Tainted Crown

by Jenn Vakey

  The room was empty with the door closed. The only sign that anyone had been in since she left was the men’s shirt that was laying on the foot of the bed.

  Bailey hesitantly crossed the room toward the bed. She didn’t want to sleep, but she knew that she was going to need her energy if she was going to have any hope of escaping. She picked up the men’s long sleeve button up to look at it. No pants. In that moment, she couldn’t have been more thankful to have pulled a pair of boy shorts out of her drawer that morning. She wrapped the long shirt around her body and buttoned it before returning the robe to the bathroom. Then she turned off the bedroom light and climbed under the comforter.

  The mattress seemed to melt around her, conforming perfectly to her body as she curled up and buried her head into a pillow. At least her last night of sleep was going to be a comfortable one. The past few hours had left her both emotionally and physically drained. No sooner had she closed her eyes than she fell into a deep sleep.

  Chapter Two

  A dull morning light had filled the room when her eyes opened again. Bailey shot up quickly in bed before remembering where she was. And what had happened. She let out a heavy sigh as her chest started to ache again. Then she looked at the clock on the side table. It was just after six. Maybe she would get lucky and everyone was asleep. This could be her only chance to get away.

  Bailey slid out of bed and moved quickly to the bathroom. Her heart dropped when she saw that her clothes were gone. As where her shoes. Her eyes moved frantically around the room looking for them, but they were nowhere to be seen. She let out a shaky breath in an attempt to fight back her tears. Not wanting to let her chance pass by, she tiptoed to the door and quietly opened it. The moment she stepped out of her room, her hopes were dashed as the aroma of bacon filled her nose. Someone was already awake.

  She considered turning back around and going back into the room, but she knew it was already too late. Even hiding away in the room wouldn’t keep her safe. Besides, she didn’t want him to see her fear. With a deep breath to gather her courage, she walked down the stairs. Careful to keep her shirt pulled down, she made her way passed the living room in search of the kitchen. Everything inside of her was yelling for her to hide, but she moved forward until she came upon Drake sitting at the dining room table. Instead of the dress clothes like he had been in the night before, he now wore a pair of black cargo pants and a tight fitting t-shirt.

  He didn’t look up from his newspaper before saying, “I figured you would be an early riser. Sit and eat.”

  In front of the chair next to him was a plate of bacon and eggs with a few pieces of toast. She looked back up at him for a moment before taking a seat. Still, she didn’t eat.

  He folded the newspaper and sat it down on the table. “Eat,” he said again. “It’s just food.” He reached over and picked up a piece of egg from her plate and popped it into his mouth.

  Bailey reached a shaky hand out for her fork and started eating. Her stomach was rumbling loud enough that she was sure he could hear. She hadn’t eaten since lunch the day before, and whatever had been left in her stomach was lost in that alley. She had always been careful never to eat anything if she didn’t know where it came from. That didn’t really worry her now. If he poisoned her, it would probably just save her from some pain.

  “Why did you bring me here?” she asked between bites. “And where are my clothes?”

  “I brought you here so I could figure out what to do with you,” he said before taking a drink of coffee. “And your clothes are being laundered. I have a guy who works wonders with getting blood out of clothes.”

  Bailey squirmed uncomfortably in her seat as she picked at her breakfast. There was a smirk on his face, but that only helped to increase her uneasiness.

  “You do understand why I can’t just let you go, don’t you?” he asked. He took another sip of coffee, but he didn’t take his eyes off of her.

  Bailey stared down at her plate. The news wasn’t unexpected, but it still felt like a knife had been plunged into her heart.

  “I won’t tell anyone,” she said softly. She didn’t have the courage to look up at him. She refused to let him see her break down, and she knew it would be impossible if she saw any hint of what he would do to her on his face.

  “Oh, I’m sure of that,” he stated cockily. Finally she looked up and met his eye. He wasn’t stating that he trusted her not to talk, but instead that he would ensure she didn’t. There wasn’t any hesitation or doubt on his smug face. Her knowledge of him and his activities didn’t seem to worry him in the least.

  Bailey’s stomach turned as she pulled her eyes from him and looked back at the food. “I’ll leave town,” she said. Her voice was growing shaky, so she swallowed hard to control it. “I’ll go today and you’ll never hear from me again.”

  Drake picked the paper back up and pulled it up in front of him. She was relieved that his eyes were no longer on her. “Do you really think that I would allow anyone to walk away with the knowledge you have of my organization? There’s a reason you’ve never seen my face on the news before. I make it a point to keep my name out of things. Not only do you know my name, you know where my base of operations is, and you know where my home is.”

  The fear filling her reached its peak. As it bubbled over, though, she felt something else start to take over.

