He was sitting alone in a dim corner of the room and the oblivion added a precious anonymity to him. He was still exhausted from the flashes of the photographers at the ceremony which he had assisted to, the previous night. His impressive success in the field of business made of him a billionaire before his thirties thus he enjoyed to the fullest all the privileges of the existence that his status had offered him in his late twenties.
He could not forget the days when he used to live in places which were equally miserable to that old bar. Or even shoddier. The times when he had to do the clumpiest jobs ever to earn a living which could barely feed him, when he had to struggle to survive, when he hardly ever knew slumber. That world full of viciousness and bitterness. Luckily though, he was strong enough to put himself together and pull himself out of that murky world. His will and devotion took him to a universe which was completely parallel to the one he had known before.
Another man would have chosen to forget. To erase every trace of those wretched years. But he did not want to. He was not mortified by his origins. Contrarily, the evident scars that remained of that period of his life had such a special effect, on women especially. In addition to his frightening and dense past, it added a spice of mystery to him.
Nothing could be more tempting to a woman than a bad guy. Thought Hugo, fully convinced that if the girls who had been with him could see in the depth of his damaged soul, they would all have ran away. He was wholly aware that each one of them worshiped the idea of the danger that he incited, but none could actually bear its reality.
He was also aware, that the girl in front of him was living in the heart of danger. Breathing it. It was sticking to her bones with each step she took. She was living it plenteously, every second of her life.
But how could she get so low? A familiar feeling tensed around his heart: guilt.
It was because of him, that she had to live that kind of life.
She was on stage, singing with her astounding, chilling voice that seemed familiar to him, moving her body wavily with the rhythm of the melody. The stimulating moves of her perfect, sensual curves made a special tension in the room. Hugo stared painfully at the closest table to the stage where was sitting a man, gazing at her in bewilderment, and seeming too drunk, tossing money at her feet. He dropped the bottle of the beer that he was drinking. However, the noise did not catch any attention in the room. It seemed like that kind of mishaps was familiar in that muddy, smoky place. The show on stage was having the attention of all the auditory, except the part which was too drunk to watch.
Perfectly steady, Hugo contemplated the show in the exasperating, uncomfortable atmosphere, without taking a nip of the whisky which he had been served. He could not allow himself to weaken his soberness in such circumstances when he would need all his consciousness, due to what could be waiting him. He was not the kind to drink his mistakes away. He had learned to assume his blunders, and one of them was happening then, on stage.
He never should have left her alone.
Although they were not on good terms, although she hated him from the bottom of her heart, he should not have left her alone and turned his back on her.
The singer was graciously moving all over the stage, so that she could be seen by all.
He had seen her grow up. Turning from a child to a woman. Mother Nature has not only been generous to her, but has given her too much for one human being.
Katherine had known how to use that gift of nature: she sang keenly in a way that destabilized Hugo. Watching her attractively waving her perfect body in pure harmony had a physical effect on him which was very mannish and which he shared with the three quarters of the men in the room. He bet to himself with sullenness and guilt.
He did not have the right to desire her that way.
She was singing loudly with her enchanted, powerful voice a romantic song of Whitney Huston blaming a lover for having broken her heart. The feelings she sang were purely imaginary, Hugo knew that was not her thing. Katherine had never let a man get her heart.
Ever since she was a little girl, she was disconnected of the world of sensations and feelings. She was strong and tough as ice. Only her brother could pass through the walls that she had built between her and the world. He was everything she had gotten.
Hugo finally took a harmless sip of whisky trying to grasp everything, not taking his eyes of the show. Katherine was still entertaining the audience, the waves, almost curls of her silky dark hair fell flawlessly on her bare shoulders and back. And her expertly moving hips were perfectly shown in a tiny golden-yellow nylon dress which left almost nothing to imagine of her amazing body. That kind of outfits would not have been chosen for nothing...
The whisky burned his throat. Or was it the anger? Could Katherine have wrecked her life that bad during his absence? It took Hugo a lot of self-control to keep still while all he wanted was to jump on that stage and rip her out of that lame, low world. Take her away of those pervert eyes and dirty minds. Yet he had to not draw any attention to him. That would be the last time she would go on that lame stage. He promised himself.
A group of men on the right of Katherine caught Hugo's eyes. They were waving their hands, making dirty moves at her, fused with applause. He recognized each one them, and knew what they craved, and that they were very harmful and dangerous to Katherine.
