Chapter 5
Reese
“Get the fuck in there.”
Hearing the harsh words, I jerked my head up.
The girl’s squeal forced me to cringe. “Leave me alone! Fuck you. Fuck you.”
With a deep laugh, the asshole tossed her onto the concrete floor.
The cell door was slammed shut, but the asshole in the suit wasn’t ready to leave just yet. He turned his attention toward me, his leer repulsive. “Make yourself comfortable, sugar. And you. Your number was called.”
I was shocked when the girl managed to scramble to her feet, throwing herself toward the bars. Her scream was high pitched and just as I’d done the first, second, and third time, she tried scratching him through the bars, managing to claw his face.
Before I could warn her, the bastard stuck the cattle prod through the metal bars.
Her scream was even more high pitched, her body thrashing. I was on my feet, hissing as I did.
“Stop it! You fucking bastard. You’re killing her.” I rushed forward, spitting fire. At least he was momentarily surprised by my attack, jerking the prod away.
Long enough for me to be able to drag the girl from the bars and onto one of the cots. She was still breathing, thank God. I returned to just in front of the man, shaking my head. “You can’t keep us here. You will be found and arrested.”
His laugh echoed in the space. “Girlie, it’s about time you realized we can do anything we want. Now, be a good little girl because all that fire in your belly is going to be tested tonight.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Whoever had been tossed in as my cell mate hadn’t been the first. I’d joined a woman close to my age when thrown inside a few days before.
Although at this point with the constant dim lighting and incarceration, I had no real idea of just how much time had passed.
My former cell mate had been dragged out a few days before, never to be seen again. I shuddered from the thought of what had happened to her.
All I knew was that I wasn’t getting out of here while being in a cage. And I certainly hadn’t found my sister.
“Ah, don’t worry, girl. You’ll get all prettied up for the auction since you stink like a damn dog. And if you’re lucky, I’m sure one of our members will be able to tame you.” He turned away.
“Fuck you.”
He took a deep breath before spinning on his heel and grabbing the bars, rattling them as if trying to terrify me. “I’ll make special note that you need to be fucking tamed first. Who knows. Maybe I’ll be the one who breaks your spirit.”
With that, he laughed, the sound lingering in the dense space long after he’d left.
I remained motionless, struggling just to breathe. I’d tried so hard to remain strong but had never felt so weak in my life.
I’d also never felt so alone. Even with having a new cell mate, the world as I’d known it was gone, tossed aside as if never existing.
“What is this place?” The girl’s tiny voice dragged me back to the ugly reality.
“Hell.” The gruffness in my voice likely terrified her. Maybe that’s what she needed. I rubbed my clammy hands on my jeans, fighting nausea and terror.
“I… I don’t understand.”
The damp conditions, lack of food, and the constant berating and lewd comments I’d received from the glorified thugs preventing me from escaping had put me in a shitty mood. “Try and get a grip. You were kidnapped by some very bad people and your life is about to change.”
There was a horrible sharpness to my tone.
For all the years I’d been a kind and loving soul, nurturing my students even when they’d plucked my last nerve, I was out of patience at this point.
Yes, I’d been the idiot to get myself in this horrible situation, but I wouldn’t be here if the fucking cops had done their jobs.
The poor girl recoiled, acting as if I’d hit her.
Exhaling, I rubbed my eyes. “I’m sorry. I’ve spent several days in this hell hole and I’m cranky.” And starving to death. What little food I’d been offered had turned my stomach.
“I just wanted to be a model. They promised that I had a job.”
“They lied.”
“What is going to happen?” She struggled to sit up, wincing when she did. Her eyes were wide open as mine had been for the first two days.
“You’ll be sold to the highest bidder. From there, I have no idea.
” What little Denise had told me I’d passed down.
She’d been taken not long after I’d arrived, screaming for help as she was dragged out by her hair.
It wasn’t as if we’d been friends, but having someone to talk to had at least helped the time pass.
She’d been lucky enough to overhear one of the other girls. That’s the only reason I knew anything about the organization and what to expect. At this point, it was a waiting game.
After her disappearance, being alone had brought back all the memories I’d had with my sister. Before Briana had gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd. Alcohol. Drugs. By then, I’d been out of college living a life of my own.
Jesus. If only I could go back and be the big sister she’d needed.
