Chapter 15 Chased Out
AMELIA
The next morning, Marco knocked on my door at ten.
"I need to head out of town for the day," he said without preamble. "Business meeting in Jersey. I'll be back tomorrow morning."
"Okay," I said, not sure why he was telling me.
"Nina's in charge while I'm gone. Anything you need, ask her. And Amelia?" He paused. "Stay out of trouble."
It seemed like odd advice until he was gone and I realised what he meant.
Without Marco here, the balance of power shifted. Nina was capable, but she wasn't the boss. And the other girls knew it.
I felt the tension in the air when I went downstairs later that afternoon. Whispered conversations that stopped when I passed. Footsteps that followed me just a little too closely.
They were waiting for something.
I just didn't know what.
At six o'clock, Nina found me in my room.
"I have to step out for a bit," she said, and I could hear the worry in her voice. "My boyfriend—there's an emergency. His sister's in the hospital."
"Is she okay?"
"I don't know yet. But I need to go check. I'll be back before the bar opens at eight, I promise." Her hand squeezed my shoulder. "Stay in your room until I get back, okay? Don't go downstairs."
"Why?"
"Just trust me. Stay here. Lock your door."
The urgency in her voice made my stomach tighten.
"Okay," I agreed.
After she left, I locked the door like she'd said. Sat on my bed. Waited.
The building felt different without Marco and Nina. Quieter, but not in a peaceful way. More like the quiet before a storm.
I tried to read—running my fingers over the Braille book Mrs Thomas had given me years ago that I'd somehow managed to keep. But I couldn't focus.
Around seven o'clock, I heard footsteps in the hallway. Multiple sets. Moving slowly. Deliberately.
They stopped outside my door.
"Amelia?" Jade's voice, sickly sweet. "We need to talk to you."
I didn't respond.
"Come on, open up. We just want to chat."
"Nina said to stay in my room," I called back.
"Nina's not here. And neither is Marco." A pause. "Open the door."
"No."
Silence. Then—a key turning in the lock.
My stomach dropped. Someone had a master key.
The door swung open. Footsteps entered—at least four, maybe five people.
"Get out," I said, standing up, groping for my cane against the wall.
"Or what?" Jade's voice was closer now. "You'll tell Marco? He's not here. And by the time Nina gets back, you'll be long gone."
"What are you talking about?"
Hands grabbed my arms. Multiple sets. Gripping tight.
"We're done with you," Jade hissed in my ear. "Done with your special treatment. Done with customers asking for you instead of us. Done with Marco protecting you."
I struggled, trying to break free. "Let go of me!"
"You don't belong here. You never did. So we're helping you leave."
They dragged me toward the door. I kicked out, trying to connect with something, someone.
My foot hit a shin. Someone cursed.
"Grab her other arm!"
More hands. Pulling me into the hallway.
I screamed.
"Shut her up!"
A hand clamped over my mouth. I bit down hard. Tasted blood.
"Bitch!"
A sharp pain exploded across my face—someone had hit me. My head snapped to the side, ears ringing.
They dragged me down the hallway, toward the stairs. I couldn't get my footing, couldn't break free. There were too many of them.
We reached the stairs. They were going to throw me down.
No. No, no, no.
I went completely limp, making myself deadweight. Heard them curse as they struggled with my sudden lack of cooperation.
"Just drag her!"
Then they did. Down the stairs, my body bumping against each step. Pain bloomed with each impact.
When we reached the bottom, I lashed out again. My hand connected with something—a face? Someone yelped.
"Get her outside!"
The main door. They were dragging me to the main door.
My fingers scrabbled against the floor, trying to find purchase. My nails caught on something—wood, fabric, I couldn't tell.
"She's fighting too much. Just throw her!"
They lifted me. I felt the night air hit my face.
And then I was falling.
I hit the pavement hard. Concrete scraped my palms and my knees. Pain shot through my shoulder.
"Stay out!" Jade's voice echoed from above. "You're not welcome here anymore!"
The door slammed.
I lay on the cold ground, gasping, trying to orient myself.
Their footsteps retreated inside. and then their laughter. Followed by the sound of a lock clicking.
They'd locked me out.
Slowly, painfully, I pushed myself to sitting. My palms were bleeding again—I could feel the wetness, the sting. My shoulder throbbed. My face ached where someone had hit me.
I was outside Crimson. On the street. At night.
Without my cane.
Panic clawed at my chest.
"Wait!" I called out, stumbling toward where I thought the door was. My hands found a brick wall. "Please! My cane!"
No response.
"Please! I need my cane!"
Nothing.
I felt along the wall, trying to find the door. I was trying to recall the layout from when I'd first arrived.
There—a doorframe. I pounded on it.
"Let me back in! Please!"
The door opened suddenly.
Relief flooded through me.
"Thank you, I—"
Something hit my hands. Hard. My cane.
Someone had thrown it at me.
I caught it reflexively, pain shooting through my already injured palms.
"There's your stick," a voice said—not Jade. One of the others. "Now get lost."
The door slammed again.
After everything—finding this place, getting this job, surviving Jade's cruelty—they'd just thrown me out like garbage.
A car drove past. Music thumped from somewhere nearby. Voices in the distance.
I had no idea where I was. What direction to go. I wasn't sure if it was safe to move in any direction.
My cane. At least I had my cane.
I gripped it tightly, my hands shaking.
Think, I told myself. You've survived worse than this. You can figure this out.
But had I survived worse?
I'd been alone before. Homeless before. However, I had never been physically assaulted. Never locked out. I had never felt so hurt, disoriented, and terrified.
I took a step forward. My cane hit something—a trash can, maybe. Perhaps it was a light post.
Another step. I am now taking greater care, walking to God knows where.