Chapter Twenty-Four
Hope
THE OTHER WOMEN and I have been talking when we’re not sleeping and trying to heal our bodies from the beatings and other trauma we’re being forced to endure.
It appears as if I’m one of the few lucky ones being held here against my will.
So far I haven’t been sexually assaulted and the beating I’ve suffered through wasn’t really all that bad after the attack from the hitman.
Plus, the training I received growing up means I can take a punch from a man and while it may hurt like a bitch, it doesn’t render me completely helpless.
The same can’t be said for the other women and girls locked in the cages.
What I hate is the fact that none of us know how long we’ve been held here.
There’s no window in the room we’re locked in and it’s not as if we’re being served three meals a day.
So far, no one's brought anything to eat and I can see the toll it’s taking on the women around me who have been here for a longer period of time.
One thing I did learn is that we’re all from vastly different walks of life.
Some are high powered business women, there’s a few women who were homeless and just trying to get through each day the best they could, and even more who were living paycheck to paycheck just trying to support their kids and family members the best they could.
Most of the girls who aren’t of age were kidnapped right off the street and have been left alone in the cages since they were taken.
That’s not our only difference though.
I’m the only one who’s been trained to fight and defend myself from most attacks that I could ever face in life.
We also don’t look anything alike.
It's as if the assholes have chosen a smorgasbord of women to fit anyone’s taste and desire at any given time.
Fucking disgusting!
Most of the women don’t bother speaking when we’re alone in the room.
They either can’t talk because of the pain from injuries that have been inflicted on them, or they refuse to risk getting punished for saying a single word.
One of the girls hasn’t said anything since she was locked in her cage and we’re all wondering if she can talk.
None of us have the balls to ask her because we know she can hear as she follows the conversations we have.
Her eyes look at whichever one of us is speaking and then she moves to the next person who contributes to the conversation.
I haven’t been dragged out of the cage and taken to the same room as before.
When the assholes enter the room, they drag one of the other women out as she tries to fight back, depending on which woman it is.
None of us can ever guess how long she’ll be gone because the times vary.
Sometimes the woman is only gone long enough to take a quick shower in cold water.
Other times, she’s gone for what feels like an eternity only to be dragged back in exhausted, beaten, and bearing the scars which will most likely never heal from what’s been done to her.
For a while after each woman is brought back into the room, they don’t speak or look at any of us.
Whatever’s been done to them is stripping them of all their confidence and self-esteem while filling them with shame and guilt.
They’re all going to need help to get past the mental and emotional damage being done to them on a daily basis.
As I lay on the floor of the cage thinking about everything that’s been going on with the women surrounding me and how we’re going to get out of here, the door of the room opens so quick and hard that it slams into the wall behind it.
The same two men who took me the first time enter and stare at the cage I’m in.
Apparently it’s my turn to be taken once again.
Yes, that’s something I’ve noticed.
Whoever comes in to grab a particular woman is the same one, or ones, who come in each time to grab her.
“Don’t fucking fight us when we open the door,”
Slimy Man One growls out, knowing I’m not going to do anything less than fighting back against the two of them.
“You have no right to tell me what not to do,”
I inform him as I watch him take the keys from Slimy Man Two and unlock the door of the cage.
“You touch one of us and Boss Man will have your fucking head. He’s already pissed at your family and plans on taking that shit out on you today,”
Slimy Man Two states with a smirk on his face that shows the loss of his teeth and makes me notice the scar he’s got running down the side of his face for the first time.
“Well, I’m pissed that I’m here being held against my will with so many other innocent women who don’t deserve anything that’s being done to us. So, if you really want to argue about who has the right to be more pissed or upset, I’d say everyone in this room would win that one hands down. And don’t even get me started on the fact that no one’s brought us anything to eat or drink. But, I guess that’s how you fuckers feel you’ll control us and keep us weak enough to manhandle and take what’s not freely being given to you,”
I argue back, my voice full of the hate coursing through my veins as I try to figure out how to get the better of these two assholes.
Slimy Man Two pulls out a wicked looking knife from a sheath on his belt and points it directly at me while Slimy Man One grabs me by the hair and yanks me from the cage.
I don’t scream out in pain or try to fight back as a plan formulates in my mind.
One of the lessons we were all taught growing up is how to face an attacker that has a weapon like a knife.
My dad, Uncle Fox, and Tank all taught me how to disarm the fucker and grab the weapon for myself.
I have to fight the urge to smile because these two idiots are nothing compared to anyone I trained with over the years.
