Chapter Eleven
Rebecca showered under Jim’s watchful eyes.
She gave up caring about him seeing her during the last eleven months.
Her body carried the scars from the beatings, and they branded her their property.
Little did they know, she’d never belong to them.
Rebecca doubted she’d ever belong to anyone again, especially Julio.
Months dragged on, and the nightmare continued without any sign of him coming.
They endured a two-day ride in a container truck to reach the next location.
When they finally allowed them out of the stifling truck, the humidity felt thick and dense.
If she guessed correctly, they must be in Florida, based on the tropical trees she noticed while scanning the area.
She shivered under the cool water, thinking about escaping at night with no weapons and running into an alligator in the unknown area.
The other homes seemed more elegant than this place, and instead of cages, they placed them in windowless rooms. Instead of cold, damp floors, they slept in humid, hot rooms.
She wrapped the towel around herself and brushed her hair.
Grabbing the shorts and t-shirt on the counter, Rebecca put them on and smirked at not giving Jim the satisfaction of seeing her.
She picked up the toothpaste and vigorously scrubbed her teeth.
They didn’t always provide them with dental hygiene products, and it felt like a luxury.
Feeling clean and refreshed, she entered the room and stood by the door, waiting for Jim to move.
“It seems like you and Ebony have become close friends,” Jim said slowly, watching her.
“You try staying in a cage and while away the boredom,” she snarked, hoping it kept him from hurting the other woman.
Over the last few months, Rebecca realized she had gotten away with more than the others.
Jim found other ways to inflict his punishments on her, but what did it matter now?
As long as she continued protecting the women, she’d deal with the consequences later.
Jim chuckled as if she made some private joke between the two of them. Her stomach flipped as she went over every conversation over the last few days. In the truck, they barely spoke, and since their arrival, she didn’t recall even seeing Ebony.
Jim rose, grabbed her arm and led her down the hallway. They passed two men who stood outside another door. A flurry of activity at the end of the hall caught her attention.
“Becca, Becca,” Megan cried out as a man dragged her from the room they entered earlier.
Rebecca yanked away from Jim and ran toward the child. Her heart raced as she caught up with them and yanked Megan from the man’s hold. Placing Megan behind her, she snarled, “Stay away from her.”
Jim didn’t bother to chase her. He slowly approached, taking in the scene.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” he said, shaking his head. “You know better than to run away from me.” He nodded to the other man, who stepped forward to grab the child.
“Don’t touch her,” Rebecca said, knocking the man away. She backed Megan against the wall, positioning herself between her and the three men.
“You’re making your punishment even worse,” Jim warned almost gleefully. “Give her over.”
“Fuck you,” she sneered. “You’ll have to kill me first.” Rebecca heard Megan sniffle, but she didn’t have time to comfort her. She risked their lives with this impromptu move and her heart refused to let her back down.
The men came from all sides. The one to her left made the first move, and she kicked out, knocking him sideways.
The second man dived for her, pulling on her arm.
Megan let out an ear-piercing scream as she clung to Rebecca’s shirt.
Jim grabbed her and tried pulling her away.
Rebecca struck him with her fist, hearing the satisfying crunch of his nose.
He dropped Megan, holding his nose and stomping his foot.
“You bitch,” he shouted. “Grab her.”
Rebecca didn’t think. She scooped up Megan and took off running. The little girl clung to her neck for dear life as she darted down the hallway, evading the men. Between the lack of food, water, and exercise, she felt herself tiring but she refused to stop.
Seeing the door leading to outside, she increased her pace. Another truck sat in the driveway and she passed it, surprising one of the guards as he opened the back. Her eyes widened at the number of children inside the hot vehicle.
She crossed the driveway, the rocks cutting into her feet, and the sound of being hunted spurred her on.
On the opposite side of the road, she saw a lake.
She glanced around and felt confident they were in Florida.
Did she risk her and Megan’s lives to the possibility of alligators in the lake?
Traffic sounded on the opposite side. If she managed to get around the water, they might make it to civilization.
“You better stop right now, bitch,” Jim called out, panting as he ran toward her. Deciding the punishment at this point might be worse than death, Rebecca jumped into the water with a splash.
