Captive

Charlotte Padron | 25 | Mob Advisor

[charlottexpadron-blog]

Charlotte couldn’t remember the last time she was able to walk around Eden by herself. The fact that she wasn’t even allowed to be by herself made her want to rebel even more against the people holding her hostage in this god-forsaken town. If it meant sneaking out of the backdoor of The Pyramid while her bodyguards were distracted by their lapdances (which is exactly what she did this evening), then she would happily take advantage of the opportunity. 

She walked down the sidewalk with her arms crossed tightly over her chest, feeling incredibly exposed and vulnerable. The mob had soldiers all over Eden that could easily recognize her and take her back home, but something told her to keep walking, don’t go back, have a few fleeting minutes of time to herself. 

Fleeting was definitely an understatement, however. She was only out for a few minutes before she spotted a group of three mob associates walking in her direction, too consumed in their conversation to notice her, but still a threat to her exposure. Panicking, she turned around and came face to face with someone, and before thinking, she said, “Talk to me. Look like we know each other. Please.”

[eve-rettx-blog]

Rhett sat quietly at the edge of the room, light eyes flicker from each woman to the next beneath the thick upper-rim of his glasses, fingertip swirling around the edge of his glass – mentally noting which women to steer clear from, their drunken wails offensive to his acute hearing. His head dipped forward and hand tugged upwards to meet with the brim of his glass, only to snap backwards, finishing the rest off the amber liquor. 

                                         He let out a soft hum as the liquid slid down the back of his throat, leaving a thrum of heat in its wake, fingertips pushing the glass through a small ring of condensation left behind. Ivory incisors sank in to his lower lip as he stood from his seat, a hand fishing out a clip of cash, tugging out a twenty to toss on the bar. He tipped his head to the bartender, flashing a quick smile as she waves, gathering his mess and sweeping it away. With a swift turn on his heels, he started towards the door only to run head-on with another –

                                                                “Fuck!” The brunette let out a loud grunt, hands sweeping over his finely manicured suit as their drink dribbles down the front. It isn’t much, and the liquid rolls right off, but he can’t help but narrow his eyes at them, lips pursing in to a displeased frown as an figure juts out at them, “Maybe you wanna watch where you’re going? Damn near knocked you out.”

[charlottexpadron-blog]

“God dammit,” Charlotte muttered under her breath as the drink spilled from her hand and onto the man’s chest in front of her. Of course. After the day she’s had, of course she would spill her drink on somebody. It was hardly a surprise, at this rate. 

“I’m sorry, I-” she started before realizing who she was speaking to, and suddenly her whole demeanor changed from apologetic to annoyed. “Well maybe you should watch where you’re going, Hughes. Pretty sure you were the one who ran into me.” Letting out an annoyed huff of air, she reached out towards the napkin dispenser on the bar and grabbed a handful of napkins before offering them to him, then asked, “You don’t have duty or anything tonight? I thought captains never have a day off.”

[alicentflorent]

‘Everything happens for a reason’ is something that we have to tell ourselves all the time, because it’s good to have the idea that something good is around the corner.

[feliticysmoak]

[milesgodfrey-deactivated2016083]

missing person

A needle in a hay stack — that was what looking for June in Eden felt like. Miles had no idea what name she was using. He couldn’t track down her phone call to a single location. He didn’t even know whether she was dead or alive by now, all he knew was that he couldn’t stop looking until she was found. He wouldn’t forgive himself if he did.

There was a certain safety in anonymity, in becoming no more than a fleeting face in the crowd, disappearing out of sight and quick and it had appeared. Miles didn’t know whether asking questions would get him in trouble or worse — get June in even more trouble than already was in. Her picture was safe in his jacket’s pocket, fingers curled around it, hesitating. What would be worst? To risk putting her in danger? Or never to find her at all?

