by J. M. Walker
No. That wasn’t true. He would always want me. It was inevitable. Licking my dry lips, I took several shall breaths before I responded. “Please,” I muttered, thankful that my voice started working. But the rest of me? No matter how much I tried, nothing would move. My fingers. My toes. I was frozen, in place. Whatever drug Charles injected me with forced me immobile.
“The drugs will wear off soon,” Jessa smiled.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, my voice cracking.
“We have no choice,” she explained. “They treat us well. They’ve given me a better life than I could have ever asked for.”
“What about you?” I asked Sara.
“I had no life before here,” she said, her voice firm and final.
I swallowed hard, not expecting that sort of answer.
Jessa patted my hand. Even though I couldn’t move, I could still feel everything that was being done to me. The girls were gentle, but they cleaned and prepared every single inch of me. I was grateful that they were female but it still made me feel violated.
“They won’t hurt you,” Jessa said, her voice soft. “As long as you do everything they tell you to do.”
“I want Asher.” I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “Please. Just let me go.” I refused to give up. Jay had been through hell when Vega blew his head off in front of her. I couldn’t handle that. She had been strong and that broke her. I couldn’t deal with it if something similar happened to me.
“Why does she want to leave?” Sara asked Jessa. “Doesn’t she want to stay? Master won’t be happy that she’s being ungrateful.”
“Do not worry, Sara.” Jessa squeezed her shoulder gently. “Meeka is new. She has a lot of training to go through before she can truly appreciate the way of our world.”
“I don’t want to appreciate your world,” I struggled against the drug induced paralysis. “Please. I won’t tell anyone what’s going on here. Just let me leave.”
“I’m sorry.” Jessa grabbed my hands, rubbing them between hers. “Can you move anything yet?”
A tingle formed in my toes. Looking down the length of my body, I saw my toes wiggle, followed by my feet twitching back and forth.
“Good girl.” Jessa continued to massage me, her hands moving to my wrists and then to my forearms and higher.
Sara worked on my legs, her gaze piercing into mine every so often. She didn’t like me. I knew that. I could feel it as her eyes burned into my soul.
“What happens after?” I needed to keep them talking. If I was being sold as they said, I wanted as much information as possible before I lost myself. It was the only way I could keep some control. I read books. I did research. I knew what could happen to the victims when their minds were stripped bare and their bodies destroyed.
“You are presented to the people of the organization. They will see every inch that isn’t covered by the dressing.”
“Dressing?”
Jessa held up what looked like gold chains attached to a golden triangle. “This will show off your pale skin and your dark hair.” She smiled. “Don’t worry. It will cover all your bits.”
“I don’t want to be on display.” I pushed onto shaky arms, my exhausted muscles causing my head to swim.
“It needs to happen. If it doesn’t, we will get in trouble. Master trusts us.” Sara pushed me onto my back. “Don’t fight it. Once you succumb to your destiny, it will all be worth it in the end.”
“How can you say that? You’re like puppets. Are there more of you?”
“Of course.” Sara narrowed her eyes, grabbing hold of my hands. “But I belong to Master.”
“You … belong to him?” My heart jumped.
Sara pulled me to a sitting position, holding my wrists while I gained composure. “Yes.”
“Sara has been here awhile.” Jessa massaged oil into my back. “As much as she wants to be Master’s only pet, it doesn’t work that way.”
“Why not?” I didn’t care, but curiosity got the better of me. The more information I had on Charles, the easier it would be to bring his organization down. Or so I hoped.
“Master, or Charles to you, doesn’t want just one pet.” She pointed at Sara. “She doesn’t know better anymore. Each of his pets think they are the only one.”
I looked at Sara, waiting for any hint of despair at Jessa’s words but her face remained impassive. “Doesn’t she understand what you’re saying, though?”
“I wish.” Jessa sighed. “She’s too far gone. All of them are.”
“What about you?” I met Jessa’s gaze. “What makes you so different from the rest?”
“I bite.” She laughed, remembering some past memory. “When they first brought me here, I bit one of the security guards. For whatever reason, Charles thought it would be a good idea to keep me in charge of the girls. Because I’m the oldest, they call me Mistress.”
“Why are you happy here? These people take girls from their homes. They murder them. They’re monsters.” There was no way they could be okay with this.
“Those girls were in the wrong. The Masters were trying to teach them.” Sara’s hand tightened on my wrist.
