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Chapter 6]

"Janie sweetheart, think about it. Your grandma and brother would live a normal life, a life with
wealth again. You would get your old house back. Work for me, and you can have anything you want."
Those offers were tempting, but Janie was taught strictly in her upbringing that no matter how poor she
was, she must never try to be rich through deceits.
"I-I can't, you've known me for a long time now, you know I can't do it.
"I did it Janie. You can do it too. We're both women, and we can relate to each other can we not?
All you have to do is side track that young man's attention. I'm not asking you to steal something or
kill anyone. Surely you can do it. God knows, he's already in love with you! It would be so easy. And
I'll do the rest of the work."

Janie had been pulled from the corner of the house across from her's. The gunshot had shocked her
to the core, but she had to escape from Darren's wrath, so she hid behind the shack, only to be pulled
by a person she highly respected. Ever since her parents died, she was at a loss, and everything didn't
make any sense. But she had to move into the tenements, and here was where she met a wonderful
person who helped her in everyway that she could. Janie was grateful, she didn't understand the
snickering from her neighbor about her heroine, but she later found out why. Janie didn't care though,
that her heroine has a job viewed as the most disgusting job in people's perspectives, she was just
glad that there was somebody who was always there for her. But now her heroine is asking her to do
something that is against her morals and values. What is she supposed to do? She got two offers to bring her
family and personal status higher. The first offer was to be a mistress and she knows she can't live with
the fact that she's selling her body for money. The second offer was surely worst than the first one! The
closest person whom she thought knew her so well hadn't known her at all. She was asked to be a spy.
Not only that, she bet she would have to bed him if that circumstance calls for! Oh how her world is
flipping upside down, yup, it spun 360 degrees alright.

"I can't," she gulped. "I just can't do it."
"Well then, I'm sorry we couldn't come to an understanding of the dire need of an extra spy. You
have another choice." Janie raised her head cheerfully; she knew this wasn't a dead end.
"Be one man's whore, or be every man's."
Janie gasped with one hand over her mouth.
Shocked tears rolled down her soft cheeks. She shook her head unbelievably allowing the words to process in
her brain.

She stood up in aghast, wiped her cheeks, and said angrily, "I can't believe you sold me! You are fitting for your situation right now. You are so cold! I trusted you, I even gave you my love. But you deceived me! No wonder you don't have a family!"
After shouting that expletive, Janie looked straight at the person and caught something familiar about that
person she hadn't caught before. She shook her head ignoring what she noticed, and ran out of the shack.
"You can't run away you know," the person said after Janie left. "You would be perfect for Darren."
"Shoot, shoot, shoot!" Janie muttered, as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She has only
tonight to get her family packing and out of this nightmare. Why her? Damn it, why does it have to be
her? Where is she going to go? They have to start running now. They sure won't go far with her grandma
and younger brother, but they'll get away all right. Janie finally reached the door of her shack. She
pounded on the door, shaking it a little with all of her force.

"Joe!" she shouted. Then the realization hit her. "Oh! Joe's at school!" she checked her watch and
it read 3:05." Yes, Joe's off at 3:15. But she doesn't have time to grab her things and grandma, so
she took off to her car. She'll just have to come back and get grandma.

Janie hurriedly ran to her car and jabbed the keys into the ignition. This was the first action she got in life, trying to fumble for order in life amidst all of the chaos. But right this moment she's throwing all of the orders in her life
out the window, for good. The relieved part about the whole mess and running away thing was that her ancient
car worked and ran at the right time! When she was in front of the school, the car swerved as she pulled into the parking lot. Little rocks and smokes flew around the car, causing her to brake quickly. Her chest pounded against the steering wheel, making her head spin. She felt a small cut on her forehead, but all of her other body parts were in place and was still mobile.