He felt like her life was hanging by a thread and he was the one holding one of its ends. If he pulled it too hard, it could break, but he had to try and stretch it, and pull her out of wherever she was stuck in. Miles approached a stranger, stepping under their line of sight before pulling the picture out of his pocket and asking: “Hey. Have you seen this girl?”

[charlottexpadron-blog]

Charlotte couldn’t help but jump a bit when the stranger stepped in front of her, with her eyes widening a bit when he flashed a picture in front of her. She eyed the man as she took a step back from him while her hands tightly clutched onto her handbag (just in case this man had ulterior motives), and then took a good look at the picture before saying, “No, I don’t think so.” 

Blinking a few times before speaking again, she asked, “I’m assuming she’s missing? Or do you just really need to find her?” If that were the case, then her heart ached a bit for this stranger. She can’t help but hold on to a small glimmer of hope that her family might gather the strength to find her in Eden and take her back home, away from the mob and this god-forsaken town. But then again, that seemed more like a delusion rather than a possible reality.

“You know, if the police aren’t helping you, you could always hire the mob to try to locate her. They’ve handled that kind of business before,” she told him in a more hushed voice, in case any local passerby’s overheard her. “Just a suggestion.”

[marqotrbbie-blog]

Margot Robbie at Heathrow Airport

[dustiinhuang-deactivated2017012]

The tight smile finally died ever so slightly, his lips forming a straight line instead as he clenched his jaw, “A simple no would’ve been fine. I was only offering, Charlotte,” he near-hissed her name, a stark change from the calm, almost pleasant, tone his voice normally donned. His malicious attitude, however hidden, wasn’t any less real however. “Look I wish I could do something so that neither of us have to look at the other again, that you could go back to your family and that - for Christ’s sake - we could get out of this goddamn cage –” 

He inhaled sharply and exhaled slowly, trying to physically expel his anger if even possible. “But I   c a n ’t. So I was offering all I could, and that was to drop the whole ‘pretending you don’t exist act.’” Arlo took a swig of his drink, slamming it down with more vigour than necessary. He looked away from her and to the array of bottles, his expression still noticeably tense. “Be bitter all you want, but in my opinion? There’s no fucking point in yelling at each other when we’re in the exact. Same. Boat.” The argument left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth, but little did he know, he was finally venting for a change rather than strutting about like everything was fine.

[charlottexpadron-blog]

Charlotte couldn’t help but flinch a bit when he slammed his empty glass on the table, her eyes avoiding his steely glare as she swallowed thickly to calm her nerves. She’s never seen Arlo act like this before, and if she was being honest with herself, she was scared. He always remained so composed and level-headed around other people, but now here he was in a bar with plenty of people around, arguing with her in such a menacing voice it sent shocks down her spine. 

“If you think we’re in the same boat, you’re kidding yourself,” she said in a quiet voice while shaking her head, her eyes still avoiding his. “We may be stuck in the middle of the ocean, but you’re on a yacht and I’m in a fucking life raft. It’s not the same for you like it is for me.” Charlotte finally got the nerve to look at him, with her eyes were hard and her jaw locked in order to appear unwavering while ultimately failing, then asked, “Do you really want to be civil with me? The woman that took away so much from you? Fine. Then take me home. If we’re going to keep screaming at each other, I’d rather not do it in front of an audience.” And with that, she stood up from the stool and collected her belongings, then faced him and waited for whatever reaction he would throw at her next.

[caelxelfar-deactivated20161003]

Cael knew she didn’t like what he said but he only repeated what he’d heard whispered through the club. When curious eyes followed her as she moved through the crowd. When her husband entered without her they made up stories and tales about the couple and Cael sat back, listening, laughing, and feeling sorry for those more involved in the lives of others than their own. “Some people say perception is everythin’, I think its just another lie. Unless what they say about you is true?” 

“Didn’t say I had any notions but you can try to persuade if you want or not.” It didn’t matter either way. She would walk out the club and slip in a car that cost more than he’d make in three years. She had the name and means to get whatever she wanted and all he had was a quick mind and a sharp tongue, those things only found you trouble or the grave. 

