Chivalry

Sleeping On Danger

I woke up in an unfamiliar bed in a slightly dark room. Was it morning? The light from under the gray drawn curtains proved it was clearly not night. Sitting up, I noticed that my clothes were missing and to make matters worse I heard snoring right next to me. There was somebody else in this bed. Turning my head slowly I saw the shirtless chiseled back of an unknown man. He stirred in his sleep enough for me to see his face even though the dark made it slightly difficult to see it clearly. Bryan? No way he was dead! What happened yesterday night couldn’t possibly be a dream? Wait we broke up. Why were we together naked? Something wasn’t right. I slowly got out of the bed hoping not to wake him. I needed to get the heck out of here now! I needed to clear my head. Away from this dreary looking hotel.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Wait that wasn’t Bryan’s voice but the guy I had spoken to on the phone to the night before. No way he must be somewhere on the ceiling. I tilted my head to look up. I should just ignore him who knew where he could be in this room. This has got to be all just a crazy dream or a bad experience.

“No use in trying to leave you’re stuck here unless I decide to let you out. The door is locked.” Was he laughing? Just ignore him, no way I can’t leave. I ran for the door; reached out for the knob only to have my hand caught by a larger one.

“Are you hard of hearing or something?” He pressed his body against mine reminded me once again of how exposed I was. “You’re not able to leave unless I say so but you could always try to work for it.” His free hand brushed against my inner thigh. That’s it!

“What do you think you’re doing! Hey buddy what is your problem already?” 

“My problem? I’m the one who kept you from being slaughter by those two men the other night. So I think I would listen to me if I were you.” He presses his other hand against the door. “Oh… I see.” I hear him murmur. Hopefully Bryan would wake up and come to my rescue. No way helmet head was going to be taking advantage of me this morning or afternoon.

“See what? Your chivalry was very nice but I don’t owe you anything! Now stop playing and let me out got damn it! Stop being such a psycho right now!” Both his arms circled my waist after letting my wrist go. I try to elbow him.

“Chivalry?” He continues to tighten his grip.

“Ouch that hurts! Stop playing damn it! I don’t think this is funny.” When in the hell was Bryan going to wake up? At that moment he pushes me against the door and turns me around. If he wanted me to look him in the eyes as he assaulted me he had another thing coming. I closed my eyelids tight. I know how some r****t love to see terror on their victims face thanks to the crime shows I’ve seen.

“Amelia Butler I can promise you I am completely serious.” My body starts to feel hot from just the feel of him. Wait he wasn’t wearing any clothes. How could I not notice such a simple detail. “ If it makes you feel more comfortable will this do?” His voice is different it sounds more familiar. Bryan? Maybe my ears were playing tricks on me. 

I hear myself gasp “Bryan?”

“Stop calling out my brother’s cover name it wasn’t even his real name. Geeze you women can be such simple minded creatures sometimes.” What did he say? I felt my eyelids snapped open. The face that was staring back at me had fragments of Bryan’s features but it wasn’t him. His eyes were green instead of brown and his jawline was more chiseled with a bit of a morning shadow. To be honest he was a bit more handsome than my scrawny little Bryan. “Good you finally open your eyes. Me and you need to have an important conversation about  what happened yesterday.” I froze.

“Bryan’s really gone?” I heard my voice crackle. “ You were that guy in the helmet! No the guy in the bed!”

“Yes, yes, and yes.”

“Oh my God, you kidnap me! You did it so you could r**e me or sell me to s*x trafficking!” I push myself further into the door as if trying to somehow meld through the wood. 

“No that was not my intention although how things seem at the moment it might look that way. Miss Butler you can’t possibly believe your own boyfriend’s brother would harm you in any way. That’s insane. Where are you even getting the idea of s*x trafficking from?” He scratched his head.

“Then explain why I’m naked and the door locked. Also lay off the touching will yah.” I slapped at his hands. 

