Jamie Begley - Tainted

Stepping out of the shower, he dried off before using the blow dryer to dry his hair. His shorter hair, which he had cut yesterday to avoid any resemblance to the wild rocker he had been five years ago, dried quickly. When it was dry enough not to wet the sheets, he left the bathroom, leaving the door ajar enough to see the path to the bed where the covers had already been turned down for the night. He wasn’t a kid anymore; he didn’t feel the adrenaline rush that came after each show. Tonight, he was tired and ready for sleep after the hectic day leading up to the concert. The concert had taken the last of his reserves. He was going to have to build himself back up to performing the long hours again.

“What the fuck?” Kaden’s feet tripped over something lying on the floor. Unable to prevent his fall, he fell across the object, half on and half off the person lying unconscious on the floor. He knew they were unconscious because they didn’t move or make a sound when he put out a hand out to find what he had fallen over. The only reason he knew they were still alive was because of the warmth of the skin he touched.

Clumsily managing to get to his feet, he bent down to lift the person onto the bed before turning on the bedside lamp. The bright light had him blinking several seconds until he could focus on the woman lying on his bed.

Muttering angrily to himself, he reached out to shake the woman’s shoulder to wake her, stopping when she opened her eyes. Kaden stared down into eyes the color of golden honey. Her face was exquisite; all fine angles and high cheekbones with a mouth meant to please. Her flame-red hair highlighted in the lamplight with a golden glow.

Kaden had dated and fucked several models during his career, the first one when he was fourteen, and while this woman wasn’t as beautiful, she had a fragile appearance as if she was one of the dolls that had sat on his niece’s shelf because she had been too afraid to play with it, afraid it would break.

Five years ago, he would have climbed into bed with this woman and spent the night banging her, but those nights were long gone.

“Get your ass up and get out.”

Sawyer blinked her eyes as she tried to clear her blurry vision. She had heard the man staring down at her, but she couldn’t make her fuzzy mind understand his words.

She opened her lips to try to ask for help, but the noise that escaped her dry mouth was a whimper.

The man’s eyes narrowed on her and his expression turned to one of disgust. Sawyer trembled in the cold room; she wanted to borough under the blankets for warmth, yet she couldn’t make her arms and legs move. She could only lie there helplessly, waiting to see what the stranger would do next.

He bent down, jerking her into a sitting position. When she started to slide back down onto the bed, he placed a hand on her shoulder, holding her still.

“Rick has really outdone himself this time. Overdid it, didn’t you?”

She saw him take a cell phone out of his pocket and punch in numbers. She tried to listen to the conversation, but the fog that was attacking her brain made her just want to close her eyes and go to sleep.

“Stay awake, dammit.” He roughly shook her shoulder, startling her into opening her eyes. “That’s it. I’ve sent for someone to take you home.”

Relief inundated her body at his words and tears flooded her eyes as she thought of Vida’s reaction when she walked through the door of the apartment they shared. Vida would take care of her; she would get her the help that she needed.

The stranger lifted her limp body to lean back against the headboard. She tried to turn her head to see where he went, but her head fell limply to the side.

She heard the water running nearby then a hand was lifting her head back upright. “What in the hell did you take?” his harsh voice asked.

Sawyer was unable to answer him as a glass was placed against her lips. She greedily drank the cold water, feeling the soothing relief as it went down her burning throat. She didn’t remember the last time they had given her more to drink than a sip of water.

“Slow down; you’re going to make yourself sick.” Sawyer tried to slow down, but she was afraid he would take it away before she was finished; however, he took it away when she didn’t slow down anyway. She heard him set it on the nightstand.

She was about to beg for it back when she heard a knock on the door. He rose from sitting on the side of the bed, opening it to a man dressed in dark jeans and a black leather jacket.

“What’s going on, Kaden?” the man questioned.

“Alec, she’s messed up pretty bad. I found her when I came in here to go to bed.”

The blond man moved to the side of the bed. She tried to look up at him, but fell sideways, her head almost banging against the nightstand. The man who had given her the water managed to catch her just before impact, lifting her back against the bed.