I let them pull me up from the floor and drag me from the room, down the same hallway, and back to the room where they’ll strap me to the table once again.
Knowing that if they get my arms and legs strapped down, I won’t be able to escape in time to grab the knife, I have to make my move the second I get in the room with the two assholes.
The second the door shuts behind us, I make my move.
Lunging for Slimy Man Two, I elbow him in the gut which causes him to bend over and gasp as I hit him just right to drive all the air from his lungs.
With his attention focused on sucking in air, I kick out at Slimy Man One and take out his knee.
The pop of it dislocating fills the room we’re in and I reach out to grab the knife from Slimy Man Two. He doesn’t even put up a fight to get his weapon back from me.
In one quick slash of my arm, I slice the asshole's neck when he goes to stand up.
Blood spray all over me and I close my eyes for a second to use my shirt and clean my face up the best I can.
Opening my eyes back up, I watch as the fucker squirms on the ground at my feet with his hands covering the wound I inflicted in a desperate attempt to keep his blood from flowing.
“Ya know, I’m really glad my dad and uncles taught me how to defend myself and not be afraid of getting my hands dirty. You’re my first kill, but I’m about to add your friend over here as the second person that I send to hell. I hope you fucking rot for eternity!”
I yell out, all the pain, rage, hate, and every other emotion I’ve been feeling since meeting fucking Becker finally has an outlet.
Turning my attention to Slimy Man One, I watch as he struggles to get off the floor he’s currently sprawled on.
Leaning over him, I step on the knee I kicked out and listen as he screams like a bitch.
Pressing the knife against his neck doesn’t stop the screams from his mouth and I quickly repeat the motion to slide the blade across his throat.
Like Slimy Man Two, his hands immediately go to his throat in an attempt to contain the blood spilling from his body.
It’s not going to work, but I’m happy to watch him struggle as so many women have struggled against what has been done to them by these two stupid douche canoes.
Before I can even think about moving the bodies so Garrison will be shocked when he walks in the room and doesn’t see them, I hear his footsteps walking down the hall toward the room I’m in.
Don’t ask me how I know it’s him, but I do.
Maybe it’s because the steps aren’t stomping like the men wearing boots do when they come to the room to gather the women they’re taking.
These steps are even, slow, and barely register through the door blocking me from seeing him.
If anything, there’s almost the tell-tale sound of a heel clicking against the cement floor that dress shoes typically make.
Making a split second decision, I hide behind the door.
Thankfully it swings in the room I’m currently in so I can hide behind it and surprise Garrison from behind.
I stand with the knife in my hand as I listen to the steps getting even closer to the door.
It doesn’t take long as my breathing picks up and my heart starts to race for the door to open.
Holding my breath, I watch as Garrison enters the room and comes to an abrupt stop when he notices his two men bleeding out on the floor, their lifeless eyes staring blankly at the ceiling above them.
“What the fuck?”
he roars out, looking around the room for me as I race up behind him on silent feet since my shoes have disappeared somewhere in this hellhole.
As Garrison turns around to face me, I slice his abdomen with the knife.
It’s a deep wound that goes from one side of his body to the other.
He looks down, face full of shock, as I force him to walk backwards toward the table that’s still in the upright position instead of laying down the way it was when I was first brought in here.
Once Garrison is up against the metal, I quickly make work of strapping his ankles and wrists in the leather straps so he can’t get loose.
Searching his pockets, I remove his cell phone, gun, his personal possessions, and the money from his pockets.
I set it all on a tray next to me as Garrison finally starts to speak again.
“You fucking bitch! When I get out of this room, you’re dead,”
he threatens me as I start laughing in his face.
“First the club of yours doesn’t give into my demands and give Morgan back to me. Now, when I was going to come have fun with you, you think you’ve gotten the upper hand. I’ve got more money than you’ve ever dreamed of having and any doctor is easily bought to fix my wound.”
“First of all, no one will get to you in time, Garrison. See, that wound to your stomach isn’t enough to kill you. It’s deep, but I know enough to realize that I didn’t hit anything vital. There are other ways to kill a sick fuck like you and it’s only going to take me seconds just like it only took me seconds to kill the other two in here. And I could’ve told you that the club wasn’t gonna hand Morgan over to you. I’ve heard a little of what you’ve done to her and they will do anything to protect a woman from monsters like you. She’s finally starting to live her life the way she wants and you’re not going to rob her of anything more. Rot in hell, Garrison. Becker will be joining you soon,”
I state, bringing the knife up once more and slicing his throat worse than the other two because this asshole believes that no one will ever take him out and for everything that he’s done to women over the years.
