SCARRED (9 page)

      “That’s enough, Ted.” Lawson’s anger was rising and they weren’t going to play the fun game now. “How old is that child?”

      “Eighteen!”

      “The fuck she is.” Lawson said quietly.

      “It don’t matter how old she is; she works for me.”

      The men sitting beside Ted were beginning to shoot nervous glances at Lawson and his companions. Lawson looked down at the girl.

      “How old are you?”

      Her terrified eyes grew larger when she looked at Lawson’s face. She shook her head and began to sob softly. Luis touched her arm and she slid a few inches away from him. He began speaking softly to her in Spanish. She answered hesitantly.

      “She’s fifteen. Ted picked her up at the bus station. She ran away from home.”

     
My God, she’s another Serene.

      “Ted, do you speak Spanish?”

      “A little.”

      “Did she agree to perform sexual acts for money?”

      Ted eyed him nervously and drank from his whiskey bottle again. “She’s learning.”

      “Did she agree, I said.”

      “I
told her
what the fuck to do! I don’t care if she understood!” he spat, “Besides, some guys like the way she cries the whole time.”

      “Because they’re raping her, you animal.”

      The calmness of Lawson’s voice caused everyone to be completely quiet. All eyes were on him, and they knew that nothing good could come out of this situation. The men on the couch shifted their weight slightly to make weapons inside their jackets a little more accessible.

      Lawson never took his eyes from the girl as he spoke to Luis. “Ask her where her home is and why she ran away.”

      The girl spoke quietly to Luis and looked at Lawson again before quickly staring at the ground again.

      “She said she’s from Fredericksburg. She was trying to get to her Aunt’s house, but ran out of money.”

      Lawson nodded. “Luis, find out if this child has any belongings and then put her in our car.”

      Ted stood and pointed his finger. “Now look here, mother fucker!”

      “No, Ted, you look!” Lawson was on his feet before Abidemi mocking Ted by pointing his finger too. “That child is going to make it to her Aunt’s house, and you’re going to pay for what you’ve done to her and Serene, and any other women!”

      Ted narrowed his eyes almost to slits and kicked the coffee table out of his way. “I should have smeared more than just shit all over your walls!”

      They room fell into the kind of hushed silence that follows a big secret being revealed. One of the guys yanked on Ted’s arm and hissed up at him, “What are you
doing?
”

      Ted jerked his arm away and sneered at Lawson. “Don’t make any difference. He’s not going to do a damn thing!”

      Lawson’s hand moved quickly and Ted was still grinning smugly as the bullet tore through his neck. The next few moments were chaos. Luis grabbed the screaming girl from off the floor and ran from the room with her. Abidemi shoot both men on the couch in the chest as they were reaching for their guns and trying to stand. Lawson had been right, one second was all a person needed.

      Lawson took several steps and stared at Ted’s dying face. Both hands were clutching his neck, but he was bleeding out fast. He could only make gurgling noises that pushed small sprays of blood from his lips. Lawson felt no pity. He turned and looked at Abidemi.

      “Finish this quick, ok?”

      Abidemi nodded and began walking down the hallway to find the hiding women.

* * * *

      Lawson didn’t make it back to the hotel until after two in the morning. He was bone-tired but filled with a kind of joy because the little girl named Rosa had been pulled from the streets. The deaths of all the other people in that house meant nothing to him. Abidemi would ensure nothing could be traced to any of them. Southside had at least twenty unsolved murders every year. Ted’s place was a known drug and whore house. The police wouldn’t waste much time with it.

      As for the girl, she would spend the night on a Greyhound and her Aunt would be waiting for her the next morning. Luis took money from his own pocket to feed her and buy her some clothes. Lawson thought it was funny how men as hard as they were could be so soft at the same time.

      Serene was already asleep when he got there. He didn’t bother her. They could talk the next day, after he went to check on the progress of his home clean up. He walked quietly to the bed and pulled the covers up a little further on her shoulders, before bending low and brushing his lips across her forehead.

      Serene listened as he shut the door quietly behind himself. She reached up a hand and traced where his lips had brushed her skin with a trembling finger.

* * * *

      Lawson was determined to give Serene the best day he could. He ordered room service for breakfast and what came was like a buffet. Serene knew he was trying to make the day special, but she couldn’t figure out if he was doing it to try and fix things or just because he was that generous. When she thought she had the man figured out, he turned out to be as big a conundrum as ever.

      When Lawson went to check on the house Serene stayed behind so she could shop at the boutique down the street. She walked through the cramped little shop with the air of royalty. Once, she had tried to look around in a boutique and the owner had followed her around the entire time, just waiting for her to try and use the five finger discount.

      She had seen a pretty red and green scarf with gold trim and thought it would be pretty for Christmas. When she asked the woman how much it cost, she had sneered at her and said if she had to ask then she probably couldn’t afford it. Serene had stuck with the Goodwill after that.

