ASHES & PAIN
Chapter 19
CHOKE
Kait stepped out of Sunshine’s car.
Six-inch black stilettos clicked against the asphalt.
The short black dress stopped several inches above her knees, exposing long, toned legs that seemed to go on forever. The dress itself was simple—elegant, not flashy. It hugged her figure without trying too hard, the square neckline framing her collarbone while the long sleeves cover her Krait tattoo.
Her blonde hair down, straight. The kind of effortless styling that looked anything but effortless.
Smoky charcoal shadow framed silver eyes that had spent the entire afternoon studying blueprints, photographs and surveillance notes.
Red lips…
She looked confident and beautiful.
Not because of what she wore.
Because of how she carried it.
Arianna, a pretty Mexican girl in a sequin blue dress climbed out of her car beside her and stopped cold.
“…Holy shit.”
Sunshine smiled.
“Told you.”
Kait looked between them.
“What?”
Sunshine laughed.
“They’re gonna fight over you in there.”
“And every girl in that club’s gonna hate you.”
Kait rolled her eyes. “Hi, I’m Kait.”
“Arianna, nice to meet you.”
“So, Rajid, Damir and Amar. I want them.”
Arianna nodded. “And they’ll want you too, trust me.”
“Then let’s go.”
The bass from inside pulsed through the walls before they even reached the entrance.
A heavyset doorman opened the door.
Warm air rolled over them.
Perfume.
Whiskey.
Cigarette smoke.
And Tori Amos’ Cruel.
The slow, hypnotic rhythm drifted through Paradise beneath murmured conversations and the occasional clink of crystal glasses.
Red velvet.
Dark mahogany.
Polished brass.
The club looked less like a strip club…
…and more like an exclusive lounge where beautiful women happened to dance.
Nobody shouted.
Nobody stumbled around drunk.
No assholes flicking pennies or throwing dollar bill planes at the girls on stage.
The clientele wore tailored suits, expensive watches and polished shoes.
Businessmen.
Oilmen.
Shipping executives.
Men with enough money to never ask the price.
She got a lot of ideas for the club she wanted to build.
Kait took it all in before they’d gone five steps.
Four exits.
Two staircases.
Security at every corner.
Amber leaning on Kait’s shoulder.
“Nothing like the Alley, that’s for sure.”
Kait scoffed. “Nope.”
She spotted one camera above the main bar.
Another covering the VIP hallway.
Arianna subtly touched her elbow.
“That’s Rajid at the bar.”
Kait nodded.
As the three women crossed the room, conversations slowed.
Not stopped.
Slowed.
Heads turned.
One after another.
Not because of what she was wearing.
But because she looked like she belonged somewhere more expensive than Paradise.
A waitress glanced over her shoulder.
Upstairs, Amar and Damir fell silent.
Damir watched Kait until she reached the bar.
He murmured something without taking his eyes off her.
Amar finally looked.
His gaze lingered.
Her height.
Her posture.
The long lines of her legs.
The sharp cheekbones.
The effortless confidence.
He didn’t smile.
Damir nodded once.
“That one.”
“Rijad will bring her up.”
Downstairs, Kait pulled out a stool.
Crossed one leg over the other.
Ordered a shot of vodka.
Then casually rested her forearm on the polished wood.
Like she hadn’t already mapped every person who’d been watching her since she walked through the door.
Exactly as planned.
Rajid’s eyes settled on Kait.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you here before.”
“You haven’t.”
“You from around here?”
Kait shrugged.
“For now.”
That earned a small smile.
He studied her another second.
“Ever modeled?”
Kait looked at Arianna before answering.
“Here and there.”
“Oh? Where?”
“Moscow.”
Rajid’s eyebrows rose.
“You lived in Moscow?”
“For a bit.”
Without warning, he switched to Russian.
“You speak Russian?”
Kait answered without missing a beat.
“Basic. Enough not to get lost.”
Rajid smiled.
“Basic, huh?”
Kait smiled faintly.
His eyes lingered on her.
Doing any work here?”
“No, it’s hard to get work without an agent.”
Rajid nodded. Then glanced at Arianna.
“You’ve been holding out on me.”
Arianna smirked.
“I figured I’d let you discover her yourself.”
Rajid looked back at Kait.
“Why don’t we go upstairs so I can introduce you to some friends.”
His smile never faltered.
“They work with agencies in Europe.”
Kait tilted her head. Spotted Damir and Amar.
“Agencies? Wow.”
