Innocent Girls

by Terence Mitford

  Mason returned to the hire car with Natasha, and as they closed their doors, they both sighed with relief.

  Natasha stared at him. ‘That was close. You were brilliant, how did you know what to say?’

  ‘I didn’t, I just guessed they had confused us for the sick bastards that harvest human organs, so I responded as I thought I should.’

  ‘Well, I’m bloody glad you didn’t let him prove he wasn’t undercover.’

  Mason smiled at her. ‘As if I would.’

  ‘Have you got a plan for when we are inside?’

  ‘Yeah, we play it by ear and take it as it comes.’

  She raised an eyebrow. ‘You call that a plan?’

  ‘I’m open to suggestions.’

  Natasha thought for a moment, then shook her head.

  Mason removed the pistol from his belt and pushed it under his seat. ‘Whatever we do, it will have to be without the guns.’

  Natasha’s eyes widened. ‘Are we going in there unarmed?’

  ‘We don’t have a choice. You heard what he said. Level two security is a body search.’

  Natasha’s face dropped but she nodded. ‘Okay.’

  Mason reached out and squeezed her hand. ‘You knew this wasn’t going to be easy, right?’

  Natasha gave him a tight lipped smile. ‘I know.’

  ‘Are you sure you want to do this because once we are inside there’s no turning back. They think we are here to transport human organs, and maybe even remove them ourselves first.’

  She flashed him a look of horror. ‘Just so you know, I can’t stand by and watch a girl operated on, and I certainly cannot be involved in the procedure.’

  ‘We’ll cross that bridge when and if we get to it, and when we do, watch for my signal and use whatever you can get your hands on.’

  ‘Okay, but do you think they will expect us to harvest the organs from the girls?’

  ‘I hope not, but until we know what our role is supposed to be we’ll have to tread carefully. If this is an old hospital, they may have maintained the facilities to carry out operations.’

  ‘Did I tell you what the guy in the Munich safe-house said?’

  ‘What about?’

  ‘The way they do it.’

  ‘No.’

  He thinks they harvest the organs while the girls are alive. He said it increases the oxygenation of the organ for a greater chance of a successful transplant.

  Mason shook his head in disgust. ‘I know hospitals keep terminal donor patients alive artificially until they are ready to operate, but it’s all done ethically. There’s certainly nothing ethical about this setup.’

  28

  KATERINA

  Katerina jumped as the heavy wooden door swung open and the caretaker entered with a woman dressed in a white knee length coat, carrying a black doctors bag. The woman introduced herself as Bridget and explained she needed a blood sample from each girl. There were gasps from the other cubicles and Katerina looked at Sabrina for an explanation, but her friend seemed just as confused.

  Bridget looked to be in her mid thirties, with brown hair pulled back in a pony tail, and spectacles half way down the bridge of her nose. She went straight to Katerina’s cubicle and motioned for the caretaker to unlock the door.

  Katerina shuffled back to the end of her bed until she could go no further. Bridget strode over with purpose and sat down next to her. She seemed to study Katerina for a moment then took a syringe kit from her bag. ‘Give me your arm, sweetie.’

  Katerina shook her head. ‘I don’t want to give blood.’

  Bridget scowled at her. ‘You don’t have a choice. I need a sample from all of you.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘We need to confirm you are healthy and don’t have any nasty diseases.’

  ‘I do not have any nasty diseases.’

  ‘Then you have nothing to worry about, but we have to make sure of that. We cannot take any risks with our important clients.’

  Katerina stared at the needle in the woman’s hand. ‘How much do you need?’

  Bridget held up the syringe and placed her finger halfway up the tube. ‘Just that much.’

  ‘Do I really have to?’

  ‘I’m afraid you do, and it will be easier for you if you cooperate.’

  Katerina thought for a moment, then accepted the situation. This woman was determined, and anyway, whatever they were testing for she was sure she would pass. She didn’t have anything wrong with her. So she held out her arm, looked away, and flinched as the needle pricked her skin.

  She looked back a few seconds later to see the woman empty the syringe into a small glass pot. She stared at the bright red bubbly fluid as the woman wrote something on a small white label then wrapped it around the vessel.

  Bridget then went from room to room taking similar samples from the other girls, and when she had finished, the caretaker returned carrying a long thin chain with metal rings similar to those that had secured Katerina and Sabrina to the wall.

  The girls were ordered out of their rooms and told to turn to their right. One by one the caretaker secured an iron ring around each girl’s neck until the first seven girls were all part of a human chain one meter apart. As the caretaker raised the iron ring towards Katerina’s neck she stepped back. ‘Where are you taking us?’

  ‘To the auction.’

  ‘You are making a mistake, I’m going to England.’

