Chapter 1
The pawnshop was littered with all sorts of items from gold wedding band to original million dollar paintings from famous painters like Vincent van Gogh. Probably fake but Bridget’s untrained eyes widened in wonder looking at the amazing artistry.
The pawn shop attendant eyed the skinny brunette wearing huge black sunglasses and ridiculously red lipstick wearily. He knew her type normally coming to pawn something useless just to get by or stolen, the world had gone to shit and business was booming for him so he never did mind but he hated wasting his time .
“Okay dearie ,show me what you got for me “ He asked the jittery thing wanting to be done quickly so he could go back to inspecting the shipment he just got from up north .
“Can I show you in the back?” Her raspy voice asked .
Rolling his beady eyes the man showed her behind to a long wooden table with lenses and brushes very meticulously arranged on it the light was bright and harsh.
“Hurry up I haven’t got all day!” The man impatiently asked before his mouth hit the floor at what she held . A pure gold diamond encrusted jade egg sat in her satchel wrapped with a scarf . The man delicately took it placing it on his tables and taking his lenses to better see whether it was a legit item .
Bridget cautiously looked at her surroundings expecting the Meridianam men to barge in and shoot her in the face any minute. A bit of anxiety could be seen in how she stood hugging the now empty back to her abdomen and eyes shifting behind the glasses.
“How much? “She asked in the fake accent she’d taught herself from old movies the previous night .It was mix of Russian and French and she sounded ridiculous.
“25 million marks no questions asked. 50 Million With questions! “He eyed suspiciously
“OH come on Mr. you know it’s worth at least 100million.”
“Yeah but it isn’t yours to pawn and I’ll be taking a very big risk!”
“30m then? a fair trade and no questions asked “
“Sure girly … I assume you want it in cash?”
“Yes please kind sir “She replied losing her imposed accent and smiling widely . This could actually work.
………
That is how Bridget brown found herself thirty million marks richer , now seated at the train station wearing a blond wig and black lipstick she looked like a totally different girl now in her really short skirt and crop top , You could mistake her for just a skank and not the mastermind she was . She’d gotten five train tickets all of them 3rd class for different locations to distract the trail of men who were probably turning her tiny apartment upside down as she breathed waiting for the last train at 12:00noon the station was busy enough that she didn’t stand out . The last of the decoy tickets now stamped she headed to the less crowded terminus for The Dytika west territory of the continent.
It was one of the more organized states of the godforsaken continent and had a functioning government that just happened to be the west mafia. Her mind had not thought too far ahead for fear of overwhelming g herself and missing a small detail that would end her up on a torturous table getting skinned alive.
Her elaborate plan was written in her pretty little head as follows:
Get cash
Get train
Get brand removed
Get out
The plan was going exactly as planned as she sat in her seat at the back of the train with the rest of the poor people only she wasn’t poor anymore . The small device she’d gotten from a tattoo parlor to remove the swirling SM that marked her as the property of the south mafia .She wasn’t sure it would work but she’d paid a pretty penny for it.
…..
The bathroom was smelly and wet, but it would do . You couldn’t exactly remove a brand in front of strangers, one of them could be a stratiotis (soldier) of the south. The device whirled and burnt and she had to hold herself against the heavily Cali graphed wall biting her lip to stop from crying out and causing unnecessary attention her way . Thirty minutes later and fifty angry knocks from commuters she came out of the bathroom keeping her head down. The brand was now a pink bruise from the heat of the device that would fade, light scaring could be expected but it was the best she could do .
Arriving at Memphis the last town before you crossed into the far west territory she alighted and headed off to get herself a new look, The spa was just the place to start getting her hair colored stark blonde and getting brand new clothes a modest suitcase and a very very expensive engagement ring and a first-class plane ticket to Yorkshire, she became the future Mrs. Darwin a common name in Yorkshire according to the few articles she could find online.
The flight agent had stopped all the questions on identity when she’d pulled out a wad of money, she’d even asked if she would like to alight at a small airport that was more private only at an extra a hundred grand.
Now Bree Darwin was landing in her future home and refuge and a sense of disbelief that she had made it out .She was out. She had no paper trail only hearsay of people that will all describe different women and she’d have about two months minimum before the disorganization that was the south mafia narrowed down her location more than enough time to have made plan B.
She was almost breathless as she sat in the cab on her way to the double tree a hotel whose brochure said it was located within the central business district, perfect place to learn more of the new state and its laws and powerhouses.