“Stop being overly dramatic Miss Butler.”  He pulled me back towards the bed by my left arm. I tried to pull myself away and screamed till I felt hoarse. Hopefully, someone on the other side of the door would come to my rescue. My foot caught him good in the shins a few time.

“Good keep screaming they’ll like that.” Suddenly I felt a chill down my spine. I tried to jerk my arm back but the guy’s grip was like iron.

“They who?” Were the others outside this door just as mental? Where in the heck was I anyway? A hotel? Some apartment complex? The furniture in the room seemed decent enough.

“The other brothers who live in this building. You see Miss Amelia Butler I’ve taken you back to my organization’s headquarters. To the other people who live here you are just something I brought home to pass the time. They do not even know who you are or who you were associated with.”

I stopped kicking at his shin. 

“Organization?”

“Yes the Night Order, we’re what you’d call  elite treasure hunters.” 

“You mean thieves”  Why in the heck was I buck naked. The AC in the room was really pumping now that I think about it.  As if reading my mind he said “When I brought you back it was very late in the night and my sudden disappearance and reappearance would have seemed suspicious especially with bringing back an unconscious woman. My superior would've followed me up with many questions so I staged my room to look like a night of passion when he walked in. You of course were sleeping when he entered thanks to the chloroform. The plan worked without a hitch.” The nerve of this guy. I attempted again to pull away but he just would not budge.

“You could of least put my clothes back on after they left!” I tried to pinch hard at his wrist with my free hand. Still no reaction.

“Sorry but I couldn’t risk someone else entering later on that night. I’m not used to getting caught or detouring on missions other than what I’m given.”

“Well boo hoo why didn’t you lock the door like you’re doing now? The last I checked that’s why doors were created.”

“Anyone can get in regardless. What about my company being elite don’t you comprehend? Your normal privacy rules do not comply here.”

“Then what in the hell is the point of having locks then?” 

He shook his head. “To keep you from escaping Miss Butler. I recently installed them the other night.”

“Not creepy at all. In Fact it sounds perfectly logical. What other accommodations have you made for me over the night may I ask?”

“Just the door and nothing else. I highly doubt you’d chance climbing out a window on the seventh floor.” He was right I could barely convince myself to jump out Bryan’s window and it was a much shorter jump.

“Alright can I get my clothes back and get the hell out of here?” He had the nerve to be laughing. I admit it did make him look handsome.

“Can’t do that right now so behave yourself.” He continues to drag me to the bed. No? I began to start kicking at him until he said “Someone is coming so please get back in bed Miss Butler.” 

“Why do I care everyone has practically seen me naked based on your little story?”

 He smiled “ Because if you do not put on an act then you will never go home. They’ll think something peculiar is going on. Plus I won’t be able to leave the base for a while if that happens. They’ll most likely execute you right away out of fear of you being a spy. Also only my superior has seen you naked and no one else so stop having a fit.” Was he kidding me? Being naked in the same room was enough proof of an intimate relationship. Why did we need to act? What type of proof could possibly expose us? He tug me hard and pushed me on the bed. The sudden action knocked the air out of me as I fell on my back. I tried to rub the arm he yanked me with to soothe the pain.

“Hey I bruise easy! What are you doing?”I shrieked. At that moment he was over me and started kissing me from the neck then headed downwards. I was just about to push him off when the door opens. Two men just as muscular as Mr. No Name on top of me came strolling in. They were dressed in all black gym clothes with short crop hair. I bit my lips trying to stifle a moan as his finger teased my nether regions. To make matters worse my body was beginning to lubricate itself.

“Looks like someone's already enjoying their morning breakfast. See Judith I told you we didn’t need to tell him breakfast was ready.” The slightly taller one with auburn hair said. My newly surge of adrenaline started to wean down from the heavy petting. What was up with these guys had they never heard of privacy. It was disgusting how they watched like hungry animals.

“ I don’t know, she looks a bit hungry. Maybe we could help out.” The other guy tugged at his sweatpants. Did he really just do that? No way. They needed to leave. 

