Ben

The sound of the ticking clock in this hollow room was driving me right mad. Goosebumps raised on my skin as I shivered from the excessively cold air conditioning. Uncomfortable is an understatement. A tank top, short skirt, fishnet pantyhose and heels isn’t the most comfortable attire. But that’s all I knew.

I had been there for what seemed like forever in that bland boring room without windows. There wasn't even that glass window thing you see in the TV shows. This was the room for witnesses. Or where they kick the shit out of people. I’m sure it could go either way.

I met Detective Wellington 2 years ago at The Royal, the strip club I have worked at for the last 10 years, when he began frequenting the club as a customer.

Kurt had befriended me as a regular patron and eventually worked his way into VIP status, gaining him access to the back rooms where all the illegal gambling, drugs, sex and trafficking took place.

About a month ago, Kurt approached me outside of work at a grocery store. I thought we had just run into each other by coincidence, but there by the eggs, he offered me something I couldn’t turn down.

The door opening interrupted my thoughts. I took a deep breath and saw Kurt and another gentleman. They gave me a cup of coffee and both sat down across the table from me. The warmth from the cup soothed my cold hands.

“Are you sure you’re ready to do this?” Kurt asked. All I could do was nod. Kurt pushed a document across the table towards me. My hand shook as I took the witness statement and gave it a read over. Once I was satisfied that it had all the needed detail, I signed it, sealing the fate of my former lover and boss, Antonio Cabrera.

“This is going to put him away for a long time.” The detective said.

“I hope so. He deserves to rot in hell.” I said nervously, sliding the document back to him.

“This is US Marshall Dave Linsky. He’s in charge of your relocation. I’ll leave you to it. Thanks for your help Whit, we’re going to get him because of you.” He knocked on the table twice with his knuckle and smiled at me before he turned to leave. Damn, he looked good. And I was really starting to like him too.

“Nice to meet you Whitney, or Mercedes?” This Dave character piped up. He was the stereotypical detective you see in the movies, tall, skinny, thinning hair and huge bags under his eyes. No wedding ring.

“Does it really matter what you call me? I’m neither of those women any more.” I mumbled, shifting my coffee cup between my hands.

“You’re right. You’re now Maeve and you’re moving to a small town in Georgia. Here’s your new identity. Keys to your new car, a cell phone, some money and I’ve arranged housing for you there, the info is in that envelope. Call me when you get to town and please take the long way, be mindful of your surroundings or anyone that may be following you.” I nodded, taking the envelope, but then I had to ask.

“Really? Maeve? What am I a fucking grandma?” I looked him up and down. I eat men like him for breakfast, they always drop to their knees for a woman like me. He snickered at my remark.

“No, but on paper, the name of Maeve Martin, you’d think little old lady wouldn’t you?” I shrugged. He wasn’t wrong. I'm just not fond of the fucking name. And now I had to live with it. At least they are sending me to a warm climate.

Luckily for me, moving across the country wouldn’t be too hard. I only had 4 boxes and two bags of my stuff. I changed into some comfortable clothes and headed to my new Toyota Corolla. Wasn’t the best but it was more than Tony ever gave me. I was literally starting over. Gone are the days of stripping and dating men for money. It was time for a change and I was happy to be moving on and putting that asshole in jail. For good.

A/N: Thank you for taking a chance on the second book I've ever written, Ben. I have a lot of room to grow as a writer so please keep that in mind while reading this book. One day I will make revisions to improve some of the story line. This story was sort of my practice writing to Simone's Story so there are some similarities, but overall the stories are very different. Enjoy!