  “Then why didn’t you just kill me last night?” she asked as she slammed her fork down onto the plate. “Did you bring me up here just to toy with me? Is this all a game to you?”

  Drake let the top of the paper fold down as he peered over at her curiously. After a few seconds, he placed it back down on the table.

  “You’ve been working at Philip’s Diner for five months, around the same time that you moved into your Bronx apartment. Is that correct?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  “Your mother passed from cancer last year. Do you have any other relatives you keep in contact with?”

  Images of her mother lit up her mind as she felt a tear finally break through and roll down her cheek. She quickly reached up and brushed it away. “I have an aunt back in Texas. She took custody of my little brother after my mom…” she couldn’t finish her sentence. “I send her money when I can.”

  Drake nodded, although he didn’t look like any of this was news to him. If she had to guess, this was just another game to see how much she was willing to share. And if she was going to be honest. At this point, she felt like she had no other choice but to play along.

  “Any relationships in the city?” he went on.

  Bailey peered up at him and shook her head.

  “And you were in your second year of medical school when you left to tend to your mother?”

  She didn’t answer. Instead, she asked a question of her own. “How do you know all of this?”

  Drake smirked and finished the last of his coffee. “Bailey Anne Mills, born in Connecticut to Emma and Samuel Mills. Moved shortly after to Texas where you remained until five months ago. You are currently $176,927 in debt with a credit score of 642. One serious boyfriend in college, but you ended that around the time your mother passed. Should I go on?”

  She was floored by the amount of information he had gathered on her. She didn’t know how to respond, so she just let out a defeated sigh and stared straight ahead.

  Drake reached over and grabbed the back of her chair, turning it in one swift motion so that she was facing him. She gasped. When he pulled a knife out of his pocket, she flinched and braced for the worst. His eyes lit up with amusement from her reaction before he reached down and slid the blade under the bandage on her thigh as he cut it off.

  She instantly felt the heat rise in her cheeks. Not because of his actions, or even the placement of his hand on her leg, but from the embarrassment from her reaction.

  Drake carefully pulled the gauze up off of the wound and looked at it. “Did you stitch this yourself?” She nodded. His hands felt warm as they pressed down gen
tly around the cut. It was tender, but she gritted her teeth, determined not to look weak. When satisfied, he sat back up and put the knife back in his pocket.

  “As things stand right now, you are left with two options,” he went on. “I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what the first is. The other option is for you to join our organization.”

  Bailey didn’t even attempt to hide the shock from her face as she shot her head back toward him. Was she really hearing him correctly? She had been certain that she was going to die. The thought of another option hadn’t even crossed her mind.

  “You want me to join your little gang?” she asked. The thought was ridiculous. “I’m not sure if you noticed, but I’m not exactly someone who would get involved with organized crime. I happen to value life and would never want to take it.”

  “The man last night was David Shaw,” he stated. Drake’s name may not have meant anything to her, but that one sure did. “I’m guessing I don’t need to tell you that he was the head of The Shaw Family.” She shook her head. The Shaw Family was one of the more feared gang organizations in her neighborhood. “Shaw ordered the attack on one of my men, killing his wife and child in the process.”

  For the first time since this all started, she felt something other than fear or anger. She felt pity. It must have shown, because as his eyes moved over her face again, his expression softened. Just slightly.

  “We don’t kill innocent people, Bailey,” said Drake. “You know who Shaw is because he has no problem with bystanders getting caught up in the crossfire. That’s what gets your name plastered all over the news. We’re more deliberate.”

  The thought of joining Bronze Phantoms was laughable, but still Bailey found herself considering it. It wasn’t something she wanted to do, however it seemed to be her only option if she was going to make it out alive. At least for long enough until she found a way to escape and run where he could never find her.

  “What would I do?” she asked.

  He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “Well, let’s just say that we have our fingers in a lot of pies. So, that’s really up to you.” His eyes moved up and down her body making her even more aware that she was wearing nothing more than one of his shirts. She quickly reached for the bottom and pulled it down as much as she could. The corners of his mouth twitched. “I’m sure you could make a killing in one of my clubs. Or on the streets.”

  “No one touches me,” she stated firmly. She looked him dead in the eye, making sure he knew just how serious she was. She would rather him shoot her then and there than put herself in a position like that.

  He just smirked. Again, she felt like he was toying with her. Then he shrugged. “Or we could always send you back to medical school,” he went on. “Our doctor is getting up there, and I’m sure he’ll be ready to retire in the next few years.”

  She felt her eyes widen as she leaned back in her chair. She had always intended to go back to medical school, but she found herself without the means. On the other hand, if she accepted his offer to send her, she would be indebted to him. For life.