He was wrong. He thought. When he believed she might do better without him. His mouth dried as soon as he realized that he had probably chosen the wrong time to show up. The same night, it had been exactly five years that Katherine's brother had died.
And he was the one to blame for his death.
Time was running and Katherine did not have a second to waste. She went to the little room which was supposed to be a change chamber but was too cheap to be like one, she pulled a cardigan from its little closet and her pair of baskets which she wore after having taken off the cheap high heels that she was obliged to wear on stage. Her feet were aching from the pain that the bargain shoes gave her. But she ignored it as ever. After all, not only shoes hurt her, but life wounded her too. And it was just another night like every previous one.
She pressed her fingers against her palms too tightly and tried her best to walk decently and not let her fear win. She focused on her way.
It was to her brother Liam that she had to do all that, and live all that fright. Did they know that it was the fifth anniversary of his passing or that was a coincidence?
A great deal of sadness and culpability tautened around her heart at the memory of her brother. He had always been there for her when she needed him. But she was not there for him when he needed rescue, when he was in trouble. She was not capable of being there for him.
And that night, it was her turn. They were coming after her. Walking through the dark, small New York street right behind the bar, she was expecting anything, wondering if that was where she might spent the few last seconds of her life before they get to her. Was it there? In that empty dirty street that she would pass away with that group of creepy men amusingly laughing at her fate?
- And here is our little girl. Said a rude, firm voice from the shadows behind her that seemed to appear from nowhere. She looked back; the threatening huge builds of the men were approaching, their faces veiled in shades of the darkness.
- Do you have our money? Asked the same voice. Because if you don't, I think you will be giving us a private show tonight...
Frightened, Katherine could still smile.
- Money, I don't have. But I might have other offers for you... She responded, her voice full of promise, shaking with fear but she tried to not let it show. She turned alluringly to the man seeming to guide the group. For that, she added, I might need you to get closer, one by one.
The man giggled in excitement.
- Well, you finally made a good decision. Why are you hiding from us your little golden dress, babe? He asked getting closer to her. She forced herself to not let slip the screech she had stopped in her throat.
- It's raining. I needed to cover myself.
She started slowly unzipping her cardigan, looking at the hungry, compelled, eager, weak expression on his face, and that was what she exactly waited for. Men were so expected.
- You won't be cold for so long. We are six men all ready to warm you up. And where are the sexy high heels? Don't tell you you've forgotten them, or else…
- Don't worry. She interrupted softly. I didn't forget anything. They are right here.
She opened the zipper of the bag she was carrying and took the pair of high heels which she wore for the show. As quickly as she could, she used the heel of the right shoe to hit the man straight on his pelvis. He moaned loudly in pain and fell to the ground. Katherine stood paralyzed in shock, starring at the man screaming of pain at the side of the road. The shoe which she dropped of her hand made a noise that took her back to reality, realizing that she had to run. The other men were getting closer to her, she turned her back on them and ran as fast as she could, not even trying to avoid the puddles of dirty water on her way. She just ran, although her legs felt too weak with fear as she could hear the menacing calls of the men approaching her. She believed she stood no chance. They would get to her. Wasn't it better to stop running from her destiny and just consent her death, face the enemy knowing that he would catch her after all?
At that moment. She violently hit a heavy-set body and two strong hands stopped her run.
Oh, lord... She was facing death at that moment. She felt trapped, one of the men had caught her. And she knew it was almost hopeless to escape of his strong, muscular arms. The sound of the quick steps of the rest of the men were getting closer, and that is when she actually realized that she only had a few more seconds to live. Completely terrified, wanting to have a last trial to save her life, she tried to brutally raise her knee to between the man's legs in order to weaken him, yet her move was expected and he quickly, skillfully moved back and missed her trial, then turned her to the other side so that wouldn't face him anymore. He pulled her and tightened his arms around her making her unable to move, barely able to breath. She felt as weak as a little bird caught between the wings of a strong eagle.
Pulled to the torso of the tall man, her tiny body sticking to his toned, hard legs, she still had a few seconds to think of another way to run from him, to find a weakness, he was just a human after all. And she was not a quitter, but that was desperate. Her heart filled with fear, but the lack of distance between her body and the man's created some kind of intimacy that provoked another weird unfamiliar, unexpected, frightening feeling, in the down of her belly that time. How ironic! Instead of being panicked while seeing her death approaching, she was thinking of sex!
