Chapter 2 #2
"It might have been Beck, but we were at the club last night, and it's anyone's guess what type of people we ran into. Both of us were smashed out of our minds."
Before she could respond, Juan's big mouth echoed through the room. "That's it, whores. Time's up. Out!"
A wicked grin spread across his face as he threw two small towels at us. "Dry off, then both of you will sit on the sink's edge and open your legs for inspection."
Beck gasped while I took in a deep breath, blushing. My best friend was going to be sitting right next to me while these slimeballs stared at our intimate parts. The other young women, dressed in thin robes, were being ushered out as we were getting ready to be degraded by these two perverts.
Neither of the girls looked our way, but I knew they were petrified by their body language.
Both Beck and I did as we were told. We stood in front of the dirty wash station, waiting to be humiliated again.
Before either of us could jump onto the edge, the dog chains were reattached to our collars, then our trainers lifted us and sat our asses onto the middle of the long sink. Beck was about six inches away from me. The men smirked, making me want to spit in their faces.
"Pull your legs up, both of you!" Julio barked.
My cheeks grew hot as I followed his instructions. I glanced over at Becca quickly. Her face was crimson. This was beyond embarrassing, but what choice did we have? They were bigger and stronger than we were.
Both of us did as we were told, allowing the two pigs to leer at our lower halves. Julio's face was so close to my sex, I felt his breath against my inner thighs.
Thank God it didn't last too long because I couldn't promise myself I wouldn't kick him in the teeth.
"Okay, Chica, close those legs. We need to get moving."
I quickly clapped my knees together and glanced over at Becca. Juan was still checking her out, his heavy breathing getting louder. Of course, the piece of shit was turned on. She took short, deep breaths as he stared at her sex.
She was nervous, and who the fuck wouldn't be in a situation like this?
Without any warning, Juan started attacking her like a goddamn animal. He dove in violently, nipping and biting at her flesh. Becca cried out, trying to close her legs to stop the assault, but he became angry and punched her on her upper left thigh.
My friend's blood-curdling scream left my ears ringing. I didn't give a flying fuck what happened to me right about now. I had enough of this bullshit with these two losers.
"Stop, you fucking asshole. Leave her alone!"
I swallowed hard, knowing I could get punched out by this violent jerkoff, but I didn't care at this point. The bastard pulled away from between her thighs and glared at me with murder in his eyes. I knew I was in for it. He lunged toward me, boots sliding on the wet floor, angry as all hell.
"Did you fucking say something to me, cunt?"
Spit flew from the corners of his mouth as he inched closer, balling up his fist, ready to strike.
He is going to either kill me or knock me into next week.
Before he could connect with any part of my body, a loud, angry voice thundered through the cameras.
"Juan, get the fuck away from her. Do not lay a hand on either of my products.
You are ruining the merchandise, you idiot!
Give them a robe. I will strip the two bitches myself when they arrive.
Get them delivered to me NOW!!! If I see any more marks on either of those girls, I will make sure your ass is shredded to ribbons.
Now stop fucking around and put them in the van. "
The thought of his ass being whipped bloody almost brought a smile to my lips. I didn't dare show any emotion, though. I knew better. His face twisted in anger, but he stepped back and obeyed, apologizing.
"Yeah, I get it, Hector, but you said I could do what I wanted with the redhead."
The same deep voice boomed over the speaker again. "I said that if they gave you any trouble, you could whip their asses, and yes, you were told you could do what you wanted, except fuck her, but now we have a couple of interested buyers. I want them both in one piece. Got it?"
Juan nodded. "Yeah, I got it. We will have them delivered to you in mint condition."
He yanked on Becca's chain and pulled her off the sink, almost making her fall on her ass in the process. I expected Hector to yell over the microphone, but he didn't.
Julio remained quiet as he pulled me by my leash, gently guiding me to the floor.
I suppose he took what Hector said seriously.
The ringleader didn't want his product damaged further.
Fucking products, that's what we are now. They act as though we’re not even human.
I glanced at the large, nasty bruise on Becca's thigh.
She cried softly as Juan led her to where two robes hung on hooks near the bathroom door.
Throwing one at Becca, he ordered her to cover up.
He grabbed the other and flung it towards Julio.
Catching it with little effort, he handed it to me.
I put the robe on, thankful to shield my nakedness from both of their creepy eyes. Juan threw our boots at us.
"Put these on. There's glass and rocks on the ground. I'd happily drag your asses through the dirt and sharp objects just to see you bleed, but we can't have any cuts or scars on the merchandise."
He also dropped two bottles of water at our feet.
"Pick those up. Be sure to drink sparingly. We have more in the van, but that doesn't mean we have to share with you two sluts." He tossed his head back, laughing.
The low life was utterly repulsive.
There was no doubt who the cruelest one was.
Julio wasn't nearly as bad as this fuck face.
