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THE CLUB FILLED UP quickly as work let out and men poured in wanting to relax after a hard week at work. Friday night was one of their busiest nights, especially on paydays – which happened to be today. This strip club may be seedy by New Orleans standards, but since they kept the prices low, patrons continued to come back.
The house rules for the bartender were the first drink came from a barely watered down bottle of alcohol; as the customer continued ordering drinks, the drinks became watered down more. This kept costs down and it helped with the number of belligerent drunks in the strip club. The men were drunk enough to spend money and not realize that the alcohol was watered down. However, they were not drunk enough to cause trouble. If they did cause trouble, there were several large bouncers strategically roaming around the room that resolved any problems.
Brian Donovan observed a group of young men sauntering into the club. He doubted they were barely legal to enter, but the way they dressed screamed yuppies. He nodded his head to the bouncer to allow them to stay. These boys would likely spend a wad of dough and were probably looking to get laid. One of the girls here would be more than willing to comply.
Currently, he was waiting impatiently as the stripper counted out her dough in the palm of his hand. Brian suspected that she was holding out on the Family, and that was never good.
She stuttered, “I don’t have it all for you, but I promise I am good for it.” She looked at him slyly and grabbed at him, “Unless you can think of another way I can work off what I owe you.”
He slapped her hand away and looked at her in disgust, “Babe, I don’t want what you have to offer. The Boss isn’t going to like that you don’t have his dough.”
She took a step back, “I promise I will get it to you tomorrow.”
He grabbed her by the throat and informed her, “I will be back tomorrow to collect.”
Taking a good look at her, she was perfect for a recent request. They had a client looking for a young woman just like her. He would do as he said and give her until tomorrow to pay, but then he would make sure she understood the importance of paying. She would bring in more than she owed.
Before leaving, he asked around about her. He was pleased to learn that she had no family to miss her if she did disappear. Yes, she was perfect for the client after all.
***
THE STENCH OF CHEAP alcohol and urine permeated Bourbon Street in these early morning hours. Soon, this area would be crawling with people busy making deliveries, which would later be consumed by the hordes of tourists that flooded the French Quarter.
As Sherrie Wilson walked past a bar that stayed open twenty-four hours a day, she caught a whiff of the stale smoke and beer that floated out the open doors. Music and the sound of slurred voices drifted outside. She resisted the urge to join in the fun. Most of the patrons in this bar, unlike the club she worked in, were tourists looking to have a good time and to share stories about their visit to New Orleans. At one time, she was one of those tourists until the city lured her in with its temptations. She stopped to peer into the bar and observed the fun before moving on. She wondered how many of these tourists would be arrested before the day was out, or maybe something much worse would happen to them. There were deep, dark secrets that lurked about in this area. She had her own dark secrets that she wanted to keep hidden as well; maybe that was why she loved this place.
She was running from a past that she feared would catch up to her. Had her parents even missed her? She had been on the move ever since she ran away from home, afraid that they would find her and bring her home. This was the first place that she had stayed for any length of time. She felt as if she belonged here, but lately she feared that something was closing in on her. Maybe it was time to move on. She didn’t want to be found and she definitely didn’t want to go home.
The drugs and alcohol helped her to forget her past to some degree. She wished she could go back and change time. Maybe if she had been brave enough to tell her parents what happened, they could have helped her. But he’d warned her that if she spoke one word about what happened to anyone, he would kill those she loved. He placed the blame on her, saying that she used her body to tease him, always giggling when he was near and vying for his attention. She loved him like an uncle, until that fateful night. That night she lost her virginity to her dad’s best friend. She thought he loved her like a daughter, but that was not what he intended. Was he right? Was it her fault? After what he did to her, she could not look her parents in the eyes; she was so ashamed.
As she left the bar, she overheard a conversation between two tourists who were moving on to another bar, “Man this place is great. Bars everywhere and everything is open twenty-four hours a day.”
The friend slapped his other friend on the shoulder and laughed, “Tell me about it. Only down here can you find drive thru daiquiri shops.”
As Sherrie made the turn to the hotel, she popped another ecstasy. This was how she found the inner strength to perform the acts required of her. She owed a lot of money to men that she should have never become involved with. If she wanted to stay alive, she needed to do as she was told.
As the drug took effect, she started to feel strange. With unsteady steps, she became more disoriented. From where she was located, she should be able to see the Mississippi River and the riverboats docked along the pier. Instead, the glittering lights danced in the night sky, and she was unsure where her landmarks were. Live jazz music filled the night air. This city never seemed to sleep, and the southern nights here were just as seductive as a lover’s kiss.
She wasn’t sure if it was the drugs affecting her this way, but her surroundings took on a magical glow. She forced herself to push forward, but her legs grew heavier with every step.
As she tried to make her way to the hotel, she stumbled into the shadows of the alley. She leaned back against a wall trying to gather her senses before entering the hotel. The drugs she took must have been more potent that she realized. She couldn’t stay here long. This was where the gutter bums and street workers liked to hang out. Those that lived in New Orleans knew to avoid the alleys in this area, especially at night.
A movement behind her caught her attention. She pushed herself off of the wall and decided to leave. She never saw the dark figure move in behind her. She never had a chance to scream.
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