“Yeah, they do everything. Photography, runway… commercial work.”
“That’s great.”
“Yeah, you won’t stay in Texas long.”
Kait let the silence stretch just enough.
“…Should we go up there then?”
Rajid smiled.
“Absolutely.”
Rajid looked up at Damir and Amar and nodded once.
Sunshine watched them go upstairs and couldn’t help but worry.
Rajid led her upstairs.
The music softened beneath the mezzanine.
Private booths circled the railing overlooking the stage below, each separated by dark wood dividers and heavy velvet curtains. Crystal bottles sat on every table beside silver ice buckets and expensive cigars.
The clientele changed, too.
Fewer men.
Older.
Sharper suits.
Watches that cost more than most cars.
Rajid motioned toward an empty booth.
“Please.”
A waitress appeared almost immediately.
“Champagne?”
Kait looked at the bottle.
“I’ll stick with vodka.”
Rajid smiled.
“I like a woman who knows what she wants.”
The drinks arrived.
Introductions followed.
Damir.
Amar.
Firm handshakes.
Measured smiles.
She recognized them from the port, but now they looked respectable enough to disappear into any boardroom.
For several minutes, they talked about nothing.
Travel.
Europe.
Texas.
Moscow.
Rajid seemed especially interested whenever Kait mentioned Russia.
“So…” Amar said, swirling the whiskey in his glass. “How long did you model?”
“Long enough.”
“You liked it?”
“It paid.”
Rajid laughed.
“You don’t give much, do you?”
“Depends.”
Rajid leaned back.
“You know…”
His eyes lingered on her.
“…it’s refreshing.”
Rajid leaned back and watched the dancers below.
“Texas has been such a disappointment.”
Damir nodded slowly and reached for a cigar. Kait noticed the pistol in his inner jacket pocket. “So boring.”
Rajid swirled the whiskey in his glass.
“Blonde trailer girls with spray tans, bleached hair, fake everything. Mexican girls trying to look like the blonde girls… It’s a catastrophe.”
He shrugged.
“Just like your friends, downstairs. They’re everywhere.”
His eyes settled on Kait.
“Cheap… Replaceable.”
He smiled.
“But you…”
He slowly shook his head.
“…you’re different. Your eyes…”
Kait didn’t answer.
“You have real European features.”
He pointed subtly toward his own cheekbone.
“The structure, height… The elegance. You can’t teach that.”
His hand came to rest lightly against the outside of her knee.
Not enough to draw attention.
Enough to test her.
“People pay a lot for girls like you.”
Kait looked down at his hand.
Then back into his eyes.
“What people?”
Amar smiled.
“The kind who can change your life. You’re the kind of woman CEOs fly across the world for.”
Damir leaned in slightly.
“We have clients who spend more on one evening than most people make in a year.”
Rajid’s thumb caressing her thigh.
“They don’t want just a pretty girl.”
“They want…” He smiled. “…an experience. You could be that.”
Kait gave him a small smile.
“We’re not talking about modeling anymore, are we?”
Rajid shook his head.
“What if I’m not interested in that?”
Damir chuckled.
“You will be.”
Rajid’s finger brushed the edge of her neckline. “Once you see what real money looks like…”
Kait took another sip.
She couldn’t wait to kill him.
“There’s a party at the marina. We were heading there after we picked up some friends.”
She looked at him.
“Yeah?”
“Yes, and a lot of those clients will be there.”
“And what’s in it for you?”
Rajid laughed.
“You’re smart.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“I get a small percentage.”
“How small?”
He smiled.
“We’ll discuss numbers later.”
He stood and adjusted his jacket.
Kait nodded once.
Rajid offered his hand and helped Kait up.
The four of them come down the stairs and Kait makes eye contact with Amber for a split second.
Amber grabs Arianna’s arm. “She’s leaving with them. Wait, what…”
Arianna shakes her head. “Shit, they’re taking her to the yacht. They’re streamlining her.”
Sunshine’ began to worry.
“The yacht?”
Arianna nods toward the windows overlooking the marina.
“They entertain clients there. That’s where all the fucked-up shit happens. Girls get out of line and they get tossed overboard.”
The moment the four disappear through the front doors…
Amber is already moving.
“Oh my god, come on.”
She and Arianna practically jog across the parking lot to the van.
Sunshine yanks the side door open.
“They’re taking Kait to the marina.”
All three look at her.
“What?”
“They’re taking Toast to a yacht at the fucking marina.”
Silence.
