Red Bullets in June

Chapter 2: Escape Plan

The tension in my throat increases with each step that Trey and Khleo make. After a short walk, they approach a black car parked on the side of the street. I attempt to wiggle around, but they have the iron grip of a gladiator that refuses to release even an atom of my body.

     Maybe when they've placed me in the car, I can open the door at the opportune moment and run for the hills.

     My better judgement finally emerges from her bedroom in the recesses of my mind and steps into the picture.

     Where has she been all this time?

     They're armed, Charlotte, she reminds me. They'll shoot you before you can take two steps. Think of something else.

     She's right.

     My scheming is interrupted when Trey and Khleo use a light but commanding force to sit me on the backseat.

     "Don't even think about leaving or we'll shoot you." Khleo's warning speaks directly to the scheming MacGyver in my brain.

     I gulp.

     Are my intentions that obvious?

     They child lock my doors so I can't open them from the inside and hop into the front seats.

     We wait in crippling silence.

     Despite Khleo's threat, my mind begins running rampant with possible escape routes.

     I could attempt to disarm one of them?

     Who are you kidding, Charlotte? my better judgement scoffs. You've never so much as held a gun before. You'd probably end up shooting yourself in the process.

     Yeah... You're right... Maybe the middle seat folds down and leads to the trunk?

     Even if it did, they'd see you and the trunk is probably locked.

     Dang it. What am I gonna do?

     "So, did the boss say whether or not we can go to the strip club tonight?" Trey's deep and resonant voice startles me.

     That's the first time I've heard him talk.

     "Yeah, he said if all goes well. Which, I think it's safe to say it has." A hungry grin can be seen in both sets of eyes.

    Strip club?

     Then it dawns on me.

     They're gonna make me their sex slave! What else would a gang want me for?

     The gang leader's protective actions and words towards me resurface in my mind. That calms me somewhat.

     He wouldn't make me a slave, would he? Unless, he was putting on a show...

     Will I be taken advantage of again?

     The thought causes my stomach to churn with dread.

     I really need to do something to get out of here.
Fast.

     The gang leader appears from behind the back of the complex, followed by his remaining men and my heart pounds a steady and foreboding beat against her drum like the pre-ritual to a beheading.

    Speaking of the devil...

     He nods in our direction and the engine roars to life. The stark and battered buildings begin flashing past my window and my level of anxiety escalates quickly. I attempt to calm myself with long and deep breaths in spite of the stifling choking feeling that threatens to constrict my throat into suffocation. An identical black car pulls onto the road and follows close behind us.