by J. M. Walker
If there is anyone up there, God, please save us.
I sent up a silent prayer to whoever would listen. I had been in some shitty situations but I would take all of them over being locked up. Held captive. Being undercover, not knowing what would happen next, my life on the line. I would take it all if I knew Asher was safe.
“The bidding starts at fifty thousand,” a female voice came over a loud speaker, startling me. “Fifty thousand. Fifty thousand.”
I couldn’t make out who was in the crowd or how they would purchase the girl but every time the voice spoke, my heart raced a little faster.
“Fifty thousand. Number one, sold for fifty thousand.”
A small gasp left me. I wavered on my feet, allowing my eyes to look to my left to see the girl who was sold for a measly fifty grand.
A man walked up onto the stage, grabbed the first girl and guided her back down the steps. The sea of darkness swallowed them whole. She would never be seen again.
“Fifty thousand. Seventy thousand. Number two for seventy thousand. One hundred thousand.”
The numbers went higher for the second girl until they stopped at one-hundred and seventy thousand. Much like the first girl, she was guided down the steps and swallowed by the darkness.
There were ten of us, and I was the last. Why that was the case was beyond me. I tried to think fast but my thoughts were jumbled. Almost like death, my life flashed before my eyes. Everything I had done right or wrong. I should have called my parents more. I should have convinced Asher to search for his sisters and reach out to them. I should have told him I loved him sooner. Jay would never know what I thought of her as a president and as a sister. We had our issues to work through but now she would never know just how much I respected her. I never got to apologize to Violet, for what we put her through.
As each girl was sold, my heart beat faster and faster. This was it. This was how my life would end. I didn’t want to give up but I didn’t know what else to do or how to get out.
“Number eight. The bidding starts at one-hundred thousand.”
My eyes widened.
The girl being put up for auction smirked at how much the starting bid was. Most of us had been drugged to keep us calm, but instead, the next girl embraced it. She was beautiful. Her long blond hair was pulled back into a tight pony-tail. Sequins coated her body, not leaving much to the imagination. Raising her chin, she placed her hands on her hips, standing tall and proud.
“These girls had a shitty life before I took them.”
Charles words banged around in my head. It didn’t make sense. None of it did.
“Two-hundred thousand. Sold.”
I swallowed hard. One more girl and it was my turn.
My life was officially over.
When Jessa and Sara had finished getting me ready for presentation, I had been tempted to fight them. To push them away and run for safety, but Charles was smart; he had them drug me so I was weak. I could have probably got a couple shots in, but it wouldn’t have done me any good when the place was lined with security.
My mind shut off as the ninth girl sold. I didn’t even hear how much someone had purchased her for.
“Number ten. Starting bid is two-hundred thousand.”
A soft whimper escaped my lips, bubbling up from my chest. My bones vibrated, my heart racing in time with the rush of my blood. You couldn’t put a price on someone’s head. People were priceless. No amount of money could pay for them. Or so I thought. I underestimated these people. This organization. I never thought I would get stuck in their midst, assuming Asher would keep me safe. He did what he could but they were smart.
“Two-hundred and seventy thousand.” The price kept going up and up, eventually stopping at four-hundred thousand. These sick bastards had more money than brains.
“Well, it looks like we’ve reached a new beginning,” Charles voice boomed from the speakers.
I jumped, my head whipping around when I saw him walk out onto the stage. He smirked at me, holding a microphone up to his mouth.
“Say hello to the highest paid toy in the organization. We’ve been open for thirty-five years and never has one been sold for four-hundred thousand.”
Bile rose to my throat. My stomach churned, threatening to spew all over the stage in front of me.
“How does it feel?” he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, lowering the microphone down at his side. “Look up, Meeka. Wave to your boyfriend.”
I gasped. Asher had been there this whole time?
“Please,” I whispered. “Let us go.”
“Why, Meeka—” he laughed, his gaze scanning over the crowd “—you will be going. Straight to your new home.”
Tears burned my eyes, a lump forming in my throat. “I refuse. You’ll have to kill me first.”
Shouting started from the second floor.
Murmurs and gasps sounded from the crowd, the yelling becoming more pronounced. Asher’s voice boomed through the large room, bouncing off the walls and hitting me straight in the heart.
“Let us go,” I demanded, my voice firm. Courage and strength slid over me. Because of him, I wouldn’t give up. Charles may have thought he won but I refused to go with anyone else if it wasn’t Asher.
“Oh, little girl,” Charles sneered, grabbing a fistful of my hair. “You’re never leaving.” He licked up the side of my cheek. “Guess who just bought you.”
THROWN INTO captivity much like an animal, I couldn’t help but fight. With everything in me, I fought. I punched. Kicked. I took some flesh between my teeth and bit as hard as I could. Blood seeped into my mouth, skin dug under my nails. I wouldn’t go easily or quietly.
Charles bought me. He actually had the nerve to purchase me. I couldn’t wrap the thought of spending the rest of my life with him around my mind. There was no way. No fucking way at all it would happen. He would have to kill me.
“Let me go!” I fought and pushed.
“Fuck,” someone grunted. “She’s losing her shit.”