“That’s no reason to kill them,” I cried, shoving from her grip.
“You’ll understand eventually.” Jessa gripped my shoulders. “We all do. It’s a little much to take in at first, but don’t worry, they won’t let anything happen to you as long as you behave and do what you’re told.”
“No.” I shook my head. “Take me to Asher.” Pushing off the table, I landed hard on my feet. My knees wobbled, unable to support my weight, and forced me to the floor. The remainder of the drugs swam through my head.
“There’s no way out,” Sara said, her hot breath caressing my ear. “You’re stuck.” Her eyes twinkled. It was the only hint of emotion that truly belonged to her that I saw. The others were trained, engrained in her mind by the hands of the monsters who brought her here. Was it possible? Could a mind be manipulated into believing something completely different? Could they change me? What if I was saved and Asher didn’t want me anymore because I had become a different person?
“Please,” I begged, trying with everything in me to rise to my feet but the drugs weighed me down.
“It seems like the drugs are still in your system. Don’t worry,” Jessa said, her voice hopeful. “You’ll be able to walk on your own soon. Until then, let’s get you ready.” She hooked her hands under my armpits and brought me to my feet.
Once the blood stopped rushing through my head, I did a quick scan of the room I was being held in. Instead of the black like Charles’ room, this one was gold and red. The furniture was antique and instead of a bed, I had been placed on a table.
“Were you expecting a dungeon?” Jessa asked, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes.
“Yes, but I’m not stupid. I’ve been here before.”
“You have?” Jessa raised an eyebrow. “When?”
“She was here with that man,” Sara told her.
“That was you,” I exclaimed. I thought she looked familiar. “Why? Why do you want to be here?”
“Don’t even bother asking her that,” Jessa interrupted. “We have to finish getting you ready.” Just as those words left her mouth, there was a knock on the door before it opened.
Charles peeked his head into the large room, his gaze heating when they landed on me.
Covering myself with my hands and arms, it still didn’t stop him from staring. Suddenly, I felt dirty. Like the only way to get rid of the filth of his stare was by washing myself with acid. Maybe then, I would feel better. “What the hell do you want?” I bit out.
He chuckled. “She’s ready.” In a matter of seconds, his demeanor switched. “Don’t cover her. She wants to be a little bitch, she can crawl behind me naked.”
***
(Asher)
I didn’t know what I was looking at. I had been placed on a balcony overlooking a large stage concealed currently by curtains. The two
security guys stood behind me, waiting, making sure I wouldn’t go anywhere. I wasn’t sure where I could go with several broken ribs, a limp arm hanging at my side and my blood dripping onto the ground beneath me.
Groups of people filed into the room below me. Much to my dismay, they ranged in all walks of life. The younger men sat in the front row, followed by the couples. Fuck, even women were there. What kind of world did we live in? I bit back a scoff. I was a Navy SEAL. I saw shit. I was losing my ever-loving mind if I thought the world was going to get better as the days wore on but no, they were only becoming worse.
Meeka made me realize that even though life was shitty, I could still be happy. With her. Only her. I hadn’t been able to tell her that enough. If we got out of this fucking mess, I would spend the rest of my days, showing her just how much I loved her.
“Pay attention, dickhead.” The larger security bastard slapped me across the head.
I had been paying attention. If they only knew just how much. People underestimated the military. No matter what rank you were, you were trained. And you were trained well. Well, Angel trained me. And having Coby at my back, I learned to be aware. Some may call it paranoid but it just meant we knew everything about our surroundings. Things most people wouldn’t even notice.
Like when Charles spoke, the smaller of the two security guards, rolled his eyes every time Charles looked away. Or the fact that there were five doors leading into the staged area and that there was a camera in each corner of the high ceiling. Other things I would have noticed sooner if my body wasn’t falling apart.
I grimaced, shaking my head.
When everyone was seated, the lights dimmed, but I still remained in a sea of black. Probably so no one could look up and see a bloody and broken man staring down at them. “Are either of you going to tell me what’s going on and why the hell I’m here?” I asked the men standing behind me.
“Nope,” the larger one said.
“After all we have been through.” I shook my head. “My heart breaks.”
“I’ll fucking break your face if you don’t shut the fuck up,” the smaller one growled.
