Chapter 2
Aspen
Darkness enveloped me as my skin pressed against something hard and cold. The sound of a faucet dripping nearby echoed around my skull, causing my head to pound even more than it had been. For a moment, I wondered if I was dead—trapped in some eternal hell that promised payment for all the sins I’d committed. I remembered being young, not having a care in the world as I clung on to my sister, my lifeline. She was always so much more outgoing than me, but only around people she trusted. I also remembered losing my virginity and how terrified I’d felt in that moment. Myles wasn’t gentle, but now when I thought back on it, there was no more pain at the memory. Being gentle wasn’t in his nature. He was sadistic, cruel, psychotic, and selfish. But those were traits that didn’t bother me anymore.
Hunter was still a closed book, choosing to keep his distance. It made me that much curious about him. Collin was so back and forth that it gave me whiplash and I never knew what to expect as far as he was concerned. I’d chalked it down to abandonment and commitment issues. Foster showed me a side to him that I didn’t even know he had. For once, his rage hadn’t been directed at me. He’d somehow became a safe space, and then he trusted me with his body. Rocky was a new addition, who seemingly saved me alongside Monroe, whom I was still getting to know. My feelings toward all of these guys were still being worked through, and now, I’d never get the chance.
My eyes slowly peeled open, a dim light shining down on me from above. Suddenly, everything came back, crashing into me like a hurricane. My heart was racing as image after image flashed through my mind. Foster. He’d been shot trying to protect me. My chest constricted, and I planted my hands against the cold cemented floor to push myself into a sitting position. My head spun, distorting my vision momentarily before things slowly started coming back into focus. The first thing I noticed was that I was in some kind of cage, similar to the one the guys had thrown me in back at the academy. I couldn’t see anything else. Nothing but darkness staring back at me through the bars of my prison.
My tongue darted out, sliding across my cracked lips. I needed to get to Foster, to know if he was okay. With as much strength as I could muster, I forced myself to my shaky legs before stumbling toward the bars. My fingers curled around them, the cold seeping into my palms.
Footsteps sounded from further down, but the area was clouded in darkness, making it impossible to make out who it was. My legs were weak, and I had to lean most of my weight on the bars.
“Hello?” I choked out, razor blades clawing at the inside of my throat. I winced from the sudden pain, keeping my eyes focused on the spot I’d heard movement from moments ago.
A guard appeared through the cloud of darkness, his expression void of any emotion. He watched me with calculating eyes before he finally approached. I didn’t recognize him, so he couldn’t have worked at the club. The stench of alcohol wafted from him, bleeding through his pores and poisoning the air around us.
“Foster,” I forced out, through the pain in my throat.
The man’s lips curled into a sinister grin, revealing a row of yellow-stained teeth. My stomach twisted with disgust, and for a moment, I wondered what it would be like to gauge out a person’s eyeballs.
“I’ll tell you everything you want to know about your little boyfriend if you do something for me in return.” His voice was rough and deep, having the same effect on my mind as nails on a chalkboard would. He grabbed his crotch to emphasize his point, and I stumbled backwards, trying to put as much distance between as possible.
Talissa’s voice rang out. “Stop toying with her, Lance. You’ll get to have your fun in due time.” Her heels clacked against the hard floor seconds before she stepped into the dim glow of the lighting.
“Where’s Foster?” I asked again. “Is he alive?”
The thought of him being dead was an option I didn’t even want to consider. He might have pissed me the hell off on a number of occasions, but that didn’t mean I wanted him dead. A chill swept through the air, burrowing into my skin and eliciting a series of goosebumps. I shivered while simultaneously rubbing my arms up and down in an attempt to stay warm.
Talissa turned her attention to me, her lips curling in disgust. But there was a malicious glimmer in her eyes that let me know she was pleased that I was at her mercy.
“The bullet punctured his shoulder,” she said at last. “It was a clean shot. He’ll live. But if you want him to stay that way, then you must comply.” Relief spiraled through me at that revelation, and I could barely hold myself upright. For all I knew, she could be lying to make me more willing. I didn’t trust her one bit.
“Can I see him?” I asked. “At least for a moment?”
She hesitated, but then nodded. “Unlock the door, Lance. And make sure she doesn’t try anything stupid.”
