To Find a Queen

~ SIX ~

I’m not quite sure how long it lasts because I’m focusing on humming a tune to try and distract myself from it all, but I jump when the empty whiskey glass is placed on the bar in front of me with a small thud.

’I think that one’s clean’ he says as he straightens his jacket and buttons it up. I realize I have been wiping the same glass this whole time and place it down on the bar top. I notice my hands are shaking slightly and quickly hide them behind the bar hoping he hadn’t seen.

I hadn’t noticed before, but Vinny’s screams had died down into small whimpers as his head droops down. Angel is wiping off his blade with a napkin from the poker table then places it in what must be a sheath at the back of his trousers. Smoker has light another cigarette and is circling Vinny seemingly inspecting angels handy work. I can’t see what he’s done from here, but from where smoker is looking, I’m assuming his manhood may not be the same as when he woke up this morning.

For a split second I worry what sort of a person I am for not caring about what has happened today, but quickly shut that s**t down. I have no loyalty to Vinny; I simply work my shift and take his money. He deserves everything he got today, and more, for the f****d up stuff he’s done to some of the girls that work here. Shadow guy hasn’t moved an inch from his place in the corner, but I still feel his eyes on me as mine go back to Whisky in front of me.

The effort it took for me to keep the memories at bay during all this has used the last of my energy and I’m in no mood to play the good girl anymore, Kings or not.

‘Name your stipulations’ then as an afterthought I add ‘please’. I don’t exactly have a death wish, I just want to finish this so I can go home, take the hottest shower known to man, then curl up in my bed and sleep for a month.

I was expecting him to be annoyed at my attitude, but instead he seemed to be… amused?

‘I must say, I’m impressed with your bravery. It’s not every day we come across someone able to stand being in the same room as one of us, never mind all four, man or woman. To also be present when my brother works on someone, and not faint, cry or run. I would be lying if I said I didn’t respect that slightly.’

O-okay. Not at all what I was expecting to hear.

My face must have shown my surprise at his words because he chuckled, and oh lord did that noise do something to my insides.

‘T-thank you?’ I mumbled, not sure what to reply to that.

‘You’re welcome. Anyway, I have changed my mind. Your initial stipulations, plural, have changed into stipulation, singular.’

My eyes widen in what is the first real feeling of fear I’ve had all evening floods my cells.

Oh, s**t is this guy going to kill me? I knew I should have just left. God damn over thinking brain. Always getting me into trouble. Now look what I’ve done. I’ve gone and got myself bloody killed!

My mind raced with every possible option I had to get away. Not that there were many, but I’ve been in similar situations in the past and managed to survive. With my heart now racing I was getting weird nerve twitches in my hands, and I couldn’t keep my legs from shuffling where I stood. Then I started doing what I always do when I’m nervous. I started talking. Like, seriously rambling on, about completely useless things.

‘You can’t kill me. I mean you can, obviously. But what I mean is I would really appreciate if you didn’t. I mean, appreciate is probably an understatement. But I have things I want to do. Nothing big. I don’t really have any life goals or anything. Like some people probably have, like, college goals or want to be, like, a doctor or something but I don’t really have anything like that I want to do. It would be nice to have money and stuff like them people do though, so I suppose it wouldn’t be bad, but you have to go to school and stuff and that just really isn’t my scene, you know? No, I have smaller things I want to do. Like, I was thinking earlier, I really want to get a shower. The customers have been seriously touchy tonight, especially Frank, and it’s been kind of gross so I would like to wash that off. Oh, and I need to pick my paycheck up off Vinny otherwise I’m not going to be able to pay mums money to Anton, and then he’s going to kill mum. But then again, he will probably kill me too so I guess if you could maybe wait until I know mums’ bills paid off then I can choose which one of you can do it. Huh, weird isn’t it, I don’t know anyone who got to choose who killed them before. Oh my god do you think Vinny will still pay me!’

My eyes flickered to Whisky. Trauma apparently does a strange thing to me because even though I knew I should still be scared of dying, my mind had somehow now fixated on whether or not Vinny would still pay me after today. What’s that saying people use? Denial is a wonderful thing?

An amused smirk played on Whisky’s lips, and I realised what I’d done. I lowered my head and took a nervous step back. Not due to fear. No, I was more nervous about the fact I was somehow still turned on my that look than should be appropriate right now.

‘To address your… thoughts. Number 1 – I am not going to kill you, nor are any of my brothers.’ A relieved sigh escaped my lungs. ‘Number 2 – I disagree that you shouldn’t go to school. I think you’d look quite delectable in a uniform.’ My cheeks blazed at that compliment. ‘Number 3 – Yes, I will ensure you get your paycheck. Numbers 4 and 5, I would like to have a little more detail for. You mentioned your mother owing Anton money. Is this Anton Lowe?’ I nodded my head. ‘And you also mentioned that Anton would probably kill you. Why is that, Princess?’ The nickname got my hackles up and once again I had to slam my mental barriers up to stop the past from flooding in. It was harder this time due to my tiredness. ‘I'd rather not talk about it’. Then I added ‘Please’.

I could see the wheels turning in his head and I quietly explained ‘You don’t have to worry. I am definitely NOT working for that scum. I want nothing to do with him and would rather stick pins in my eyeballs than have any association with him. I’m just unfortunate enough that that decision was taken away from me when I was younger.’

I guess he could tell how truthful I was being because he said ‘Okay. We may revisit that topic another time. Right now, me and my brothers are running late.’

He turned and all 4 made a move for the door. I stood where I was, confused about what had just happened. Smoker got to the door first and swung it open, revealing Hercules stood outside it like a freaking road barricade, stopping anyone from being able to get in.

Just as they were exiting, and I was about to collapse from the adrenaline and sheer exhaustion of the night, I realised he hadn’t told me about his stipulation for my staying. And I absolutely did not want to have something like owing the kings something hanging over my head. ‘WAIT!’ I shouted and took a few steps to circle the bar and stand halfway to the door.

They all turned at the same time and stared at me. Well, that’s kind of hot, creepy and nerve-wracking at the same time.

‘You didn’t tell me what I had to do for staying in the room.’ Vinny made a gurgling noise at that moment, and it caught me by surprise, making me jump and look over at him. I’d completely forgotten that fucker was there. What the hell am I supposed to do with him?

I must have said that out loud because I soon got an answer. ‘You don’t need to do anything with him. As for the conditions of our agreement, I require you to come with us.’ My face must have drained of colour because he chuckled again, then added ‘Don’t worry. I give you my word you will not come to harm tonight. I simply have a proposition for you that I would rather discuss somewhere more… comfortable’ he said with a distasteful sneer around the room. He looked back over at me and raised a questioning eyebrow.

I knew he was waiting for an answer. On the one hand, he wasn’t forcing me and something way, way, down in my gut, past the darn butterflies and unpredictable libido, was telling me that I could trust him. Yet on the other hand, these were the freaking kings. The scariest, most dangerous mother-fuckers in Hellgate and I was probably going to die a horrible and brutal torturous death at their hands if I went with him. So, I did what any smart person would do in this situation.

I played eeny, meeny, miny, moe.