I don’t make my way back over to the door of the room until I watch Garrison take his last breath.
At the very least, I’ll be able to give Morgan the closure she not only needs, but that she deserves to have so she can move forward with her life.
She will no longer need to worry about Garrison finding her and getting his hands on her once again.
With all three men dead, I head for the door and listen for a minute to ensure no one else is entering the hallway.
When I don’t hear anything, I quickly make my way back to the room we’re all being held in.
Right now, I don’t open any of the other doors because I don’t know if it’s only women being held behind them or if men are in there.
The less men I see and have to worry about dealing with, the better off I’ll be for now.
Entering the room again, the women all look up in shock.
I grab the keys from the hook on the wall and start making my way through the room to each cage.
Once the doors are all unlocked, I make sure the door blocking us off from the hall is locked so it will be harder for someone to get inside with us.
“I want you all to remain in your cages until I tell you to get out. If you see a woman or girl who is too weak to escape on her own, help her,”
I tell the girls as I remain close to the door with my back to the women.
“What are you waiting for?”
one of the women asks me.
“My family to show up. I might not know how long we’ve been here, but a video of my beating was sent and my uncle and cousin are geniuses with anything electronic. If there’s a clue in there, they’ll find it. I’m guessing it won’t be long before they show up and take out everyone here,”
I answer the woman with my eyes locked on the door so I can get anyone trying to enter before they actually get close to the unlocked cages.
“Okay. We’ll follow your lead,”
a second woman says as low murmuring is heard from everyone in the room with me.
I have no clue how long has passed since I took out Garrison and his two fucked-up sidekicks before opening all the cages in the room I’ve been placed in.
All I know is I’m exhausted and ready to get the fuck out of here.
This entire time I haven’t taken my eyes from the door and everyone in the room with me has been silent so I can hear what’s going on in the hallway outside this room.
They might not know what the fuck I’m doing, but they do know that I have hope and the belief that my family will be here to rescue me.
Each woman and girl in here are trying not to get their hopes up, but it’s hard when I feel so strongly about my family showing up as I know they will.
So, the women and girls do whatever they believe I need them to do so we can all get the fuck out of here.
Trinity has essentially appointed herself as my second in command if that’s what you want to call it.
She’s organized the rest of the women and girls to help get those out of the cages who won’t be able to do it for themselves.
We’ll surround those who need help the most and ensure no one touches them and that they get to escape the prison they’ve been in for so long now.
Even an hour in this place is way too long for a woman to be here against her will.
And I truly don’t believe a single one of these girls and women would ever willingly choose to be here.
Not with assholes who are beating, torturing, and assaulting them in ways I don’t even want to begin thinking about.
As I stand here, I make a silent promise to myself that I will ensure every woman and girl in this place gets the help they need to overcome the atrocities that have been done to them.
None of them will get lost in the world and ever feel as if they don’t have a champion at their side.
I will do whatever it takes to ensure they heal and become the women they dream of being despite what’s been done to them.
They will be reunited with their family members who are more than likely going out of their minds with worry and those who don’t have any family or were sold to these stupid fucks by family members, will be saved and given accommodations so they’re not alone in the world.
Finally, I hear a loud commotion coming from beyond the door we’re standing behind.
Turning to face the women and girls, I know I’ve got the largest smile on my face.
“That’s my family. I’m going to go in the hall and make sure that none of the sick fucks get in this room and use us as human shields to protect their worthless lives. The rest of you start helping everyone out of the cages and wait for my return. I’m not going to be far,”
I order them as Trinity gets out of her cage and starts opening the rest of the doors so everyone can be free.
I walk to the door and slowly twist the lock as gunfire erupts and I know the battle is going strong as my family takes out all the fuckers in this place.
The knife is still in my hand as I enter the hallway to the sound of shouting, gunfire, and screams so loud it fills my head and I can’t hear anything else.
My steps are slow as I creep down the hallway and come to the large open room where I spot my family spread out taking aim at all the stupid fucks who think Garrison is still alive and going to protect them from their fate.
My dad sees me without stopping what he’s doing.
It’s not much, but I watch as the tension escapes him and his entire body relaxes.
Honestly, if I didn’t know my dad as well as I do, I wouldn’t even notice him relax the slight fraction he allows himself to.
With his eyes going back to the task at hand, I turn to go back down the hallway.
