Bad Decision: The Carter Brothers Read online

  All around are grunts of pains amid words foreign to us. I suppose it must be over in minutes because soon the only sound we hear is crying and howls of pain. The body twitches at my feet and I look down. The man looks up with hate-filled eyes and spits blood on my shoes. Grabbing him by the throat, I snarl, “Who do you work for?”

  He laughs darkly and says in barely audible English, “Fuck you.”

  I slam his head down and stamp on his neck. He says no more. Charlie has another man up against the wall and yells, “Who do you fucking work for you piece of shit?”

  The man shivers and shakes his head with fear. Charlie reaches for his knife and holds it against the man’s neck. “The man’s eyes bulge as the knife cuts in just enough to show him what’s coming, and he says in a strangled voice. “Please, I know nothing.”

  Charlie runs the knife across the man’s face, slashing a slice of his skin as it goes. The man screams in pain and passes out and Charlie drops him in disgust.

  Pops looks on with anger and snarls, “Fucking bastards. There are five girls upstairs all drugged up to their eyeballs. Two of them are chained to the bed, and it looks as if they’ve been hard at work today. I fucking hate this scum. Coming here and subjecting young girls to this fuckfest. Do what you need to boys because I couldn’t give a shit. I want this place closed forever and nobody dare start up again.”

  He looks at Charlie and says angrily. “You had better left one of them alive to tell the others. I want the fear of God put up their arses that will send them scurrying back to the hole they came from.”

  Charlie looks at the body of the man he sliced and nods. “I think he’ll live.”

  Dennis and Gary head back with blood splattered all over their shirts. “It’s clear. Three down and five women freed. We need to get the hell out of here before the cops arrive.”

  We do as he says and as quickly as we came, we go and leave the damage behind us. We head to one of our lockups and dump our clothes, removing the fresh kit we brought with us.

  As we change, Joey grins. “One of our better games of squash, wouldn’t you say so boys?”

  Charlie laughs. “It was most satisfying.”

  Pops laughs. “You know, I never really embraced this new technology but I’m beginning to see the appeal of it.”

  We all laugh because technology will provide our alibi. Dennis is more than just a hired thug. He’s a whizz with electronics and has made sure that the CCTV at the local sports centre will show a record of our game at the very time this all kicked off. However, that particular game was filmed months ago and any detective worth his badge would see it’s the same one on repeat every time something bad happens that they try to pin on us.

  We head home and Joey says angrily. “Gary found close on three grand in that place. By the looks of it, those girls saw none of it. It makes my fucking blood boil. We need to find out who’s controlling this operation. That was only one house of many and I’m not prepared to turn a blind eye on my patch.”

  Charlie nods grimly. “I’ll see what I can find out.”

  As I drive, I think about that house. It sickens me to the pit of my stomach. We may be criminals but we would never cause an innocent person’s suffering. These gangs have sprung up, exploiting young, desperate, women and hide behind the houses where kids play outside and honest people live. I share my father’s hatred but know this is a problem that will never go away. It will be a constant fight and I worry for the old man. He’s not as young as he used to be and times have changed. Is this really going to be my life? Always fighting to maintain our values. One day, this will all bite us and then where will we be? Either locked up or six feet under if I can hazard a guess.

  Charlie sighs beside me. “Fuck this, I need a drink tonight. Maybe we should check out Honey’s.”

  I nod. “Count me in, bro, I need a distraction.”

  5

  Summer

  I think Tracey and I slept all day. Me from jet lag and her from party lag. Aunt Kim doesn’t disturb us and by the time night falls we’re wide awake.

  Over dinner, Tracey says excitedly, “I’ll take Summer to Honey’s tonight. They always have happy hour on a Sunday around 9 pm. We could stock up and I’ll show her how we party in London.”

  My Aunt looks at her sharply. “Listen, don’t you go teaching Summer your bad habits. She probably just wants some time to adjust to the different time zone, not go gallivanting across town as soon as she’s arrived.”

  She shakes her head as the door opens and uncle Jimmy comes in. Jumping up, she says wearily. “Hi, Jimmy, I kept your tea warm.”

  He sits down heavily and groans. “I know it’s double time but I hate these Sunday shifts. I don’t even have a day off tomorrow, I’m out again at six to Dover.”

  My Aunt smiles sympathetically. “Never mind, love. It won’t be for much longer. I’ll be back to work soon with any luck and take up some of the strain.”

  My heart sinks as I see the worry lining their faces. I’ve only been here for one day and even I can see they’re struggling. Tracey looks worried. “You know, I could leave college and get a full-time job to help out.”

  My Aunt snaps. “Over my dead body. Your education is too important to throw away so easily. No, we’ll be fine, things will just be a little tight around here for a while.”

  She smiles warmly. “Anyway, Summer doesn’t want to hear our problems. I’m pretty sure they’re small fry compared to hers.”

  I feel bad as I see their sympathetic looks and shake my head sadly. “We all have our problems and mine are no worse than yours, just different. You must allow me to pay my way and give you some money for my keep.”