Wanderlust was an affliction he suffered from but he also nursed fear of the unknown. So it was easier for him to stick with the devil he knew and continue to call Eden home. “Please tell me that was sarcasm? Eden is home because there’s nowhere else to go. Its stuck in my blood like a disease I can’t cure not because there’s no place else I’d rather be.” He was curious, “You have the money to leave…Why you still here?”

[charlottexpadron-blog]

“They say those things about me because it’s easy to pin being a cold, heartless bitch on a mobster’s wife. It’s what’s expected, isn’t it?” she asked with a shrug of her shoulders. “They see the movies, read the stories, and here I stand; I might as well be their walking stereotype. But hey, if anyone truly thinks those things about me, I know not to waste my time on them, right? Why would I want to try to prove who I am for the sake of likability?” Charlotte’s schedule wasn’t filled to the brim, and her days weren’t occupied with meetings and business deals like her husband, but she didn’t have time for games. If people wanted to judge her, then she’ll let them have their way. She didn’t need to get on her hands and knees and start begging for people to like her. She wasn’t that type of woman.

Charlotte blinked a few times at his question, surprised that through all the rumor weeds and stories made up about her, the thing that truly bound her to Eden was never brought up. Here this man was, praising Eden and saying it’s ‘no place like home’, while for Charlotte it was her prison. “You think I can leave?” she asked quietly while letting out a soft chuckle. “Trust me, if I could leave, I would be long gone by now. I’m... not allowed to leave the town. The mob doesn’t trust me enough. They think if I go home to New Orleans to visit my family, I’ll find a way to escape for good.”

[lovely-ladies]

[dustiinhuang-deactivated2017012]

“Right,” Arlo sucked in a breath through his teeth before forcing a tight smile. “That’s understandable.” He had nothing to defend himself from the blow; Charlotte had a point. Cue the clenching of his jaw and a brief unimpressed look at her reply, he had concluded that he’d truly started off the conversation in the worst of ways. “Alright, you know what, I’ll start over.” He raised a palm as he bowed his head in an apologetic manner. 

“I’m sorry I haven’t been around. I’ve been busy.” Half a lie. “But if you want - and only if you want because I understand if you detest me - I’ll try to be around more from now on, ok?” He briefly broke eye contact to nod in thanks to the bartender for his drink, before regarding her again with a heavy sigh. “Because this arrangement isn’t great, I’m not fond of it either. But I’d hate for there to be continuing animosity between us for –..” Arlo made an ambiguous hand gesture as he shook his head and curled his lip in distaste. “– God knows how long.”

[charlottexpadron-blog]

Charlotte listened to his words, let them soak in, contemplated what he said for a few moments... And then she laughed. It was a laugh of disbelief- disbelief that he actually thought this proposal of his would make her less bitter. Her fingers covered her lips as she shook her head as the chuckle eventually died, still shocked that those words of his ever dawned on her ears. 

“You think being around more will lift my spirits?” she finally asked him, a dark, twisted smile playing on her lips as she spoke. “What I want, Arlo, is to not even be here in the first place. I want to leave, go home to my family, and never have to look at you again. You can try to play house all you want and pretend to be a decent husband, but nothing you do will ever change how I feel about you or this arrangement. You can leave the house unattended, you can go from city to city or state to state without anyone trailing behind you. Me?” She motioned to the two buffoons sitting in the corner, getting lap dances from a couple of strippers. “I have a SWAT team following my every move if I even want to step foot outside of my own house. I’ll probably be punished or tortured or killed if I ever try to sneak away to go visit my family. So please, keep telling me how you’re not fond of this arrangement. I’d love to hear your thoughts.” 

