FREEDOM DENIED

I stand trembling like a leaf in a hurricane. I do not want to die, and this man like him can blow my sick brains out any minute. "I am... I just saw this man."

"Drop the gun, Rjay!" Now that voice is familiar. I heard it the very first time today on my hospital bed, though. And, Rjay? Is everybody here a Jay or what? They might as well rename me L-Gia! Tsk! 

"Yes, boss." The so-called Rjay drops the gun, and Ejay stands behind me, wrapping his hand around my waist, which doesn't feel good at all.

"What happened?" Ejay asks, and sensing the atmosphere, I know there is a connection between what was happening in this damn room before I decided to play heroin and this bunch of Jays. But what sort of business is this?

"She disturbed them, boss," Rjay spoke, and Ejay cast a glance at me with his scary eyes.

"I am sorry, Mr. Delgado. Forgive her; she is new and has no clue. Carry on. Thirty extra minutes with her as part of my apology." I gave Ejay the most confused and dangerous look I could ever produce the moment he said that.

Apologies? For what exactly? What kind of monsters are these? I hear the door close, and I presume the Delgado idiot is happy now, as Ejay drags me with him down the stairs. Along the stairs, we pass by another couple going up, and of course, the lady doesn't look happy, and she is wearing something similar to the one the lady with Mr. Delgado was wearing. I try to look at them to see if they are exchanging any words, but Ejay, upon noticing my curiosity, fastened his pace, and I had to half-run to match his pace.

After dodging countless corners, he opens another door that is separate from the others, and he pushes me inside. Unlike the room I was in and that of Mr. Delgado's, this one doesn't have a bed; instead, it has a table and a computer with loads of files. An office, presumably. He locks the door, and I turn to look at him as he opens his mouth to speak. "I don't remember telling you that you can walk around aimlessly and pop your nose in other people's business. Did I?" He asks, and I keep quiet, just looking at his not-so-good face and avoiding his eyes as best I can. "Don't you dare go silent on me, Gia! What were you even thinking?" He takes a step towards me and keeps coming until he is right in front of my nose.

I don't blink or move an inch. Finally, I got the courage to stand by his eyes, and I looked at him disgustingly. If only I had muscles like his, he would be nursing a broken bone somewhere. "I had no intention of walking past a man abusing a woman." I speak confidently and calmly. I must be a very courageous person by nature, huh? "I did not know where to find you, so I was on my way to look for you. And of course, I couldn't ignore the plea of the poor woman. It's humanity, right?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Whatever you hear or see around here, keep absolutely out of it. That is rule number one." He states.

"I don't need to know about the fucking rules or anything about this place. Thank you for saving my life. Now allow me to go my way." I say that and wait for his response.

"Where will you go?" He crosses his hands on his chest to listen to me.

"Anywhere. To look for my family. I am sure I am not a street girl."

"How will you locate them, supposing..." I don't wait for him to finish.

"I will worry about that myself. Can I leave now?" I cut him off. I can't stand being in this disgusting hell, even for a minute.

"No, you cannot! You are already here, meaning you will stay here!"

What's that? I snap at him. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Simple. You can't leave!" I look at him.

I don't understand. "Why on hell can't I leave? This is not where I want to spend my life. The things I have seen here are enough  and

"You will be a big threat to me and this club." He finished the sentence for me, though I was not going to say exactly that.

Club, huh!

"Listen." I lower my voice. "I will never say a word. I don't know you, and I don't know this place. I promise. Just let me go, please." I beg, but all my pleas fall on the deaf ears of this monkey.

"I am sorry, but I don't give such chances. It's too risky. The moment you went through the first gate, you became a member of the Wells club and brothel."

"Brothel? What sort of thing is that?" I ask, confused and lost.

"Well, it's... how do I put it? It's a place where men come to enjoy, get entertained, and have the pleasure they can't find in their wives or girlfriends."

I don't know the exact meaning of that, but this place is definitely not a good place. And I don't want to be part of it. I prefer the streets. But I also know that this monster will not let me go. He looks unbendable. "I would like to go on pleading, but I know it will be a waste of time and energy. I mean, I do not think any lady here chose to be here, right? So I will be no exception." I am dying inside.

Now I understand what they meant by "asset."

"You should focus on your recovery first before anything else." Ejay says, avoiding my eyes. He pulls the only swivel chair in this room down and sits down, eyeing me up and down.

"Of course. My recovery is so important to you so that I can be of value to you and this cursed brothel club, right?" I ask, and I feel like I am about to cry. How can people be so cruel? Why did he have to be my stupid savior? Wait, how convenient was that? I shoot him a quick glance; something just crossed my mind. "How did you save me? From who? Was this," I point a finger at my bandaged head, "accidental, or did someone really want to harm me?" I waited for ages for him to answer, but did he?

No. He doesn't answer questions anyway. I sigh angrily, then take in and take out the breath of refreshment. "Did you find anything with me when you SUPPOSEDLY?" I draw the quotation marks on the air with my index fingers: "Saved me? Any documents, gadgets, or something? Anything?" He takes out a shiny black leather purse from a drawer on the table and hands it to me.

"Here. Stop behaving like an arrogant, ungrateful bitch! Your arrogance will not get you anywhere." I grab the purse. "

And you better stop calling me names, because if I start doing the same, I will write a complete novel of the horrible and despicable names perfectly describing you. I might as well name it The Monster Ejay." With that, I leave a very angry Ejay with his hands clenched into fists; his eyes are something that nobody would want to look at right now, and I turn to leave my cell—I mean, my damn room.

"I will come to get you at exactly six o'clock." Ejay's annoyed voice echoes in my ears just as I step outside the door. I know he is talking to me, but I ignore him and run to my room, eager to know what is in my purse.