She suddenly felt a change in the virile body which was sticking to her behind.
It had the same effect on him. She thought with a bitter smile traced on her lips. Her aggressor had at least, one weakness, like every other man, and she was willing to take full advantage of it during the few seconds she had left. She pushed herself closer enough to him to feel his erection on her behind. His breathing quickened and his arms weakened for a second. And it only took her a heartbeat to punch him straight on the face and escape of his arms.
However, she hadn't ran further than six or seven meters. It only took him three or maybe four seconds to catch her. He held her more strongly than before and pulled her as if she was a little weightless doll.
- Mierda! Don't you ever do that again!
The effect of the angry voice of the man was similar to a hard slap on her face. She recognized that warm voice who only spoke Spanish words when irritated. She knew who had caught her. And the rest of the men had finally arrived to join them.
Hugo Valerino, who would have thought?
- Eh, thanks for catching the little bitch.
That was one of the men. Ironically, she did not care. She was too busy recalling the last moments that she had spent with Hugo. Some tragic moments that she had decided to remove of her memory. Katherine's state was utterly different at that moment. Her fear of those men was no longer that important and everything she felt at that second was linked to the man whose strong body was holding hers.
Why had it had to be him who had come to rescue her? Why had it had to be Hugo?
- Let me go. I don't need your help.
- Sure, obviously! You were doing so well without me!
Her cheeks turned burning red with humiliation, remembering how she had pressed her back against his genitals.
- I said I don't need you, let me go. She insisted, fully convinced that he would never give her to those people who were willing to harm her.
Hugo Valerino had a great sense of honor. It was something born with him. It was running in his veins. And she knew he would never ever abandon a woman in such circumstances. He was a man... In every meaning of the term.
Thankful to the darkness which was hiding the ashamed expression of her face as she recalled endlessly the previous scene between her and Hugo, Katherine laughed hysterically. She laughed at herself. How could she think of such things while she could die at any second? That was Hugo's effect on her. He had always destabilized her. And the other men were calmly waiting.
- You will get yourself killed, Hugo.
- Sounds good. Isn't it what you've always wanted?
Pictures of their last conversation came flashing through her memory. All the times she had been fantasizing about a thousand ways of killing Hugo Valerino in her sleepless solitude at night. All the nights she had spent crying after her brother and wishing the death of Hugo.
But now that he was really in danger, was that what she truly wanted? Did she really want him to die? She couldn't think straight, all drawn in the depth of this multitude of feelings. Guilt, blame, shame, hurt, nostalgia... But not fear. Fear had vanished as soon as she realized that she was held in the arms of Hugo. She felt safe with him, which was ridiculous since she had never felt that exposed in her life.
- Ok. Now go to your fancy car and leave. You helped us, we're thankful, but the bitch is ours. You will nicely walk to your car and give us the whore without making yourself any trouble.
Fancy car?
Katherine tilted her head to glance left. There was a luxurious Porsche 911 Carrera parked there. It evidently seemed that Hugo has made his own path through life and became very successful. He no longer belonged to her miserable world.
So what was he doing there? Why had he exactly chosen that night to show up and recall the past?
The man she'd first hit just joined the group, barely able to walk. His eyes were full the abhorrence and they reflected nothing but her death. She wondered how her end would be. Soft of brutal? With a knife or a gun?
She glanced up at Hugo. She was sure that he would defend her. But how could he protect her of this great number of men? She knew they were too much for him.
Katherine ended up realizing that she had to accept her death. She had to admit the fact that she had to die, but not let anyone die for her. Especially not Hugo. She took a deep breath and as soon as she wanted to ask him to leave, he planted a surprising, burning kiss on her lips.
Too shocked to rebel and fight, Katherine kissed him back in response. She did not fight it, but kissed his beautiful lips passionately due to the desperation of her situation. A goodbye kiss. During all her adolescence, she had always fantasized about such a moment between her and Hugo. Even after the horrible night when her life turned upside down and he'd left, she had still dreamed of him so many times, in an erotic enough way. But her imaginary fantasies had nothing to do with reality. There were too far of it. However in that very pleasant second, she thought there would never be a better moment to die. And in the depth of that sensual kiss, she heard one of the men commenting rudely in giggles:
- Hey! Leave some for the others huh!