“I thought she looked out of it when Redman dropped her off, but two other women were beside her, talking to her. Kaden, I’m sorry. I should have followed my instincts and told them to go, but Redman was adamant that R.J. wanted them here when the band finished the concert.”

“It’s not your fault, Alec. It’s R.J.’s. Redman is trouble, but he gives his clients pussy without the hassle.” His disgusted voice disturbed Sawyer as she tried to understand what the two men were talking about.

“What do you want me to do with her?” The one named Alec looked at the man who had said he was going to take her home. “Want me to take her into the other room?”

Sawyer managed to shake her head, groaning when the movement sent shards of pain through her skull.

“No, they’re so out of it by now; they won’t even notice she’s fucked up,” he sighed, running his hand through his dark hair.

Sawyer looked up at him, attempting without words to plead for help. She tried to get her thickened tongue to move to tell him to call the police.

“Take her home.”

Sawyer couldn’t prevent the tears slipping down her cheeks at his words.

Bending down he spoke to her. “Where do you live?”

Again she tried to speak, but couldn’t, crying harder.

Sighing, he rose to stand up, towering over her. “Go outside, Alec, and ask the other girls where she lives.”

Frantically, she shook her head, fear giving her strength as she tried to rise from the bed. Instead, she flopped down, wiggling on the mattress like a fish dragged out of the water.

“Okay, calm down. We get the message.” The one named Kaden straightened her legs until she lay down straight on the mattress. “What now?” he asked the man named Alec.

“The only thing we can do. We wait until she can tell us where to take her or give her back to Redman when he shows up later to pick them up.”

Sawyer managed with the last of her strength to grab the one named Kaden’s hand when he sat down on the side of the bed beside her. Her nails dug into his flesh. Both men stared down at her with frowns at her frightened reaction.

“Well, she answered that question,” Alec said, moving beside Kaden to touch her wrist with a light touch, searching for her pulse. She felt him press down on her wrist when he found it.

“Her pulse is slow but steady. She should be more coherent by morning. If not, we can take her to the hospital.”

“She likes that idea,” Kaden said when she managed to nod.

“I don’t like this, Kaden. She seems scared of Redman.”

Kaden frowned as her golden eyes searched his, trying without words to ask for the help she needed. “I don’t understand. The other women seemed a little high, but not scared. Redman has been doing this for years. If there was something shady going on, surely someone would have put the word out by now.”

“Not if they didn’t want the publicity,” Alec corrected him.

Kaden lifted the water glass, while Alec helped her sit up again. This time she drank the water more slowly. She had almost finished the glass when he took it away.

“I’ll go out into the other room and ask the girls a few questions; see what I can find out. I’ll get something for her to eat also. It’ll help get the drugs out of her system. Get her some more water; keep her hydrated.”

“All right.” Sawyer watched as the blond man disappeared back through the bedroom door.

Kaden left her side, going back into the bathroom and running more water into the now empty glass. Sawyer waited for the glass of water, and when she felt the glass pressed against her lips, she drank as much as she could before nudging the glass away with her chin.

“Had enough?” This time Sawyer managed to nod her head. Drowsiness was coming over her full force. She tried to fight it, afraid if she went back to sleep, she would find herself back in that dark room, handcuffed to the cot again.

As if reading her mind, she felt the mattress sink down next to her. “Go to sleep. It’ll help get the drugs out of your system. Nothing will happen until you wake.”

Doubtfully, she stared up at him, feeling her lips tremble. It was only when she heard his soft whisper that she allowed her eyes to close, letting the fog carry her away.

“I promise.”

Kaden stared down at the young woman lying on his hotel bed. His instincts were screaming at him that something was going on here, and it was more than just a prostitute hired to entertain for a few hours.

His worry was confirmed when Alec slipped back into the bedroom, coming to stand next to him.

“When I tried to get any information off them, they just shook their heads and changed the subject. They looked as scared as her,” Alec nodded his head toward the woman lying unconscious, “when I mentioned Rick.”