Shattered (6 page)

I shrugged. “Don’t have much of a choice,” I
said plainly, “Have to pay the bills somehow.”

Anderson looked at me long and hard, and I
felt myself turning to jelly under his gaze. He looked hot and
bothered, his jaw set tight. “Kaela,” he said, “I have a few words
for your boss myself. I’m going in there.”

I didn’t dare argue with him. A steely,
authoritative tone had crept into his voice that was at once
intimidating and sexy as hell. He pulled open the door of the
coffee shop and let me step in before him. The door slammed shut
behind us, and the bleary-eyed regulars blinked up. The joint
looked even sorrier next to the staggering perfection that was my
escort. I looked toward the counter and saw two surly sets of eyes
staring back at me. Joe and Ace had taken over my barista duties,
and looked pissed as hell about it.

“Look who decided to grace us with her
presence,” Joe snarled, coming around the counter toward me.

“Morning, boss,” I chirped.

“Where the hell do you think you get off?” he
said, tossing a wary glance Anderson’s way. “You were supposed to
be here six hours ago.”

“Well gee, Joe,” I said, planting my hands on
my hips, “I would have been in sooner, had I not been sleeping off
a near-fatal attack that was all thanks to you.”

“What are you talking about?” my boss
demanded.

“I got jumped last night, after I closed up,”
I said, “Four thugs from the bar across the street cornered me on
the sidewalk and tried to...It was a miracle that I got away.”

“How is that my fault?” Joe asked
defensively.

I gaped at him, stunned by his insensitivity.
“You left me here on my own, past midnight,” I clarified.

“I didn’t set those guys on you,” he said,
“It’s your own damn fault for dressing like such a filthy slut all
the time. Maybe—”

But Joe’s words were cut off abruptly as
Anderson’s fingers tightened around his windpipe. I gasped as
Anderson wheeled my boss around and slammed him against the wall,
holding him aloft by the throat.

“Call me crazy,” Anderson said coolly, “But
none of those words sounded like an apology to me.

“Anderson!” I cried, watching as Joe’s face
turned from red to purple. “I don’t think—”

“You should be ashamed of yourself,” Anderson
went on, “As an employer, it’s your responsibility to keep your
employees safe. Kaela was viciously attacked last night because of
your incompetence.”

“Look out!” I cried, as Ace launched himself
at Anderson from behind.

Without bothering to look, Anderson swung a
round house kick in Ace’s direction and caught the man squarely in
the neck, just under his ear. Ace let out a muffled howl and sunk
onto the floor, he was out cold before his head hit the tiles.
Anderson turned his full attention back to Joe, who was now slunk
down against the wall, cowering with his hands above his face.

“Now obviously, Kaela wishes to resign from
her post at your dumpy little establishment,” Anderson said, “But
I’m afraid we can’t go anywhere until she gets the apology she
deserves. So, let’s hear it.”

My boss sprawled out on the dirty ground,
heaving and panting. He glared up at Anderson first, and then at
me. A vengeful glee was burning in my belly, something I’d never
experienced before. I was so unfamiliar with violence and force…I’d
never known the satisfaction of physically besting someone who
deserved to be put in his place.

“We’re waiting,” Anderson said, his eyes
unmoving from Joe.

Joe drew a deep breath and set his jaw.
Looking at me with venomous hatred and utter embarrassment, he
said, “Sorry, Kaela.”

“Sorry for what?” I asked lightly.

“Sorry...” Joe spat, “That you got yourself
attacked.”

“Wrong,” Anderson said, cocking back a heavy
boot, “Try again.”

“Sorry...I was an asshole,” Joe said,
cowering away from Anderson’s kick.

“Much better,” Anderson said. “Come on Kaela,
let’s get out of here. I can practically smell the hepatitis.”

As we stepped over the fallen men, a half
dozen astonished eyes followed our progress. I let the door slam
shut behind me and felt as though an iron weight had been lifted
from my shoulders. Joe’s had given me nothing but heartache for
years, and thanks to Anderson, I was finally free. There was only
one problem...

“Guess I’ll be finding a new job, then,” I
said, trying to remain cheerful. I started walking the few short
blocks to my apartment with Anderson on my heels.

“About that,” Anderson said, “I have an
idea.

“Do tell,” I said.

“Well,” Anderson said, “Maybe, instead of
looking for a new job right away, you could be my assistant?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I need someone to help with the day to day
stuff, to organize my schedule, traveling, and to make sure I have
what I need for fights.” Anderson said.

I stared at him dumbly. “Are you asking me to
move in with you?” I said.

“No of course not. We aren’t there yet,”
Anderson smiled. “But after our conversation last night...I don’t
know. It was nice to have someone to talk to. And I want to make
sure that you’re OK after what happened.”

“You really don’t have to do all this,” I
said, though I wanted to take him up on his offer more than
anything.

“I want to, it’s time I did something good,”
he said.

“Anderson,” I said, drawing up in front of my
apartment building, “If we’re going to see any more of each other,
and I want that to happen, I do...I need to know more about your
world.”

“Ah,” Anderson said, “I thought you
might.”

“I want to see what it’s like,” I said, “I
mean, look at me. My own life isn’t exactly going anywhere fast.
Your world sounds exciting, and—”

“Dangerous,” he said, “Very dangerous.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Kaela,” Anderson said, “I don’t want
anything to happen to you. I couldn’t take that. Not after
everything else you’ve been through.”

“I know,” I said, “I’m not asking to be a
part of it or anything. I just want to see it. Just for a
minute.”

He stared at me with those deep, unreadable
eyes. I could tell he was weighing whatever affection he felt for
me against his protective instinct. Finally, he let out a sigh and
lowered his voice. “Come to the Bowery tonight,” he said, “Look for
a red door with a silver number eight.”