Mr. No Name lifted his head then said “Enough already you two are ruining the mood.” I tried to push myself up but was pushed back down. “She’s a bit feisty.”

“Hey, hey come on it’s been two days since I last enjoyed myself. Just let me join in I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.” He winked at me. I can’t believe he actually did that! I must of been scowling or something because the one named Judtih said “I hardly doubt that, she’s looking at you like she’s going to bite your d**k off if you come anywhere near her.” I attempted to sit up again but Mr. No name held me down with his other hand.

“Get out ! If you want to watch s*x go get a porno. I’m not f*****g going to be entertaining you.” The two only came closer. Being so exposed at this moment reminded me of my vulnerability. Were they going to fight him? He shot up and grabbed one of them by the throat. “I said f*****g leave!” I quickly rolled to my left to pull the blankets over me hoping it created some barrier from the three men. 

“Don’t be like that Edvin we were just joking.” The one not Judith said. Joking huh? Then explain why Judith was grabbing his groins and not breaking eye contact with me. 

“I said leave.” The two backed away after he let the other’s neck go. They both looked back as they dash through the door. I heard the familiar sound of a lock going into place.

“Who the heck were those freaks?” My voice sounded breathy. 

“Oh you mean Judith and Markest, their just a couple of voyeurs. Every time word gets out that someone's having s*x they pop up. The only good thing about those two are their work ethic. They’re usually decent in front of company.”

“Descent? I hardly call jerking off while others are having pretend s*x is considered polite. I want to go home. Now!” I also wanted to cry. Being trapped here with vulgar people like the ones I just met reminded me even more of how shitty my day had become. If it even was the same day.

“No not yet.” He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. 

“No not yet? What else could you possibly want from me!”

“Remember that conversation I said I needed to have with you?”

“Look I don’t really care. So take me home right now!”  

“Listen. The other night when I found you I received contact from Bryan a few hours earlier. He told me some guys were on his trail so he took a detour to a bar. Which as you already know by now that he was a hearty drinker. I tried to encourage him to stay on the road but he decided a good drink would help him think.” He shook his head. “Turns out a good drink helped him to meet his end as well. When I got there like I told you over the phone he was bare naked and in the dumpster. All of his things including his clothes had been tossed into another dumpster where I found his cellphone. Looking at his recent call list I saw your name so I figure I might give you a call to tell you of the news and to try to get some more information on where he was heading. You turned out to be a hard nut to crack so I decided to visit his temporary home.”

“Yeah of course what logical person would give valuable information to a complete stranger? Let alone some guy who claims your ex is dead yet isn’t a police officer.”

“I should've told you I was an officer. I was distracted at the moment. Next time I won’t make the same mistake. Back to the story. I ended up coming across an upturn apartment. It was obvious whoever came before me had been looking for something they had not found on Bryan at the bar. Before I could analyze for DNA clues or any other clue you happen to prance in. Being a member of the Night Order I’m not allowed to let anyone know I exist. I ended up resorting to being stealth on the ceiling for safety measures. At first I thought you could possibly be the culprit but then again you weren’t dressed in sensible attire.” 

“Wait you were there the whole time!” I felt myself blush. That meant he heard my rants. 

“Yes. As I watched you I thought you might also be an undercover accomplice of my brother so I waited till you realized I was in the room. Since you didn’t react I figure you must of been a civilian so I waited till you left. That plan went up in smoke when the real culprits showed up so I had to handle them or else they’d ruin one of my leads.”

“Leads?”

“Yes leads, you Miss Butler. My brother always had the habit of leaving his most precious treasures with unsuspecting individuals. I figured you must of been close to him if you had his keys.” Immediately I thought back to the small ring box. “Turns out my brother got himself caught in one of the scuffles we have with our rival organization the Burrnets.”

“Were those horrible men part of their organization?” I cringed at the reminder of the brutes who had torn my ex’s apartment apart.

“No not at all. I doubt they would be so sloppy. Just like our members they could almost be anyone. The only difference between us and them is that we stick to our roots and handle things during the night.”

