“I’m eighteen, Mom,” Caitlin protested vehemently. “I don’t need a… a babysitter!”
“Tiffany isn’t a babysitter,” Kendra said, trying to placate her daughter. “She’s to be your… companion. Or maybe your bodyguard.”
“Right!” Caitlin exclaimed sarcastically, rolling her eyes as only a teenager can. She pointed at a slender, attractive, dark-haired, young woman who was leaning against the refrigerator with her arms folded and a half-smile on her face. “Just look at her. What do you expect her to be able to do? Protect me from a vicious chihuahua? I’m bigger than she is! If we get attacked by a raving sex maniac, I’d be the one having to protect her. I know what her real job is. You want someone to report to you. You don’t trust me.”
“You’re right about that!” Kendra retorted angrily. “You’ve gotten yourself into so many scrapes over the last year that I’d be an idiot to trust you. I recognize, however, that you’re legally an adult, so there’s not much I can do to stop your escapades. Tiffany comes highly recommended. Her job is to keep you safe. Possibly to protect you from yourself.”
“I don’t need anyone to take care of me, Mom,” Caitlin said a bit less stridently. “I’m not completely stupid.”
“I know you’re not, Honey,” Kendra said, putting her arm around her daughter. “I worry about you. You can be reckless. Look at the way you’re dressed. You’ll attract all sorts of unsavory characters. You look like a hooker. Will you at least put on something a bit more… modest?”
“This is the way most of the girls dress,” Caitlin claimed. She was wearing tight, short shorts and a halter top that could’ve passed for a string bikini top. In contrast, Tiffany’s minidress looked almost grandmotherly.
After another several minutes of arguing Caitlin agreed to have Tiffany accompany her, but would continue to wear what she had on. As they left Kendra warned her daughter not to drink since she was below the legal drinking age. Once again Caitlin gave a major eyeroll.
The two young women were picked up in an SUV driven by a boy Caitlin introduced as Kevin. Also in the car was another girl, named Marcy. Tiffany was told to get in the front with Kevin. Marcy and Caitlin got in the back and put their heads together so they could talk over the deafening music.
“Why did you drag this bitch along?” Marcy asked.
“My mother made me,” Caitlin replied, again with an eyeroll. “If I agreed to bring her with us, Mom would stop giving me crap about what I’m wearing.”
“What’s wrong with what you have on?” Marcy asked. She herself was dressed in a tube top, which barely contained her heavy breasts, along with a micro-mini skirt that wasn’t much more than a belt.
“Mom said it makes me look like a hooker,” Caitlin said with a giggle. “The boys will like it even if she doesn’t.”
“Hey, do you think she’s over twenty-one?” Marcy asked, indicating Tiffany. “She looks a little older than we are. Maybe she’ll buy… stuff for us.”
“Not a chance in hell. She’s Mom’s spy. Rob told me he’s got some good stuff, and he’ll share if we let him… touch us. When we get to the club, I’ll see if I can ditch her.”
The car pulled into the parking lot of a nightclub. Kevin showed the doorman an id while at the same time handing him money. All were allowed to enter. The music was even louder than what’d been playing in the car. Kevin, Caitlin, and Marcy immediately began dancing. Tiffany sat at a small table adjacent to the dance floor.
It’s creepy the way she’s staring at me, Caitlin thought as she kept glancing over at Tiffany. Doesn’t she ever have to pee or something? I’ve got to get away from her.
Because she was concentrating on Tiffany, Caitlin bumped into a large, heavily-inked man who was wearing multiple chains. “Watch where you’re going bitch!” he snarled as he pushed her roughly to the floor. He pulled his leg back, evidently planning to kick her. Caitlin screamed and brought her arms up to protect her face. Suddenly the man was on the floor next to her.
Tiffany was holding the man’s leg. Although he must’ve been nearly double her weight, with little apparent effort Tiffany picked him up bodily and slammed him to the floor again. The breath whooshed out of him. She picked him a second time, slapped him across the face, said something to him Caitlin couldn’t hear, and pushed him away. Wide-eyed, the man looked back fearfully, and stumbled toward the door.
Holy crap! Caitlin thought. She’s unbelievably strong. She’s got her teeth bared like an animal! I can’t believe how scary she is right now. I’ve got goose-bumps all over my body. I’m glad she’s on my side.
“Thanks Tiffany,” Caitlin said, climbing to her feet. “That guy could’ve maimed me for life. I guess you really are a good bodyguard. I got to go to the ladies. Will you standout outside and guard the door?”
Caitlin grabbed Marcy’s arm and pulled her toward the restroom. Tiffany followed. They entered and Caitlin locked the door.
“Boost me up,” Caitlin said to Marcy. “I’ll go out the window. You tell Tiffany I’m super shook up and it’s upset my stomach, so I’m sitting on the throne. Say I’ll probably be there a while. Then come around and meet me outside. We’ll get an Uber to Rob’s place.”
Marcy agreed. The window was about six feet above the floor. It was small, but Caitlin figured she could wriggle through. Using Marcy’s cupped hands as a stirrup, Caitlin pulled herself up, unlatched the window, and started through, face first. Oh my God, she thought. What if I fall and land on my head? Maybe I can brace myself against the wall and flip over onto my feet.