“Is there a password?” I joked.

“Yeah,” he said, “It’s ‘Cadillac’.”

“Cadillac?” I asked.

“Shh,” Anderson hissed, “Just keep it quiet,
and come alone. Can you do that?”

“Sure,” I said, thrilling at the iron in
Anderson’s voice. “I’ll see you.”

“See you,” he said. There was a thin sheen of
regret in his eyes as he turned away from me. I watched his broad
shoulders grow smaller in the distance until he finally turned a
corner and disappeared from my sight. Could this underground world
of his really be that dangerous? I walked up the steps to my
apartment and tried not to think about it. I was jobless,
unattached, and without any direction. What did I have to lose by
following the one spot of brightness that had wandered into my
life? I knew that I had no choice but to go wherever Anderson led,
whether it was for good or for bad.

I trudged up to my apartment as best I could,
wincing at the little pinches of pain that remained from the night
before. Anderson’s care had done wonders, but I still felt a little
shaky. Was it the attack that had me on edge, or was it the fact
that a whole new world of experience was opening itself to me,
should I choose to take the leap? There was still time to turn
back, I reminded myself. I could force Anderson out of my mind, go
apologize to Joe, and cling onto my normal life. I could try and be
content with never having any exciting happen to me. I could say no
to Anderson’s amazing offer, take back my plea to see the inner
workings of his life.

“Yeah, right,” I muttered, pushing open the
front door of my apartment. I coughed as the heavy smell of weed
caught in my throat. The air in my apartment was smoky and
oppressive, and I could see a figure moving around in the haze
before me. My roommate Aimee was rummaging around in the fridge,
her eyes glassy. She glanced up for half a second as I closed the
door behind me.

“Where’s the peanut butter?” she asked, “I
just got this great idea...peanut butter and cheese
puffs...
together
.”

“Sounds incredible,” I said sarcastically.
“Aren’t you going to ask me where I was last night?”

“You weren’t here?” Aimee drawled.

“I...No,” I said, frowning, “The most
incredible thing hap—”

“Aha!” she cried, snatching a mostly-empty
jar of peanut butter from the back of the fridge, “I found you,
fucker! You’re mine now.”

And with that, she turned her back and
stalked off into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. I
looked blankly after her as some jam band’s latest tunes began to
play beyond the door. Aimee and I had never really understood each
other. Our sharing an apartment was sort of a marriage of
convenience. But for some reason, her indifference that day really
got to me. I realized, as I shuffled into my bedroom, that I didn’t
have anyone to confide in. There was no one to talk to, no one to
be worried about my attack, no one to gush about Anderson with. My
parents had their hands full at home, and they had never been able
to relate to my desire for something more exciting than a mortgage
and a baby.

I cast my eyes around my dinky little
bedroom—it didn’t take very long. There was nothing holding me back
from following Anderson into his underground, secret world...but
that didn’t make it any less daunting. Was I really the kind of
girl who could fit in somewhere so raw, so violent? I gave myself a
good long once-over in my bedroom mirror and came to a pretty quick
conclusion: I had no idea what kind of girl I really was. Maybe
meeting Anderson had been some crazy act of fate. Maybe my life
until then had just been a sort of holding room, and now the show
could really begin.

There was nothing to lose by following
Anderson, and an entire new realm of experience to be gained. I
made up my mind right then and there—I’d put everything on this
gamble. I turned toward my threadbare closet and picked through,
wondering what one wears to an underground fighting ring. My
fingers closed around a short, tight, little red number.
That
will do nicely
, I thought, laying the dress out on my tiny bed.
Only about twelve hours to kill in the meantime
...

Chapter
Four

The afternoon passed in a haze of
anticipation and half-hearted second guesses. I felt like
Cinderella before the ball, like I was standing on a precipice,
getting ready to make a wild leap of faith. The sun began to set,
and the city descended into night once more. I readied myself for
my grand adventure, taking the utmost care in every little detail.
I slid into the red dress, admiring the way it hugged the curves of
my hips and breasts. I swept on some vibrant red lipstick and a
smoky eye to boot. My hair hung in loose waves on my shoulders, and
the pain from the night before had finally subsided. I had to
admit, I cleaned up nicely.

I slipped out of my apartment past Aimee’s
closed door. The city was already coming to life for the evening.
New York’s nights are really just inverted days, with a whole other
set of citizens. Usually, I belonged to the daytime crowd, putting
in my hours at work and retreating home for sleep. But that night,
I joined the ranks of the nocturnals. I made my way through
Alphabet City and the East Village, peering into smoky bars and
clubs, not failing to notice the way eyes lingered on me as I
passed. As I caught glimpses of myself in darkened windows, I
couldn’t help but be pleased. I wasn’t one for dressing up,
usually. My daily uniform was decidedly unsexy. But this was a
departure. This was the first step toward a whole new life, a whole
new Kaela. And this new Kaela knew how to work a little red
dress.

My heart began to race as I finally turned
onto the Bowery. With each step, I knew I was drawing closer to
Anderson, to his secret universe. Door after door passed by, until
finally my eyes fell onto a patch of red in the dim street lights.
My breath caught in my throat as a tiny glimmer of silver caught my
eye. Drawing up before the portal, I recognized the number eight,
just like Anderson said I would. This was it, the threshold to an
entirely new life. My entire body felt compelled toward that door,
like my center of gravity had shifted. As if it was a black hole,
the red door pulled me forward with inevitable inertia. There was
only one thing left to do.

I raised a trembling fist and rapped on the
door. A long moment passed, and I tried to quiet my thunderous
heartbeats. The doorknob turned just a hair, and a tiny sliver of
blackness appeared as the red door cracked open. There was utter
silence beyond the threshold, and I took a deep breath, realizing
that it was my turn to speak.