“Oh I see.” He patted my hand before getting up. 

“I believe Miss Butler you have something that belongs to us.” 

“What could I possibly have that is yours?”

“Oh believe me I know you know about a certain little ring box. Where is it at this moment?” Drats I was hoping I could at least have something to remember Bryan bye other than his ugly suede jacket.

“It’s at my apartment. I hid it in my dresser. I thought Bryan was cheating on me and plan on proposing to someone else.”  That seem to make him laugh.

“My brother cheating? He wasn’t even supposed to date you.” I felt insulted.

“Why not we shared a lot of common interests like painting.” To my utter annoyance he started to laugh even harder. I added “Bryan liked to cook even.” He rubbed at the corner of his eyes making me even more angrier to think he was laughing so hard that he was crying.

“Good one my brother hated all those things even if he was good at them. I know for a fact he loved playing the piano more than anything.” Play the piano? No way Bryan had never told me of having a musical talent. “In fact he was considered a prodigy until he came of age to join the Night Order.” This new bit of information made me feel even more disdain for Bryan or whoever he was beyond the grave. “But hey look don’t be upset my brother was only undercover. He couldn’t leave anything for chance of people discovering our little organization which leaves me to this next topic.” His face became stone like again like one of those renaissance sculptures. 

“You're going to kill me aren’t you. You brought me here to talk so why should I have to pay?”  He turn his back to me then went to the door where an assortment of unlocking noises interrupted the silence. The door cracked open and he peeked out. 

“Good morning this is unusual for you to visit me twice in a few short hours.” Another masculine voice answered “Well yes I am only checking on you and your guest. Will she be staying here any longer? You know it is against the rules to keep a companion for such a long time. She will have to leave by the end of the day.”

“Yes I understand but she is a part of my new identity.”

“You should not be saying such things loudly enough to be heard.”

“Yes Cordell but is there another pressing issue you want with me?”

“Of course” he paused then continues “ it seems your brother has been murder, me and the others are collecting evidence on it as we speak. We were able to scrape a pre recording of his recent phone calls from the FBI and found out about a meeting he arranged. I expect you to visit this location later on today. Make sure to take care.” I watched as a folded piece of paper was pushed into his hand. The door soon shuts afterwards. I wrap the sheet around myself and walk towards him. His posture stiffens. 

“Edvin” that snapped him out of it because he turned in my direction. The look on his face was of distress. Did he not like me calling him by his name.

“Miss Butler it seems you will get your wish after all. You’ll find your clothes over there.” He pointed to a closet I had not notice. “Another thing please refrain from calling me Edvin. It will cause great problems for you. Please call me Arthur. Just knowing my real name will get you into more trouble.” I nodded and headed for his closet. Once inside the size astounded me. Who knew you could fit a large closet in one small room. The rack formed a large u shape and on it were so many different types of outfits like the dry cleaners. The different styles of clothes ranged from poor college student to billionaire playboy.  

“What is taking you so long Miss Butler your things should be on a chair next to my shoes. I hope you’re not planning to take my clothing instead.” When I turned to said chair I almost died of envy he had more shoes than me!  After putting on my previous night rendezvous outfit I exited. Edvin was already dressed in blue jogging shorts, athletic shoes, shades, and an armband that held his iPhone. 

“Why are you dressed like that? Aren’t you taking me home? Don’t tell me you plan on taking a morning jog?” 

“No I haven’t forgotten your request Miss Butler. This is just a persona I’m playing. We’re going to a park after I get what’s mine from your home.”

“Um I’m not a member of your organization so I don’t need to come with you the last I checked.” He walked over to me and leaned over so we could be face to face.

“This partnership is not for me but for you. If you enjoy being alive listen to me. There is more going on than what meets the eye at the moment.” I crossed my arms and headed for the door.

“Fine as long as my life can go back to normal then freakin fine.” This man was getting on my nerves along with his stupid brotherhood crap.