“So damn moody.” I turned back around, waiting, hoping. For what I wasn’t sure. I didn’t know where Meeka was. I wasn’t sure if we were even in the same building. No one gave me any answers.
Charles took that moment to make an appearance. He probably wanted to gloat. After Tyler got a couple hits in, he disappeared, telling me there would be a surprise waiting for me.
Charles sat beside me, crossing his ankle over the opposite knee. “These people are like vultures.”
“You’re complaining?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Not at all, but when they don’t get the girl they want, they throw a fucking hissy fit like you wouldn’t believe.” He huffed. “Because I have that control.”
“Don’t you? Why else would we be here? They are paying you to get what they want so they can fulfill some sick and twisted fantasy.”
“You think that’s all this is?” Charles turned to me. “You think they only want girls to fuck them? Have you ever thought that they’re taking them out of a bad situation and putting them in a better one?”
“Don’t try and justify it,” I ground out. “They are innocent and you are selling them. That right there is wrong all in itself.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Of course I understand!” I snapped, my voice raising. “I was raised by a step-father who beat me. He kidnapped women and threw them away like trash while I cleaned up the mess. All of their blood had been on my hands while he went off and did God knows what.”
“Sounds like someone who belongs here,” Charles grunted. “Oh, finally. The best part.” He sat forward, his eyes twinkling in the dim lighting of the room.
I followed his gaze, unprepared for what I would see. My mind understood. My heart did not. Several girls lined up on the stage, following each other until they stood in front of the ever growing audience.
Although I knew it was bound to happen, everything in me prayed it wouldn’t. That she wouldn’t be here. That she was safe and out of harm’s way. But when Meeka walked onto the stage, my heart dropped. Bile rose to my throat, my stomach twisting with disgust and hatred for the people staring at her.
Charles spoke beside me, but I couldn’t focus on what he was saying. I didn’t care. I didn’t fucking care one bit about anything.
Meeka wavered on her feet as she stood at the end of the lineup. Her hands were bound behind her back, exposing her naked beauty. Her bare skin forced a growl to leave my mouth. The sick fucks looking at her would regret it. I would rip them limb from fucking limb before I was done with them.
“Ah, it looks like I got a reaction from you.” Charles smirked. “It’s funny. When I first met you, you were quiet and straight to the point. Bring Meeka into the mix and you’re a changed man.”
My jaw clenched. Everything changed when I broke down and she confessed her love for me. Because of her, my strength grew. “What do you want from me?”
“I want you to see.” His arm scanned out the area before him. “Look at your girlfriend. Look at all of them.”
“They’re teenagers.” Meeka was probably the oldest one in the lineup, and even then, she was still young.
“Yes, they are, but they’re prime flesh. Untouched and pure. But your Hummingbird,” his eyes twinkled. “She’s something else.”
A growl slid to my throat. I would not react. I would not react. Fuck it. “What the hell do you want? Just say it already. I’m fucking sick of your riddles.”
Charles chuckled, his face going emotionless a second later. “I want you to watch her break.”
THIRTY-TWO
Meeka
MURMURS SOUNDED AROUND me. Soft music, cool air, the scent of vanilla and spice—everything slid into my senses. My skin puckered with goose bumps at not being allowed to wear any clothing. I wasn’t ashamed of my body. I was comfortable in my own skin but being paraded around like a prized possession forced me to try and cover myself. That was when Jessa and Sara tied my hands behind my back. They told me Master wouldn’t want my beauty hidden.
Fucking please.
But I gave in. There was nothing else I could do. Sara had the pleasure of injecting me with another drug. It was all I could do not to fall at her feet, begging for more. I had heard of cases where women were taken and forced to become addicts. Maybe it was for the best. Then they wouldn’t feel anything. In this case, I knew Charles wouldn’t want that. He just wanted me to shut up while someone decided to buy me. When I was purchased, they wouldn’t want just my body. They would want my mind and they would do everything to make it break. To make it shatter into tiny pieces until there was nothing left.
My skin burned, the back of my neck tingling. It was the same feeling whenever Asher was around. Was he here? I couldn’t see over the dim shadow of the crowd. The lights were bright, casting all of us in an unearthly glow but everything in me told me that he was near.
Letting out a soft sigh, I lifted my chin. I would show whoever bought me that I would be a challenge. I would make their life hell. If I couldn’t be with Asher, I would be with no one. I wasn’t in a position to make any rash decisions but I refused to break.
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.