  My Aunt looks at me fiercely. “I won’t hear of it. I promised your mum I’d look after you as my own if anything ever happened to her and I’ll honor that promise until my last breath. You’re one of the family, love and I won’t hear of it.”

  She purses her lips and looks a little offended and I feel bad. Uncle Jimmy winks and says softly, “Don’t mind her, darlin’. She’s a proud woman my Kim and I wouldn’t change her for the world. No, she’s right. We aren’t on the breadline and can manage between us. You just sort yourself out first and we’ll help out where we can.”

  Tracey nods. “Of course, we will. Now, we need to get ready if I’m to show you around. Leave the washing up, mum, we’ll sort it before we head out.”

  Aunt Kim rolls her eyes. “If I did that it would still be there in the morning. No, you girls go off and have fun. Make sure you look after Summer, Tracey. You know how rough it can get at Honey’s.”

  Tracy rolls her eyes and drags me from the room, whispering, “You’ll love Honey’s, Summer. It’s full of fit guys and usually rammed of an evening. The best bit though is Joey Carter owns it. Who knows, tonight you may be one step closer to meeting your father.”

  She bounds up the stairs leaving me with a strange feeling inside. How will I feel if I do see him? Will I just walk up to him and say, ‘Hi, dad. I’m your long-lost daughter you never knew you had.’ Or does he know about me and yet chose to forget? There are lots of questions flying around that need answers and as I follow Tracey upstairs, I feel a little excited about the night ahead.

  “Man, you’re hot.” Tracey whistles as we finish getting ready. I look down at the skinny jeans I’m wearing paired with a white off the shoulder top. My hair is brushed and hangs straight down my back and I’ve applied my make up to match my blue eyes. She whistles and I smile. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

  Tracey looks pleased, but I wasn’t kidding. She looks amazing in a short dress with heels and some amazing jewelry that sets off the outfit nicely. Her dark hair is swept up in a top knot and her eyes are made up dark and mysterious.

  She says excitedly, “I can’t wait to show you Honey’s. It’s such a great place to start your tour of London.”

  It doesn’t take us long as there’s a Tube station nearby which almost takes us to the door. The Tube
is like the subway in New York which I never really cared for when I visited. This is much the same, and I feel stifled by the stale air as we walk to the various platforms we need.

  It’s a busy place—London, and it fascinates me. I see everything I’ve ever seen on films and in magazines. The bright red buses move slowly past closely followed by black cabs. The Tube trains are eerie and crammed full of city dwellers all eager to get to their destination. Buskers fill the tunnels with soulful music and accept any change thrown into their open cases with gratitude. London is a vibrant city that appears to never sleep.

  The bright lights illuminate buildings that tell a history that can’t be read in a book. Lights shine on monuments and the river Thames sparkles in the moonlight. By the time we reach our destination, I’ve fallen head over heels in love with London. That alone surprises me because I’ve never cared for cities. I’ve always preferred the small towns and suburbs but this place—well, it takes my breath away.

  I see Honey’s as we turn the corner and its name is lit up against the dark sky. A long line snakes around the building and as we approach, I see it’s made up of various nationalities all around the same age as us.

  As we join the end of it, Tracey shivers. “Great, I should have brought a jacket, but I didn’t want to pay for the cloakroom. I hope this line moves fast because I’ll catch my death out here.”

  She looks up in horror and says hastily, “I’m sorry, Summer, I didn’t mean…”

  My heart sinks as harsh reality stops by and takes a look. I just smile shakily. “It’s fine. I know you don’t mean anything by it. Please don’t worry, it’s really no big deal.”

  The line inches forward and I notice several people go straight to the front and the guys on the doors let them through. Nudging Tracey, I ask, “Why do they get preferential treatment?”

  She strains to look and shrugs. “Usually they’re celebrities or friends of the management. They get to party in the VIP area where the rest of us can only dream of going.”

  I watch as more arrive and notice the young women looking glamorous and immaculate. The men look smart and confident and I think back to California and immediately know the score. It’s no different there. There are always those who skip the lines and never sit on a waiting list. These people sail through life without the restrictions set on the rest of us.

  By the time we reach the front of the line, I’m so cold I think my teeth chatter as I produce my ID and the guy waves us through.

  Honey’s appears much like the clubs at home. Loud music and various bars all set around a huge dance floor. The noise is deafening and Tracey pulls me across to the bar and shouts, “What’s your poison?”

  “Just a soft drink, maybe an orange juice.”

  She looks at me in surprise. “Come on, surely you can stretch to adding a vodka to it.”

  I shake my head. “I’m not drinking tonight.”

  She shrugs and orders the drink along with a rum and coke for herself. Grabbing the drinks, we set off on a tour of the club and I look around me with interest.

  As clubs go, it’s impressive. I like the décor, the music’s good and the people appear to be having fun. As I look up, I see another area above a staircase that’s roped off at the bottom. Nudging Tracey, I say, “What’s up there?”

  She looks up and sighs. “The VIP area. Only invited guests and celebrities get to party up there. They look down on us little people as they sip their champagne and congratulate themselves on being above us in every sense of the word.”

  She grins and then grabs my hand. “Come on, I love this song. Let’s dance.”

