Chapter 11 Chapter 11

Chapter 11 Chapter 11
Katsura.
I stood in front of the mirror longer than I should have. I couldn’t stop staring at my reflection which looked sad and depressing.
The room Jessie and I shared felt smaller than usual, like the walls were closing in on me. I know I hated the apartment because it wasn’t what we always wanted, but this time it felt like luxury, it felt like a home… better than being locked up in Alessio’s mansion.
My bag lay open on the bed, half–packed. A few clothes, all my important documents, and the little cash I had saved. It wasn’t enough, but it was all I had.
I couldn’t wait for tomorrow… in fact, I would stare at the calendar on my phone as if it would make time run faster.
I already had everything planned out, and I knew it was going to be easy. Alessio and his men must have known I had escaped, they must have searched and given up too.
Tomorrow, I will leave for Africa where they won’t ever find me.
If I could get enough money tonight, I would buy my plane ticket and disappear. If all it would ever take was to leave the surface of the earth… I, Katsura Reed, was ready to do that.
I brushed my hair slowly, watching my reflection. My eyes looked tired… I haven’t had a good sleep for days. 
The mark on my wrist was now red and shiny like a stamp. I didn’t know what to make of it but I tried to convince myself it would go away when I eventually ran far away.
Mate marks were not meant for girls like me.
Lowly omegas did not get the fairy tales the other normal girls did. They mate with highly respected Alphas and live happily ever after, with their pups running around them until they grow into wolves.
But what do I get?
I get kidnapped… hunted and a bounty on my head till I’m killed.
“Katsura,” Jessie called from behind me. “You sure you’re okay?”
I nodded without turning. “I’ll be fine.”
She didn’t believe me. I could hear it in her silence, she felt remorseful after the time she pointed me out as a doctor to heal Alessio.
The club outfit lay on the chair. It was shorter than the first one I ever tried on. I chose it because I knew the shorter the dress… the bigger chances I get with going home with a lot of money. 
“I’ll come with you,” Jessie said. “I don’t like this, you’re risking your life too much at this point.”
“I’ll be quick,” I replied. “One performance. Then I’m done.”
I slipped into the dress and pulled on my heels. The girl in the mirror didn’t look like a medical student or an omega running for her life. She looked confident, and dangerous, ready to fight and live.
I wished I felt that way, but I had a greater chance anyway.
The ride to the club was filled with ease. I couldn’t remember the last time I sat alone in the backseat of a car without a pair of angry eyes glaring at me and my heartbeat thumping and threatening to rip out of my chest.
I stared out of the window, letting the wind of the night breeze pass my face. People laughed, not knowing how close death sometimes stood. 
The club was already alive when we arrived. Music thumped through the walls, and the air smelled of sweat, alcohol, and cheap perfume. It felt familiar, and that scared me.
Maybe that was why I chose it.
No one would look for a hunted omega in the same place she was kidnapped, this was really the last place I was sure Alessio and his men would come looking for me.
I went to the dressing room and changed. The music outside grew louder and my heart beat faster.
“Five minutes,” one of the girls said.
I nodded without a word… I just had to get everything done with everything.
I stepped onto the stage when my number was called. The lights were blinding at first, but with the mask I had on, it didn’t really matter. I moved the way I had taught myself to move… slow, controlled, distant. I didn’t look at anyone's face. Jessie said to look at the wall.
I told myself that my body at this moment was nothing but a vessel to make money.
When the performance ended, the applause erupted from the crowd, and a silent sigh of relief escaped my lips. This was the end… I’ll get my money and be on my way.
I was about to leave the stage when a man blocked my path.
“The manager wants to see you,” he said.
My stomach tightened. “Why?”
“Private request.” He winked at me.
I shook my head. “I don’t do that… not anymore.”
He leaned closer. “It’s an anonymous client and he is ready to offer big money.”
“How big?” I asked before I could stop myself.
“Five million dollars… all in cash.” He said with laughter in between the words.
The amount made my breath drop. It was enough for a plane ticket… enough to vanish and start up a new life.
“Just a dance,” he added. “No touching.”
I hesitated, the offer was tempting and I knew I was going to fall for it no matter how hard I tried to resist the urge.
Every instinct screamed at me to run, but greed was a man’s greatest enemy.
“Fine,” I said quietly.
He led me through a different corridor, away from the main hall. We stopped in front of a private room guarded by two men in black.
I couldn’t see their faces to know what they looked like because their dark glasses were covering their eyes.
Slowly, the door opened.
Inside the room was dark. I could barely see a thing, and I wondered if there was anyone in the room even though I could smell the smoke coming from a cigar.
The air smelt familiar but I wasn’t scared… I didn’t know what to be scared of. The dark room or the amount of money that would be eventually handed over to me?
A hand grabbed me gently by the arm and led me to the center of the room.
“He will watch you from here,” the person whispered.
Suddenly, a light shone on me. I raised my eyes to the ceiling, it was like an invisible bulb that had different colors illuminating just for me.
“Dance for me young lady,” a voice which I assumed to be that of the generous billionaire echoed in my ears.
I tilted my head sideways wondering where the music would come from. It was faint at first, then gradually it grew and I began to twist and turn my body seductively, entertaining my client.
I danced till the music stopped, something I hadn’t done in my entire life. I stood there waiting for a word from my client or for my money to be handed over to me.
“Come,” the word was more of a command than a request.
I hesitated, but the man who had made me stand at the center of the room guided me to where my client sat.
No word came from him… just silence till his hands grabbed me and pulled me to his chest.
The touch sent electricity through me, sharp and cruelly familiar. My knees went weak, and I was convinced that I was on the verge of passing out.
His lips brushed my ear as he leaned in close, his fingernails digging deep into my skin.
“You think you can escape from me?”