Chapter 2 HER SISTER WAS GONE

It had been three days, and there was still no word from Rita or her captors, whoever they were.

Serena paced around her messy living room, contemplating what to do next. She hadn't gotten around to cleaning up the mess that was made in her house. There was barely any time for that. Between frequent trips to the police station and trying to find her sister herself, there was hardly any time for sanitation.

She had filed a missing person report at the police station the previous day, conveniently leaving out the part about the dead man, even though Ann had told her not to, so as not to upset Rita's kidnappers. But Serena still went ahead to file the report, hoping the police would be able to find Rita.

But they still hadn't found her sister. The police were convinced her sister had probably left town to go on an escapade or something like that, even though Serena tried to convince them otherwise.

When a knock came on her door, Serena almost ran to answer it, until she heard a very familiar voice.

"Seh-reee-na!" he called in a deep, slurred voice.

Drunk during the day. Typical! Serena thought as she unlocked the door. The strong stench of alcohol and body odor hit her nostrils. She could have sworn her eyes stung from the smell. "Mr. Mike, good morning," she forced the brightest smile she could muster.

It was the 20th already. Damn. She had promised to have her three months' rent ready by the 20th because she had hoped her one-night strip dancing gig would pay off.

The greasy, fat man crinkled his nose. "You look like hell," he said.

Coming from him, in his filthy overalls, worn-out shoes, and yellow teeth, Serena barely felt insulted. If it were anyone else, she would have stomped on their feet and slammed the door shut.

"So, where is it?" he asked.

"Where is what?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

"Don't act like a fool. You said you'd have my money today. So where is it?"

"I don't have it right now, but I will-"

"What the hell happened in my apartment?" he shrieked, his eyes fixed over Serena's shoulder.

Instinctively, she glanced briefly at the mess in her apartment. "Rita threw a party. I'll clean it up," she replied impatiently. She just wanted the man to leave already, so she could go back to thinking about how to find her sister.

"Rita sure is a wild card," he added. Something about the way he smiled disgusted Serena.

"I'll have your money ready soon." As soon as she found her sister, they would be out of this shitty apartment and in a different city, far away from here. But in the meantime, she still needed a place to hunker down.

"There are a lot of people dying to have a place as nice as this to live in. Now you've got it, and you're taking it for granted. I'd really hate to kick you and your sister out onto the streets."

Serena resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Nice place, indeed. This had to be the shittiest apartment ever, with rat-infested kitchens, smelly stairways, trash in the corridors, and loud drunks who always picked the middle of the night to fight and sing the national anthem.

But she wasn't going to tell him any of that, not until she was ready to leave the apartment. "I'll have your money soon."

He looked her over, his eyes pausing briefly at her exposed legs. Suddenly, she felt naked under his gaze. A small smile played on his chapped lips. "You're no Rita, but I can think of one way you can pay me," he ran his tongue over his lips.

If Serena had her way, she'd cut his tongue out and feed it to him for even suggesting such a thing. "I'll let you know when I have your money," she replied before slamming the door in his face. She could hear him cursing and calling out to her, but she'd be damned if she opened the door again.

She was so sick and tired of men trying to have their way with her, just because they were stronger than her or knew she had her back against the wall. If that stupid man at the club had kept his hands to himself, he would still be alive now, and she wouldn't be in this situation.

If only she knew the name of the dead man, she would at least have a hint as to who might have taken her sister. She was certain that whoever took her sister must be related to the dead guy.

Then a bad idea lit up her brain like a light bulb. The club manager certainly knew the name of the man since he was a VIP client. It was a terrible idea to show up at the club after killing someone and disappearing, but she was desperate.

Desperate enough to follow through with her crazy idea.

One of two things would happen once she got to the club: she'd either be killed and dumped in the sewage somewhere, or she'd find out who had her sister.