Page 20 of The Debt

Reaching inside his jacket him, pulled her cell phone and handed it to her. He had changed the sim card, so that man could not reach her. He also took out his wallet and extracted his platinum credit card and handed it to her. She refused to take it so he took her hand and placed the card in it.

“Go out, relax and we’ll talk about your father later when I get back.”

He left shortly after, ordering Randy to follow her wherever she went. He wasn’t sure, but something in her eyes was different. She’d been acting differently since returning from the hotel with Archer. Vasco could not understand her behavior and it was beginning to grate his nerves.

* * *

Mira relaxed her shoulders, a smirk curving her lips. The idiot thought she was going to commit suicide? She’d rather kill him before she hurt herself. She was not the weakling he thought she was. She broke the window to get his attention. If asked she would have said that it had been stuck. What she needed was her freedom and he just gave it to her. Randy was sure to follow her around as usual, so she had to be careful.

After Vasco departed, citing that he would be late for an important meeting, she showered and changed into one of the outfits Archer had paid for. She would not take anything with her, except what she would purchase on the credit card the bastard had given her.

All Mira knew at this point was that she would rather live on the streets than be subjected to the abuse meted out by Vasco. She would find her father somehow. One might argue that she should go to the authorities. But they didn’t know Vasco black. What would she say to the police that for a year now she had been tricked into submission to the Underworld Boss? She’d been seen in public with him. Everyone knew, except for Archer, that she was Vasco’s girl. She wondered what rock Archer had lived under not to have known this.

But the man was different. He didn’t seem to know much about thugs like Vasco and what they were capable of. Archer was a bright light in a dark world and that was what she loved most about him. Although he was around the same age as Vasco he was untouched by evil. She so wanted to see him again, but that wasn’t going to happen. Knowing Vasco, he would probably tell Archer that she had used him to get information.

She also knew Archer was probably trying to reach her, and the thought made her check the cell phone for any such calls. But even before she opened the call history, she knew it would be empty. The message folder was also blank. Even photos she’d taken were deleted.

Something was strange. It was as though this was a brand new phone, which prompted her to check the number. The sly fox gave her a new sim card which could only mean one thing. He didn’t want her making any calls from her contact list, namely Archer. What Vasco didn’t realize was that she didn’t need to have Archer’s number saved in her phone for two reasons. First, he’d given her a card with all his numbers and second, she’d memorized his cell phone number within seconds of receiving it.

With Vasco’s credit card in hand she called a cab, refusing to be chauffer driven. The driver seemed relieved when the cab pulled up in front of the house and she got in. Poor man, always having to drive her to some boutique while waiting for her outside for hours. Sometimes she would deliberately spend three or four hours inside store just the piss of Vasco. Especially when she would come out with nothing at all or just a single item.

It was this kind of behavior that led Vasco to believe she was some dumb bimbo who couldn’t think for herself. Hence him buying her clothes, choosing her meals and punishing her whenever she did or said anything he didn’t like. That would soon come to an end.

There came a time in a girl’s life when she needed to make a decision about her future. Archer had encouraged her to return to school. He’d motivated her to become an independent individual. All this wasn’t new. This was what she’d always wanted. But having someone say the words to her gave her new strength.

The things they talked about she never told anyone. There was no one to guide her, keep her balanced now that her father was not around. He’d been her strong tower. Archer came at a time when she was at her lowest point. His presence, the way he encouraged her brought her a sense of freedom she hadn’t felt in a long time. They had spent less than two days together and he was already the man she knew she would want to be with forever.

That was a pipe dream. First, she needed to free herself from Vasco and find her own path. After that, if she met Archer again, then she would see what happened. The night they spent together she would cherish forever. It was the most beautiful experience she’d ever had. After being abused my Vasco, being with Archer was medicine for her soul, mind and body. He’d also healed her spirit.

This gave her the courage to do what she was about to do. Moreover, Mira was convinced that her father was dead and that Vasco would never tell her the truth. All that crap about taking her to see her father was only to get her to get down from the window. The bastard thought he was smart. Pity the fool didn’t realized he’d been outsmarted.

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