The Trafficking Incident
"Number 204?" A man called looking up from his clipboard.
A woman with red hair and emerald green eyes matched forward and stood in front of him.
"What's your name?"
"Ava."
The man nodded, confirming something from the book in his hand. "Last name?"
"Steele."
"Alright. Do we have anyone that has not gone inside for their interview?" He asked, looking around. "Alright then, please come with me." He said to the lady and the two of them disappeared into the interview room.
Ava Steele looked down at her sweaty palms and rubbed them together. She was a bundle of nerves and the interview hadn't even started yet.
'Please let this interview go well. I need this gig for Kim and I. Please, please let me get it.' she prayed under her breath just as the door at the right corner of the room opened and two men in black suits walked in.
Ava sized them up with a frown noting how thug-like they both looked. The shorter one wore a white inner and had an angry scar running down his face from underneath his right eye down to the top of his lip.
Ava shivered as she took in the taller one. This one looked a bit decent with a black inner inside his suit. He had a clean face, devoid of scars or bruises but he did have bloodshot eyes like someone who had been partying all night. .
The hair at the back of her neck stood and she rubbed her arm with her hand as goosebumps started to form. She only ever felt this way when something was not right and although she couldn't put her finger on it, she could tell something was off about this audition.
"Uhn, could I please use the restroom? I'm sorry if it's unprofessional but I really have to go." She squirmed under their gazes and the shorter one whispered something to the taller one.
He nodded towards a door in the middle of the room. "Go in there and do your business."
Ava rose to her feet quickly and ran towards the door. She was stopped by the man's voice speaking again.
"Don't take our time. Hurry."
Ava gulped and opened the door, jumping inside and locking it behind her.
Something was definitely wrong. But what was it? Was this not an interview after all?
'No.' She banished that thought from her mind as she paced about the restroom. It was quite spacious and the WC was at the far end of the wall. There was a window at the top of the WC that led outside and would be a nice escape route just in case.
"Don't shout!" She heard and jumped in fright. She didn't shout or did she?
Ava realized that the voice was coming from outside the door and she leaned her ear against the door.
"You and I both know why we are here. I don't know why you still insist on conducting this stupid interview, Frank!"
"You know why these interviews have to be conducted. Do you want the girls to get suspicious?"
"They don't have anywhere to run to even if they do get suspicious, Frank." Jerry insisted and Ava gasped. "This is a drug trafficking job not a beauty pageant. We don't care about their abilities. All of them are going with us."
She made a move to open the door and screamed in fright when someone banged the door from outside.
"Lady. We don't have all day."
Ava flushed the toilet, color drained from face. This was not an interview, it was a cover for a trafficking scheme.
"What was taking so long uhn?" Frank asked as she walked out and she forced a smile, trying to hide how on edge she was.
Ava muttered her apologies and went back to her seat, clutching the handle of bag tightly.
"Where are you going?" She asked as they walked towards the door they had come out from.
"We just have a few things to take care of before we can conduct the interview. Liam, will stay here with you." Frank spoke pointing to a third guy she hadn't seen before who was standing by the door and Ava gulped.
Frank and Jerry went out through the same door they had come in from and Ava closed her eyes. She had to get out of here.
"Excuse me." She called Liam and he walked up to her.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes. Actually, I think I left my phone in the restroom. Could you help me get it?"
He didn't look convinced as he walked towards the restroom. Without a second thought, she picked up her bag and ran for the door, her heart beating wildly in her chest.
She slammed the door and ran in the same direction she had come through passing the room that was filled with the other girls.
She threw her bag around her neck and ran with all her might needing to escape from there.
Ava picked up speed, adjusting her bag to prevent it from weighing her down.
"When I catch you, you're dead meat." Liam yelled from behind her but she ignored him, moving at death speed, her heart pushing against her ribcage. Her palms were sweaty and her chest was burning but she couldn't stop.
The hairs at the back of her neck were erect and goosebumps were running up her arm. Tears started rolling down her cheeks blinding her vision and she used her hands to wipe them off violently, not stopping.
"I will kill you!"
She took another left turn and then a right and ran straight ahead, her heart bubbling with hope when she heard car honks getting closer.
Her ankles were about to give out and her eyes were stinging from the unshed tears. Almost.
"Help me, please help me!" She screamed as she ran into the road, her tears blinding her vision.
As she was waving her hands in the air, she didn't notice the car that was driving towards her at top speed.
