Taste Of Scotch // James Valdez

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I may have gotten a few hours of sleep last night. Not that it was good sleep since I was on the cold floor. My whole felt stiff, my bones felt sore. As I sit up my eyes scan my surroundings - as if they will change if I stare hard enough. - I heave a sigh, I had a feeling this was as good as my day was about to get. As my hands reached back behind me to grab my red flannel, I didn't feel it. My head looks over my shoulder and I notice it's gone. Did someone take?

I look across at the young Mexican girl who was sitting on her bed sewing her own clothes. "Hola, did you see what happened to my stuff?" I asked. She looks at me with dispite as if I had affended her in some way - but I don't that I did.

"No one took anything, he moved you up bitch . . . James." She said, pointing over he shoulder where the mule girls stay. "you sleep with the mules now. congrats."

I nod my head to her in a thank you manner before getting up and making my way over the mule girls. At least you have a bed now. The inner human in me said bring up the perks of being here rather than pointing out the bad. - The bad though, the bad is I'm still here. under Camila's control, being a mule may get me more freedom but it doesn't give me my freedom.

"hola, excuse me. which bed is mine?"   I ask one of the girls. She has a disgusted look on her face as she looked me up and down. I felt tiny under her stare and I hadn't any reason why. She points to a small one person bed in the far corner. I thank her quitely then take my leave. I knew I wasn't about to make friends here, I was going to have to be alone. As I walked up to my bed I notice a big dark green bag sitting on it, carefully I open it and began to rumble through it.

I pulled out three new but old flannels, two more pairs of pants, and four new t-shirts. At this moment I wanted to thank James, but why? It wasn't like he put in the effort to get here, I did. It was me and my loud mouth and open opinions. If I hadn't done what I did yeserday - delvering the drugs - I wouldn't be here.

As reached the bottom of the bag I noticed something lit up. My hands fumble through the bag to grab and once I did, I realized it was a phone. my heart got pumped, a little exitment tickled the insides of my stomach but was soon ripped away as I notice I didn't have service down here. "Great . ." I grumble throwing the phone back in the bag. A small part of me wanted to take the phone, walk around the place till I found service. But what was I going to do with it? Call the cops?

I sat down on the bed. Feeling almost softness under me was comforting in a weird way. I guess when you sleep on a cold, hard floor anything that has cushion feels nice. The gated dorr opened in front me, and a tall brooding sihoutte stood before me. I didn't have to look up to know who it was. - Leather jacket, black boots, black shirt, black jeans. It was James. - As my eyes rose up to meet his I felt almost afraid and I was preying he wasn't here for me.

"James . . ." I say lowly. His eyes look down at me, his body twists to face me. "Thank you . . . for moving here."

He didn't speak. For a moment he just held my stare. When he did speak it wasn't to me. "Tina, Julie, get dressed. Savings club." He order towards two girls who where merely a foot away from me.

"James, do you need me today?" I asked him. Why, I have no idea. It's not like I wanted to do anything else for them but at the same time if I proved my self. Worked my way up the ladder, I could be someone. James shakes his head, a small little chuckle comes out of his lip. He was mocking. His whole body turns to face me as he takes two steps towards me grabbing my wrist and pulling me up. "Come here." He demanded, but it's not like I had a chance to say no seeing as he had ahold of my wrist.

My back was pressed against the fence. My heart leaped at the closeness between us. I could feel his hot breathe against my cheeks and I knew my face was red. His left hand rose up and gripped the fence beside my face pinning me in place. My eyes where widen and locked on his. What was going?

"I don't know how much shit you're in, but I know what you're trying to do." His low raspy voice sent chills through my spine.

"W - what am I doing then, James?" I tried to sound dominant, forceful. I wasn't about to let him know I was a trembling mess. I gripped the fence behind me trying to make it unnoticable that to him that I was shaking.

"You're trying to ingratiate yourself with Camila. But the second you become valuanle to her, Elena. The second she takes an interest in you, it's going to be harder for you to get out. So be careful." His words for a second almsot sounded real. He almost had me fooled that he actually cared about my well being. But I knew different, this wasn't his words but hers - Camila - She's toying with me.

James backs away from me, getting ready to walk away when I grab his arm. His eyes snap to my hand that rest on his forearm for a couple of seconds before they meet mine. "What am I supposed to do?"

"You did a good job. She was impressed. Just do small things when you're asked, Elena. She'll get bored of you."

I removed my hand from his arm and I watched him walk away with the two girls from before. I then made my way over to my bed and sat down.

He was right. I hated to admit it, but he was. If I laid low didn't make any more propositions, stayed out of the way maybe she would get bored of me but what would happen to me then? What would happen If i only did what was asked?

"Elena, come on. Camila wants you to go with us." I was knocked out my daze by James voice. I snap my head over in his direction, staring at him clueless. "Come on, hurry." He demands. Quickly I get up and start to follow him out. What was happening? Why did Camila want me going?

The devil with it's pitch fork deep inside my mind screamed trap.