Chapter Eight

                                    

                                          

Rohm
October 15th, 2023
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"Ro, will you tell me what's happening between you and our boss?" Cherry asks as soon as she steps into the dressing room after we finish.
Given how the night before ended, I was already preparing for her to ask. But it seems like she was holding back as long as Valenci and his "Friend" whose name I found out was Nikolai, were close to us.
"It's... a complicated story" 
"Too complicated to tell me right now?" I nod as I shove my makeup bag into my purse.
"Are you heading home now?"
"Yes Cher" My feet were throbbing, my head felt like it was going to explode, and I felt exhausted. By now, I find it unfortunate that Valenci hadn't fired me yet.
And given how much he seemed to dislike my presence here, I still can't understand why he didn't. Cherry is already dressed and waiting when I finally slip on my jacket.
A glance at my phone tells me I have 15 minutes to catch the bus. The crisp air of the night feels so refreshing when we leave the building through the back entrance that leads into an alley.
Cherry lights her cigarette and takes a drag before pulling me into a hug.
" Look, babe, I know we don't know each other well, but if you ever need anything, just ask me "
" Thank you, Cher "
" I'll see you tomorrow, right? "
" Sorry love today was my only shift for this weekend, I'll be back next weekend "
That's another one of Valenci's punishments for me being here - the pay and the tips on the weekends are far better than during the week. Plus, I'll hardly get sleep in between my shifts at the office and here.
But until I can think of something else, I don't have much of a choice but to take everything that I can get.
"Fuck!!, I gotta go now babe take care of yourself" I watch her disappear around the corner of the building onto the main street while I turn around, heading in the other direction.
The bus stop is a three-minute walk, and walking through the alley was the quickest way to get there. There is barely any light, and somehow, I get a strange feeling.
Just when I am about to reach the street, where a car passes now and then, a car stops directly in front of me.
Immediately, the front doors open, and two men dressed in all-black attire step out. I can't make out the figures heading straight for me, but in the back of my mind, I know exactly who they are.
Before I can even think of an exit strategy, Haruki stands before me. The man accompanying him stops a few steps behind him, and even without turning around, I can feel the presence of someone else behind me.
"You didn't forget about our little date tonight, did you little girl?" His icy voice sends a cold shiver down my spine, and I gulp down hard.
"No, I didn't" How could I when he constantly sends me reminders of my time running out before ill have to pay what my mother owes?
A little naive part of me hoped that he would forget because I doubted that what little money I could scrape together the past weeks would be enough to satisfy him. My finger tightened around the strap of my bag as I thought of a way to avoid what I fear is going to happen now.
"I-I don't have any time tonight, I have a bus to catch"
"I don't give a shit about your time" He steps closer to me and snatches my chin between his fat finger before I can flinch away.
"I only care about the money you owe sweetie, tell me what we agreed on"
"I haven't agreed to anything" Tears burn in my eyes as he squeezes harder, digging his fingers into my flesh.
"Let us try that again beautiful... How much are you supposed to give me tonight?"
" T-Two hundred thousand"
"Now do you have my money?" I try to shake my head, but I can't because he still has my chin in a tight grasp.
"N-no Haruki"
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk" He shakes his head as if he is sorry to hear my answer. As if he didn't already know.
"Honey, you know my boss isn't a very patient man, neither am I, so what do you suggest we do now?" The tone of his voice sparks a massive fear creeping up inside me. But at least I finally managed to jerk my face away from his grip.
"I will get the money, I-I promise" No, I won't, and we both know that I am lying.
"But please just let me go home now" My voice quivers, but I thrust my chin up, trying to appear confident, although I feel far from it.
He throws his head back and laughs like I've just told him the funniest joke he's ever heard. A stinging pain across my cheek immediately replaces my confusion about his reaction.
The force of his slap splatters my vision with sparks of light, and I stumble back. One little shove of one of the men standing behind me makes me stumble and knocks me on the ground.
"BITCH DO YOU THINK IM STUPID?" My arms and legs are shaking as I manage to move myself to my hands and knees.
"We made a fucking deal Rohm, and your time is up... Either give me my money or get FUCKED UP!!" I can sense him circling me, and just as I am about to struggle back to my feet, he places his foot on my hand.
"Fuck!" The three men surrounding us don't even flinch when he crouches down and grabs a fistful of my hair, pulling my head back violently.
The hard pull on my scalp hurts even more than a better part of his whole weight on my hand. My breathing gets ragged as I try to hold back the tears forming in my eyes.
"If you think you can play me for a fool, you are very, very wrong and very, fucking stupid. Fuck the monthly payments-" He leans further into me until his nose touches my cheek, and I can feel his breath on my skin as he speaks.
Haruki's cheap cologne fills my senses, and I try to jerk away my head. All I want is to get as far away from him as possible, but I am completely trapped in his hold on me.
"Either have the money that you owe me or well see how much you're worth on the market" Bile rises in my throat as the meaning of his words wash over me.
"Ey, ublyudok, otoydiot neye ili ya tebya ub'yu" A dark voice booms through the alley.
Hey, motherfucker, get away from her or I'll kill you

"Nani ga fakku" Haruki hisses before his iron grip on my hair finally loosens.
What the fuck

"Seems like today is your lucky day sweetheart... But I'm not done with you" He gets up, and as soon as he stands, his foot connects with my ribcage.
"AH!" I slump forward, my heavy breathing and the erratic beating of my heart sounds so loud in my ears that I can hardly hear the men scurrying away from me. Relief and pain shoot through my body.
Hot tears sting in my eyes, and my whole body shakes, inside and out. My fingers dig into the tarmac as I try to stabilize myself until I find the strength to get up.
Before I can start a doomed-to-failure get-up, a hand wraps around my arm and pulls me up. I stumble forward and right into a hard wall of muscle.