Page 1 of Loki's Luck

15 Years Ago

LOKI

“Linc, get your ass in here. We have business to take care of,” Carl, the owner of the strip club where my mom works, calls from the other room. I put the book I was engrossed in down and head into his office, knowing it’s better to do everything he says or the consequences are much worse. I just hope this time I’m not stuck in the room while I watch him screw another woman or, worse, kill off another goon who didn’t do his job right.

I never know what I’m getting into when I’m called into Carl’s office, but I know the rules and have to follow them. My mom made sure of that when Carl wasn’t shooting her up with one kind of drug or another. She used to be a good mom, but I can barely remember the woman she was once upon a time. She started working at this strip club when I was five, and now, seven years later, she’s still on stage almost every night. Looking back, I guess her spiral was inevitable. My dad was never in the picture, so this has been my life for as long as I can remember. Carl ‘took me under his wing,’ as he calls it, molding me into a mini version of himself. He taught me the business and his power, telling me that since he never had kids and never wanted any, someday, when I’ve proven myself, he would hand his empire down to me.

I’m not going to lie; at first, I was excited. He was so powerful, and people worshiped him wherever we went. Who wouldn’t want that in their life? Then, as I grew up, what I saw wasn’t power at all. It was pure evil and fear. Everyone was afraid of what Carl would do if they disobeyed him. All along, Carl had me by his side, explaining the ins and outs of his business and life. I was exposed to everything, and if I tried to look away or not pay attention, Carl would make me pay for it one way or another. In his words, never miss an opportunity to learn a lesson. Carl enjoyed these so-called lessons, especially when I was on the receiving end. After being subjected to the lifestyle and lessons, I became immune after a while.

Even though I was just a kid, I knew what was right and wrong, but as long as it didn’t affect someone I loved, none of it bothered me. Luckily, I can count the people I love on a single hand, and that’s not saying much. Every day, I felt the evil around me, saw it in Carl’s eyes, and knew he was pure evil, but I couldn't care less. I mastered this playground and made it my own in order to survive.

The first time I saw Carl kill a man, I was just nine years old. I was told to add this one to the top of the important lessons in my memory. It was at that moment the blinders really came off, and my world opened up to the horrors that really existed, seeing the things nightmares are made of. Things I would never forget. I remember everything like it was just yesterday. That was the day I realized what kind of man I looked up to. This guy owed Carl a lot of money, and the fool kept borrowing more from anyone in Las Vegas he could get his hands on. His debts piled too high, and he had no way of paying any of them off.

Carl had called me in and made me sit in his office as he dragged the man and his nine-year-old daughter into the room. Making a show of things like usual, Carl told them exactly what was going to happen. He was going to kill the man, and when the girl ‘grew some tits,’ he would put her on that stage, whether she was of age or not. The poor, unfortunate soul would not be on this earth much longer, so Carl considered his daughter part of the debt he now owed. Without breaking his stride, Carl placed the barrel of the gun to the begging man’s head while his daughter was still clinging to her father’s neck, crying. Carl grabbed the girl, pushed her to the side, and, with a laugh, pulled the trigger.

As the man’s body hit the floor and his blood pooled around him, I raised my head, and my eyes locked with the girl. Our gazes held for what felt like forever, and I realized she was just as alone as I was in this shitty world. She might not have experienced or seen all the horrors like I had, but my soul recognized hers. She had no one, and neither did I, but no longer. Now we had each other, and I’d make sure I protected her. I would do anything to make sure all those plans Carl had for her would never happen. He would have to go through me to get to her, and all his ‘lessons’ would be put to good use. Carl might have trained me, but I made that training my own. He’d never see it coming.

Still laughing, Carl just strolled out of the room, leaving us both behind with the body. I knew I didn’t have that much time before the clean-up crew came in, so I moved over to the girl’s side, trying to block her view of her father’s body.

“Hey, what’s your name?” I asked her, trying to get her attention off all the blood and what was left of her father. Even at our age, I knew deep down this scene would forever be burned into her memory.

“Milani… Are you going to kill me now like that monster did my dad?” she asked me with tears still running down her cheeks. She was still sitting in the corner where Carl tossed her.

“No. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure no one ever hurts you, Milani. I’m Linc. Before they come in, I need to ask you if you have any other family,” I asked her quickly. If she had family, I needed to get her out of there.

“Ummm… no. it was just my dad and me,” she told me hesitantly, and it looked like she had a never-ending supply of tears because they just wouldn’t stop.

