Whispers of Refuge Box Set

CHAPTER 41

CHAPTER 41

Several years later

She clicked up to the front desk, precariously balanced on her high heels. The man behind the counter raised his head from his computer screen. His eyes went first to her face but then traveled quickly to her business suit and designer handbag. He curled up his lips. “How may we help you today?” He laid both hands in front of him and sat perfectly still.

She looked around and appraised the double chandeliers, the large mirror hanging in its ornate mahogany frame, the hand-designed rugs splayed out for all to see. Once satisfied, she nodded at the proprietor and extended her card. “I am the president of Morning Pleasures. We plan and promote parties for some of the most prominent local businessmen, whose tastes extend to the ... more delicate members of the hotel district.” She didn’t give him time to respond. “I’d like to hire thirty of your girls for a gathering this Saturday evening at the Glorious Dynasty Hotel. You’re familiar with the venue, I presume?”

The proprietor nearly dropped the credentials she handed him. She smiled and tapped a perfectly-manicured fingernail on the marble countertop. “I’ve been told you have a wide selection of girls in the following age ranges.” She turned the card over, pointing with her blood-red fingertip. The man coughed once and cleared his throat. She raised an eyebrow. “I assume you have what we’re looking for.”

He scratched at his neck, which had reddened against the white starchiness of his shirt, and dabbed his forehead with a pocket handkerchief. “Of course, we have just what you need. Shall we choose the girls for you, or do you want to select them yourself?”

She raised her chin until she was staring down slightly at the balding manager. “At Morning Pleasures parties, we guarantee each patron receives nothing but one-hundred-percent satisfaction.” She leaned forward as she said the last word. “We don’t leave anything up to chance. We examine each girl and personally ensure she is the proper fit for our clients’ needs.”

The man reached into a desk drawer, fumbled with a key, and hustled around the counter. “In that case, if you’d be so kind as to follow me, I’ll introduce you to our young ladies right now. If ... if now is quite convenient.”

In her heels, she stood several centimeters taller than he. “Quite.” She followed him to a winding staircase, and the clicking echoes of her footsteps sounded off the gaudy wallpaper.

***

“Hold still,” Sang-Hee admonished as she brushed her little sister’s hair. Girls were scattered across the large dormitory like rags tossed haphazardly into an open bin. Some rested on flimsy cots. Others sat looking out of the only window, huddled together to share the tiny view. A few sat in a corner playing marbles, using earrings instead of balls. In the opposite corner, two girls argued over a doll made of rolled-up fabric.

When the door flung open, the chattering stopped and was replaced by the sound of rushing feet and rustling cloth. Sang-Hee picked up her sister and hurried her along with the others. “It’s all right,” she whispered. When she reached the line-up, she propped Min on her crooked feet and leaned her against the wall. The girls each stood in their proper places, their arms at their sides, except for the one who had forgotten to put down the doll, which she hid behind her back. Sang-Hee hoped the innkeeper wouldn’t notice.

He marched in as proud as a peacock, followed by a lady, a very rich one. She had thick hair the color of starless midnight and wore a tailored suit made of stiff maroon fabric that didn’t wrinkle when she walked. Her shoes sparkled subtly and made her even taller than the innkeeper. She entered the room with a severe frown. Sang-Hee instinctively put one leg in front of Min’s, both to help her sister withstand the weight on her crippled feet and to shield her from the woman’s attention.

Without waiting for the innkeeper to invite her, the woman strode to the start of the line and inspected each girl in turn. Every so often, she’d instruct one of the girls to open her mouth or turn around. She examined several heads of hair and cleared her throat more than once. When she got to little Min, she leaned over. “What is your name?” Her voice was distant, almost bored.

Sang-Hee trembled inwardly. “She doesn’t talk, ma’am.” She stared at the woman’s spiked heels.

“Silence,” the innkeeper roared. Sang-Hee squeezed Min’s quivering hand.

The woman straightened up and tilted her chin toward Sang-Hee. “And you are?”