Klik looked at Kloud.
“That wasn’t the plan.”
“No shit.”
Klik grabbed the radio.
“What do we do?”
Nobody answered.
Because nobody knew.
Kloud looks at Sunshine.
“Call Kowboy”
“He’s in Las Cruces.”
She swallowed.
“Then call Don, shit.”
Klik immediately shakes his head.
“We’re not calling King.”
“The hell we aren’t.”
“You wanna wake King up and tell him we lost Toast?”
Nobody liked that idea.
Amber crossed her arms and looked at them.
“You guys better do something fast.”
Kloud reached for his bran new Nokia.
“I’ll call Prince.”
huntsville
Kolton’s phone buzzed against the table.
He frowned.
“Hey, what’s up?”
Lane looked over his whiskey.
Kloud, Kolton mouthed to Lane.
“Everything alright?”
“Prince…”
Kloud didn’t bother with greetings.
“…we got a problem.”
Kolton straightened.
“What happened?”
“They’re taking Toast.”
Kolton was already on his feet.
“They’re taking her? The fuck you mean?”
Lane straightened up.
“They took Toast to some yacht party at the marina.”
“Well are you going after her? What the fuck.”
Kolton looked at Lane.
Lane got closer to him.
“Turn it up.”
Kolton did.
Kloud’s voice was much clearer now.
“Kloud, it’s Kount. What happened?”
Lane leaned closer.
Diablo looked at Kolton and shook his head. Nothing had changed.
“Kount? Shit, hey. Um… we are in Corpus, we were watching Toast at this nightclub and…”
A brief pause.
“Kount, it’s Amber.”
Lane frowned.
“Who?”
“Sunshine! Hey, Kait is with the guys who killed Dulce, they’re taking her to a yacht party at the marina. That’s where they usually beat and kill the girls so she’s in trouble.”
“Goddamnit,” Kolton said and started pacing around. “I’m heading there right now.”
Kount looked up at him. “We’re four hours away. Calm down. Here.”
Lane just grabbed the phone.
Kolton lit up a cigarette.
“Listen carefully.”
“Okay,” said Kloud getting back on the line.
Lane’s voice remained calm.
“You can blow her cover if you do something stupid.”
“But she’s alone, Kount.”
“Well, was she getting shoved in a trunk?”
“No.”
“Well, that means she’s exactly where she wants to be.”
Kolton nodded.
Amber chimed in again. “But they’re taking her to the clients.”
Lane nodded once.
“Sunshine. Stop freaking out.”
She heard Sunshine’s voice crying going away.
Sludge finally spoke.
“So… we just sit here?”
“No. You follow.”
Lane answered.
“But stay out of sight.”
“Stay close enough to get her out of there when she comes out.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
Kolton looked at Lane.
“If you don’t hear from her by sunrise, call the fucking cops.”
“The cops?”
“Yeah, tell them there’s drugs and underage girls there.”
Nobody argued.
Kloud nodded even though Lane couldn’t see him.
“Got it.”
“Alright, call back when she’s out of there and tell Sunshine to go home.”
The line went dead.
Kolton exhaled hard
“I fucking hate this.”
Lane picked up his glass again. Like nothing happened.
Diablo shook his head. “You should know Toast by now.”
“I do. But I still hate that she has to do shit like this.”
“Good luck trying to stop her. But who better though?”
“Shit, how would you feel if Alejandra was going on these types of assignments?”
Diablo scoffed. “We ain’t about to compare Alejandra to Toast.”
“Sometimes I wish she was just a normal girl, man… so she can be safe.”
Lane took a deep breath. “Well, she’s not… and the best thing you can do is have her back.”
port of corpus christi
The yacht drifted gently against its lines, Madonna’s Frozen carrying across the upper deck while waiters moved between guests with crystal flutes and silver trays.
Rajid barely left Kait’s side.
Every introduction ended before it began.
“This is Candy.”
“With a K,” Kait would always add.
He steered her away before anyone could ask questions.
She noticed.
He wasn’t recruiting her anymore.
He was claiming her.
Another businessman approached.
Rajid intercepted him with an apologetic smile.
“She’s taken.”
The man chuckled and wandered off.
Kait sipped her vodka.
“Am I?”
Rajid smiled.
“I think I may have changed my mind.”
“So you don’t want to share?”
“Not yet.”
She let the silence linger.
Then took half a step closer.
“So…”
She lowered her voice just enough.
“…is there somewhere a little more private?”
