7 Chapter 7: Welcome

"No way in hell."

I cross my arms and stiffen my legs.

"What?! Why not, it's cute."

"No es que no me guste, es demasiado ... demasiado revelador."

"¿Qué es tan revelador al respecto? Creo que te parecería increíble teniendo en cuenta que tu figura es literalmente perfecta."

"Eres tan amable, Lina. Lo pondré solo para ti, ¿de acuerdo?"

She hands me the outfit,

"Ah gracias chica. You'll look lovely in it."

I put on the clothes and she smiles. Her presence makes me feel calmer than usual. She's so sweet and wise for her age.

"So,"

I spin around,

"How do I look, Lina?"

She claps her hands excitedly.

"You look like a Princesa!"

"Thanks,"

I walk towards the door,

"I should go find Ricky, i'm sure he's tired of waiting. Bye Lina, and thanks again."

She waves me goodbye and I walk down the stairs and Ricky's waiting for me in the parlor.

"Look who finally decides to sh-"

He takes his gaze off his phone and looks at me,

"Wow, you look good, Zero."

I smile,

"Thank you. Shall we go?"

He opens the door for me and there's an all black tinted suv waiting for us. He opens the door for me and I slide inside the car.

"¿Quién es la chica del buen culo? ¿Es tuya o puedo hacer tapping?"

The other man in the front seat laughs at his joke but not Ricky. Just as he is about to say something, I hold my hand out.

"Mi nombre es Zero, imbécil, y no pertenezco a nadie aquí."

"Ah, so you speak Spanish huh? Good, but what the hell kinda name is that?"

"It's my name."

"Okay you two, enough of this. We gotta leave now or we'll be late."

***

We walk into a giant ballroom and it's so beautiful. The room is dim, but it fits the mood. Soft jazz is playing in the background and several people are mingling.

"Wow, this is so...wow."

Ricky chuckles,

"That's on way to put it."

He grabs my waist and pulls me closer to him.

"Remember, we're dating. Make it look believable."

I link arms with him,

"Like this?"

"Perfect. Now let's introduce you to everyone."

He starts to make his way towards a stage and grabs the microphone.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I'm happy to see that the Red Spiders are still looking as great as ever."

He crowd laughs at his joke.

"Now we all know that the annual event we have is always special, but this one,"

He takes my hand in his,

"This one is extra special. This lovely young woman right here is not only our newest member, but the woman made just for me."

The audience applauses and cheers and he hands me the microphone.

"Go ahead and introduce yourself."

He whispers in my ear.

"Hello everyone. I am Zero and i'm honored to be here this evening. I look forward to meeting all of you personally."

I give them a fake smile and they clap. I give the mic back to Ricky.

"Well people, let's get this part started!"

Loud music starts blasting and the nights start to change color.

Ricky pulls me off the stage and into a small dark room. Once my eyes adjust, I see that it's clearly some sort of v.i.p. room.

"Take a seat Zero. I'll be in the hall waiting for you to finish."

I do as he says and take a seat on the red leather couch. A man walks in but his face is covered.

"So, you're the new recrut?"

He walks around me.

"You're by far the most attractive woman to join us. I'm sure the other women must hate you already."

I don't say anything. I try to remember his voice and the structure of his body, I look for tattoos or piercings or something that'll help me distinguish him from anybody else.

"Tell me Zero, how'd you find out about us?"

He puts his cold hand on my shoulder but I don't make any sudden moves.

"Though Ricky. He said he was serious about our relationship and that if I was too, I had to become apart of the gang."

He moves his hands lower. I want nothing more than to shove my blade in his neck, but I keep my calm.

"Interesting, how long have you two been together Ms. Zero?"

I can't take this anymore, I slap his hand off of me.

"We'll be a year next month."

His laugh makes my skin crawl.

'This fucking creep.'

"Alright, then. Bring him in."

One of his bodyguards opens the door and Ricky staggers in. His lip is busted and his face is bruised. I instantly run to him.

"Ricky?! What the hell happened to you?!"

He coughs up blood.

"That's not him Zero, kill him."

I lie him on the couch and look at the man in front of me. Without thinking, I attack him. I don't have any weapons, just my luck. I grab his neck and break it. His body hits the floor with a loud thud.

His other bodyguards pull out their guns and i'm surrounded.

"Before you try to kill me, can I make myself a little bit more comfortable?"

The look at each other with confused glances. The one in the middle shrugs.

"I guess."

I rip the bottom of my dress off so that my legs are exposed and then the top. I'm now standing in a small dark room filled with men who want to kill me while i'm in nothing but a pair of shorts and a tight sports bra.

"Let's do this."

I kick the gun out of the mans hand and the others shoot. I grab the closest one and use him as a shield. I grab the gun off the floor and fire three shots; each bullet hitting their mark.

"Wow, what a show."

I look back at Ricky who's holding his side and still coughing up blood.

"Ah shit, we gotta go."

I pull him up and take him out though a door I noticed when I first walked in.

"Hang in there Ricky, i'll get you to Selena."

The same black car we arrived in is still parked out front. I open the car door and put Ricky inside.

"Start the car! Ricky's hurt!"

He listens and we start to speed down the road.

'Damnit Ricky, what the hell's going on?'