Lance obeyed, pulling out a key ring before shuffling through them. When he found the one he was looking for, he inserted it into the lock and twisted. The cage door creaked open, and I hesitantly stumbled out on shaky legs. The sound of screams echoed through the air, puncturing my ears. My head whipped in the opposite direction as the sound of slapping followed after. My heart was pounding in my chest, wondering what the hell was going on here.
Talissa smiled in return. “I’ll give you a tour and then you can see Foster once you’ve had some water and food.”
My stomach grumbled in response, but food was the last thing I wanted. I wanted to see if he was okay for myself. She led me toward the screams, and they steadily got louder and louder as we approached a door. It was taking every bit of energy I had left just to walk. Once we reached the door, she turned to me.
“This is where you’ll go if you piss me off, or if the guards decide they want to have a little bit of fun with you.”
She opened the door and ushered me inside. My eyes darted around the room, acid clawing up my throat as the stench of decomposition and sex clung to the air.
A girl with long blonde hair was chained to some kind of contraption. Her arms were pulled over her head while some man pounded into her from behind. Sweat and dirt clung to her body as she screamed and cried out. When she raised her head, her eyes widened, tears streaming down her face.
Star.
On the floor near her feet was a dead girl, stained with what looked like cum. Her eyes were open and unseeing, and her throat was bruised. It looked like she’d been choked to death.
What was this place?
I glanced around again, taking note of the several machines hooked up around the large space. I didn’t know what any of them did, or what any of this meant.
A gargled moan fell from Star’s lips as the man slammed into her again and stilled, jerking her body down onto his cock with unrestrained force. Her head lulled to the side as her body shook with sobs and humiliation. I wanted to do something. To help her in some way. But that would just get me in more shit, and Talissa’s warning was clear. If Foster wasn’t already dead, she’d kill him if I didn’t obey.
“Next, I’ll show you the dining room.” She smiled over at me, like we were best pals.
Mother. She claimed to be my fucking mother. And this was what she planned on doing to me? Trafficking me, or whatever the hell this was? In my younger years, I’d longed to meet the woman who birthed me. Now, I realize that I hadn’t missed out on anything. She was a monster.
She ushered me into a dining room on the opposite end of the long hallway where cages were set up on either side. When we reached the room, tables were positioned all over the place, with a kitchen on the other side of the room.
Girls were dressed in bland colors. Some wearing red night gowns, others wearing black, and some were in blue. A few girls glanced up when we entered, pity shining in their gazes when they took me in.
As if sensing my confusion, Talissa placed a hand on the small of my back, making me flinch involuntarily. Her mouth twisted into an evil grin at my reaction, getting off on my fear. “The girls wearing red are the newbies—the ones we consider to be fresh blood. The ones in blue can be trusted. They’re the ones who fuck guys in seedy hotels for cash, go to house parties, and do as they’re told. If they wrong us, they’ll pay for it. The ones in black are the ones with potential buyers.”
Horror swept through me, wrapping around my lungs like a noose. “Why are you doing this?” I whispered, glancing around the room.
“It pays well.” She shrugged.
That didn’t make any sense. Her club paid well, too. Why resort to something as awful as this? Selling helpless women for cash, brutalizing them? Star’s screams shattered through my memory, making me cringe. These girls didn’t want this. They were being stripped away from their families and forced into slavery.
Talissa led me over to a line of people that were standing about, talking to each other in hushed tones. “This is the lunch line,” she explained. “Eat something. I’ll take you on the rest of the tour once you’re finished.” She turned on her heels and walked across the dining hall, moving to stand next to a guard I vaguely remembered from the club.
My fingers were shaking, and I felt completely exposed in the short dress I was wearing. I suppose it was a step up from the see-through nightgowns the other girls had on, though. You could see their nipples and pussies through the fabric.
A girl with light brown hair and pale skin turned to face me. I noticed that she was wearing a blue gown, her large round breasts extremely prominent beneath the material. Her gaze raked over my outfit for a moment. “You’re new,” she pointed out.
I just nodded, folding my arms across my chest in discomfort. I’d never been ashamed of my body before, but that was when I didn’t have to worry about being kidnapped and sold. The thought of some old man forcing me to have sex with him while he acted out all his darkest fantasies put me on edge. It wasn’t like I hadn’t been with older men before. But it had been my choice, and it paid well. Now, Talissa would have no reason to pay me. The money would go into her pocket.
“My name is Sandy. Can I give you some advice?”
I shrugged. “Sure.” Anything to prevent weirdos from targeting me.