Katherine did not even feel the end of their kiss. She saw Hugo walking courteously towards the group of men, getting out of the darkness, exposing his face to a weak light. The perfect features of it were blank, not expressing any emotion. There was no hint of fear in his beautiful hazel eyes. His posture, the way he confidently walked towards them perfectly, exactly pictured Hugo Valerino. He had always been a hard, strong man. On the other side, Katherine's legs were shaking. Fear or desire? She would have wanted to scream, to ask Hugo to run, to not die for her, but her lips were dry and her tongue was stuck in her mouth. She was too paralyzed to react.
She suddenly realized that things were going in a whole different way. Not the way she had imagined. Instead of attacking him, the men stepped back. Starring at his face, they seemed to lose every piece of bravery. Katherine had not grasped yet. Why were six men stepping back at the sight of one man?
As she looked more at his face, she understood. The men were staring at the scar on his cheek. The only flaw of his inhumanly perfect face. She heard one of the men saying «Paulistano». And that was all she heard. She could not hear them conversing with him.
Katherine exhaled all her fear and stress. Hugo was there to protect her. Even in her worst moments, that man had never hurt her. Physically of course. But emotionally, it was very different. He had ruined her mental health. As he walked back towards her, her eyes focused on his scar which made his one and only imperfection. Where did that come from? He was calm and still. He joined her then softly tugged the hair which was covering her face behind her ears and gave her a quick caress on her cheeks.
Their relation had faded in the gray room it had been exactly five years, right beside the dead body of her brother.
Hugo dropped her hand.
- To the car. He commanded.
Katherine obeyed him instantly. She entered the fancy car, took a seat beside Hugo, who joined her immediately. She felt like stepping inside a whole other world. As soon as he sat, she realized that he was not calm as she thought he would be. Not calm at all. The way he aggressively drove the car showed how hard he was trying to control his anger. She had never seen him in such a state. Not even that night when everything went wrong.
- Hugo...
- Not now. He interrupted her. Shut up.
His voice was extremely hard and cold and he was nervously driving. He did not even look at her. His eyes were focused on the road which took them to the extremities of the east side of New York. Katherine sat calmly in her seat without adding a word. Why it was him who had come to her rescue?
The threat was gone. She felt safe, but why was she still disordered? The adrenaline rush that she had was nothing compared to the feeling she felt when remembering his lips against hers. Her body was shaking and her belly was aching at the memory of his unexpected, spontaneously crazy reaction. She just hoped he had been too busy to notice the enthusiasm and welcoming she approved in response.
Then suddenly came a rush of disgust. She was disgusted of herself. How could she do so? How could she kiss the man she had spent five years hating? How could she do that with the man that she had always considered as her worst enemy? A picture of her brother Liam came across her mind and that felt even worse. Too shocked by her confusion and helplessness, Katherine realized that the only thing that mattered at that moment was her life. The fact that she did not die.
Thanks to Hugo.
It was insane: Her life was about to end. She was about to get caught, and maybe tortured to death, or raped then killed by a gang of coldblooded men, and she had almost forgotten! All her thoughts were drown to that man beside her.
Her eyes turned to look at Hugo. Why was she feeling so safe next to him? He was just a man after all. She stopped another hysterical giggle. Not any man though! The success that he seemed to know have not changed much in him. All that lux, that priceless Patek Philips around his wrist, that fancy car that he was driving... That was not what had made of Hugo what he was. Behind his almost perfect, sophisticated appearance which had helped him get along in the highest sphere of the society, he was still the same hard, strong, fearless man that he had always been. If Katherine was feeling safe, it was because she really was safe. Every woman could sleep peacefully with such a man by her side. Her heart full of guilt again, she stopped contemplating his beautiful profile and looked behind. As she expected, no one dared following him.
- They called you «Paulistano». It's been a long time that you've gotten over that life, but your reputation still scares them. Those men know who you are.
Unable to control herself, she starred at him again, fascinated, wondering why she was not scared of him herself. Was it because she could not see his scar? From that side, it was invisible, and Hugo's features reflected nothing but a pure, but cold perfection. She had always believed that the man who came to her rescue was a man whose heart was dry of feelings and emotions. But at that moment, she realized that was false. He was furious. Very furious, she could feel it.
- How come you got here? How come you came back?
- I've been told that some girl with a golden voice got herself into troubles. He said playfully. How much money did he owe them? Asked Hugo without glancing at her.
