“You’re going to wait for Sway to contact you. She will give you instructions from there.
“If you run into any trouble, you have her number. Call her immediately. Even if you think something is wrong or doesn’t seem right, call her.
“If you get arrested, don’t talk. Whatever you do, don’t say anything. They will separate you and try to trap you with your own words to get you to flip on each other, but don’t let them cross you. Stay put, and we’ll bail you out within an hour or two.
“Now grab all your shit and let’s get you out of here.”
Sway and I pulled the curtain slightly, watching as they scurried, tugging their suitcases along the sidewalk. We stayed, waiting until they were out of view.
Sway looked to me. “What’s next, Daddy? What do we do now?”
“You’re going to take the car and get us all a room for the night, one with double beds. Nothing fancy. A Studio 6 will do. There are two of them on Northwest.”
“By The Gentleman’s Club.”
“Yes. Before you do that, though, I want you to call me as soon as you cross into Dallas. Pull over into the Big Dog parking lot. The liquor store. I don’t want you calling or texting while you’re driving. We’re not taking any chances.
“Once you’ve booked the room, get settled and have a Lyft sent for Tyler and Cami. After that, call me again.”
“That’s when I come back for you?”
“No. Stay there with the girls and wait for me. I don’t want you back around here.” I dug into my pocket, removing the stacks of cash. I peeled off a thousand total. It was nine one hundreds, and five twenties. I handed her the difference. “Take a thousand for you and put the rest into your bag.
“When you get to the car, I want you to lift the hatch. You’ll see two compartments, one on each side.
“Inside, you’ll see our apartment lease and all our banking information and important papers. Put the money in there with it.”
“Okay…but what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to hang around and ear hustle for a while. See if anything pops.”
“What if they do show up? They could still arrest you for pandering, couldn’t they?”
“Without the girls here, it’d be hard to prove. I can always say that I don’t know anything about it…or that they have the wrong room.”
“And if they don’t show up…?”
“Then we don’t have anything to worry about.”
“How long are you going to wait?”
“I… I won’t be that long. I’ll go with my gut.”
“Are you taking a Lyft?”
“Nah… I’m going to ride the DART. It’ll give me some time to sort things out in my head. Make a plan for us, you know? And if they are watching, fuck ’em, they’re not going to follow once I’m out of Las Colinas.”
“I’m so proud of you, Daddy. I love you so much.”
“I love you back. But let’s talk about that later, okay? I’ll feel a lot better once I know you’re safe. Get going.”
Sway left me with a peck on the lips before taking off.
I stood in the middle of the room, gathering my thoughts. I picked up the remote from the dresser and lowered the TV volume to a whisper.
Starting with Tyler’s side, I carefully searched underneath the bed. Not forgetting the sex act she’d performed previously, I pulled the sheets and shook them out thoroughly.
Knowing I and Sway’s bed was free of incrimination, I still gave it a once-over. I followed, searching the drawers and the rest of the room to my satisfaction.
I took a breath, sitting on the edge of the bed. I received Sway’s text, saying she’d made it and was on her way to the Studio 6.
I canvassed the hotel, slow-walking through the floors, passing the conference room, the gym, and the pool area.
I began to believe that I’d overreacted a bit, thinking that maybe I was a little too harsh with the girls. But my thinking now was after the fact. Deep down, I knew that I’d done the right thing.
I headed to the lobby, stopping only to place the keys into the drop box at the front desk.
As I passed through the sliding doors, I was met with a rush of fresh air, cooling my sweat-soaked scalp and the back of my neck.
But it was no time to relax. To be safe, I needed to get out of Las Colinas.
I pulled my cellphone, quickly lowering the illumination. I checked the schedule.
The next bus, the 501, was my connector to the 528 at the Irving Convention Center Station, but it wasn’t due to arrive for almost an hour.
It was a twenty-minute walk. I began my trek.
To the left of me was the multi-lane highway, 114. To my right were the rows of hotels, a jogger in the distance, and a couple of dog walkers.
It’s always a little offsetting when you’re used to driving everywhere. Life seems to normalize.
I picked up the scent of the grass, the trees. I could hear the calls of birds, the sounds of crickets. I watched a trio of bunnies as they hopped across an open area of grass.
I began to think within. I knew that I needed to formulate a plan.
Outside of basic budgeting, which I knew I could handle, I needed to create a code, a set of standards.
Rules, strict adherence to those rules, accountability, and consequences for not abiding by the code.
This also meant me. If I’d expected the girls to follow, I knew that I had to lead by example. No exceptions.
I was going to have to take my time and do it right. Sensible rules that were firm but not unreasonable. Strict, but not oppressive. A happy medium.
Creole Gaudet
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