Chapter Nine
Six months later
Rebecca watched as Megan greedily ate the last piece of her bread, while the other two women ate theirs.
“Here, you can have mine,” Rebecca said, passing her piece to the little girl.
Megan smiled and snuggled into Rebecca’s side, taking the offering. “Thanks, Becca.”
“You’re welcome. Do you remember what I told you? Stay in the kitchen when the party starts. Help the women cook the dinner and don’t do anything to bring attention to yourself,” she reminded the seven-year-old.
“Will you try to reach Julio?” the little girl whispered.
“He’s already searching for me. When Julio finds us, he’ll take all of us home,” she assured her.
“Leah says you’re lying. She says nobody’s coming for us. What will happen to me?” the little girl asked, her crystal blue eyes roaming to Rebecca’s face.
She swallowed, choking down the fear she held for the little girl.
As much as Rebecca stayed away from Megan, the greater the pull to protect her grew.
The other females ranged from sixteen on up to thirty.
A couple of the older women died after their last transport.
One of the teens, Kara, got returned after she bit her last buyer, and he grew sick from an infection.
Thank goodness, the man seemed more concerned about getting his money back than about hurting the young woman any further.
Her fighter personality drew Rebecca to her.
“Julio and his men will come for us,” she said firmly. “We need to watch and stay ready.”
“What about me?” the little girl persisted. “They shot my daddy. Will they hurt me when you go away?”
“Shhh.” Rebecca pressed her finger to her lips. “If we get separated, you know I’ll come for you. Stay out of Jim’s way and do as I say.”
Megan rose and wrapped her arms around Rebecca’s neck. “I love you, Becca. Please don’t leave me.”
“Never, my sweet girl,” she promised, kissing her forehead and brushing the hair from her face. “As soon as Jim unlocks the door, you go with Tarin and Ebony.”
A few minutes later, the man she despised appeared with a ring full of keys. Megan automatically slid away from Rebecca, knowing any sign of love or tenderness brought down Jim’s wrath.
“Get to the kitchen and help wash the dishes,” he ordered the older women. Rebecca refused to meet Jim’s gaze as he let the women and Megan go and locked the gate.
“Why do you keep lying to her?” Kara hissed. “I know she’s only a little girl, but you’re na?ve if you think you can protect her.”
Rebecca smiled wanly at her. “Do you want me to whisper to her the nightmares we endure at these parties? She’s seen her father killed and dragged away. Why tell her things she can’t control?”
The sixteen-year-old glanced in the direction Megan had gone.
“They haven’t auctioned any kids lately.
They’ll hold something soon. It’s better if she’s prepared.
I got lucky. The old man got spooked and didn’t want the police involved and sent me back.
Megan won’t stand a chance if she believes they’ll bring her back. They’ll kill her.”
Rebecca longed to pull the young teen, wise beyond her years, close. She knew Kara didn’t want a human connection. She lost all desire for any comfort or touch after being passed from one man to another.
“Then why tell her what’s in store? Will it help to add to her nightmares?” She beseeched, trying to reach the hurt teen.
“What happens when they sell you? Who will she have to protect her then?” Kara asked bleakly.
Rebecca didn’t have the heart to tell her they didn’t plan to sell her.
Harrison wanted her punished. She moved up the ranks faster than any candidate and landed the job in New York.
Even after Harrison raped her, she refused to give up Avie’s whereabouts, making him spin out of control.
He beat her within an inch of her life until Dr. Reese stepped in and threatened to tell the ringleader if he touched Rebecca again.
After all, they made a deal and Harrison’s had yet to complete his side of things.
It took weeks for Rebecca to recover. She saw Harrison once more when he came to exact his revenge again, raging about Leo’s team managing to rescue Avie and Deni from his grasp.
Dr. Reese refused to leave him alone with Rebecca, protecting the ring’s investment.
The memory of the day lingered as she recalled the triumph she felt at knowing her friends bested Harrison.
One day, she hoped to witness his takedown.
In the meantime, she fought to survive with meager servings of food, beatings when she resisted getting raped, and protecting the others when possible.
Rebecca continued to play the frightened woman, all the while keeping track of the cities and routes.
She mentally kept a log of who went missing after each auction.
Hopefully, when Julio and the team found her, the information would help locate the victims. Since they didn’t attempt to outright sell her, Rebecca knew they planned something else for her.
She told a select few about Julio, hoping if she disappeared, they still held on to a shred of hope.
It didn’t matter if they punished her as long as it kept the others safe.
“I can’t do this anymore,” Hillary whispered desperately. “I want to go home.”
“Oh, shut up,” Kendra snapped. “You don’t have a choice. If you don’t do as they say, they’ll hurt you even more.”
Rebecca eyed the young woman. Jim loved to pit the women against one another.
If they knew of someone searching for a way to escape, and told on them, they got an evening of good food, a shower, and a clean bed.
Sometimes, Jim felt generous, giving them candy, an extra blanket, or new clothes.
Kendra took advantage of his incentives more than anyone.
Rebecca didn’t have the heart to blame her.
She survived like the rest of them. Something told her the poor young woman had seen far more than someone beyond her years should ever witness.
It made her lose faith in humanity, and life felt hopeless.
After all, Rebecca clung to the thought of the one man who kept her going.
She only hoped he found her in time to save the people she watched leave with shackles on their wrists.
The ones who refused to go quietly ended up beaten into submission.
The women moved from city to city, except for a select few, including Rebecca.
They didn’t dare sell her, knowing if she escaped, Rebecca knew too much about their operation.
Instead, they reserved her for special guests.
If she refused to comply, they used Megan as their leverage.
She hated every single fucking moment. It was only a matter of time before someone requested a child with Megan’s features, and if they offered the right amount of money, nothing would save the little girl.
Tears clouded her eyes, and she swiftly blinked them away.
Rebecca protected her as much as she dared without gathering scrutiny from the other women or Jim.
They thought she agreed to keep Megan safe because of duty.
It went beyond her responsibilities as an agent.
She loved the little girl from the moment she witnessed the fear and heartbreak in her eyes.
“Rebecca,” Jim said gruffly. “You’re taking a shower. We have a special visitor coming tonight. I laid your clothes out on the bed.”
Rebecca swallowed and stood, passing him in the entryway. Her eyes scanned the basement, searching for a way out. Jim led her up a large, ornate staircase.
“You have one hour to get ready. Sam will stay outside the door. Don’t think I didn’t catch Megan skulking off to the kitchen. You give the client whatever he wants, and I’ll pretend I didn’t notice,” Jim threatened as he led her into the bedroom.
“How kind of you,” she said sarcastically, jerking her arm away.
“Don’t give me attitude,” his voice lowered. His hand trailed down her arm, making her ill. “We can always clean you up once I’m done.”
She snapped, “Leave me the hell alone.”
Jim gripped her jaw, shaking her head violently. “You think you’re better than everyone. Harrison made sure to knock you down a peg. I’m thinking it’s time for you to learn another lesson. Maybe it’s time I taught Megan one.”
“Leave her alone,” Rebecca growled. “She’s a baby. Isn’t it enough you stole her childhood from her?”
“Then I suggest you find a way to make it up to me,” Jim said smugly, pressing her down to her knees. She refused to let Megan suffer this fate.
Rebecca waited obediently as he unbuckled his belt and gripped her hair.
She closed her eyes and choked back the tears.
Julio will come, she thought for the millionth time.
This nightmare will end. Six months felt like six years and he still hadn’t found her.
What if he considered her dead? What if he stopped searching?
She felt her heart crack in two. It took them longer than one fateful night to break her, but they finally succeeded.