“What do you expect? She was just purchased by Charles,” another person countered.
“He’s not even the boss.” A man laughed.
I screamed, my throat going raw. “Let me go!”
“Calm your shit, girl. You’re just going to make this harder on yourself.” Whoever spoke, lifted me into the air, throwing me over his shoulder.
Beating my fists against his back, I continued screaming until my voice gave out. The screams turned into sobs. Everything that had happened over the past couple of weeks, weighed down on me. No one would know where we were. I never even got to say goodbye. The tears continued to fall. “Please. I won’t tell anyone,” I begged, my voice hoarse.
“You can beg and plead all you want,” Charles voice slid into my ears. “But you belong to me now. No amount of crying will get me to let you go.”
“I need to see Asher. Please.” I wanted to tell him good bye. I wanted to tell him that no matter what happened, we would always be together. He was the air in my lungs and no amount of money could replace that.
“Fine.” Charles snapped his fingers.
The man placed me on my feet.
Wavering, I fell back a step when Charles wrapped his hand tightly around my arm.
“If you so much as even think of running, I will gut your boyfriend, letting you watch him bleed before you,” Charles snarled in my ear.
Fresh tears welled in my eyes but I refused to let them fall. I only nodded, waiting for Charles to bring me to Asher.
“Stand outside the door,” Charles demanded of his men. “These two are broken enough. They won’t try and escape.”
The men grunted, doing as they were told.
Charles led me down the long hall, stopping once we reached a metal door. He punched a code into the security system, the door unlocking a moment later.
“Remember my warning.” He pushed me forward.
I stumbled into the small room. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary. The
only thing that caught me off guard was that there was no sign of Asher.
“Sit,” Charles ordered, pointing at the single chair by the far wall.
Walking over on shaky legs, I did as I was told and fell onto the metal chair.
“Bring him in,” Charles told his men.
And that was when I saw him. Broken. Bloody. Beaten. Asher didn’t look the same. His right eye was swollen shut, his lips cracked. Dark bruises began to form on his face, his one arm hanging limp at his side.
“What the hell did you do to him?” I screamed, rushing forward and fell to my knees in front of Asher. Throwing myself around him, I held him.
He grunted, wrapping his good arm around my waist and nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck. “I’ll kill them. Every single one for what they’ve done to you.”
“And I’ll do the same,” I whispered.
“All right, all right.” Charles hooked his arm around my middle, pulling me away from Asher. “That’s enough.”
“Let me go.” I shoved and kicked, stomping on his feet but with mine being bare, it didn’t do much damage. “I’ll kill you. All of you.” I continued screaming, profanities and threats leaving my mouth. It didn’t do any good. It only caused Charles and his bastards to laugh. But that fueled the fire inside of me. Breaking free of his hold, I spun on him and pushed him back. Closing my hand into a tight fist, I swung, hitting him square in the jaw.
Charles stumbled back a step, his eyes wide before darkening with fury. “You little bitch.”
“Come on, Charles,” I yelled, shoving him again. “Show me what you want to do. Hit me. Kill me. I don’t give a fuck. No matter what you do, it won’t be as painful as what I do to you.”
“She’s a feisty one.”
That voice. I had heard it before.
I glanced over my shoulder, finding Tyler standing in the doorway.
He leaned casually against the doorframe, feigning a yawn.
Charles paused, raising his eyebrows. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I came to play, and boss wants me to watch.” Tyler came into the room. “You have a soft spot for her.”
I knew from what Asher had said that Tyler had been a part of the sex trafficking ring for a while, but I still never expected to see him.
“I do not.” Charles crossed his arms under his chest. “What do you want?”
“Grab Jessa and Sara and have them clean Asher up,” Tyler told the larger security guard. “I don’t want him bleeding everywhere and dying on us. And bring Meeka a fucking housecoat.”
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? If you keep him alive, he’ll only fight back,” Charles bit out.
“You see, this is why I’m in charge, Charles.” Tyler paced back and forth, scratching the scruff of his jaw. “You think with your dick first. You try and act all macho and tough but really, you get your goons to do your dirty work.”
“That’s so nothing can fall back on me,” Charles muttered.
“Really?” Tyler scoffed. “You think they wouldn’t rat you out? They are only in it for the money, and when you run out, they’re gone.”
“I would never run out of money.” Charles waved a hand in front of him. “Leave us. This is not your place.”
“Oh, but it is.” Tyler glanced down at Asher. “I may be an asshole but I’ve learned when the right time for that is.”
A light knock sounded on the door.
Tyler opened it, revealing Jessa and Sara. Jessa handed me a white terry cloth robe.
When I took it from her, our fingers touched. I caught her gaze.
She looked down at me with sympathy. She had been trained to tell me what she did, but I could see the hope that maybe I would be the one to get away.
She went back to Sara and started mending Asher’s wounds.
He grunted every so often.
My heart beat hard, my body shaking with the need to go to him. But nothing I did would make it go away. His pain. His anger. Even his fear.
Sliding the robe over my skin, I tied it around my waist, thankful I was now covered.
“Please, Tyler,” I begged of him. “Let us go.”