Opening the door of the room we’ve been held in, I find Trinity ready to lead everyone else out.
“We’re gonna make our way to the end of the hallway. I will remain in front at all times. Those who need help moving, stay in the middle with the women helping you. Do not leave the end of the hall before I tell you to. My family is busy taking out the twatwaffles and can’t have any distractions or it could cost them their lives. I see you causing an ounce of distraction, I won’t hesitate to take you out myself. I’ve already killed three men today,”
I warn everyone and hate that I have to be this way with them, but they need to understand how serious I am in this moment.
“We’ll do whatever you say, Hope. You’ve done nothing but save us and we won’t do anything to harm any of your family members. It’s because of you all that we’ll be free from our prison and not treated any worse than what we’ve already suffered through,”
Trinity states, her voice hard and cold as the rest of the women and girls nod their heads in agreement.
We all make our way back down the hallway and I truly want to open the doors we pass, but I still have no clue what’s behind them.
So, I ignore that feeling and continue moving with the rest of the women and girls following close behind me.
When we get to the end of the hallway again, I stop and they copy my movements.
Together we watch on as the gunfire starts to die out and my family members are still standing tall and strong amongst the monsters working for Garrison and Becker.
I look around as Trinity tells the women to shield the girls from looking around the large room.
None of them need to see anything else that’s gone on here today.
All of the death and destruction because these vile monsters chose to back the wrong assholes with the promise of whatever it is they want the most.
I know how all this shit works and I’m not far off with my assessment.
I’m lost in my mind looking around until large, strong hands grip my hips and lift me into the air.
Without even seeing who has me, I know I’m in Jinx’ arms.
I wrap my legs around his waist and bury my face in his shoulder.
The unique smell that’s all his surrounds me and I can’t stop the tears from filling my eyes and spilling over to soak his cut and shirt beneath me.
“I’ve got you, Sweet Girl. No one’s ever gonna hurt you again,”
he promises me as another set of hands takes me from Jinx’ arms and I’m being held by my dad.
“Baby Girl, are you okay?”
he questions me, setting me on my feet so he can look me over from head to toe. “Where are you hurt? That’s so much fuckin’ blood.”
“It’s not my blood, Dad. I’m okay. I was hit and beat on a little bit, but that’s all. These women and girls need to have Doc check them out. They’ve all been here so long and I can’t even begin to imagine what’s been done to them,”
I inform my dad as he looks over my head to see the group with me.
“We’ll get Doc for them, Sweetheart. Whose blood is that?”
Slim asks as him, Playboy, Fox, King, and Devil make their way over to us.
“Well, I killed three men. They’re in the room at the end of the hallway. Morgan’s ex-boyfriend is one of them. He was in charge of this whole operation. Including everything Becker was doing. Did any of you see him here?”
I question, needing to know that someone took the fucker out.
“I got him, Hope. You don’t ever have to worry about him comin’ after you again,”
Raptor states, his eyes clear of the guilt he’s been feeling since the day I was attacked at Phantom Auto.
“Thank you, Raptor. Can we get the hell out of here now? I know you’ll want to check on the fuckers I killed, but the rest of us need to get out of here. The girls and women need fresh air and sunlight. Once Doc checks them over, they’re gonna need to bathe and get something to eat. It’s been so long since some of them have eaten. I don’t even know how long I’ve been here, and I’m starving,”
I ask, knowing it’s time for us to start to heal and move on with our lives.
Jinx, my dad, uncle, and King surround us and we head out of the warehouse.
There are vans waiting for us and I help load the girls up into the vans, assuring them that no one is going to hurt them.
Bronx is driving one of them and I make sure he knows these women and girls are vulnerable and scared of men after all they’ve been through.
He nods in understanding, keeping his eyes forward so he’s not looking at anyone as Deegan slides in the passenger seat.
With one last look at the girls and women loaded up, I close the door and Bronx takes off.
Jinx and my dad walk me over to one of the club’s SUVs and help me in the backseat.
Once King knows I’m safe in the vehicle, he makes his way back inside to finish doing what he needs to do with the rest of the club members.
Jinx and my dad don’t try to talk to me as Slim and Playboy get in the front of the SUV and we head out with the other van filled with the rest of the girls and women.
The trip to the compound doesn’t take us very long as we travel the speed limit.
My hands are held by Jinx on one side and my dad on the other one.
I let my eyes close, knowing I’m safe and no more harm will come my way.
Sleep claims me even though I slept in the cage, I didn’t really sleep when I was in that cage.