Chapter Ten
Jim led Rebecca back to her cell with the two women from the kitchen and Kara. Her eyes scanned the area, checking the darkened corners for the little girl. She coddled her bruised arm as she turned toward Jim.
“Where’s Megan?” she asked angrily, fury blinding her. She wanted to claw the man’s face apart with her fingernails.
“What did I tell you about your attitude?” Jim said smugly. “She’s busy at the moment.” He turned to leave when she launched herself on his back, choking him with her arm.
The other women sank into the wall, screaming as Jim tried to buck her off, slamming her against the hard, cold concrete. The pain jolted down her spine, but she refused to give up and hung on for dear life.
Another man, hearing the commotion, ran inside, pulling Rebecca from Jim.
“You bastard,” she spat as the man wrenched her arms behind her back and held them high, making it feel like they were popping out of their sockets.
Jim laughed. “Let her go, Sam.”
The man holding her loosened his grip and kept his eyes on her as he left the stall. He barely walked out when Jim backhanded her across the face, sending her to the floor.
“Because of you, none of these hard-working girls will get supper tonight. You can think about that while you try to stay comfortable,” he said, pointing to her blanket and mattress and snapping his fingers.
Kara jumped to do his bidding, dragging it to the cell’s entrance.
“Next time, maybe you’ll think about your actions. ”
Rebecca sent the women a glare. “Have any of you heard about strength in numbers? You missed the opportunity to free all of us. The others are still above.”
“Why should we help you?” Kendra exclaimed. “You caused enough trouble and we don’t get to eat. I haven’t eaten since breakfast. You know they don’t always feed us in the morning. We’ll have to wait all day tomorrow and hope for dinner.”
“Listen to yourself,” Rebecca chided. “A little girl may be traumatized and you’re worried about your stomach.
What about survival? If we got out of here, we wouldn’t have to worry about being fed like a pack of dogs.
You stood by while I attacked him and didn’t lift a finger.
If you want out of this, you have to fight for it. ”
“Lady, we have a snowball’s chance in hell of getting out of here except for a body bag,” Ebony spoke up. “You keep talking like this, and we’ll tell him you’re planning on escaping. I’m tired of getting punished because of you.”
“Don’t you miss walking outside in the fresh air? Or walking in the rain? You can’t do it anymore if we stay in these damp basements. Do you want to spend the rest of your life like this?” she demanded.
“We don’t have a choice,” Kara said, sighing. “You talk all big and brave for a woman who’s locked up like the rest of us.”
Rebecca stopped arguing. These women lost themselves a long time ago.
They refused to help her save an innocent child.
She sat down on the cold floor, relieving her tender bottom area.
Nothing they did anymore surprised her. When they called her to entertain their special guests, they never talked much.
The men wanted to get to business, and she learned to separate herself from what happened until they finished.
Where did they take the little girl? Worry ran through as she imagined what they did to her.
Rebecca bit the skin around her shortened nails as her anxiety increased.
The other women lay listlessly on the pallets, begrudging her for their missing meal.
The hours ticked by when she heard the footsteps coming toward them.
She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.
Jim’s keys rattled in the lock and he flashed his light into the area.
His eyes roamed over Kara as he walked in and grabbed her roughly, jolting her from her sleep.
Dragging her from the cage, he scowled as the other women opened their eyes and sank into the shadows.
“Stop, you’re hurting me,” Kara pleaded as he handed her off to another man. The footsteps grew fainter as they returned upstairs.
Rebecca closed her eyes and sighed. Did Julio forget her? Tears pricked the edges, threatening to spill over. She thought they’d spend the rest of their lives together, but the nightmare never ended.
She leaned against the wall and dozed, occasionally jumping awake and searching the cell for Megan or Kara. Neither one of them returned, sending Rebecca’s nerves into overdrive. Did someone buy them?
An hour later, she heard little Megan’s sniffle as Jim’s footsteps grew louder. He opened the door and shoved the little girl, sending her flying to the floor. Megan cried out, unable to see in the dark. Wisely, Rebecca waited until Jim locked up and walked away before she reached for her.
“Megan, baby, come here,” she soothed.
Megan practically clawed her way up to Rebecca’s neck and clung to her as she cried her eyes out.
“It’s all right,” she said softly. “I have you now.”
“They took me from the kitchen. Jim said you were bad,” she hiccuped. “They hurt me.”
