Nowhere to go
Matthew Ryan Fischer
When Arch came to find them at the restaurant, he smiled a
menacing smile and said it was a good thing they didn’t try to run. Vik and
Rikard tried not to look at each other, worried their faces might give away the
fact that mere minutes earlier they had been discussing the very subject. Arch
wasn’t upset with them, or so he said. He understood if their dedication had wavered. Neither brother said a word.
Things had mostly gone the
way he wanted them to. Rikard had told the truth and left Arch and his men an
easy way into the prostitute hotel. Many men were killed, but Arch didn’t lose
a soul. He did make the men with him prove their loyalty through what sounded
like gross and inhumane torture. Vik bit the inside of his cheek and tried not
to speak. Arch sickened him and he resented his brother even more for getting
him involved in this.
Arch was satisfied for the moment, but explained clearly in no
uncertain words that Vik and Rikard would have to perform a similar act to
ensure their fealty. They were lucky to have at the party and their mission was
far easier than the attack. But all the same, they had mostly failed. Arch couldn’t
allow such failures in the future.
Vik looked at Rikard, but Rikard didn’t respond. The fact that Vik
had tried to stop things remained a secret. For the moment.
Many women had been captured, but not all. Some were surely dead.
Others were out on the streets. Many would be found. Eventually. Arch wasn’t
excited about wasting time or resources, but such was life. He blamed them and
threatened them, but in faux-benevolence told them he was kind and forgiving
and that both men would be rewarded with positions in the new order of things.
They would run the hotel. They would be in charge of the women now and share in
the profits. But they could never screw up the way they had tonight. His mercy
was a one-night affair.
Vik thought about Fiona and the fact that she was hiding in Vik’s
room in the back of the restaurant. If Arch could smell fear he would know. If Arch
could recognize a woman’s perfume he would know. Rikard and Vik and probably Fiona
would all be killed.
Vik kept his mouth shut. Rikard thanked Arch for his kindness and
Vik nodded in agreement, but he said nothing about Fiona.
Tomorrow would be the beginning of the new order, Arch promised.
He had the funding. Now they controlled the neighborhood. This was only the
beginning. Tomorrow war might come, but they had men inside the families, men
ready to pull the triggers. Arch promised them they would all be kings and the city
streets would be theirs.
Vik wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or cry, but he found himself
thanking and cheering for Arch and his triumphs.
Eventually Arch left, telling them to sleep well and giving them
orders for the next day.
After awhile Vik sat, put his head in his hands.
“What are we going to do with her?” asked Rikard.
“I don’t know.”
“What are we going to do with mom?”
“I don’t know.”
Rikard sat down at the table next to Vik.
“I have an idea.”
“I’m so tired of your ideas. Your ideas are what landed us in this
trouble.”
“I know. I know. But we have to do something. I don’t want to die
on the street.”
“Okay? So, what do we do?”
“Police or The Dragon’s Claw. Right now. We don’t give Arch any
time at all. We go now before any fighting begins.”
“The Dragons will kill us for helping Arch at all and not coming
sooner. And the police? You think they can protect us? Protect mom?”
“So, what then? We run? We talked about that. Where do we go? How
do we make mom go through that?”
“I’m going to take Fiona and take her someplace safe. You wait here
for me to come back. Promise me.”
“Okay. I’ll be here. I promise.”
“When I get back, we’ll figure something out.”
“What?”
“I don’t know. But something. First, I’m going to get her to
safety so I can feel like I did something positive today. And if that means tomorrow
you and I go to war and kill a whole lot of people, so be it. But tonight I’m
going to do the right thing for once.”
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