“Her sister, ma’am. I mean, adopted sister.” The word tore at her throat. She shut her eyes for a moment. “I just help take care of her.”

The innkeeper had closed the distance between himself and his client, and he placed a hand on the woman’s waist and led her further down the line. “A speechless i***t,” Sang-Hee heard him mumble.

She held tight to her sister with one hand and dug her fingernails into the palm of the other. Once the innkeeper passed by, she leaned toward Min and whispered that old, familiar lie she had long ago ceased to believe:

“Everything’s going to be all right.”

***

The innkeeper’s pen scurried to record her selections as Mee-Kyong singled out the girls. “That one there, with the short hair and freckles.” She despised this part of the job, having to make such snap-second choices, but she refused to show any indecisiveness. “The one next to her who’s trying to hide that little dolly behind her back.” She thought, as she did every now and then, about the promise she made to Benjamin to never return to the hotel district. Well, at least she was on the right side of the industry now. She adjusted one of her dangling ruby earrings, a gift from a generous benefactor.

“Her. In the white blouse.”

The innkeeper grunted his assent. Mee-Kyong crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one hip. She studied the small one with the mangled feet. The older girl beside her put a defensive arm across the cripple’s chest. “I’ll take the silent one, too.” She hadn’t spoken very loudly, but the teenager visibly tensed. Mee-Kyong scrutinized her next. She hardly ever requested anybody that old. The teen met her stare, and Mee-Kyong shrugged her shoulders. “I’ll take the older one with her, too. The sister.”

“Adopted sister,” the innkeeper corrected.

“Just put her name on the list,” she snapped and continued to scan the line of children.

***

The innkeeper tried not to let his excitement bleed through his words. Assuming the woman’s finances cleared, this would be his biggest deal of the year. “You’re sure that this will be enough girls to meet your client’s needs?” He licked his top lip as he left the children to their lazy leisure time and walked down the winding staircase.

She ignored his question. “The girl with the crippled legs ... what’s wrong with her?”

“Ahhh, the idiot.” The manager smiled. “Yes, some might turn away from the sight of a deformed beast like that. But I see you know your business well.” He turned and added conspiratorially, “Of course, many show preferences for such ... creatures.”

The woman cleared her throat. “How much assistance does the cripple require?”

“Just help walking, just help walking,” the innkeeper hastened to explain. “The rest ... well, you know. Her customers always leave quite content,” he added when he noted the woman’s severe scowl. The expression didn’t change, so he quickly continued. “I assure you that all our girls will surpass your guests’ expectations. They are well-trained, willing to oblige.” He realized he was rambling, but he couldn’t stop himself. “As you can see,” he prattled, gesticulating with both hands, “we keep our girls clean. Clean and well-kempt. Not like other establishments in the hotel district.”

The president of Morning Pleasures gave a curt nod and interrupted his jabber. “They’re adequate.” Disgust dripped from the word.

She was several paces ahead, and he scurried to catch up. “It’s early in the day still, you see. They’re tired. They work best at night, of course. You won’t be disappointed at all, I assure you.”

She didn’t slow her pace. “I’ll judge their quality when my client is satisfied. Before that, we have your fee to discuss.”

The proprietor held up a hand. “Not now, not now. It’s still morning. You should come back this evening. Allow me to treat you to a dinner, perhaps. Money is such a bore to talk over unless there’s good food ... and pleasant company ... involved.”

The woman halted and turned so abruptly the innkeeper nearly bumped into her. “We will settle the p*****t now,” she declared. “Half today. Half when I return with my driver to pick up the girls Saturday night.”

The innkeeper opened his mouth once but didn’t have a chance to interject.

“If all goes smoothly,” she continued, “you can expect us to call on you again after this weekend. Good day.” She waved a check, and he struggled to catch it with both hands before it fluttered to the ground. When he saw the amount was already filled in, he scampered after to thank her for her business, but she had already left. The gold-plated door swung inward behind her, and the innkeeper barely scurried back in time before it hit his nose.