Rajid looked at her.
“What for?”
A faint smile touched her lips.
“I figured…”
She gently brushed a hand over the front of his jacket.
“…before you introduce me to all these important people…”
Her fingers lingered for just a moment.
“… you should know what you’re offering.”
Rajid’s expression changed instantly.
The practiced confidence disappeared.
For the first time that night…
He looked genuinely excited.
“You are… not like these girls.”
She moved his face towards her with one finger and whispered on his lips.
“No… not at all.”
He placed a hand against the small of her back, guiding her toward the companionway leading below deck.
Kait followed without hesitation.
Behind them…
The party carried on.
No one noticed them disappear below.
Rajid closed the cabin door behind them.
The music above became little more than a muffled heartbeat through the ceiling.
He reached for the crystal decanter.
“Twelve-year. Very nice.”
He poured two fingers into each glass.
“The good stuff.”
Kait ignored the drink.
She stepped closer instead.
Rajid smiled.
“Why don’t we skip to the good part? I’m getting a little bored.”
She reached up and loosened his tie.
His grin widened.
“Direct. I like you, Kandy.”
“Yeah?”
“Mmm.”
His hand found her waist.
She smiled back.
“You know why I picked that name?”
“Because you’re sweet.”
She nodded slowly.
“Yeah.”
A beat.
“You know how you say candy in Spanish?”
Rajid chuckled.
“No.”
She held his eyes.
“…Dulce.”
His smile faltered.
“Like the girl you killed.”
Confusion flashed across his face.
Rajid frowned.
“What… I didn’t—”
The crystal decanter exploded across the side of his head.
Glass burst through the cabin.
Rajid staggered sideways into the wall, blood pouring down his temple.
“What the fu—”
Kait grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the mahogany paneling.
“You don’t even remember her.”
He blinked through the blood.
“I didn’t—”
She drove the jagged base of the decanter into his throat.
His words dissolved into a wet gasp.
Kait leaned close enough that only he could hear.
A long…
Deliberate…
Hissssss.
Rajid’s eyes widened. Then his eyelids fluttered as he choked.
Kait dropped him and watched him bleed out.
The cabin fell silent.
Kait looked down at the blood soaking into the expensive carpet.
Then turned and stepped into the bathroom.
Warm water ran into the porcelain sink.
She washed the blood from her hands first.
Then the fine red mist from her forearms.
A few crimson flecks dotted her cheek.
Gone.
She studied herself in the mirror.
Not a hair out of place.
She reapplied the lipstick she’d smudged against Rajid’s mouth.
Straightened her blazer.
Smoothed the front of her dress.
Perfect.
She walked back into the cabin, stepped over Rajid’s legs, and slipped into the hallway.
The party upstairs carried on as though nothing had happened.
Laughter.
Crystal glasses clinking together.
Bitter Sweet Symphony
Damir looked over from the railing and spotted her.
He smiled.
“Everything alright?”
Kait offered an embarrassed smile.
“…I think I need your help.”
He frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
She leaned in just enough to keep the conversation private.
“Rajid took one of those little blue pills…”
She glanced toward the companionway.
“…and now something’s wrong.”
Damir barked out a laugh.
“That idiot.”
Damir shook his head, still chuckling.
“I told him not to mix those with alcohol.”
He set his drink down.
“Come on, I’m kinda worried.”
Kait led the way below deck.
Neither of them spoke until she opened the cabin door.
Damir stepped inside.
His smile vanished.
“…What the fuck?”
Rajid sat slumped against the wall.
Blood covered his shirt.
The shattered crystal decanter glittered across the floor.
Damir instinctively reached beneath his blazer.
Nothing.
His eyes widened.
Kait already had his pistol.
She leveled it at his face.
At the same time, she shoved him fully into the cabin with her free hand and kicked the door shut behind her.
The latch clicked.
Damir stared between the gun…
…and Rajid.
“What the fuck is this?”
Kait’s expression never changed.
“You killed my friend.”
“What are you talking about?”
Kait’s finger tightened against the trigger.
“You and your friend kill girls for sport.”
“I swear to God, I don’t know—.”
He looked toward Rajid’s body.
“You recruit them, you use them, you hurt them.”
“I never killed anyone’
He pointed at Rijad.
“He killed that one b— girl, Marissa.”
He searched her face.
“…Who are you?”
Kait answered with a hiss and a bullet to the throat.
She checked the gun’s magazine, made sure there were still bullets then pushed it up again.
