Page 63 of Pushed

Chapter Sixteen

Machi

––––––––

How do you become oneperson when inside, you're really another?

Having two lives, they'll always find a way to bleed together. It's inevitable, there's no way to avoid it.

My life had gone from normal to living a lie so I could learn the truth. I had created a man that never existed, just so I could finally get revenge on those that had destroyed the life I wanted.

One night, it took one night for my two worlds to collide, for the man I was and the man I became to sync up and destroy everything I had worked for.

There was no camera in my room, there was only one man who had lost his way. I didn't have to tell them who I was or fear they might find out. . .

Because they already knew. I was just too blind to see it.

* * *

Glancing down at mywatch, I tapped my finger on the table. “What the fuck, you're late, I don't like late, Hans.”

“Machi, Machi, Machi. . .” Cupping his hands over his heart, he lowered his head. “It's better to be late than to never show up at all. I'm here now, aren't I?”

Arching one brow, I glared up from the table. “Don't give me that bullshit, I don't have time for your fucking games. Where are they?”

“Ahh, yes, the girls.” His fingers fluttered over each other, snapping softly. “They're here, but first we need to talk about the price. I know we had discussed ten apiece, but these ladies, they're worth a lot more.” Stepping to the table, he reached for the back of the chair. “May I?”

Nodding, I cracked my knuckles in my lap. My patience for that man was already thin. There was something about him that I just never liked.

Have you ever just met someone and didn't care for them at all?

That was Hans, he just rubbed me wrong from day one. I couldn't put a finger on why, but it sat in my gut like a heavy weight. It took everything I had to not just hit him in the face right off the bat.

But this shit, this shit wouldn't fly. I wasn't about to negotiate a deal that was already set in stone.

The game was simple; he would find me the girls and I paid him for his services. The price was set by me, the rules for the exchange were set by me. All he had to do was one job, that was it. Find me the women we needed to fill the stage.

“The price is set, Hans, ten each, no more, no less. That was our deal.”

Sucking in air through his lips, he rolled his head on his shoulder, pulling a small flask from his breast pocket. Unscrewing the cap, he held it out to me. “I don't want to be rude, would you like some?”

Shaking my head no, I cupped my hands and laid them on the table. I didn't speak again, not yet. I wanted him to talk his shitty fucking mouth off, let him rattle whatever pile of horse shit he had come up with and then I'd let him know who was running the show.

He wasn't in charge of this deal, I was.

Tipping his head back, he took a long swig of liquor. “Ahh, Tequila.” Staring into the small opening, he eyed the inside of the bottle. “It hits just right, you know? Burns a little on the way down, warms your stomach once it settles, just like a good woman. I love this shit. Are you a tequila man, Machi?”

Silence.

“A man of few words tonight,” he said, resting the flask down. “That's fine with me, I don't mind doing all the talking. So where were we. . .” Tapping a single finger to his lips, he eyed the wood beams crossing the ceiling. “Ah yes, I remember now, the price of the girls. I want twenty apiece, forty large for the pair.”

Chuckling, I scratched my forehead. “Forty for the pair?”

Lifting his finger up, he pointed across the table. “These girls are worth it, they'll bring in double, probably even more for your boss. They weren't easy to get, Machi, I want what I deserve for bringing them in.”

Leaning back in my chair, I traced the thin swirls in the wood grain. “Tell me, what makes these girls so special? Shouldn't I see them first and decide for myself?”

“Forty,” Hans said, running his hand back and forth across the top of his head, aimlessly looking at nothing. “It's fair, trust me.”

---