Tyler glanced my way, his brows narrowing.
I had never liked him, knowing what he did to Jay but I was desperate. I would do anything to get Asher to safety.
Once Sara and Jessa were finished caring for him, they quickly left the room.
Asher’s wounds were cleaned up, a bottle of water in his hand and his broken arm held by a makeshift sling. He needed the hospital but we would make do with what we had.
“Meeka,” Tyler’s rough voice grated over my nerves. “I suggest keeping your thoughts and demands to yourself.” A silence passed between us. He was asking me to trust him. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have, but right then, I had no other choice.
Tyler nodded once, glancing back at Charles. “The boss wants to know where you plan on coming up with four-hundred thousand dollars. We’ve never sold a girl for that much but Meeka comes in here and you’re willing to sell your fucking soul for her.”
“Not that it’s any of your fucking business, but I have the money stashed away.” Charles peered at me, his gaze roaming down my body.
I shivered, hugging myself. Pulling the robe tighter around me, it would never be enough. He had already seen every inch of me.
“Jessa,” Tyler snapped.
The door opened slightly. “Yes, Sir?”
“Get her some clothes. I don’t need Charles making a bigger mess then he already has.”
“Right away, Sir.” Jessa disappeared, coming back a moment later with my sweatpants and sweatshirt.
She helped me into the clothes, using the robe as a shield from the onslaught of stares.
A sense of relief washed over me at being fully covered and not having to worry about the robe loosening. I whispered a thanks to her but she only stared straight ahead.
I handed her the robe, expecting her to glare at me but when a moment of clarity struck her, she hugged me.
Shock tore through me, but I returned the embrace.
“Get out. For us. For all of us.” Releasing me, her face became impassive and she left the room.
“Better?” Tyler asked me.
I nodded, still confused as to what just happened. “Thank you.”
“Why the hell are you being nice?” Charles yelled, his fists clenching at his sides. “This isn’t the time to be nice. You need to show her who the fuck is the boss.”
“And is that you?” Tyler shoved him and pointed a finger at him. “You have no right to tell me what to do.”
“Just because you know her doesn’t mean you can act all high and mighty and shit.”
Tyler’s body stiffened.
“You’re too close to them,” Charles pointed out. “You need out.”
“You’re only jealous because I moved up the food chain faster than you did.” Tyler laughed.
“Before you two get your panties in a twist,” Asher coughed, gripping his side, “why don’t you tell us what the hell is going on?”
“Yeah, Tyler.” Charles frowned. “Tell us.”
“You’ll find out in about …” He glanced at his watch. “Now.”
A loud bang sounded from the hallway.
Asher pushed to his full height, leaning against the wall.
I rushed to his side, cupping his face. “I’m here.” I kissed him softly, careful not to split his lip even more.
“Meeka.” Reaching out, he brushed his fingers down the side of my face. “I love you, Hummingbird. More than you’ll ever know.”
The tears that had threatened earlier to escape, poured down my cheeks. “Let us go, please.” I wasn’t sure what Tyler wanted or what he was doing. I also didn’t know just how deep he was in this world.
I hooked an arm around Asher’s waist, allowing him to lean on me. The adrenaline surging through me didn’t let me feel the added the weight. He may have been huge b
ut my love for him was bigger.
“We need to get out of here,” he grumbled in my ear, breathing through the pain.
“Tyler,” I called out.
“Listen.” Charles glared at me. “You are mine. Do you understand me? I paid for you. You can’t leave.”
“No one is worth any amount of money. You can’t just buy someone.” With Asher at my side, all of my fear was pushed away.
“Yes, I can.” He took a step toward me. “We can. It’s how this world works. We take you. We sell you. And you’re never to be seen again by your family and friends. You are dead in their eyes, and there’s nothing that they or you can do about it.”
“We’ll end you,” Asher growled. “If I have to die doing so, I will fucking bring you down.”
Charles waved a hand in front of him. “Promises, promises.”
“Well, as fun as this is—” Tyler clapped his hands together “—we need to leave.”
“What?” Charles shouted. “You can’t just take them. It doesn’t work that way. I paid for her.”
“And I’m stealing her from you.” Tyler stepped into Charles face, their noses millimeters apart. “There are plenty of girls out there that you can have. You seem to have quite a collection yourself.”
“But they aren’t her.”
“And why do you want her?” Tyler stepped in front of me, blocking Charles’ view.
“Because she’s pure. Untouched.”
Tyler scoffed. “Her boyfriend is Asher. I don’t think she’s that pure.”
My cheeks heated.
“No, I’m saying she’s innocent. I saw it in her eyes when—”
“When you what?” Asher snarled, his voice coating with venom.
“He didn’t do anything to me, baby,” I promised him.
“You told me you would do anything as long as he was safe,” Charles reminded me. “Isn’t that what you told me?”
“Of course! I love him. I would do anything to save him and he would do the same for me. Get that through your thick skull, Charles. You will never own me. I will die first before I let you break me.” My chest rose and fell.
Tyler’s head snapped around. “Leave. Now.”
“You can’t make them leave.” Charles snapped his fingers. “None of you can leave.”
