Chapter 156:The Beast Is Awake

Chapter 156:The Beast Is Awake
August 27th, 2008, New York
Nina's POV
Back in New York, Raymond assigned me a bodyguard named Kevin. He also had Kevin accompany me to rent a luxury apartment in Manhattan.
I was curious why Raymond didn't imprison me in his house or have me live in one of his properties. A rich man like him should own many properties. Maybe I was just a short-term plaything, not worth his deeper investment.
Kevin was tall and broad-shouldered, probably in his early thirties. His muscles seemed much bigger than his brain. It appeared he had nothing else to do except follow me around. He stood quietly by the door as I walked through the apartment, taking in my new prison.
"Why me?" I asked when I went to see Raymond. "You have all the money in the world. You could have any woman you want. So why me?"
Raymond smiled wickedly. "I can see the potential in you. You're different from those women who just try to please me. You have a beast inside you, waiting for the right man to awaken it and then tame it."
I laughed bitterly. "Maybe you're wrong about me. I'm just a catfish trapped in a fishbowl now."
"We'll see about that," he said with that cold smile.
"You need to quit your job at the strip club," Raymond continued.
"I can't just quit. The contract I signed requires a huge penalty fee if I break it."
"I'll take care of the fee," Raymond said dismissively.
I smiled without any warmth. He really had bought me like a slave.
The next day, Kevin drove me to the Golden Palace to quit. The familiar neon signs and dark interior felt strange now, like visiting a place from my past life. I carried a thick envelope of cash to the manager's office.
The manager looked up from his desk when I walked in, Kevin's imposing figure filling the doorway behind me. "I figured this day would come," he said, eyeing the envelope I placed on his desk.
He opened it and whistled softly at the amount. "Raymond's pretty generous with you. I've seen him here plenty of times over the years, but he's never treated any dancer like this before."
"Has he been good to me?" I asked with a bitter laugh.
The manager's expression grew serious. "Be careful from now on," he said as I prepared to leave. "Raymond is not someone to mess with."
As I walked out of his office, I ran into Tara in the hallway. A flash of panic crossed her eyes, then she quickly adjusted her emotions and walked over to me warmly like before.
"You're finally back!" Tara said. "How was it? Did you have fun on the island? I didn't expect Raymond to be so infatuated with you, keeping you there for so long."
"Looks like Raymond really made you his girlfriend."
She glanced at Kevin standing behind me. "I see he even got you a bodyguard."
"Did you know from the beginning?" I confronted her directly. "Did you know there was something wrong with Raymond's party on Eden Island? Why did you leave me there alone?"
Tara shrugged without any shame. "You should be thanking me. If I hadn't created the opportunity for you and Raymond to get together, you'd never have the chance to be his woman."
"How much did Raymond pay you to bring me to the island?" I demanded.
"You think I did all this for money?" Tara shot back.
"What else would it be? You don't expect me to believe you did this for my own good, for our friendship?"
"At least you don't have to strip anymore," Tara said, her voice turning defensive. "Whether you admit it or not, I helped you. I've never seen a stripper who could make it out clean."
"Do you know what Raymond did to me when he kept me prisoner on that island?" I asked.
Tara looked at me with righteous indignation. "What could it be besides sex? You were already stripping for men anyway. Sleeping with them was bound to happen sooner or later. Better to find someone rich and powerful like Raymond than waste yourself on nobody losers. I've never seen a stripper who stayed clean until she quit."
I stared at her, realizing that the person I'd considered a friend had always had a price tag on our friendship. This was another lesson life had taught me.
Friendship, like everything else, could be bought and sold.
The ride back to the apartment was silent. Kevin didn't try to make conversation, which I appreciated. Through the car window, I watched normal people living their normal lives, going to work, meeting friends, making their own choices. Things I couldn't do anymore.
Back in the apartment, I stood at those huge windows looking down at Central Park. Families were having picnics on the grass. Children ran around playing while their parents watched. It all seemed so far away, like watching a movie of someone else's life.
"Miss Nina," Kevin said quietly from behind me. "Is there anything you need?"
I turned to look at him. I saw concern in Kevin's eyes. But I quickly reminded myself that he was just someone Raymond sent to monitor me. No one would truly care about me.
"Just privacy," I said.
He nodded and stepped back, but I knew he wouldn't go far. Raymond wanted me watched at all times. Every phone call monitored, every movement tracked. This beautiful apartment was still a prison, just with better furniture and a nicer view.
I thought about June, about missing her funeral because I was trapped on that island. I thought about Logan bleeding out on that concrete floor because of the gun in my hands. I thought about my mother waiting for me to come home, not knowing her daughter had become something unrecognizable.
The beast Raymond talked about seeing in me wasn't potential. It was damage. Every choice had been taken from me until violence became the only option left. Maybe he was right about one thing, though. Something inside me had awakened on that island.
But it wasn't something that could be tamed.