Chapter Twelve
This was a terrible decision.
Awful.
What was I thinking when I thought my best choice was to give into my parents? I should’ve told Detective Martinez the moment I got the call. It’s too late now. I can’t find the words to tell him just how badly I screwed up because I was so afraid of the repercussions that might happen if I wouldn’t have come here. They could have found out everything I knew, and I couldn’t let that happen. If they knew Jason was helping me to escape from them, they would kill him. They don’t even know that Hayley died.
Which leads me to my current situation as I stare out of the window of one of my father’s many cars. He sent a car to pick me up to make sure I couldn’t run away from him like Hayley did in his eyes. He’s made it a point to let me know just what he really thinks of me and everything Hayley hid from me. How could he be so cruel to throw us into this life when they chose to take care of us and took me in? They decided I was worthy of their family, but only enough to make them more money.
If he knows I’m still a virgin, though, I wonder what else he knows. Maybe he already knows about Jason, but if that’s the case, how is he still alive? Maybe he was just taking a guess about my virginity, and I confirmed it for him. But how did he know Hayley saved me all those times? Did she have to take a punishment to pay for all of those?
My heart hurts for her, my sister, my best friend. She had been through so much and fought a battle that no one else really knew or understood. She deserved more in this world, but she never got it. She was an empty, hollow shell of a girl I once knew. She was my rock and soulmate in this life. I would have done anything to save her or protect her, but she never gave me the chance because she was too busy doing the same for me. If I could go back in time, I would change it all. This was never her burden to take on alone. If there’s anything for her, it’s to keep her death a secret for as long as I can so Detective Matinez can give her justice. I have to do this for her.
We arrive at my childhood home in thirty minutes. My eyes immediately begin to well at the sight of the walls that Hayley and I grew up in. All the memories we shared come flowing back into my mind. All the times we were locked out of the house because our parents decided it was their time. She would always find something to keep us occupied until they would let us inside. All of our giggles and laughter can still be heard in the garden on the side of the house. We drove them insane with it.
The car door opens, and I look up to see my parents with disgusting grins stretched across their faces.
“Sweetheart, it’s so good to see you,” my mother admits.
“Come, we need to talk,” my father announces before holding out his hand for me to take. I swallow the hard lump as I take a deep breath and grab his hand. It’s useless to fight against him right now. I’m in his den.
He leads me inside the house and to his office. I look around as we walk and see nothing new. Everything has always been the same since the day I came to this house. Not one decoration has changed. Not one new one has been introduced. It’s odd behavior in my eyes, but everyone is different. Right?
As we enter the office, I feel the air thicken around us. The impending doom of my situation is lingering in the air. “It’s good to see you both,” I lie, hoping it will buy me a little bit more time.
“Enough with the niceties.” My father takes a seat in his chair and gestures for me to sit in the one opposite of his desk while my mother stands against the wall with her arms down to her side. Her eyes are cast down. “With your sister disappearing on us, we are a few days behind now. I have clients lined out the door for you, but tonight is extremely important for us. If we can land this client, then we won’t have to worry about anything else for the rest of our lives. I might even give you a small bonus if you can make this work. The guy wants a virgin, so you don’t have to do much. He might even keep you for good, which wouldn’t last very long because he grows tired of his playthings quickly, but it gets us a lot of money. Haven’t you always wanted to help us out?”
“I’m not sure I can make this work, father.” I rub my hands together anxiously. “What if he isn’t pleased with me?”
My father laughs dryly. “Then I guess we’ll be burying you in the ground. You either make the client stay with us, or you can meet the grave. The choice is yours, Natalia.”
I have no choice. Have no words for anything he is saying. I either make the client happy, or I’m dead. There’s a possibility that if I make him happy enough, I’ll still end up in the same situation as my sister. I really wish I wasn’t a virgin at this moment. I wish I would have given myself to someone years ago just to try and avoid this situation now.
“You don’t have a choice, dear,” my mother announces, reminding me of her presence. “It’s better to just follow suit and go with whatever we tell you.” She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. For the first time, I notice just how tired my mother looks. She has to be exhausted from all of this.
I have no choice here. Whether they like to say I do or not, I don’t. My choices were taken away from me when I was six-years-old and stolen away from my true family. I wonder what my real parents are like. Would they have given me a similar fate, or would I have been raised the way a child should be? Would my parents have made me feel like royalty, even if they didn’t have a penny to their names?
I need to stop dwelling on what could have been and think about my current situation. Detective Martinez doesn’t know where I am, which means he should have a clear vision of what happened to Hayley. He can solve that case and move on to his next. Will he forget about me once this is all over? I should try to keep some hope that someone will notice I’m gone and come looking for me, but I’m a nobody. By the time someone notices, I’ll be long gone.
With shaky legs, I stand up from my chair. “I better get ready, then.”
“No need. Anastasia will come to you soon. Stay in here, and I’ll have her come this way. Sit, enjoy your last bit of freedom.” My father stands from his chair, taking my mothers hand as he makes his exit, leaving me all alone to my thoughts.
Twenty long minutes pass by until a small, delicate woman enters. “I’m Anastasia. Let’s get you ready for the big night tonight.” Her voice is quiet, but she has a bit of a squeal as she speaks.
I don’t say anything, which makes her frown, but I’m sure she understands my hesitance to be friendly with her. She’s getting me ready to forcibly sell my body to a man I know nothing about. The last thing I want to do is befriend her.
She starts working on my hair before moving on to my make up. She takes her time with delicate fingers to ensure she doesn’t hurt me. I appreciate her gentle touch, but I’m sure that she’s only trying to con me into believing the rest of my night will go the same way.
“He’s only doing this to try and gain the trust of the Mexican Cartel, you know. He needs them to sign off on the transportation of drugs to America from Mexico, but they’ve refused.” I have no idea why she’s telling me this, or how she knows, but I listen anyway. “None of us are here because we want to be, Natalia. We’re here because we have no other choice. We hear things we shouldn’t and tell one another to try and save the next girl.”
I look away from her, praying I can keep it together while she does my make up. “Then you should all know I really have no other option. I was raised for this moment, and I will die by the hands of my only encounter in life. So, I’m not exactly in the most sharing mood.”
Her eyes turn softer than before as she gives me a sympathetic look. “We know. That’s why we want to help you. Nobody has ever lasted one night with the man you have a date with tonight. They all end up missing. Secret is that the guy is looking for his missing daughter and swears that Mr. Sutton has her. I don’t know why he would only want a virgin, though. Knowing the Suttons, they sold his daughter long ago to wipe their hands clean of that mess and war. Could you imagine the Mexican Cartel coming after us? We would all be dead in seconds.” She shivers a bit at the thought.
But I realize I know the Suttons better than any of these people, and while they may think they are smart enough to get away with such a thing, I doubt they are. They would have kept her a complete secret so nobody else would ever know. And surely, he wouldn’t expect the man to become a client if he knew what the man thought. He wouldn’t put himself into the line of fire unless he didn’t know anything about this rumor.
Maybe now I have something to help me get out of this mess.
Maybe now I have a chance to live.