"I thought part of the reason we bothered to give you any part of what we made was so you'd be there to stop this kinda thing from happening!" Imp was fuming at Jack, who was pacing like a caged tiger in the small apartment the next morning.
She watched him moving back and forth, trying to decide if he was angry with her, or with himself, as Lia tried to figure out if anything was broken under the bruises. She winced as the brunette poked and prodded at all of the wrong bits, and then again when Jack spun around, leveling a glare at Imp.
"If she hadn't been such an idiot, this wouldn't've happened. She wouldn't have gone off with them, and she'd be fine. But no. Head in the clouds, off she wandered, and now look at her. It's a damn lesson, to all of you. Learn to be a bit more careful." Of course Jack wouldn't take any responsibility for having failed to protect her. Even if he'd been anywhere near her when she'd gone with that pack of mill workers, it wouldn't have made any difference. He would have let her go, dollar signs in his eyes.
She cleared her throat, shaking her head at Imp in an effort to shut the other girl up. "It was my fault for bein careless, Imp. Don't yell at Jack about it." About to say more, she hissed when Lia gently prodded at her cheek. "Ow, Lia! It's a damn bruise, alright? Just leave it be. I'll cover it up, somehow."
"You'd need a veil to cover that up." Hazel drawled slightly from where she was sprawled at the tiny kitchen table, her feet resting on the edge of it, chair leaning back dangerously. Even from across the room, she could smell the whiskey on the other girl, enough to make her a little bit sick.
"I know that, but no one'll really care. It's dark anyway." She tried to force a smile, mostly for Whisp's benefit. The younger girl was curled up on her bed in the corner, looking deeply concerned about everything that was happening.
"Damn straight it doesn't matter." Jack had finally stopped pacing, although he was almost glowing with barely contained frustration and anger. He pushed Lia out of the way in order to grab her arm, jerking her to her feet, and shoving her, roughly, towards the door. "In fact, unless you want to start gettin behind, you should get your stupid, lazy ass out there right now, Goldilocks."
She stumbled, catching herself against the door, casting a pleading look in his direction. "It's the middle of the damn day, Jack. No one picks up a girl this time of day. Not off the street."
She cringed back when he stormed towards her, his fingers catching her chin, jerking her face up. "Then find yourself a bar, and get hustlin. I don't want to see your ugly face unless you're begging me to have you, or bringing me money, and even then, it had damn well better be when no one else is around. Never, ever talk to me in front of anyone either of us knows, ever again, Goldilocks. We clear?" He let go of her chin with a bit of a jerk, and she quickly turned her face to the side, waiting for him to hit her.
When he didn't, she nodded, quickly, her voice small. "Yeah, we're clear, Jack." Even without seeing them, she felt as though his eyes were boring into her for a long moment, down to her soul, studying every flaw of her personality, every weakness, every fault, as though learning how to use them all against her, how best to make her bend to his will, do what he wanted her to do.
And then, abruptly, he turned his glare on the rest of the room, narrowing his eyes at each of the other girls in turn. "Same goes for all of you. No more dragging me here in the middle of the damn day. I'm already gonna get shit for being here at all. Last thing I really need is everyone thinking I have anything to do with girls like you."
With trash like them, was what he was saying. Their money was good enough, but he didn't want the filth of how they made it clinging to him. It made sense, on some horrible level- he still had a life, a real life, with real potential. He might still make something of himself, if he tried. They, on the other hand, were going nowhere.
Before any of the other girls could comment, or argue, she grabbed his sleeve, bringing his attention back onto herself, forcing a smile onto her lips. "Yeah, we get it, Jack. We all get it. Right?" She gave the others a frantic sort of pleading look, and got a chorus of mumbled agreement in reply.
It seemed to pacify him, and he turned back to look at her properly, a sneering smirk crossing his face. He caught her chin again, leaning down to brush his lips against her ear. "Six o'clock, in the alley next to Irvin Hall. I want you to have what you made last night, and today. Oh, and...expect to spend a bit of time on your knees."
She was almost shaking when he pulled away, the dark in his eyes somehow making it worse as he pushed her, carelessly out of the way so he could get past her through the door, slamming it shut behind him. Disgustingly, she was actually flushing, as though what he'd asked her to do was a date, and not a time and place for him to pick up his money and enjoy his wares.
She brushed off Lia's questions and concerns, and with a sigh, in spite of being exhausted, she followed him out the door. She wasn't going to make all that much, with the sun brightly shining down on her, exposing every bruise and imperfection, but apparently, it was her job to try.
