Above Board

Chapter 8

Raoul went back inside the apartment. The bulldogs picked up the unconscious client and carried him to the jeep. They deposited him in the back seat, got in the front and drove off.

"This is all my fault, I'm so sorry." Nikki tried to get off the shopping trolley. "I should never have resisted; they can't stand a whore who resists. I should go back, I should apologise to Raoul and maybe he'll call off the search."

"Stay where you are, Nikki, you're not going anywhere," Brian told her.

"Listen, I'm grateful for you rescuing me earlier, but this is my life now. I can look after myself, I'll be fine."

"Nikki, he could have killed you if it hadn't been for our timely arrival. You might not be so lucky next time. If you go back to this Raoul, he'll never let you go and your life will be over. Is that what you want?"

There was a pause.

"Look, my sons and I are trying to find my wife and daughter, their mother and sister. We want to start a new life in France but we can't until we're all together again. You could come with us if you want. Do you have family waiting for you?"

"No," Nikki shook her head. "I got separated from mine. We had similar ideas, but then they abandoned me when I was thirteen. That's how Raoul found me, wondering the streets, scavenging for food. He gave me shelter, new clothes, but I had to sleep with a few friends of his in return. And that was how it began."

"How terrible!" cried Joey, who had been listening to every word.

"But how come this part of the city has electricity?" asked Will.

"This is the only area safe from Bandits; they love their sex workers like they love violence."

Nikki showed them an ugly bruise on her shoulder. "This one'd had a bit too much to drink. And these ones..."

Red whip marks were beginning to fade from her back. "They used me whatever way they wanted to."

"So how come they haven't targeted this part of the city?" asked Will.

"The Bandits made a deal with Raoul; if he provided them with weapons and whores, they'd give him enough electricity to keep the brothels running and leave the district alone. He's practically untouchable; if they didn't have Raoul to buy and collect weapons, the Bandits would be finished. And whores like me'd have nowhere else to go if anything happened to him."

"But there must be another way," protested Brian. "There's more to life than this, you know."

"Not if you're from the gutter there isn't," said Nikki.

"Well you can stop calling yourself a whore for one thing," said Brian. "Because that's not what you are or what you'll ever be again. You're one of us whether you like it or not. Your family may have left you behind but we won't do that. Will we boys?"

He gave his sons such a steely glare they nodded meekly.

"So it's decided. We'll be your family. We will keep you safe from those animals. I promise."

Nikki was too overwhelmed to speak.

"Dad, can I have a word?" Will pulled his father to one side.

"Have you lost your mind?" Will hissed. "How can we trust her? How can you be sure she is who she says she is?"

"Will, look at her. She's only a kid. You saw how they treated her. If it had been Ashlene, we would have rescued her in a heartbeat. How is Nikki any different?"

"Dad, we don't know anything about her. We don't know where she came from or whether she's telling the truth or not."

"You wouldn't lie to us, would you Nikki?" Brian called to her.