Rebecca’s hands gently floated over the child, searching for injuries and praying they didn’t touch her. She felt the welts across her back, bottom, and legs.
“What did they do?” she asked gently, stroking Megan’s hair.
“They spanked me with a belt,” Megan said, describing what Jim did to her. “It burns.”
“Come here,” Rebecca said, gently pulling the nightgown up and setting her against the cold floor. “How does this feel?”
“Better,” Megan confessed, still clinging to her hand. “Why were you bad? Jim said he hurt me because you didn’t listen.”
Rage filled her. Jim tried to blame his actions on Rebecca, hoping the little girl would turn away from her.
Fortunately, he didn’t quite grasp the extent of her feelings for the child.
He thought she protected her because of her age.
“Remember how I explained how Jim and the others lie? They try to pit us against one another. We won’t let them.
They hurt all of us, and one day, they’ll pay for it. ”
“Because Mr. Julio will come?” she asked, sleepily.
“Yep. And he won’t allow them to hurt any of us again,” she assured her as Megan drifted off to sleep. After months of telling her Julio would save them, she didn’t have the heart to confess her own doubts.
Ebony raised and sat against the wall, tossing her blanket to Rebecca to cover Megan.
“I overheard them talking. They have a shipment of kids coming. Those auctions last a long time. They make us serve the guests while they hurt those poor kids. It’s sickening.
You say this wise, strong man will come to rescue you.
What will happen when he doesn’t show and they take her away?
Coddling her won’t be in her best interests. She needs to learn survival skills.”
“What do you want me to teach her?” Rebecca hissed, covering Megan’s ears. “How to lie on the bed obediently?”
“No. I’ve seen how you taught her to lurk in the shadows and how to stay close to us as we leave. Maybe you know more skills to help her and us.”
Rebecca turned toward Ebony, unable to see her face. “Why? So, you can go to Jim and use it as leverage?”
“No,” Ebony denied quietly. “I have two kids at home with my mom, Chad and Thomas. If you’re telling the truth, I’ll help us get out of here. I want to see my babies again. Mom’s too old to care for them.”
“Where’s their dad?” Rebecca asked.
“He’s dead,” Ebony informed her. “We went out for our anniversary. Dennis took me to this new restaurant in our neighborhood. We ate good food and the waiter came to our table and delivered two drinks. He said they were compliments of the restaurant for our big day. We thanked him, and he walked away. A few minutes later, I felt sick. I excused myself to go to the bathroom, and when I finally came out of the stall, a lady stood there, waiting for me. She claimed my husband sent her. We walked out, and instead of heading toward the dining area, she steered me toward the back door. It’s like I didn’t have control over my body.
My husband must’ve come searching for me, because I heard him call my name as they lifted me into a van.
Another man shot him and I watched him die. ”
Rebecca reached for her hand. “I’m sorry, Ebony.”
“I don’t want your pity. Tell me the truth. Do you think this man of yours will actually come?” Ebony asked with a hint of hope in her voice.
“He’ll come,” Rebecca assured her.
“Then, teach me how to defend myself. I’m tired of these assholes using me like I’m nothing. My boys need me,” Ebony said, her voice sounding stronger.
“We’ll have to do it at night,” she whispered cautiously. “Listen to all the conversations and gaps in the guard stations. They eventually will make a mistake or leave an area. We can’t pass up any opportunities.”
“What do you plan on doing with Megan?” Ebony asked. “Don’t tell me you don’t love her to pieces. You hide it with all your bravado about protecting her because she’s a kid. It makes me sick she’s even here with us.”
Rebecca reached for Megan’s hair, playing with one of her curls. “I’ll figure it out as we go.”
“What will we do about the others?” she asked.
“We leave no one if the opportunity presents itself,” Rebecca said firmly.
“What about Kendra? She’s the tattle tale,” Ebony said angrily.
“She’s not here by choice. We don’t know her story and I’m not letting her suffer if I can help it,” Rebecca said, tucking the blanket around Megan and checking the chill on her skin.
“You’re a strong woman, Rebecca. I don’t know what you did to piss these people off and end up here, but you don’t belong.”
“No one does,” Rebecca whispered. “Say nothing to the others. We can’t afford for anyone to give us away.”
“How much longer will you wait?” Ebony asked her softly.