  I have no other choice but to follow her and just for a minute I forget. I am that carefree girl with no emotional baggage weighing her down. The music erases the present and transports me to a happy place. As I dance with Tracey, I am Summer again and not the sad girl who lost everything. Here, I have everything and it feels good.

  6

  Maxwell

  I’m not sure why I came here. Nothing ever changes and it’s always still the same sad losers struggling to get our attention. Charlie revels in it though. He loves the power he holds and uses it to his advantage several times a night. As I watch him smirking at something a girl with way too much flesh on show is saying, I sigh. They all bore the pants off me and I wish I’d never come.

  I feel a hand on my arm and swing around and relax slightly. Melissa is a girl who comes here a lot but has no interest in me, sexually. Apparently, I’m not her type which makes me happier than you could imagine. It’s made us good friends though and so I smile and kiss her on the cheek. “Hey, babe. You ok?”

  She nods and leans on the rail next to me and we look down on the rest of the club. She shouts to make herself heard. “I hear you’ve binned Jess at last.”

  “Yes, not before time too. I’m not sure why I kept her around as long as I did?”

  She laughs. “Don’t you?”

  We laugh as we both know why. Jessica was easy on the eye and fucked like a pro. She was convenient and before she started getting clingy, fairly good company.

  Melissa grins. “So, what’s this then? Are you looking to replace her and are picking out your next victim?”

  Staring moodily at the crowd, I shake my head. “Not really. I’m just thinking I’m bored with it all. The same old faces and the same old routine. It’s difficult to find someone worth knowing when they think they know everything about you already. I’m the prize they want to win. Not because of the person I am but because of who I am.”

  She nods and says excitedly. “Bad luck Romeo. Anyway, I didn’t come over here to discuss your love life. I came to discuss mine.”

  I take a look and notice the light dancing in her eyes and raise mine in a question.

  She laughs. “His name’s Christian and before you say anything, he’s nothing like Christian Grey. I’ve heard all the jokes so you can keep them to yourself.”

  I look around. “Is he here?”

  She shakes her head. “No, he’s working but is picking me up after.”

  “Where did you meet him?”

  She laughs excitedly. “It was by chance, really. It was in my lunch break. I went for my usual Costa and sat by the window. He took the seat next to me and we got talking. He’s not like the others, Max. He’s interesting and funny and so good looking I can’t believe my luck.”

  She looks so happy it makes me smile. “What does he do?”

  “He’s a wine rep. That’s why he can’t meet me tonight. He entertains a lot out of hours and is entertaining some clients in a bar on the other side of town. You know, it’s only been a week or so but I feel as if I’ve known him all my life.”

  “Have you slept with him yet?”

  I laugh as her cheeks flush prettily and her eyes sparkle with excitement. “None of your business, Max. A girl likes to keep some things close to her chest you know.”

  I smile and say sadly, “Good for you, babe. I hope he’s everything you want and if he turns out to be a complete dud, let me know and I’ll show him the error of his ways.”

  Shaking her head, she leans next to me and says sadly. “You should look for love elsewhere, Max. You’ll never find it within these walls. Too many desperate kids all hoping for a shot at the big man. Maybe you should try another club or take on a hobby, I don’t know, something where you’ll meet a decent girl for once.”

  I burst out laughing. “A hobby, you’re hilarious.”

  She shrugs. “Just some advice you’d be wise to listen to.”

  She smiles sweetly and heads back to her friends, leaving me staring broodily once again. As the music thumps and the lights flash something catches my eye and I do a double take. The girl that catches my attention is something else. I can see that even from my great height and I stare at her in amazement. She’s dancing with another girl and the lights catch her golden hair and shine a spotlight on her. Unlike most of the girls here, she is dressed conservatively with an easy style th
at attracts much more than a low-cut dress. The denim that molds her curves is far sexier and I strain to watch her cute ass wiggling in my direction. As she sways from side to side, she raises her arms in the air and I forget to breathe. I find myself fantasizing about the bewitching blonde who dances like a ray of sunlight caught in a storm. I watch her laugh and her pearly white teeth shine like the gates of heaven. I imagine tasting those lips and pulling that tempting body to mine and see myself fisting that spun gold in my hand as I devour the goddess beneath me.

  I feel my cock wake up and take a look and thank god I’m facing away from the crowd up here because I’m like a kid with his first crush.

  The music changes and I watch her friend grab her arm and steer her toward the side. They head to the bar and I find myself following her every move.

  I’m not the only one.

  I notice the guy next to her taking a long, lingering, look and feel my fist clench. He says something, and she smiles politely but turns back to her friend. He tries again and even from here I can tell she’s not interested and my heart settles a little.

  The guy next to her orders his drinks and says something to his friend beside him. I can see he’s ordered four drinks and then watch as his friend adds something to one of them and nudges his friend who takes hold of the glass. They turn and engage the girls in conversation and I watch in disbelief as he offers the blonde the drink his friend added something to. At first, she refuses and then I watch in horror as she takes it from him with a small smile.

  Fuck this, not in my club.

  I swing away from the side and nod to Charlie who seeing the look on my face, pushes the girl off his lap and follows me close behind.