The girl’s racking sobs instantly pulled at my heartstrings. “Hey, it’ll be alright. Somehow.” I moved beside her, trying to be supportive. “What’s your name?”
“Tammy.”
“Well, Tammy, I’m Reese.” She was shivering to the point her teeth were chattering.
“Why are you here?”
“Because I believed I could beat the devil.”
The clang of metal dragged me from a fitful sleep. Lifting my head, I immediately tensed.
This time there were two guards, one opening the cell door.
“You. Get the fuck over here.” The bastard was pointing to me.
“What’s happening?” Tammy asked, the fear in her voice matching mine from days before.
“Just stay out of it.” I moved off the cot. While I was terrified, so much so I couldn’t breathe, I also knew my only chance of escape and locating my sister was when I was freed from my prison. Maybe if I was more cooperative, the bastards would let their guards down. “Everything will be fine.”
As I approached, the same goon swept his gaze to my feet. “You’re coming with us.”
“Where?”
“I already told you. To be sold. But first we need to get rid of that fucking stench.”
I walked right up to him, offering a smile. “When this is over, I’m going to enjoy watching you being arrested.”
Both men laughed as if they were impervious to the law. To hell with them.
When the other guard grabbed my arm, I jerked it free. “Don’t you fucking touch me.”
“Oh, this one is a feisty one. I bet she’ll provide a great show tonight.”
A show. That meant there would be several people around. From here on out, I needed to pay very close attention to everything around me. Maybe my sister would be wherever they were taking me.
Laughing with them, I shifted my gaze back and forth. “Let’s get this over with. I can’t stand the stench of either of you.”
The guard I was most familiar with was instantly irritated. He slammed me against the wall with his hand under my chin.
“I suggest you keep your mouth shut, little bitch. I don’t care how valuable you’re supposed to be, you will not be allowed to misbehave.”
“Let her go. Lucifer doesn’t want her marked.”
Lucifer.
All the moments of anger I’d experienced over the long days had been directed at the one man. Lucifer was obviously running everything.
Hissing, the man let me go, tossing me from the open door.
“Who are you people?” I dared ask.
“No one you want to know.” The guard I’d never seen before offered the answer without hesitation, the other instantly tossing him a harsh glare.
“Why are you doing this?” Anything I learned at this point would be helpful.
I’d obviously amused the main guard as he laughed. “Because rich men get bored.”
His words allowed me to discover there were the elite and those who worked for them. I heard the slight dissention in the man’s voice as well.
“Aren’t you sick of doing their bidding? Rich guys who make you do despicable things?”
“Don’t worry your pretty little head. We’re paid well.
What they do is up to them. Now, keep your mouth shut and do what you’re told and maybe your owner will be one of the nicer members within the society.
” His dark laugh sent a shiver down my spine.
This was all a game to him. Maybe he was the given perks of the leftover women who weren’t sold.
“There are some brutal savages. You don’t want anything to do with them.” The younger, more talkative guard was being sincere. When I looked into his eyes, I could sense the job had ripped at his moral compass.
The way he offered the suggestion allowed me to know he’d seen some terrible things. Maybe he’d been required to deal with the aftermath of the unwanted girls or those who’d fought them.
“What happens to the girls if they don’t behave?” I dared push one last question.
When the asshole who’d had his hand around my throat moved in front of me again, I stood as tall as possible, even refusing to blink. “You remember your old cellmate? Well, she disobeyed and was punished.”
“What the fuck did you do to her?” I’d tried so hard to keep my cool, but Denise had barely been more than a child herself. She’d reminded me of my sister. “What did you do to her?”
He towered over me, the gleam in his eyes unhinged. “Let’s just say she won’t be returning to her family any time soon.”
“You fucking son of a bitch. You killed her!”
When he raised his hand to slap me, the other guard grabbed his arm. “Enough, John. For fuck’s sake. Enough.”
John hissed. “Shut the fuck up. Just shut up.”
A line had been crossed.
As my thoughts lingered with Denise, my heart aching, I was led up a set of stairs into a main room. If there were windows, they were blocked out. From the layout of the building, it would appear commercial. After being led down a long hallway, one guard knocked on the door.
Instantly, it was opened and I was pushed inside.
There were seven other girls waiting, all huddled together. Different ages. Different in appearance.
I glanced from one dirty face to another, my heart racing. Hoping.
Praying.
Yet none were my sister.