[caelxelfar-deactivated20161003]

“You think too much.” He bit his tongue holding back the next part about her needing thick skin. Cael was aware that his words sometimes came across as pure insult and nothing more. It hadn’t been his intent to insult or even treat her as someone other than who she was, “You know people have perception. They think…” He pointed to his head as he spoke, accent thickening with each word. “They think you’re not human. You don’t feel or have bad days or even good days. They imagine you as being hard, cold, even a little cruel.” Shrugging, hand falling from his temple, “But you not, are you?”

Eyes followed hers to the sky before falling back to the ground. “Sounds like wanderlust. Like you want to be someplace other than here.” Cael couldn’t really blame her. Even if the reasons were for something other than weather, he understood. “You can run but there’s no place like Louisiana. Eden gets in your blood. Something about the juju of the bayou.” 

[charlottexpadron-blog]

Charlotte couldn’t only grit her teeth and roll her eyes at the things Cael was telling her. She shouldn’t find it so surprising, and yet the words still felt like a twisting knife in her gut. She was a member of an infamous mob, married to the second-in-command, friends with the boss herself... Her reputation wasn’t too bright. 

“I don’t think me telling you who I am will do much to persuade your preconceived notions about me,” she said while defensively crossing her arms over her chest. She could go on all day about what a great person she truly was, but was she? She was a weapons trafficker before being forced into an arranged marriage with a mob’s underboss. Her track record wasn’t doing her any favors. 

“Hm, you catch on quick,” she said with an empty chuckle when he mentioned wanting to be anywhere else but here. She’s contemplated running away, has even come close a few times during her stay here, but something in the back of her mind always told her that her desire to get out of Eden would probably get her killed. Her feet were glued to Eden’s soil, it seemed. “You seem to really love it here. You’re lucky.”

[xxmaggiefowlerxx]

“Ah! So we have a little voyeur, I see. I understand. I mean, it’s why they come to see the show. To watch. You’d be surprised how many men and even couples come to watch. You’re not the first woman I’ve seen though. First in a while though.” She smirked, laughing. “Nice to meet you Charlotte. I’m Dylan.” She outstretched her hand to shake.

[charlottexpadron-blog]

“Oh, well I come here pretty often, although I tend to stay hidden. I guess the attention can be a bit intimidating. Before I moved to Eden I’ve never even stepped foot in any kind of club before,” Charlotte said, offering the woman a small smile before shaking her hand. “So do you like working here, Dylan? Is it what you imagined?”

[harleyquinnedit-deactivated2018]

[brycehxward-blog]

Her eyebrows raised to her hairline as the man’s greedy hands tried to reach for her waist. Why people felt the need to touch her when they were trying to explain themselves was utterly lost on her. She could hear them just fine with a safe distance between them, and all the action did was increase the chance of Bryce throwing a punch. In fact, her right hand was already balling into a fist and was half lifted when she heard a voice to her left.

Bryce could kiss the woman for getting her out of this exchange, silently thanking her. “Shit. I’ll deal with it.” She nodded in her direction, gaze falling back to the lanky man. “As riveting as this conversation is, I’m afraid I have to go deal with yet another incompetent man.” She glanced at him, waiting for him to bugger off as she glanced towards back stage. Heading that way, she stepped behind the door for a solid five seconds before glancing back over her shoulder to see the college aged douche vanish. Heading back towards the blonde, she grabbed the half empty beer she had left behind and nodded towards her. “Thanks for that.”

[charlottexpadron-blog]

“Yeah, yeah no problem,” Charlotte said to the woman, offering her a small smile. “I mean, I have no doubt in my mind that you could have handled that yourself, but...” Charlotte looked over her shoulder to where the frat boy used to be standing, then said, “I don’t know, I felt a little bad for him. Call me a sap.” She then looked back at the woman and shrugged her shoulders. “Someone who is that ignorant about how to treat women gets my pity. It’s just... sad. You could punch him in the face for grabbing your ass and he would have no idea why,” she said before letting out a long-winded sigh.

