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“Jailbreak was an enormous success. My agent wanted my face everywhere to help promote the movie. He was telling everyone that I was the next big thing. Everywhere I went, people were vying for my attention.”
“Move faster, Tia. You’re burning daylight.”
“One of the movie investors, a man named Boris Petrovitch, invited me to his house party to celebrate the movie. I didn’t want to go, but my agent said a lot of other directors and producers would be there. Said it would be great publicity for me. So, I went. I didn’t want to go alone, so I asked my college roommate, Ava Romano, to go with me. We were tight and partied together a lot. The second we walked into the house, I knew it wasn’t just another movie party. I knew trouble when I saw it, like that time we were out camping when we were fourteen and those boys showed up. My gut was screaming at me to leave.”
“Then why didn’t you?” I asked.
“Because my agent talked me into staying. He said everything was fine. What I was feeling was just nerves. Ava had already found a hot guy to talk to and was enjoying herself. But not me. My spidey senses were pinging off the roof. Anyway, I stayed glued to my agent as he introduced me to man after man. Then I met Boris, and I knew I was in big trouble.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know how Momma and I would stay up most nights watching those CSI crime movies. We loved that shit, remember?”
I nodded my head.
“Well, one thing I learned in all the times sitting with Momma was to follow my gut. If it didn’t feel right, it probably wasn’t. That and how to dispose of a body without getting caught. Anyway, when I met Boris, my whole body went on alert. Like a red-flag warning, get the fuck out of dodge fast and don’t look back. But because I was with my agent, I ignored the warning signs.”
“What happened, Tia?”
“Later that night, I was ready to go home. I was tired. My agent wanted me to stay longer, saying the party was just getting started, but I didn’t care. I wanted to go home. Leaving him to his fun, I went in search of Ava. Only she wasn’t anywhere. So, I started searching room after room. We were on the buddy system. I couldn’t leave without her, but no matter how many doors I opened, she wasn’t anywhere. Frustrated and tired, I checked one more room, then was going to leave. I should have followed my gut, Tess. I should have left in the beginning.”
“Why? What was behind that last door?”
“When I opened the door, I found two men fucking Ava. Only Ava wasn’t Ava. She was just lying there, kinda whacked out, loopy. She was slurring her words, barely making any sense. It was odd because Ava doesn’t drink. Makes her sick.”
“They drugged her.”
“Yeah, that’s what I figured, too. Anyway, I didn’t think. Whoever these fucks were, they were raping my friend. So, I did what Momma told me to do.”
“You didn’t,” I grinned, shaking my head.
“Yep,” Tia smiled. “I picked up the nearest heavy object and started wailing on those bastards as if I was swatting a fly. It was pure luck and stupidity on their part because the room they were raping Ava in was a sports room. I saw a Louisville Slugger hanging on the wall and did some batting practice.”
“Oh. My. God.” I shook my head. “What happened next?”
“Well,” Tia murmured. “Remember the prom scene in Carrie?”
Sitting up straight, I whispered, “You didn’t.”
“I did.” Tia shrugged. “By the time I was done with them, that room would be the perfect movie set for the next new horror flick. Anyway, I went to get Ava, but she wouldn’t wake up. That’s when Boris walked in with my agent. The next thing I knew, I was screaming and pointing the bat at them, telling them if they didn’t let us leave, I would go to the police. Both men backed up and let me leave with Ava. Fuck, she was dead weight and difficult to carry while holding a bat. I eventually got her back to my apartment. We were only there for maybe ten minutes when someone broke down my door. I was in the backroom. Ava was on the couch. When I heard a gunshot, I didn’t think. I jumped out my bedroom window and ran.”
“Fuck.”
“You can say that again. I ran to an old boyfriend’s house, and he let me in. I told him what happened and the next thing I knew, I’m on a flight home. The rest, you know.”
“You think they killed Ava?”
“I heard a gunshot, Tessa. What else was I supposed to think? I had a bat. They had a gun. But sorry guns trump bats.”
“And the other day. When Mercy took you to see Romano, what was that about?”
“Renaldo Romano is Ava’s older brother. Tessa, he’s the head of the Romano Family. He’s mafia. He told me that Boris Petrovitch is Bratva. Head of the west coast Russian mafia. I killed two of Boris’s men. Two Russian mafia men and was the last person to see Ava.”
“Holy shit, Tia.”
“Exactly. I told you I’m in trouble.”
“Girl, you are not in trouble. You are up shit’s creek without a paddle!”