“Never talk back. Never have them repeat themselves. That just pisses them off and makes it worse for you. Know your captor. Meaning, it’s important for you to understand what they like and don’t like. Some of them want you to enjoy it and that’s when you fake it. Some want you to scream and cry and fight back. It gets them off.” She was rambling, her voice low like she didn’t want anyone to overhear her. “We’re not people to them. We’re just holes. It’s the sad reality of our situation.”
My eyes burned with the urge to cry, kick, and scream. But like Sandy had just said, that might attract the wrong kind of dude to me. I wasn’t na?ve enough to think that anyone was coming to save me. I didn’t have family, friends, or even lovers. I was the perfect victim.
Sandy’s expression softened even more when she noticed my expression. “It gets easier. Eventually, you just adapt to it, and it becomes apart of who you are.”
What kind of Stockholm syndrome bullshit was she spewing? How long had she been here to turn around and think that this shit was justifiable? My stomach was twisting into knots, bile rising to the back of my throat. When we finally reached the front of the line, we were served a chicken salad with some sweet tea.
“You can sit with me if you want,” she offered.
It wasn’t like I had much choice in the matter. She was the only friendly face I’ve seen so far, and I’d much rather take my chances with her. I followed her to a round table near the back where two other girls were sitting. One of them was on the curvier side with short blonde hair while the other one had that scene look that used to be so popular with neon pink and black hair.
Me and Sandy sat across from them, my body trembling profusely. I didn’t consider myself a timid person, but this…this was a completely different situation, and I think it was warranted.
Sandy smiled at the two girls like they were all friends. “This is,” She paused, glancing over at me with furrowed eyebrows. That’s when I realized I hadn’t told her my name.
“Aspen,” I muttered, taking my plastic fork between my fingers and stabbing it through the lettuce.
The blonde looked me up and down, seemingly unimpressed. Great. There were even mean girls at a trafficking ring. The universe was one cruel bitch. “I’m Bree.” She motioned to the one with pink and black hair. “And that’s Mandy.”
And I don’t give a shit.
At least, that’s what I wanted to say. But there was no telling what girls like these would do if given the opportunity or even a little bit of motive. I glanced around the room, my eyes lingering on a few of the guards positioned near the far side of the wall, their hands folded in front of them. All three of them were younger, probably mid to late twenties. Unlike the one who had taunted me through the bars earlier with stale breath and yellow teeth.
“How did you get captured, anyways?” Bree asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
I didn’t even know how to answer that, so I just went with the truth. “I worked for this woman who apparently had a crush on this guy I screwed around with. So, she shot this other guy I liked, told me she was my mother, and then knocked me out and here I am.” It wasn’t the full story, but I’d be sitting here for hours if I gave them detail upon detail of what had happened.
Sandy balked. “Your mother sold you?”
“Not yet. She’s right over there.” I inclined my head toward where Talissa was standing, running her fingers along one of the guard’s arms, not paying an ounce of attention to the girls she held captive.
“Damn. That’s cold,” Mandy muttered.
Sandy and Mandy. I was just now putting that together. Were they fake names, or really what they went by?
Deciding it didn’t matter, I continued eating. My nerves were way too shot to have a conversation with people I didn’t give a shit about. The food wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t great, either. Bree was wearing a black nightgown, her nipples hard beneath the fabric. It didn’t surprise me that she already had a potential buyer. She was pretty with hair that brushed the tops of her shoulders, fair skin, and light blue eyes. Not to mention her large boobs and hourglass figure. Mandy was skinny like me, but with a little more fullness to her hips and breasts. She was wearing a blue gown like Sandy, meaning she was one of Talissa’s obedient little lapdogs.
After I ate, I disposed of the trash in one of the bins, my mind drifting back to Foster. He literally took a bullet for me, and I couldn’t understand why. He’s done nothing but degrade me and treat me like shit since we met, so why the fuck would he do that? Now I was pissed at him for getting in the way. Maybe the bullet would have killed me, and I’d be in a much better place than this . I wasn’t dumb enough to think I’d get into heaven with my track record, but hell wasn’t sounding too bad either.
I hesitantly approached Talissa who was still flirting with one of the guards. Even I couldn’t deny his appealing allure. He had short black hair with light blue eyes and was clean shaven, not a speck of stubble in sight. His jaw was sharp, and his posture was straight, like he was trained to do this kind of thing. They both turned to look at me as I approached, my fingers twitching where they were laced together.
“Finished?” she asked me.