[caelxelfar-deactivated20161003]

“If you were just a girl I’d let you get away with that.” Cael wasn’t going to waste time biting his tongue. Her first and last name were well known and she spent enough time around the club that her name and reputation could be considered legendary. “Avoidin’ like the rest of us.” He looked around. There was only the two of them outside, “Or avoidin’ like me.” He didn’t say much more, instead he took a moment to look her over before shrugging and pointing his gaze at the brick wall behind her. “You get used to the heat and even learn to appreciate the humidity. Makes it feel like home. Would you rather we air condition the great outdoors for you Ms. Padron? I believe they call that winter.” 

[charlottexpadron-blog]

Charlotte couldn’t help but furrow her brows at his comment. Was she not just a girl, or woman, or whatever anymore? Was she too far gone? She was aware that she had a reputation, but she wasn’t aware that she was now being dehumanized, in a sense; exalted onto some platform that she didn’t want. Or maybe that’s not what he meant at all. Maybe she was just overthinking. 

“I don’t mind the heat,” she said back to him, giving him a rather pointed glare. “I just don’t like the sticky, wet heat that seems to plague this god-forsaken state.” She paused and looked away from the man, glancing up at the cloudy sky for a brief moment before saying, “If I could, I’d live in Boston. I hear they have actual seasons there. You know, snow in the winter, hot summers, flowers in the spring, piles of leaves in the fall... Sounds pretty idealistic. Unlike this hellhole.”

[xxmaggiefowlerxx]

“That’s funny. Considering that’s normally what the men who come in here tell me. You gonna tell me to ‘Com on baby, shake it for me,’?” She smiled, biting her lip. She grabbed her water and drank it up, walking closer to the woman and running her finger across her arm. “Because I have to be honest, it would be a lot more fun doing that for you then some of these geezers in here.” She sipped her water, never breaking eye contact with the woman’s blue eyes.

[charlottexpadron-blog]

“Oh?” Charlotte asked, her voice raising an octave or so once the dancer was in close proximity and touching her arm. She couldn’t help but let out a nervous laugh before fumbling out, “To be honest, I’m not a “dance on me” type of girl. I prefer to watch. I’m a watcher. I sit, and I watch, and I... Yeah, I just- I watch.” She could feel her cheeks burning a little at how idiotic she was sounding in front of this stranger, and in an attempt to salvage her dignity, she asked, “So, uh, what’s your name? I’m Charlotte. Pleasure to meet you.” 

[michael-callahan-deactivated201]

Michael nodded along with her words, his eyes roaming over the place. “Sure, a distraction. Guess this is as good as it gets in this town.” He hummed and took a sip from his beer before speaking again, answering her question; “I’m here to test my new gadgets. Check it out - “ He pulled out the phone from his pocket, switched it on and opened an app called ‘Perspy’ and aimed his phone towards a person. A huge amount of numbers and symbols appeared before the screen read “person identified, gathering information”. Michael looked so proud when the screen brought up the persons face and every single personal detail about them, from shoe size to latest google search to social security number. “Neat, eh? I think this is a good place to test it out. Don’t tell the boss though, I’d rather not give this to all the mobsters. I’m too proud for that.” He winked and put the phone away again, his eyes glowing when he could show someone about the app. And he trusted Lotte. For now. She was just as unwillingly in the mob as he was, so maybe there was something about that.

[charlottexpadron-blog]

Charlotte’s eyes widened as he showed her what he’s been working on, and her teeth bit down on her bottom lip to keep her from saying anything while she watched numbers and information light up his phone. When he was done showing her, she said, “This is...” while looking up at him and raising her brows, “such an invasion of privacy.” She couldn’t help but laugh after she spoke, with her hand coming up to push the stray hairs from her forehead. “I mean, I get that you’re a hacker and all, but you can do that all from your phone? Shit, that’s... that’s a little scary, Michael.” Charlotte let out a nervous laugh before taking another sip of her drink, and then added, “But it-it’s still cool and all, don’t get me wrong. Scary and invasive, but impressive. The mob is... lucky to have you.”