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Alia grabbed the front of his shirt and pushed him up against the wall of the store, her body blocking the view of her gun stuck into his side. The little gray shooter convinced him to let her do whatever the hell she wanted.
“You mean son of a bitch, back off. She’s no one’s property but her own. If I see you near her again, I’ll come after you with the full force of the law. You won’t get away with just a warning.”
His breath, stinking of cigarettes and beer, had her gag reflexes kicking in and she quickly stepped away. “Just accept Sara got away and write her off.”
“Ain’t gonna happen, cop whore. We’ll get her back. I’m just her handler, but she’s the boss’s property and he don’t like anyone messing with his girls. You’re gonna be sorry.”
“Who’s the boss? Tell me and I’ll go visit him myself, have a little talk.”
“Yeah, like I’m that stupid. Fuck you, cop.”
Alia saw the uniform first, making his way over to see what the fracas was all about. Knowing she couldn’t answer any questions, she started towards her car as if she hadn’t a care in the word, got in and drove off.
Sara watched out her window. “He’s so pissed.”
“Look, Sara, he doesn’t matter. Not anymore. You’re safe now and you never have to do what he says again.” Alia watched the rear view mirror and sure enough, as suspected, she caught sight of the red Camaro zig-zagging through the traffic, trying to keep up. Loving this part of the game, she drove through the streets she’d mapped out in her getaway plan. In every area of the city she had a perfect route charted, and Waikiki wasn’t any different.
As she led them in a merry chase, she listened to Sara crying. “Are those happy tears? You got away, they should be. You know Ruby’s promises are solid and the people she supports don’t deal with cops or government agencies, it’s just street people looking out for others. Most of them have been where you are now and they want to help you.”
“I know. The others told me, gave me her number, said to call if it got rough. But I never thought I’d have to. Roger was so nice at first. I thought he loved me.”
“Yeah, a lot of girls think the same thing. He’s a shit, like all the other pimps. And eventually, he’d have forced you into doing things you never imagined he’d ever ask of you.”
“That’s why I ran away today. He wanted me to let those men… Oh crap, they were old and ugly, one was fat and slobbered all over my chest. I kneed him and ran.”
“Good, I hope you crippled the son of a bitch.”
Sara gave a sad giggle and carried on. “They started offering me pot but it makes me sick, so they backed off. Then they had booze, but I saw them add some pills so I refused to drink it. I hate alcohol, but they kept trying to coax me and I knew why they insisted. Get me drunk so they could do whatever they wanted. Oh, God… They were so gross.”
“And we both know what they had in mind, don’t we? You would eventually heal physically but those mental scars, they’d be scored into your memory for life. Look, I gotta ask. Are you on any drugs, Sara? I need to know because you’ll be staying with me and Ruby tonight and I’ve got a kid to protect.”
“No. Sometimes, I drink beer but that’s it. I swear.” She started to cry, deep sobs that sprung from her disgust, her revulsion ripped through her throat, harsh and ugly, pain-filled and real.
Alia hoped this would happen. The cleansing needed to begin. She drove around, giving the kid time. Purposely, she headed to the busy Ala Moana Boulevard for long enough to see if they followed and sure enough, there they were, still tailing her. She took a few fast corners and headed for the parking lot where they’d make good their escape.
Once she’d backed into the slot she paid monthly rent for, she hustled Sara from the car and hurried over to the next row where a duplicate model and color SUV sat waiting. Taking a bunch of magnetic stick-ons from the floor of the front seat, she applied them to the back bumpers, the side doors and one on the hood; goofy stickers promoting the sun and fun of Hawaii.
“Hurry, get in the back and cover yourself with this blanket. Don’t look up.” While Sara did as she was told, Alia opened another bag in the front seat and took out a long blond wig with masses of ringlets. Adding pink-framed glasses and applying red lipstick, she quickly got behind the wheel, opened the window and cranked up the hot rock. While driving, she added net gloves, pink and flashy, to her costume, and as she drove past the red Camaro, she banged her hand on the steering wheel, a tourist out for a night’s entertainment.
Within a block, she knew her little circus had paid off. She’d evaded the asshole and it was safe to head home. She turned down the volume, threw the wig to the passenger seat and retrieved a tissue to wipe off the lipstick. “We’ve lost them, Sara, but it’s safer if you stay down.”
“Are we going to Ruby now?” Sad and weepy, Sara’s muffled voice had Alia gripping the wheel harder.
“Yeah, sweetie, we’re going to see Ruby. When we get there, I’ll take you in through the back door to Ruby’s place downstairs, where you can decide if you want to press charges against those bastards or you just want to start fresh, maybe grab a shower.”
“No charges.” Fear snaked through Sara’s voice. Just the thought made the volume rise to near hysteria. Alia knew she’d reached the end of her courage.
“Your choice, kiddo. You’re free to make them now.”