Ava noticed the car at the last minute and jumped out of the way, just in time. She fell on the ground, groaning when her back hit the tarred road. That was definitely going to leave a scar."Can't you watch where you're going? You almost bashed my car!" The man got of the car and yelled, pointing at her. Ava got up a little too quickly and staggered. She took a deep breath and closed her eues, trying to find her footing. "I'm sorry, I just really need your help." "I don't know you and I don't care about your problems." He walked towards the driver's seat and Ava ran after him, grabbing him by his legs. Goosebumps were running up her arm. The man after her was still after her. If this man didn't help her then she'd be dead. "Please don't leave me." She hugged his legs tight, clinging on even when he kicked her. "Get off me. What do you think you're doing?" The man struggled to break free but she held on, her knees scraping the ground. Kim was going to have a field day cleaning al
"I need to get a new suit at home." Sebastian muttered under his breath as he walked back to his car. He was late for his meeting and now he had to go back to the house and change. "Did you say something?" Ava asked, running up to him. Sebastian ignored her, increasing his pace. He unlocked the car with its remote and opened the door of the driver's seat. He remembered that he usually kept an extra suit in his office and he sighed in relief. Ava caught him by the sleeve of his suit and he pulled his arm away. He cringed as he wiped a smudge of mud off his pants. It was ruined and it was all because of that girl. "Get away from me." He brought out his phone from his pocket and dialed his secretary's number. She picked up on the third ring sounding like she had just concluded a marathon but Sebastian barely noticed. "Have a suit ready for me before I get to the office and don't forget the materials for my meeting." "Yes sir." "Make sure the clients don't leave before I get the
Ava laughed on the other side of the line. "I told you you'll need my help." "I need a date to the annual Charity event hosted at the Flannigan hotel." He ignored her earlier comment wanting to get over the preparations so he could get back to the office. "Do you know where that is?" "No I don't." He pinched the bridge of his nose and pulled his phone away from his ear. He placed Ava on hold and dialed another number. The person picked up on the first ring. "Goodday, Mr Bancroft." "I need you to pick up someone. I'll send you the address and the lady's phone number." He didn't wait for the person's response and hung up. He took Ava's number off hold again. "I'll send a car for you at 7pm sharp, don't keep him waiting." The driver would pick Ava up and then come get him on the way. With that, he ended the call and took the rest of the stairs up to his room. ***The lobby of the Flannigan hotel was packed with people waiting to enter the well decorated hall that had been set asi
"Sebby, what's she talking about?" Natasha asked, flipping her hair. The tips hit Ava's face and she glared at her. "Tell her about me, Sebby." This woman was delusional, how could she say such a thing? All eyes settled on Sebastian for some kind of confirmation but he remained silent. Ava grinned at Natasha and inched closer towards her. "Well, that's all in the past now my darling. I'm his fiancée now." Natasha opened her mouth to say something but she noticed the women around them were already whispering under their breath. She didn't want to become the center of attraction especially if Ava would come out looking perfect. "We will continue this conversation later." "Bye now." Ava chirped, waving her hands with a smile irritating Natasha further. With one final glare shot at Ava, she walked away holding her head up high even though she was boiling and seething on the inside. "Natty! Wait for us." The women sccruied off after her and Ava shook her head. It was just like i
“Now smile for the camera my sweet,” The photographer ordered and Ava gave the best smile she could muster. Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much and frankly she was getting tired.When she had seen the ad for models needed by a food industry, she had been reluctant to accept it of course. But a part of her hoped that it would give her a boost into the world of modeling. But she hadn’t signed up for this! She glanced down at the bowl of cereal she was supposed to be eating from and her lips curled slightly in disgust. It looked a lot like some gray mashed concoction and it tasted just as bad as it looked. Even with the milk slobbering all over it.“Smile Ava!” The director yelled, suddenly jolting her out of her thoughts.“I’m sorry,” She muttered quickly, bowing her head in apology and gave a wide grin as if she was so damn happy to be holding a bowl of shitty food. Mahn, was this how her life would continue?Not if you accept his offer, her mind quipped.Ah yes.There was Sebastian Ba
“Connections,” Ava said simply, a serious look on her face. Her pretty blue eyes blinked surreptitiously at him, holding his leveled gaze.Connections? Sebastian wondered, inclining his head as he studied the profile of the woman before him. For a woman who looked so dainty despite her tall frame, she was quite bold. His eyes wandered down the rest of her body. At least the rest he could see as she sat across from him. She wore a pink cashmere sweater and a beige dress right underneath. He couldn’t see her lower half since she was sitting, but her torso was visible.And it was a very beautiful torso. “What do you mean?” He asked, clearing his throat awkwardly, forcing his eyes to look away from her heaving chest back into her clear ones. “I want to continue modeling.” She explained, the serious look on her face slowly replaced with excitement. Her eyes glazed dreamily and it seemed she stared at space when she continued speaking. “I want to make it big in modeling. It has been my dr
“Yo Kim!” A blonde guy yelled, running across the field to a girl sitting in the bleachers. Her caramel brown hair was tied into two buns on either side of her head, with little strands falling across her face. Her toffee brown eyes eyed the approaching guy warily, while her hands gripped the book in her hands tighter. “What’s up Ash?” She asked when he finally reached her. He panted heavily, doubling over as he wheezed. Kim chuckled. “For a guy who plays rugby, you sound pathetic. Quit pretending, fool.”Ash chuckled, straightening up. He towered over Kim’s short curvy stature, grinning widely. “You always get me,”“Oh please,” Kim rolled her eyes. “Don’t make this more than it seems. What do you want?”Ash’s gray eyes fell on the black book in her hands and shifted back to her face. “You?”The girl snorted and grabbed her bag off the bleachers, shoving the book into it just before Ash could reach for it. “You don’t fool me, you idiot! I know you want the book!” She yelled.“Come on
Chapter 8Ava's phone blared for the hundredth time that day. It had been ringing nonstop ever since the picture of her and Sebastian had dropped on the internet. The tabloids, papers, and news lines had all taken the bait, hook line, and sinker. And damn they worked fast. After they had shaken hands and signed the contract, Sebastian had a photographer on hand and a reporter. The rest was easy. Once the reporter got a record of them announcing their engagement publicly, and the photographer had taken a picture of them together, every media outlet in America had to have received it because then her phone couldn't stop screaming with calls. She winced as she climbed the stairs to her apartment, apprehension clawing at her belly. Kim had sounded pretty angry over the phone, calling her a traitor and demanding an explanation for it all.It was not surprising how agitated she was though. Kim had always been the restless one of the two sisters and the much more outspoken one as well. Un