I bent down and grabbed the water, handing a bottle to Becca. I was fucking dying of thirst, but drinking the entire bottle in one sitting wouldn't be a good idea. The stingy asshole wasn't giving us any more.
Even though I wanted to rip the cap off and guzzle it down, I didn't. Both of us put the bottles in our pockets and then put on our boots. We didn't want to piss Huey and Duey off.
Once our feet were covered, the two men led us out of the building by our leashes.
No one uttered a single word. Becca limped her way to the older blue van that was parked a few feet from the door. The goddamn bastard fucked her leg up pretty badly.
I prayed Hector would shred his ass to pieces in front of us, but I knew that would never happen. We were nothing but objects now. To be used and abused by a bunch of depraved men. The thought chilled me to the bone, but I remained calm as they marched us to the vehicle.
It was much warmer here, unlike back in Rhode Island, where the temp was freezing. The outside of the place looked like an institution surrounded by nothing but green trees and shrubs. It looked as if we were in the desert.
An evil grin spread across Juan's face as he pulled open the large sliding door.
"Your chariot awaits. Now take a seat, whores."
They let go of our leashes and pushed us into the van.
Juan’s laugh was loud and sadistic, making the hair on my arms stand up. I wrinkled my nose once inside. The smell of sweat and old leather stifled my lungs.
The stench clung to every surface of the vehicle.
The thought of the many women who were trafficked in this clunker made my skin crawl.
Becca pressed her cheek against the cool steel of the interior wall, trying not to breathe too deeply.
She repeatedly rubbed the ugly bruise on her thigh.
I watched as she winced silently, trying not to draw any attention to herself.
The back of the truck was dim and dismal, lit only by a thin strip of light shining through the small bars that separated us from our handlers.
My eyes remained glued to the window. I was surprised they weren't tinted, considering the vehicle's purpose.
The world outside blurred by. Flashes of desert shrubs and a large rusty wall faded as we moved ahead.
Even though it was dusk, I was able to see the plates before we entered this nasty cesspool on wheels. I can't believe we are in fucking Texas. We were out cold when they transported us here. I had no idea we were so far away from home.
Why Texas?
I was confused for a minute, then a thought crossed my mind. Of course! It makes sense to me now.
They’re transporting us into Mexico!
Atlas told me that a lot of the girls are taken to Mexico, where they are sold to wealthy men from all over the world. Beads of sweat pooled along my spine, sending chills through my body once the realization hit me.
I pray Atlas reaches us before they put us on the auction block. If anyone has the skills to flush us out of hiding, it's him. I don't want to be separated from Becca, sold, and shipped off to the other side of the world. The thought terrified me.
I glanced at Beck sitting across from me. She was still rubbing her thigh, lost in thought. She seemed much calmer now that we were out of that hellhole. I was relieved that she was no longer crying. My best friend will need to save her strength for what's to come once we cross the border.
"Beck, drink some water. You're going to dehydrate."
I whispered.
We both unscrewed the caps at the same time and took a few small sips. It felt good to soothe my dry throat. Beck turned and gazed out the window again. I kept my eyes on her, making sure she was okay. I cleared my throat, grabbing her attention. Her eyes stared into mine.
“They’re bringing us to Mexico,” I mumbled, keeping my voice low. She looked confused for a minute, then pressed her hand over her mouth, eyes wide and frightened.
Bringing my finger to my lips, I whispered, “Shhh.”
She settled down and just stared ahead in a daze.
Her fiery red hair was a tangled mess, hanging loosely past her shoulders. They didn't offer us a brush, and we didn't ask for one. I can only imagine what I must look like. Not that it mattered. I had much bigger issues to deal with.
She turned and stared out the window once more, as if trying to escape reality. I wasn't happy that I had to break the news to her, but it was necessary. I left her to her thoughts. My body felt bruised and ached like a bastard. Every bump we hit sent a jolt through my spine.
The seats had no padding or comfort. Just a steel bench bolted to each side. The cold, heavy silence of despair hung in the air. My lips felt cracked, even after hydrating them with a few sips of the water they gave us. A nice lip balm would be good right about now.
A girl can dream, can't she?
The thought made me smile.
If we ever get out of this nightmare, I will never take another thing in life for granted.
I looked at our handlers.
Juan is driving, while Julio sits in the passenger seat, looking back at us through the mirror on his visor—smirking.
If I had a knife on me, I wouldn't think twice about stabbing his eyes out; that's how pissed off I am.
They're speaking to each other in Spanish.
Fuck if I understand what they're saying.
I'm sure it isn't anything pleasant. I lean my head against the grimy glass again, enjoying the distance between us and the two idiots in the front.
Suddenly, I feel exhausted. My lids are heavy and drooping. I can barely keep them open. I feel myself dozing off, and I welcome the darkness, wanting an escape from the horror we will soon face.