  “Where will I stay?” she asked. She couldn’t believe she was considering this. But what choice did she really have? “Can I go back to my apartment?”

  He shook his head. “I’ve already sent a crew there to clean it out and leave your notice with the building. As far as they are concerned, you had a family matter that required you to leave the city. The same with the job at the diner.”

  She let out a shocked breath. “So no one will miss me now when I disappear.”

  He smirked, but didn’t respond to her statement. The way his eyes moved over her face made her only more uncomfortable. Watching for every reaction she made. Judging her. Then finally he said, “In the meantime, you will stay here in the penthouse until I’m confident that you won’t run. The room you were in last night will be yours to use.”

  “You want me to live here with you?” she asked.

  “For the time being.”

  She turned her head and looked around. This was, by far, nicer than anywhere she had ever lived. The kitchen was filled with state of the art appliances, the counters topped in what she could only assume was a very expensive granite. Even the table she sat at looked more expensive than all of the furniture in her apartment. Combined.

  She directed her attention back to him. “The same goes for you,” she declared, trying her best to sound brave. “No one touches me.”

  He nodded in agreeance without even a second of hesitation. His gesture, though minor, actually managed to ease the twisting taking place within her. Although only slightly. She was fairly certain he wouldn’t kill her in his own home, so as long as he held up to the agreement about not laying a hand on her, she might just be able to tough it out until her chance came to escape. All she could do was hope it would come sooner rather than later. She just needed to lay low until her time came.

  “Why me?” she found herself asking. It had been a question dancing through her mind, but she hadn’t intended to actually ask it. Too late now. “Why am I still alive and being given an opportunity like this?”

  He stood from the table and placed his empty cup in the sink before moving toward the door. As he reached it, he stopped and faced her. “You asked what Shaw did, not why I had him killed. That and you mouthed off to Julius, the man who tackled you. I’ve encountered men who don’t even do that.”

  She absorbed his answer for a moment before saying, “Okay. I’m in.”

  “Good choice,” he nodded. “I’m going to the office. I’ll have someone by shortly with some clothes for you to change into.”

  Drake didn’t wait for her to respond before turning and leaving. Bailey sat at the table in shock. Part of her wondered if she was still asleep and this had all been nothing more than a hopeful dream. Or maybe she was already dead.

  She heard the elevator leave with Drake, then finally found the will to stand. She was alone now, or at least she was fairly certain she was. Everything within her told her to run now, to try and find a way out. As she thought about it, though, she knew it was too big of a risk. Drake wouldn’t have left her if there was even the slightest chance that she could get out. And although there was no way to know for sure, she wouldn’t have been surprised to find that he had the entire penthouse wired with cameras. The last thing she wanted to do was give him a reason to kill her.

  Not knowing what else to do, she cleared her plate from the table and took it to the sink. She washed it, along with the one Drake had already tossed in, then put them up before retreating to her room.

  She spent the next hour searching through the room. She looked through all of the drawers, under the bed, and throughout the closet. Everything was empty. Judging by the furniture tag she found in one of the dresser drawers, she was pretty sure the furniture had never actually been used before.

  After her search, she found herself growing bored. She was considering taking another shower when there was a knock at her door.

  “Who is it?” she asked nervously.

  There wasn’t an answer before the knob turned and the door opened. Standing in the middle of the doorway was a young girl, no older than sixteen if she had to guess. She was wearing a pair of black cargo pants, similar to the ones Drake had been wearing, and a worn, baggy shirt with the logo of a band she had never heard of. It was her hair that caught her eye, though. There were streaks of purple running through her black hair, which had been pulled up into a messy bun.

  “Hi, Bailey,” she said, her eyes moving up and down her half-dressed body. “I’m Clementine. You can call me Clem. Boss sent me over with some clothes and things for you. Do you want me to call the doctor to look at your leg?”

  Bailey shook her head, looking down at the bruised flesh. “I took care of it.”

  Clem didn’t wait to be invited in before she started dragging in the bags of clothes from just outside the door. “I hope you like this stuff. I tried to judge your taste based off of p
ictures I found of you online. And I also got some clothes you will need for work. Boss didn’t say what exactly you would be doing yet, so I got a little of everything.”

  Bailey watched as Clem heaved a bag up and dumped it onto the bed. She proceeded to grab the other one and do the same.

  Clem hadn’t been exaggerating when she said she got a little of everything. There was everything from yoga pants to fancy dresses. Bailey looked at the price tag of a short little dress and felt her jaw drop. It was more expensive than her first car.

  “Anything else you need I can order for you online and have it delivered,” Clem stated.

  Bailey nodded as she tugged the tags off of a pair of black yoga pants and slid them on.

  “What exactly is it that you do?” she asked. “Are you everyone’s personal shopper?”