She jerkily tore out of her shackled car, as it did its final huffs and puffs before it died out. "Great, just when I thought I can count on you, you break down on me!" she cried, and really, she felt like crying. But she was on school ground and she would sure to look like a fool, more or less a crybaby. No, she wouldn't want Joe to be made fun of again. She could see it already "Joe, we can see where you inherited the cry baby trait from!" Ugh, as if Joe hadn't been made fun of enough. Janie squared her shoulders and stalked into the hallway. Her body froze.
"What a coincident Janie. I was about to take Joe home."
Janie saw her brother holding hands smiling up at Darren.
"What are you doing here?!" Janie asked, more like demanded.
Joe turned his attention to Janie, "Don't be mad Janie, we're going to get some ice cream. You wanna
come along?" he asked sweetly. But that sweet voice was tormenting her. Here was her own brother,
treating her as if she was the stranger and not Darren.
Joe was so relieved Darren picked him up, even if he didn't know Darren all that well. But hey, Darren
saved his life, which should count for something. If Darren hadn't picked him up, those bullies would pull
his pants down again. Whew! Darren was there because he wanted to start his plan that day, why wait!
Janie didn't know what to say or do. She could only stare blankly at Darren. He was looking at her
differently then he had before. It was like the first time they met- goose bumps climbed up her arms again
and began crawling all over her body. That look was the disgusting type- she can recognize that from
anywhere on anybody's face. She have gotten that look thrown at her ever since her parents' death. But it
never created such a low self esteem on her behalf like it did right now, this moment.

Janie bit the hurt away from her eyes, masking her feelings like she have always trained herself to
do every time she got the "look". "No Joe, you can't go today. Janie has to take you somewhere, why don't you run to the car and wait for me while I have a quick talk with Mr. Knell, ok?" she tore Joe's fingers away from Darren's and gave him a little nudge to get him walking. "Thank you Joe, it'll only be a minute." She closed the door behind him.

It was a good thing it was five minutes before school was out. Because they were in the hallway, and
it wouldn't be a good thing for others to intervene. Besides, she has only five minutes to spare.
Darren couldn't believe he saw that flicker of sadness cross her face. What cause her the reason to
hide it; it wasn't because of him, was it? "What are you doing here?" she asked, more like
attacked him with the question.
"To take your brother out to eat ice cream. It's one innocent thing! Besides, look at Joe, he really want some ice cream," Darren answered.

Janie was even angrier. "Listen here Mr. Knell, I can take my brother out to eat ice cream. He
doesn't need you; I most certainly don't need you.
Will you stay out of our lives?"

"Well then Ms.Tienphosuwan, listen well. I will not stay out of your life. And you know the real reason why I'm here. If I want something, I will have it," said Darren in clenched teeth.
Janie raised her chin so she could see him. "Read my lips," she said, "no way."
"I'd rather kiss it," he replied.
She's playing hard to get, Darren thought. But why, she knows she's going to get hired.
"Make it easy on yourself and go home with me.
Actually, I prepared a new home for your family." As he finished his sentence, Janie slapped him real hard,
real good. Just what he deserved.
Darren couldn't believe her nerves! He angrily crushed her with his embrace, but was automatically
marked as a molester by the staffs and students who stormed out of their classrooms when the bell rang.
Darren released her, just long enough for her to break free and escape out of his arms.
Janie ran to the car where her brother waited, took his hands in hers, and pulled him towards the bus
stop that was about fifty steps away from the school. Before she could reach the bus stop though, an
iron-hard grip on her arm prevented her from further running.

"Lady, that was the second time you slapped me. The first, you may get away with, but not this time,"
whispered Darren against her ears. Can running away from this man become anymore difficult? Janie sighed.
Catching Janie was like a fulltime job. Damn her, why can't she stay put? Why does she have to
create all of this drama? Running away, lying to him like that. She acted as if she don't want to be his
secretary. What's going on here? Darren was mighty confused, and he didn't like that one bit. He's going
to get the truth out of her, the whole truth, that is, once they're alone.

..........TO BE CONTINUED ....