Back to the present

And now I'm here. In jail, talking to a man who has yet to introduce himself. A fact that was starting to worry me.

The man must see me lost in my thoughts and clicks his fingers. "But I'm here to help you."

"What?" That was not a sentence I was expecting. "You are here to... to help me?"

He offers his large, calloused hand." My name is Gabriel."

I try to smile, but my heart isn't in it. "I'm Preeti."

"I know who you are."

"Are you a lawyer?"

"No."

My heart darkens as it sinks deeper than ever before. "Oh…"

"As my biblical name suggests." He crosses his large muscular arms. "I'm here to guide and protect you."

"Erm… What?"

"I'm here to give you a second chance."

"Seriously?"

Daniel's voice is layered with concern. Like me, he's obviously not convinced by Gabriel. "Gabriel."

"Call me Gabi."

"Gabi. If you're not a lawyer. Explain how you can get us out of here. I mean, we're in the shit."

"The Captain here is a good friend. He always lets me know when he comes across people my boss might be interested in."

"Interesting people?"

"Preeti. Not you."

"Oh.” Dan looks crestfallen, and gazes forlornly at his shoes. “Right."

"The business I work for has many departments. My department is recruitment. Mainly women."

It suddenly dawns on me that Gabriel is more a demon than an angel. "What kind of work? I guess it's not office assistants you're looking for, is it, Gabi?"

"You'll be working mainly with the tools you were born with. "

"Ah, I see." I now understand that my nightmare keeps escalating. The shit storm just keeps rolling.

Dan sounds distraught. “You mean sex work?"

"Yes. In all its forms."

Dan turns to me. "Preeti?"

"What choice do I have, Dan? Feel free to come up with something better."

He runs his free hand through his brown hair. "Fuck sake."

"What do you mean by all forms , Gabi?"

I can see pride all over Gabriel's face. Like a father talking about his son's achievements, he talks wide-eyed and smiling as he tells me about his empire. "We run the Red-Light districts in Bucharest and Cluj. But we also have Chisinau in Moldova. So, everything you can dare to think of. Studios, fetish clubs, right down to brothels and street girls." He finally adds with a wry smile and a shrug of his heavy shoulders. "Prove a shit whore. We can always use you as a **** mule."

I feel myself shake. I have always considered myself strong. A confident woman who stands up for equality and the rights of women. But I've never been so terrified. Dan is the only man I have ever been with, so Gabriel and his plan revile me. "What kind of archangel are you? I didn't know there was a Patron Saint of Perverts and Pimps."

"I am the only man who wants to help you. Making me your only option."

"I'm too old for such work, anyway. Look at me."

Gabi takes in my figure with a critical stare and nods. "Granted, you're older than most of the women who work for me, soft in the middle, and your tits are small. But nothing we can't work with." Gabi drags on his cigarette while he contemplates what I said. "But like the Captain told me, you're different to most the women 'round here. You're Indian." He shrugs his heavy shoulders. "Plus, I'm good at marketing. I'll find the right clients for you."

I want to scream and run. But I have nowhere to go, so I rely on my only remaining weapon. My intelligence. "I'm much, much more valuable than a hooker."

"Are you questioning me?"

Dan suddenly chirps up. "Yeah. You should listen to Preeti. Everything she touches turns to gold. She's a business guru. You should let her run one of your enterprises."

"She'll have to earn her right first. Work from the bottom up."

I don't let Gabriel deter me. "My IQ is 140, and I turned around a failing bank. Came from little but was a millionaire by thirty."

"You were drunk at the wheel of a car that ran a man down, leaving him to die alone in the dark. You're nothing special in my eyes."

"True, But..." I wasn't finished yet. "I can grow the business. Fuck, I'm strait-laced, but I know plenty of people who aren't. I have contacts in London. Take me to your boss. Trust me; you won't regret it. We'll go international."

"You need to prove your worth first." Gabriel glances at his gold-plated wristwatch. "Anyway. I need to move. So, here's the deal." He stubs out the cigarette on the tile and flicks the filter into the toilet. "I can purchase you from the Captain for $20,000. You need to earn me that back plus another $100,000 before we consider letting you go."

I suddenly felt an opportunity. "You want money? I can wire you the money. Give me my smartphone, and I can wire £120,000 right now."

"That's not the point, Preeti."

"Give me forty-eight hours, and I can wire you double that. I promise."

Gabriel shakes his head, and gazes up at the mildew-dotted ceiling. "You need to work off your sin. You can't buy yourself back into heaven, or whatever it is you Hindus call it." He grabs me by my chin and looks at me point-blank "No, you have to work your way out of hell."

"Surely I should be working good deeds rather than bad."

"The idea is you have to suffer, so you once again truly appreciate the goodness in life."

"What about Daniel?"

The Captain barks. "He stays in prison for assaulting my office."

Gabriel speaks in Romanian to the Captain. They don't seem to agree at first, but eventually, the Captain nods.

Gabriel slaps the shoulder of Captain and laughs. He turns and meets my eyes. "If you accept my offer, work hard, and don't disappoint. Daniel will be under my protection."

I look at Daniel. "What do you think?"

"I don't think it's my decision to make. You were at the wheel."

His words hurt me because they're true.

I chew my lower lip and shift the weight from one foot to the other, thinking and playing for time in equal measure. I close my eyes and pray.

Looking at Gabriel, I ask, "How long will I be in servitude?”

“Servitude?” Gabriel seems confused by the word. “If you mean how long you’ll be a whore, my top girls will earn that in about a year. It might take you a little longer.”

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“I am a man of my word. I will be open and honest with you. But let me down...” He wags his heavily gold ringed finger at my face. “Just once, you’ll never let me down a second time.”

I offer my hand to Gabi. "You have a deal."

A crack of thunder causes me to jump. The air instantly cools to the sound of heavy rain. Gabriel’s meaty face widens with a sinister smile. “Good .”