your boss.”
Donovan looked up at him as if he’d grown a second head.
“That woman was once a working girl in these parts. I bet that’s what he told you.”
“What’s it to you?”
He didn’t know how Ripper was containing his anger. Devil knew if it was him, he’d be slaughtering this man.
“She’s a very important person to me and to the club. Why did you go to her place today?”
“Gonzalez told me she was a whore who needed to be put in her place.” Donovan released Samantha, finally seeing the danger he was in. “What’s it got to do with you?”
“That woman is my f**king wife,” Ripper said, stepping beside Devil. “She’s in a coma, and she’s not a f**king whore.”
Donovan started to walk backwards.
Samantha was smart. She pressed herself up against the wall out of their way.
When Donovan made a run for it, Devil aimed at his foot, catching the edge of his foot. The pimp went down screaming.
There was no satisfaction in the sound.
Grabbing a chair, Devil pulled it into the center of the room.
“Get me some tape,” Devil said.
He was surprised when Samantha passed him the round of tape.
Staring at her beaten face, he shook his head.
“Do you know where the Chaos Bleeds clubhouse is?” he asked.
She nodded. “We all know about it.”
“Then gather the girls and whoever you think needs protection. Go to the clubhouse. There will be men there. Tell them that Devil sent you. They’ll take care of you.”
Samantha walked out of the apartment as best she could. Her body was clearly protesting every single move.
“You go there and you’re f**king dead, Samantha. Everyone you know is dead.” Donovan yelled the words before Devil got chance to put tape across his mouth. She stared at the pimp who’d been beating her up.
One of the boys handed her a jacket to keep her covered.
“It doesn’t matter what you say,” she said. “You’ve taken everything away from me anyway. There’s nothing else to take.”