Big Pa gulped and nodded his head. He could not say anything. His voice would give away how much fear he held in his heart. He had sighted the mafia tag on the bodies of the men who placed the money on his table. His eyes were wide in fear. He wondered how he had gotten himself messed up because of those two girls. "What did those sluts do to have the heads of the greatest mafia showing themselves to a small strip club owner like me? They fucked you guys good? We could discuss this and find a way to sell them off to you. We could be allies and not foes." he said.
They were already leaving when he made the statement, and without second thoughts, Alexander took out his knife and launched it straight for his ear. The knife sliced right through, leaving his ear hanging on a nerve to his head. He held his ear in agony and he groaned in pain. They walked away, leaving one of them to care for him. They did not want him dead yet. He knew that Mia was a smart girl, if she found out that Big Pa died on the same day she had met him for a job, she would know that he was responsible.
He was dangerous, and everyone knew that. But he did not want Mia to see that side of him. She was innocent even with her occupation, and he did not want her to become scared of him. They walked away and took everything besides the money they had left on his table. The guy left behind stitched Big Pa's ear professional and bandaged it as well. Big Pa was even more scared at how their mafia had men who stitched bodies surgically with such perfection and precision.
On the other side of town sat Mia and Cam, they both sat at their little dining table as Mia told Cam all about her meeting with Alexander whom she still knew as Andre. "And he said it was fine if you also worked there with us. We might have a chance to get out of Big Pa's hold," Mia finished her story. Cam smiled with a huge grin on her face. She had not known why she was destined to be Mia's guardian when most of the time it was Mia protecting her instead.
She felt the tears well up in her eyes as she realised just how lucky she was. Reality had hit them both… they were not exactly leaving the life of strippers but this was a huge step from what they imagined for themselves, because behind all those plans to leave the club one day, a part of them knew that it was almost impossible. Yet, here they were. They hoped that Alexander would not turn out to be worse than Big Pa but it was a risk that they were willing to take.
The mere idea of not having to give private dances was thrilling, and they knew for sure that the tips that would come in would be way higher than what they got, and they were still forced to split it. They went to the club that night, hoping that it would be their last day and that they would never have to go back there. When they got into the club that night, it felt different. The air was much more tense, and everyone looked distraught, Big Pa's favourite slut gave them weird glances as they walked past her as well.
The two girls looked at each other, clearly noticing the change in the atmosphere since the last time that they were in there. They cautiously walked toward their changing area, and as they each got to their entrance, they saw two of Big Pa's guards at the entrance. They blocked the way and did not let them enter, they both exchanged glances and walked toward Big Pa's office without hesitation. They had wanted to work one more time and then go to his office so as to avoid looking defiant.
But if the odds were already in their favour, they would go right into it. They got to his office and even before they knocked, the door was opened for them as though they had been anticipating their arrival. The first thing they noticed when they got in was the bandage that sat on his head, was that why the club was weird? Had there been an attack while they were away? "We want to resign," Mia said simply. Cam nodded her head in agreement and they both looked back at him.
"We do not plan to owe you forever and we are ready to work out a way to pay you back. But it would not be by dancing for you. When we first came here, we just danced and you paid us, then you lured us into a pit of debt. And now, in order to pay you back, we have to leave," Mia said. The two girls held each other's arms for emotional support. They did not know how angry he would be. And to their surprise, the anger never came. "Okay, you may leave. Have your spaces cleared out in an hour at most, we need it for the new girls," he said.
That was all he said and then asked them to leave his office. They were worried about how things were going for them and were scared that he would maybe kill them before they got the chance to leave the building. With hesitation, they left his office and rushed to pack up their personal belongings, leaving behind everything that in one way or another belonged to the club and Big Pa. In twenty minutes, they were out the door and the eyes of all the dancers were on them.
They were getting ready to perform meanwhile Mia and Cam were walking away with two duffel bags. They were leaving the hell that they all thought was impossible to leave. Mia and Cam got into the car and sped off into the night with their hearts beating fast. Did they really do it? Had they just escaped Big Pa?