      Now things were different. She felt different. She didn’t feel ashamed. Serene circled a display of negligees. They were classy while still being sexy. Serene picked up a light pink one and held it up to her.

      “That would look great on you, but not that color.” A smooth voice said from behind her. Serene turned and saw a stylish woman in a slim skirt and pumps smiling at her.

      “What’s wrong with the color?” Serene asked, returning the negligee to the rack.

      “You’re too pale for such a light pink.” She responded, going through the rack with long manicured fingers. “Now this one,” she said pulling a darker pink one out, “is perfect.” She laid it against Serene’s chest and turned her towards the three-way mirror. “There, much better.”

      Serene did see where it was much better. She liked this woman. Serene hoped she would be half the lady this woman was in a few years.

      “Do you have it in a small?”

      “Certainly.” The woman took the medium from Serene’s hands and placed a small one there. “Is there an occasion, or are you just feeling a little sexy today?” Her smile was relaxed and not stretched and fake like so many sales people.

      “The occasion is that I’m trying to hold on to the man I love.” Serene stood defiantly before the woman and tilted her chin upwards. This stranger had nothing to do with her situation, but Serene was prepared to fight whoever might try to tell her that Lawson was a lost cause.

      “Well, then, you will need a few more items.” She winked at Serene and crooked her finger before she walked nimbly through the racks.

* * * *

      Serene left the boutique with three bags, a job application, and Rita’s phone number. Rita was in fact the owner and at the moment the only employee for her struggling boutique.

      “What you need is a good website.” Serene had told her while sipping tea. She had sat on the folding chair in the backroom sipping tea from a real porcelain cup just like royalty! She was cool and composed on the outside, but inside she was giggling like a child.

      Rita had sighed and nodded her head. “I hired a company to create one, but they wanted a very large amount of money for a terrible site.” She stirred honey into her cup and laid the spoon delicately on the matching saucer. “I admit I am a technological retard.” Both women had laughed, and before Serene knew what was happening she was telling the still strange woman her story, her entire story, and to her surprise she didn’t throw her out. She also didn’t judge her.

      When she arrived back at the hotel room, Lawson still wasn’t there so she dove right into her bags to prepare for her evening with him.

* * * *

      Lawson drove off the dealer parking lot in a brand new F-150. It was black and Lawson was very happy to have it. He was tired of his other truck anyway. He had already set up the appointment to have the windows tinted and after that was done he would go ahead and remove the dome light. It made it easier for people if they didn’t have to look at him directly and wonder.

      He had driven past Ted’s now-smoldering house. He had to smile at the genius mind of Abidemi. At least Ted would never be able to hurt Serene or any other woman again.

      Lawson sighed and frowned as the hotel came into view. Why did life have to be so complicated? He knew what he was going to have to do, but it was so unfair. He had rolled it over in his mind a thousand times. Why couldn’t he and Serene be together, get married, have a full and happy life?
Because, it would be the most unfair thing in the world to her.
Lawson’s thoughts always got the better of him at this point. He had done all he could for Serene. She had a new lease on life.

* * * *

      When Lawson opened the door the blinds were closed to the setting sun and scented candles were placed all over the room. The smell was like roses. Lawson breathed in deeply and glanced down the hallway. From the flickering light on the walls, he could tell there were candles not only in the Serene’s bedroom, but the bathroom as well. He could hear the faint sound of music and followed it to her bedroom door. The reaction was immediate. He could feel his scrotum tighten and his penis become hard as soon as he looked at her.

      She was lying on her back with her black hair spread out around her head. She wore a short see-through night gown of fuchsia with matching stockings that ended mid -thigh. She was no longer childlike. Instead she was grown woman with full breasts and delicious curves.

      Lawson didn’t want to say anything. He was afraid the spell would be broken. Instead he walked to the edge of the bed and unbuttoned his pants, keeping his eyes on her.

      Serene rose to her knees and met him at the edge of the bed. Her fingers traced patterns on his thighs as he allowed his pants and underwear to fall to the floor. She reached up and kissed him hard on the mouth before dropping onto her hands and taking his large cock into her mouth.

      Lawson let his head fall backwards as a moan escaped his lips. Serene had never taken control like this before, and he sorely regretted not encouraging it sooner.

      She continued to stroke him as her tongue whipped fire over the head of his penis. Before he could stop himself, he came in her mouth with a shudder, watching in amazement as she swallowed every drop.

      Serene wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and got off the bed. She had lit seven candles in the room; one for each month they had been together. She found it ironic that she had spent seven miserable months at Ted’s, and seven wonderful months with Lawson. Tonight would either make seven her lucky number or her curse. She began blowing them out.

      “Leave one lit.”

      Serene was surprised, but didn’t say anything. Full darkness was all she had known with Lawson. To show she still understood, she left the smallest one lit and placed it on the opposite side of the room.