“Keep coming,” a voice said below her. “I’ll catch you so you don’t get hurt.”
Caitlin looked down, and there was Tiffany, standing with her arms outstretched and a big grin on her face.
***
“Why does she have to go to the restaurant with us?” Caitlin asked in a whiney, petulant voice. “Do you think someone is going to attack us at the dinner table? I’ll be with you and Dad.”
“A business associate of your father will be there,” Kendra replied. “This will be a working meal. You won’t want to stay for that part. Afterwards you’ll be going to Marcy’s house. Your father wants Tiffany to go with you.”
“It would be nice if you didn’t always treat me like a little kid.”
“When you start acting more like a responsible adult, I will. At least wear something more appropriate for an upscale place.”
Caitlin and her parents arrived at the restaurant. Caitlin was wearing a backless minidress. Tiffany met them at the door. The maître d led them to a table at which two men were already seated. One of them was slender and dapper looking. The other was heavyset and thuggish. Caitlin, walking slightly behind Tiffany, saw her stiffen and stare at the slender man.
“Do you know that guy?” Caitlin asked, sotto voce.
“I’ve never met him, but I know who he is. His name is Victor Popov. He’s the chief lieutenant to Boris Sokolov, a Russian mobster. Your father does business with him?”
“He must or he wouldn’t be here. I don’t know much about what my Dad does. It’s weird. My parents are divorced but they work together.”
There was little conversation during the meal. After the entrees were finished, the heavyset man, who was never introduced, got up, walked around behind Caitlin, and began to massage her bare shoulders. She gulped.
“My associate would like to have a tete-a-tete with your daughter,” Popov said with a nasty grin. “Perhaps the young people could go off and… amuse themselves while the adults discuss business.”
Oh my God! Caitlin thought. Am I going to be forced to have sex with this creep? Or maybe I’ll just be essentially held hostage so my Dad does what they want.
Suddenly the pressure on her shoulders was gone. Caitlin turned her head and saw the large man stagger back. Tiffany, standing between Caitlin and the man, said, “Hands to yourself fat-stuff.”
The man growled and reached inside his jacket. Caitlin gasped as she saw a gun. But before he could draw it, Tiffany was on him. She grasped his arm and twisted it up behind his back in a hammerlock, forcing him to double over.
The restaurant manager hustled over and said, “Is there a problem here?”
“No problem,” Popov said, smoothly. “A slight misunderstanding is all. Anatoli was just trying to be friendly. Why don’t we all take our seats.”
“I think Caitlin and I have had enough,” Tiffany said as she pulled back the girl’s chair and helped her rise. “Let’s go. You have that party you want to get to.”
As they walked away, in a thick Russian accent, Anatoli barked, “You have not seen the last of me. I will get you for this.”
“Does he worry you at all?” Caitlin asked. “He’s a hoodlum, and now he’s after you.”
“He’ll have to get in line,” Tiffany replied.
***
Caitlin and Tiffany arrived at Marcy’s house. Her parents were away. People were everywhere. The smells of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana pervaded the air. Half-eaten slices of pizza were lying around.
As they walked into the living room Caitlin spotted her arch-enemy, Johanna. Why did Marcy invite that bitch? Caitlin thought. She knows I can’t stand her. There she is, dancing a slow dance with my ex. Christ, the way they’re rubbing against each other, they’re practically screwing. But maybe this is good. I have an idea.
Caitlin walked over and bumped into Johanna and her partner causing them to stagger. “Watch what you’re doing, you fat slut,” Caitlin yelled. She pushed Johanna, who was already a little off balance. That caused her to fall on her backside. Caitlin laughed derisively and said loudly, “Good thing you have such a big ass. It kept you from getting hurt. Is it true the only reason boys go out with you is because you give such great head? That’s what a couple of them told me. One of them said your nickname is the whore of Babylon.”
As the insults poured out of Caitlin’s mouth, Johanna scrambled to feet, placed herself inches from her tormentor, and screamed, “Shut up Caitlin. You’re just jealous because he dumped you to be with me.”
Caitlin slapped Johanna twice and yelled back, “You’ve got it wrong, hippopotamus hips. I’m the one who dumped him!”
Johanna’s nostrils flared in anger. She slugged Caitlin in the face with her fist, catching her square on the nose. Blood spurted. Caitlin called out, “Help me, Tiffany!”
Johanna continued to pummel her antagonist, using both hands. Caitlin fell on her back with Johanna on top of her. Everyone else in the room encircled the two girls, but nobody tried to intervene. It wasn’t until Johanna’s thumbs headed for Caitlin’s eyes that Tiffany stepped forward and lifted the other girl away. Johanna struggled briefly, to no avail.
Tiffany said, “I think it would be best if you were to leave now.” Johanna nodded, took her boyfriend by the hand, and walked away.
Caitlin lay on the floor wailing. She had a bloody nose, a split lip, and scratches on her face and torso. Her dress was in shreds, exposing her breasts. Tiffany lifted her up, asked Marcy if she had a shirt and shorts Caitlin could borrow, led her charge to a bathroom, and helped her get cleaned up.