The firearm went right into her bag, and she went looking for Amar.
She spotted him near the starboard rail, talking to an older man in a tailored gray suit.
She waited.
The conversation ended.
The businessman wandered back toward the bar.
Kait approached.
“Hey, sorry.”
He turned with an easy smile.
“Hi. Everything alright?”
She nodded.
“Damir could use your help.”
“What happened?”
She rolled her eyes.
“Rajid took a couple blue pills.”
Amar snorted.
“…Again?”
“I don’t know what he took.”
She shrugged.
“But now he’s sick.”
Amar laughed under his breath and shook his head.
“Where are they?”
“Downstairs, we were… you know.”
He chuckled finishing the last of his whiskey and set the glass on a passing server’s tray.
Kait led him below deck.
He followed without the slightest hint of suspicion.
As they reached the cabin, Kait opened the door and stepped aside.
Amar walked in.
He froze as he saw and Damir sprawled across the carpet, a hole centered between his eyes.
Blood covered the polished wood.
Then he saw Rajid.
“Holy shit.”
Amar spun around.
Kait hissed.
Three bodies.
Three men who deserved to die.
She bent down, wiped the pistol clean with Amar’s jacket, and tucked it into his waistband.
Then she picked up the whiskey glass she’d been holding earlier.
One last wipe.
She set it back on the table.
Nothing left behind.
She stepped into the bathroom one final time, washed the faint smear of blood from her knuckles, and checked her reflection.
Her makeup was still intact.
She smoothed a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
She nodded.
Without another glance at the bodies, she opened the cabin door and walked back onto the deck.
She descended to the dock.
The cool salt air hit her face.
Right on cue…
The black van rolled to the curb beside the marina.
The side door slid open before the tires had completely stopped.
Klik leaned out.
“You good Toast?”
Kait climbed inside.
“Yeah, get me the fuck out of here.”
The door slammed shut.
Sludge pulled away from the curb without squealing the tires.
No rush.
No panic.
Just another vehicle disappearing into the Corpus Christi night.
By the time anyone opened the cabin below deck…
Krait was already gone.
“…Yeah.”
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“You sure?”
She nodded before remembering he couldn’t see her.
“…Yeah, I’m fine.”
Another silence.
She could hear the rumble of his clubhouse somewhere in the background.
“Did you get ‘em?”
She looked out at the passing darkness.
“Yeah. All of them.”
He was quiet for a second.
“…Alright.”
Another voice came on.
“Baby, you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine, everything’s fine, I’m just exhausted.”
“Get some rest, I’ll be there when you wake up.”
Another pause.
“Okay.”
She hung up.
She didn’t realize how tired she sounded.
Four men.
Less than twenty-four hours.
Emilio Vargas.
Rajid.
Damir.
Amar.
She had walked away from every one of them without hesitation.
Now, sitting in the back of the van with a borrowed dress and the most uncomfortable shoes in the world…
…she felt it.
Not regret.
Just the weight of it.
More than anything…
She wished Lane was waiting for her.
Not to ask questions.
Not to tell her she did the right thing.
Just to be wrapped in his arms and let the world stay quiet for a little while.
The van rolled into the Nest’s parking lot a little after three in the morning.
Most of the clubhouse had gone dark.
Only a few lights lit up the courtyard.
Kloud opened the side door and offered his hand.
She gladly accepted it and got out of the van.
She was home.
Klik and Sludge exchanged a look.
“You good, Toast?”
She nodded.
“Yeah. Thanks for everything guys.”
They all nodded.
“See y’all in the morning.”
The two hatchlings headed toward their rooms downstairs while Kait climbed the steps alone.
Inside her old room…
Silence.
Every muscle in her body ached.
Her feet were killing her.
The room was exactly as she’d left it.
She locked the door behind her.
She kicked off her heels.
The dress landed over the back of a chair.
She didn’t bother turning on the light.
Moonlight spilled through the window, painting pale lines across the bed.
She lay down on top of the blankets.
For the first time since leaving Corpus…
Everything became still.
No more nightclubs, yachts… no more assholes trying to fuck her.
She thought of what Katya said on the plane.
Never underestimate the power of beauty.
She hated giving Katya Dragunov credit for anything, but she was right about that.
Rajid, Damir, and Amar never saw her coming. They underestimated her for sure.
Four men she had killed that day.
Four men…
But once she closed her eyes.
She could only hear the voice of one.
You alright?
She closed her eyes.
No… I miss you.