“Hang on to my neck,” Rebecca ordered Megan, who cried. “We’re all right. It’s a little swim.”
She glided toward the center, praying nothing attacked them as she glanced toward the edge.
“Jump in and get them,” Jim ordered the men.
One man dived in while the other ran alongside the lake. Jim took the other side.
“Stay with me, Megan. Hang on tight,” she said, almost out of breath as she swam toward the shore.
The sound of frenzied splashing and the man behind her, swimming, cried out, “There are gators in here. Help me. Help me.”
“Don’t look, baby. Tell me what you see ahead,” Rebecca encouraged, moving faster, praying they made it out of the water.
The sounds behind her grew more frenzied, and the man screamed bloody murder and then fell into complete silence.
Her feet kicked faster and they made it across.
She pulled Megan off her as she stood in the water and pulled her along.
Her arms ached from getting yanked and from the marathon in the water.
Jim seemed to find a second wind as he ran toward them.
They reached the edge of the lake and she picked up Megan.
The child grew heavier with the wet clothes and her exhaustion.
She ran through the grass, glancing back and seeing Jim gaining on them.
Her heart pounded in her ears as she pushed forward.
“He’s coming, Becca,” Megan cried out.
Rebecca didn’t waste energy talking. She pushed herself hard as panic set in.
Megan screamed, and then Rebecca was jerked back by the guard as Jim grabbed the little girl. Rebecca pounced on him, beating him with her fist and hitting his nose again and again. “Leave her alone,” she screamed desperately. A pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and shoved her to the ground.
Rebecca screamed as she fought her new attacker. Jim rose, shoving Megan on the hard ground.
“Run, Megan, run toward the highway and wave for someone to stop,” she shouted. Megan jumped up like a rabbit, as fear and terror took over.
Jim growled and knocked her to the ground and took out his belt, putting it around her neck. “Stop fighting right now, or I’ll choke her to death right in front of you,” he threatened as he jerked hard on the leather strap.
“Stop,” Rebecca pleaded and gave up. Her harebrained escape came to a stop at the threat to Megan’s life.
“Take off your belt and wrap her hands,” Jim ordered the guard. “If you try anything else, her death will be your fault.”
Rebecca choked back the tears as she saw Megan’s terrified expression. She held out her hands, allowing them to tie her up. The guard jerked her hard as they walked around the lake. Jim kept taunting her by making Megan walk along the water’s edge.
Once they crossed the driveway, she let out a relieved sob. She glanced at the truck holding the children. It sat empty, making her skin crawl. Kara mentioned an auction for only children. She swallowed down the nausea. With all her CIA training, Rebecca failed to save them.
The guard turned her toward the hall they fled from while Jim led Megan in the opposite direction.
When the little girl realized they planned to separate them, she cried out, “Becca, please don’t let them take me. Please, Becca.”
Rebecca didn’t reply. One word might mean Megan’s death.
Her cries grew faint as Jim took her somewhere else in the house.
Tears pricked her eyes as the guard opened the door, shoved her inside the dark room, and locked her inside.
She felt for the wall and slid down. Pulling her knees to her chin, Rebecca let out her grief.
Her soul broke into pieces for the kids, especially the little girl who stole her heart.
Lowering herself to the floor, Rebecca gave up.
Soon, Hassan planned to come for her, and she’d disappear forever.
The fight within her dimmed and she no longer heard Julio’s voice telling her not to give up.
He probably considered her dead at this point.
When Jim came to dole out his punishment, she made up her mind to let death take her.
Julio entered the library and nodded to the two men. He scanned the room, noticing the guards stationed at every door.
“You’re lucky. We have an excellent selection this evening.
Of course, if none of these are to your liking, you can leave your deposit with us and we’ll invite you to our next dinner party,” Mr. Presley said, handing him another whiskey.
He motioned for Julio to have a seat in one of the wing-backed chairs while Gerard took the other.
Julio raised an eyebrow at him, wondering why they gave Gerard a private showing.
“When you host, you get special perks,” Gerard said, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
The door opened and one of the men nodded to Mr. Presley. “Here you go, gentlemen.”