Just Like Work

Chapter 2. The Night Bridge - I

Standing on the street that led straight to her house , Maria wondered what darkness awaited her in the near future . Being associated with Anthony could never be a good thing , she just shared the same space with him once and now her life was in danger .

She could feel that he wasn’t going to leave her alone , “What did I do to deserve this ?”

She let out a long defeated sigh as she strolled through the quiet street towards her house . Just when she thought she and her younger sister , Soumya could have a better life , she was again brought face to face with Anthony .

"Is he after Peach too ?" she pulled out her phone to check but her fingers froze before she could make a call . She decided to worry about that later . Right now she needed to make sure that her sister's future plans don't get obstructed by this new miserable reality of her life .

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One Month ago :-

Maria was in the dressing room along with her close friend , Peach getting ready to host some VIP guests of the club , The Night Bridge . Maria used to work there full-time when she was in college and now , as part-time, it was her source of extra and quick cash whenever in need .

Maria zipped up the short frilled black skirt that she had paired with a sleeveless black corset top and smoky siren eyes .

Peach , who was already dressed in a similar red outfit smacked Maria’s hips . “You should start working here full-time .” Peach was the full-time waitress who was known for receiving a lot of tips , given her beautiful ‘woman-ly qualities’ as stated by the club manager - waist-length of burgundy curls , big round eyes , long sharp nose , big lips , and unmissable big bosom on top of her curvy body . Men swooned over her features .

“And end up in someone’s bed or behind bars ? No thanks . Once in a while is good enough for me .” Maria answered pulling a pair of black fishnet stockings over her long slender legs . She pushed back her shoulder-length hair while slipping her hands inside a pair of black gloves and checked her reflection one last time , then put on deep red lipstick over-lining her small lips . Her average slender body of 5'5" looked flattering in a short dress .

“Maria , your mask ,” Peach called with a black feathered half mask in her hand .

“Shh! Ruby! It’s Ruby . Don’t use my real name here .” Maria scolded in a hushed voice . “7 years and you still make the same mistake… I will beat you up someday over this .” She had always been careful to keep her real identity a secret hence , the mask . Plus it intrigued the curiosity of the guests , earning her good tips .

Knock ! Knock !

A loud knock on the dressing room door caught their attention , it was the signal for the girls to come out and attend to the guests . And today's guests were special , as per the club's owner , Jugul .

“The people here are very important and … dangerous . When in there, you are dumb , deaf , and blind . Just place this on the table and stand in the corner .” A man with two golden canines instructed them while he smoked a cigar , it was Jugul , the manager infamous for being greedy in every possible way . “Keep your head low . Do your job . Collect your money and go home . Easy !!”

Peach and Maria just nodded with trays in their hands and headed inside the big VIP room . It was spacious with a round table , a full set of couches at one corner , and a small bar in the other .

The round table was soon occupied by five men , two on one side and three on the other , and the table had a black briefcase on it . The room had two more men standing close to the entrance with guns .

“Guns !” Maria gulped , stopping the shivers in her throat . She had been around armed men many times in that club but she was still freaking out . She drew a deep breath and walked around the table serving the drinks and snacks .

Once the girls served the guests , they reunited at the mini bar in the VIP room . Tapping on Maria's foot with her foot , Peach whispered , “They Have Guns !”

“Shh !” Maria tapped back . She didn’t want any trouble , she just had to work , collect her cash , then leave . Simple .

As per the instructions both of them had their eyes on the ground , mouths shut , but their ears didn’t stop working just like that . They could hear the group of three men occasionally , they talked about – Coke , Sprite … delivery … surely not the Coke and Sprite they were familiar with , possibly a code for something shady .

“4 . Final . In or Out .” The man on the other side stated . His voice was deep but smooth .

The girls in the corner exchanged looks , the voice had made them curious to know more about the person speaking .

“In or Out .” They heard him again , his voice more commanding than the last time . Fascinated , they peeked to inspect the owner of that voice . It was a tall guy dressed in all black , his voice authoritative and resolute .

[It was Anthony , only if Maria knew she would have to bear the consequences later on , she wouldn't have agreed to serve that room in exchange for any amount of money .]

Maria again tried to check if the man was just as attractive as his voice . "Expensive shoes , big feet … oh… even longer legs …" her eyes ventured from his legs to his upper body , and she was amazed by the face that sat atop the long neck .

One look wasn't enough , she had to look a second time . “That’s One ‘Bad’ guy ,” she smirked with a slow exhale .

From what she had seen , he had a long face with black hair combed neatly in place using hair gel , deep-set eyes , thin lips , high cheekbones , and a long neck with a protruding Adam’s apple . That’s what had held her eyes captive – his neck and that bulge in his throat that moved up and down whenever he took a sip of his drink .

A minute later , a new man walked in , pulled out his gun , aiming at one of the guys' necks who had been holding the briefcase . The next second , a shot was fired , and his innards were scattered on the glass table , blood pooled under his face , turning the clear glass into blood red .

Shaken , standing in the corner the girls held onto each other while the men remained unfazed . Their ears were still ringing from the last shot when the place was bombarded with bullets , making everyone run for cover .

Screaming, the girls huddled in the corner , hiding behind the small bar in the room . Maria’s heart pounded , and her limbs were shaking , her ears weren’t working , and she couldn’t hear anything , just shock and chaos .

The room went quiet after a moment , a little too quiet .

“What happened ? Are they dead ?” Peach was crying and shaking in fear . She noticed Maria who was zoned out and shook her violently to get her attention .

After being pulled back to reality and gradually regaining her hearing ability , Maria hugged Peach tightly while examining her surroundings .

“Too quiet … is it good or bad ?” Maria said and craned her neck to see around . The scene was disastrous . The table was broken , chairs flipped here and there , and two bodies lying next to it , the animal fur carpet was soaked with fresh blood . The smell was pungent and rusty . “Let’s crawl to the door . We might be the next ones to join them .”

“I am scared .”

“Being stuck here with dead bodies is scarier .” Maria reasoned , suppressing the urge to vomit . It was a surprise to her that her brain was still capable of thinking straight after witnessing all that .

They crawled on all fours to the door . The scene outside wasn’t any different , the same destruction and dead bodies followed . They ran behind the big bar counter , taking cover . They wanted to get into the manager’s room , which was a few feet away on the far right . It had security cameras and an iron door . Together they had agreed that it would be safer to be able to see what was happening outside and stay hidden at the same time .

“Should we call the police ?’ Peach suggested , panicking .

“What if the ones firing are cops themselves ? This place is shady , and we work here … they will lock us up if we are caught .”

Peach grabbed onto Maria’s skirt saying , “Please Maria … I don’t want to die !”.

“We won’t . Please get it together . I can’t do this alone …” Maria was sweating and the scene in front of her was nauseating . She again craned her neck but this time to look for a tool and found an ice pick .

“We will run to the manager’s room . When I give the signal , run with me as fast as you can . Okay ...” Maria explained the escape plan , which was to find the keys to the backdoor from the manager’s office and then get out of that godforsaken club .

First , they ditched their heels , then sprinted to the manager’s room , but before they could sigh in relief , Peach was pulled by someone and the door abruptly closed behind them .

The next thing Maria saw was - Peach in a headlock with a gun pointed at her head . The horror in both their eyes was so obvious that it was visible from their panicked stance . They were dreadfully quiet as they stared at each other .

...

to be continued