Katherine smiled bitterly. Of course he knew. She should have thought so. She wanted to deny, or tell him that was wrong, but she knew that would have been a fail. Hugo had a great network of contacts that even the police would have envied him for if they knew.
- Twenty thousand dollars. She answered expressionlessly. It actually used to be more but I paid the half of the amount. I had some problems this month and I didn't pay in the time I was supposed to pay. That's why they came after me.
- You've paid them? He said with a blaming tone. She could see the burning flame in his eyes. It reminded her that she had forgotten how dangerous he actually was.
- Does it seem like I had the choice?
- You could have told the police.
- That wouldn't have made things any better, Hugo. It would just have made it worse.
- Decent citizens who respect the laws have nothing to fear of the police. Unless you'd prefer to not let them dig in the details of your life?
The dislike and disgust in his tone took Katherine by surprise. Especially when she saw his look at her bare legs and she immediately understood what he was referring to. That explained the anger she saw in his eyes.
- What do you think I do to earn my living? She asked hardly.
- Same as what the other girls of the club do.
He thought she was a prostitute.
Katherine leaned back on the headrest and exploded in laughter.
It was either that, or crying. And there was no way she would cry in front of Hugo.
- And you think that's funny? He said, seeming surprised.
- I use what god has given me. What's wrong with that?
He closed his eyes in pain as he heard her stupid, useless, provoking response that she had regretted as soon as she said. She did not want him to think that of her. But why did his opinion matter that much to her? It was too late, however. Too late to change anything. Their past was miserably uncorrectable.
But maybe she could see the positive side of it. If Hugo had such a disastrous opinion about her, that would help avoid the tension and the magnetic attraction between them. He brutally, suddenly pressed the brake and turned to face her. She unconsciously pushed herself as far from him as she could.
- If you were so badly in need of money? Why didn't you come to me? He asked her loudly, angrily. The past would have no longer been that important since it's a matter of life or death!
She put herself together and could hardly respond.
- Hugo, you are literally the last person on earth that I would have gone to in order to get me out of this trouble.
- Your pride could have cost you your life Kate!
- It's not even a matter of pride! Even if I had wanted to call you or get to you, how would I have done that huh? I can't even recognize you! You are living inside circles that I don't have any chance to enter! All surrounded by guards and...
Guards? She wondered idly without finishing her sentence. Why would he need those anyway? He was fully able to defend himself and assure his own safety! She regretted as soon as she turned to look at him. Just the sight of his perfectly sculptured lips reminded her of their kiss.
- Don't try to find excuses Katherine. We both know that nothing would have stopped you if you really wanted to find me. Have you really preferred to die, than see me again?
- You know very well why I'd never asked for your help.
- Yes. You hate me.
His voice was cold and hurt.
- You think that everything was my fault. He added.
- No. Not everything. But what happened five years ago, yes. Do you know what the date today is? She asked with a broken voice full of emotion.
- Do you think I could ever forget? That is not supposed to make you feel better, but you have no idea how much I've blamed myself for that night and still do... More than you could ever do.
- No, Hugo. That doesn't make me feel better. Nothing would ever make me feel better.
The memory of that tragic night hunted their minds. Building a great wall of blame and hate between the two of them. She looked in front of her and she realized that they had parked in front of the block of flats where she was living.
- Thanks for driving me. She said while getting out of the car. She didn't add «home» at the end because the little, miserable studio where she used to stay was far of being a home. It was just a temporary shelter for her before she would move out again, as she often did.
It was so ridiculous for her to stay in her cheap little nylon dress, while a Porsche was parked in front of her building. Was not it supposed to be humiliating for her, Katherine the prostitute?
Was it really what was thought while looking at her? She would have wanted to make her dreams come true, to have a real audience, and sing on real stages, but life had not always been fair to her. And her dreams were too far of becoming true. Hugo joined her unexpectedly through the pouring rain. He put his large vest around her as if not supporting the view of her sexy, almost naked body.
- I can't believe you live in this neighborhood. A woman would be completely insane to live in such a place.
- It hasn't been a long time that I am living in this place. I had to move here temporarily to avoid them. They don't know my new address yet.
The evidence suddenly took Katherine by surprise.
How did Hugo know where she lived?
Her face lost every hint of color.
- You... You didn't ask me where I lived... How... How did you...?
- I'm keeping up with the news. And if I could find you, it means that they will find you too. You have ten minutes to pack the most important and precious things you have. Hurry up.