“You’re supposed to be my bodyguard,” Caitlin said, accusingly. “Why did you let her beat me down like that? Christ, it looks like I’m getting a shiner too. I hate you! I never want to see you again! I’m going to tell my Mom to fire you!”
“If that’s what you want, fine. In case you’re interested, I didn’t intervene until she went for your eyes. Your other injuries will heal. You started the fight. You’re angry because she took your boyfriend away from you…”
“She didn’t take him away,” Caitlin interrupted. “I dumped him first!”
“Whatever. It doesn’t matter what the actual case is. You didn’t like the fact he was with her. You goaded her into attacking you because you expected me to whale on her for you. When you grow up…”
“I’m eighteen,” Caitlin protested. “I’m an adult!”
“When you grow up mentally, if you ever do, you’ll learn that actions have consequences. I’ll see that you get to your mother’s apartment safely.”
***
Without saying a word Caitlin got out of the Uber. As the door to the building closed behind her, she thought, I look like a total freak. It’ll be days before I can show my face again. My Mom will go bananas when she sees me. I’ll tell her it was all Tiffany’s fault.
Caitlin took the elevator to the tenth floor. She entered the apartment and called out, “Mom, I’m home. I know it’s earlier than you expected. Marcy, the bitch, invited that slut Johanna…”
Caitlin entered the kitchen and stopped speaking. Her mouth fell open. Her parents were both there, secured to chairs. Her mother looked terrified. Her father was slumped over, weeping. His clothes were ripped. Clearly, he’d been beaten. There were cigarette burns on his chest. He had two black eyes and an obviously broken nose. In the room were the two men who’d been at dinner with them plus two other men.
One of the new men grinned humorlessly and, with a Russian accent, said, “Well, well, well, look who we have here. You must be the hot little daughter I was told about. Although you do not look so hot right now. But I am sure Anatoli will still be more than happy to pleasure himself with you. It will be worse for you if your father does not give me what I want. By the way, I am Boris Sokolov. Your father was supposed to invest some money for me. It seems that he misplaced or lost it. Maybe he will be more forthcoming when he sees what happens to his little girl.”
“No, please don’t,” her father said through his tears. “I don’t have your money, but I swear I’ll get it for you. Just give me a little time.”
“Yes, I am sure you will,” Sokolov said. “But you must be taught a lesson first. Anatoli?”
With a broad grin Anatoli clutched Caitlin’s arm and said, “First you take off clothes.”
Caitlin shrank back, but could not get away from him. He laughed and used his other hand to grab hold of the tee-shirt she’d borrowed from Marcy. Just as he started to rip it off, Tiffany appeared behind him, grasped his head in both hands, and twisted violently. The snap of his spinal cord breaking could be clearly heard.
Popov pulled out a gun and fired. Tiffany, bringing Caitlin with her, hit the deck, but Popov’s bullet grazed her left arm. Moving so fast she was almost a blur, Tiffany scrambled for the doorway. Popov fired twice more. At least one of his shots must’ve hit because Caitlin heard a shriek.
Sokolov gestured at Popov and the other man, yelling, “Go after her. Bring her or her body back here.” Then he took out his own gun and said, “This has gone far enough. Your minion has already cost me one of my men. I will see to it that at least one of you suffers the same fate.”
Caitlin heard several shots, followed by a man yelling, “Where did that thing come from? When I shoot it, it doesn’t stop!” Then came an ear-splitting scream with someone crying, “No, no, n…” His words were abruptly cut off. More shots along with the sound of scuffling.
In spite of her terror, curiosity got the better of Caitlin. She crawled to the doorway of the kitchen and peeked around the corner. Popov lay motionless on the floor. He appeared to have been disemboweled. The other man was wrestling with some kind of creature. It was tawny with black spots. Holy moly! Is that a leopard? How the hell could a leopard get in here? Then the man fighting with the creature fired another shot. It hit the doorframe just above her head. She ducked back into the kitchen.
A blood-curdling screech followed, and was abruptly cut off. Sokolov, frowning, started toward the doorway. A naked, blood-covered Tiffany appeared wielding a gun. Sokolov raised his gun, but Tiffany was faster. She put three slugs into his chest.
“My God, you’re hurt,” Caitlin said. “Is it bad? Should we call for an ambulance?”
“I’m fine,” Tiffany replied. “I’ve got a few superficial wounds. Most of the blood isn’t mine.”
“Where are the other guys?”
“They’re… deceased.”
“Not that I’m not glad you’re here,” Kendra said, “But where did you come from? The doorman would’ve called up if you tried to enter through the front door.”
“I came up the fire escape.”
“Ten stories? How would you even know to do that? Why are you naked?”
“I got to the restaurant before you,” Tiffany replied, ignoring the last question. “I saw Popov and his man arrive in a limo. The same limo was parked around the corner. I thought I better get up here in a way that didn’t announce my presence. Do you mind if I use your shower?”
“Considering that you just saved all of us, no I don’t mind,” Kendra replied with a chuckle. She pointed. “Second door on the left. The first door is the linen closet.”