“Don’t matter, you have me now, and I’ll keep you safe,” I vowed to Milani at that moment, and I meant every word. Might not mean much to others because of our age, but it’s a vow I would take to my grave. Milani told me she had no family, but everyone had someone. Even if she didn’t, she had me now, and I would be her family, her brother. At that moment, I knew I had to get Milani and me out of that godforsaken place before anything else bad happened.

I need to shake off this walk down memory lane before getting into the room with Carl. He’ll know right away if all my focus isn’t on him. Stepping into the room, it’s almost like thinking of Milani conjured her up. Why is she huddled in the corner of the office with a swollen eye? She looks up at me when I walk into the room, but immediately puts her head back down.

“Ahh… my boy. Come on over here,” Carl says, holding his hand out to me. The other hand has a gun pointed at some poor bastard who must have had the misfortune of getting in bad with Carl. I have no idea what’s going on and why she’s even here in his office. I’m pissed at seeing Milani hurt again, but I have a plan to get us out of here soon. I just need a little more time and a little more money. I’ve been stashing every cent I could get my hands on for years so we can make a run for it together and never look back.

“No women today, Carl?” I ask, thanking Christ I don’t have to walk in on that scene again. One too many times, I’ve walked in on him, taking one of the strippers hard from behind and choking her while doing it. I’m sure he will kill one of them one of these days with his choice of activities.

“Oh, all in good time, my boy. We have other business to attend to and take care of at the moment. Your thirteenth birthday is in two days. It’s time for you to take your place and become a man. Today is the day you get to show me you are ready for this life, ready for this business, and for all that I’ve taught you,” he says coldly with a smirk, placing the gun in my hand. I hear Milani whimper from the corner before Carl snaps at her. “Shut it, bitch, or you’re fucking next.”

I know he’s trying to wait a few more years for Milani to grow older and fill out before he places her on the stage to make money off her. I see how he looks at her; it's almost like he’s calculating and sizing her up. The problem is his temper and if he will hold it back on her that long or if he’ll kill her first.

“Alright, my boy, it’s time. Shoot him,” he tells me like it’s just that simple.

“What did he do?” I ask, knowing I'm pushing it by not automatically complying with his orders.

“Does it fucking matter? I told you what to do. Now fucking do it,” he barks, slapping me on the back of the head.

“I’d rather know why I’m killing him as I watch the light die from his eyes,” I say, shrugging, not caring if I get hit for this again or not. It wouldn’t be the first time and probably won’t be the last. It’s also not the first time I’ve watched the life leave someone’s eyes, watched their soul scream in agony as it was ripped from their body. It is the first time I’ll be the one dealing out the punishment, though.

“This one did nothing, actually. He walked in off the streets looking for a job. When I told him we were fully staffed, he got on his knees and begged. I figured this was a good enough start for you and brought him here. No way am I letting some scared piece of trash work for me, but at least this way, he serves a purpose. Now, enough of this shit; I don’t have to explain anything to you. Do as you’re fucking told. End him,” Carl says, not looking at me, just staring at the sniffling man with an evil smile. A wicked smile I easily replicate. I can feel my lips pulling up into a grin, and I hear Milani and the man whimper on the ground. I know they both think I’m going to do as Carl ordered, but that’s not why I’m smiling. I wait long enough, wanting Carl’s full attention as I shift my position.

“What are you doing?” Carl asks, puzzled, backing away. I chuckle, my smile growing wider as I smell his fear.

“What the fuck, you ungrateful brat? I’ll kill you and….” Carl rambles, but doesn’t get to finish. I don’t hesitate as I pull the trigger; the barrel pointed right between his eyes, and he immediately drops to the ground. Tilting my head to the side, I stare into his lifeless eyes and take sick satisfaction in knowing he’s dead. After all, I learned from the best. Carl got what was coming to him, and there was no better way than by my hands. Now I know for sure he can’t hurt anyone else, and before I turn back to Milani, I clear my face of any joy I got from his death. The last thing I want to do is scare her more than she already is from living in this hellhole.

“Linc?” Milani questions as the man on his knees scurries back on his ass toward the door.

“Use the back hallway and run as fast as you can. Don’t stop. Keep your mouth shut, and never look back. They will hunt you down and kill you if you don’t,” I tell the man as he gets to his feet, nods, and flees the office. I grab Milani’s hand before pulling her behind me and out the same door.

“What’s happening, Linc? What did you do? What am I saying? Never mind—what are we going to do now?” Milani whispers frantically, tears falling down her bruised face as we move away from the office.

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