  The caretaker smirked at her. ‘That depends.’

  ‘On what?’

  ‘On how much we can get for you here.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter how much, Hugo is taking me to England. You had better not try and sell me or he will be mad.’

  The caretaker laughed. ‘Hugo knows. He has agreed you can be offered for sale here.’

  Katerina gasped. Her heart pounded. Was this man lying to her or had Hugo changed his mind? ‘I don’t believe you. Where is he?’

  ‘He will be at the auction. You’ll see him and you’ll see that he’s happy to sell you.’ He pulled her forward and placed the ring around her neck, completing the chain.

  She didn’t resist. She had lost her only weapon. Her ace card. If this man was telling the truth, she could no longer threaten them with Hugo. As the ring snapped shut she sighed, deflated. Her protection was gone. She was now just another girl for sale.

  The caretaker led them out along the corridor and up a flight of stairs into a large room that was different to those below. Daylight flooded in through four windows evenly spaced along one wall, the floor was varnished wood, and the walls were clean and painted pale green. A platform along the far wall reminded Katerina of a stage in a theatre. But as it was part of an old hospital, she guessed it would have been used as a boring lecture theatre, rather than for shows and pantomimes. Or maybe the platform had been specifically built to display human merchandise. In keeping with either theme, two rows of wooden chairs faced the stage, around twenty in total, and what chilled her was that most were occupied by men.

  The girls were led down the side of the room, up four steps, then lined up along the front of the platform facing the men.

  Katerina’s worst fears were happening. She was about to be offered up for sale. She studied each man sitting in the two rows of chairs and thought how ordinary they looked. Most were smartly dressed in suits and ties and white or cream or pale blue shirts and some wore glasses.

  If she didn’t know better they could have been mistaken for men awaiting a regular auction of paintings, jewellery, and antique furniture.

  But she did know better. So they were wicked, selfish, evil men waiting to buy a girl for their personal pleasure or the pleasure of others.

  The Banker, Hugo, and Marius entered the room along with four other men wearing black leather jackets and black trousers. She guessed that from their clothes, strong build, and stern expressions, they were the security, but as big as they were, they did not match Hugo’s stature.

  The Banker came up on stage and wa
lked along studying each girl. He turned to face the seated men. ‘Gentlemen, as promised, we have a fine collection here and although we don’t have a girl for each of you, as always, those who are unsuccessful today are invited back next week for a fresh intake.’

  The caretaker led the girls around in a loop to the back of the stage so they were now standing well back from the front edge. He unlocked the first girl and guided her to a white cross on the floor in the front and centre of the stage.

  The Banker stood by her side. ‘Gentlemen, I present the first offering, and might I say, she’s a fine example of the quality we endeavour to provide you on a weekly basis.’

  Katerina studied the girl being offered up to the men. Apart from herself, she was the smallest of the girls, slim, with long blonde hair and pale skin, much of which was visible due to her short, strapped, sleeveless summer dress. Katerina felt bad for her, standing there waiting to be sold, but then realised that she would soon be standing on that same cross facing a similar fate.

  She narrowed her eyes as she looked at Hugo standing behind the two rows of seated men. She was angry with him. He had clearly decided this was as far as he was going and was now ready to offload her to the highest bidder. She felt betrayed, robbed of another chance to talk to him, to turn him, to humanise him.

  Her attention was brought back to the girl standing on the cross at the front of the stage. The bidding had started. Five thousand… six thousand… seven thousand… seven thousand five hundred…

  The winner eventually bought her for thirteen thousand Euros and she was led out of the room by the successful bidder.

  Katerina moved closer to Sabrina and lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘That’s a lot of money.’

  Sabrina whispered back. ‘They are not just buying time with us. They are buying us for as long as they want and to use us for whatever they want. If they hire her out they could make that back in no time.’

  Katerina shuddered and watched as the next four girls were haggled over and eventually bought by the men in the room for amounts ranging between ten and sixteen thousand. But not girl number six. The bidding had stopped at eight thousand and she was returned to the line by the banker who declared that she was worth more in the black auction. The caretaker then led her away on his own.

  Katerina asked Sabrina if she knew what the black auction was but her friend just shrugged and shook her head.

  The banker turned to them.

  Sabrina was next.

  29

  KATERINA

  Watching and listening to the bidding for her friend was an emotional time for Katerina because she realised she may never see her again.

  Sabrina was eventually sold for eighteen thousand Euros. The most so far and when she was taken away Katerina felt alone again. She was now the only girl left standing on the platform.

  The Banker gripped her right arm and led her to the cross on the floor. She was closer to the men in the seats than she wanted to be. She could now see their eyes, their smug expressions, and their apparent eagerness. And she could also see Hugo with the men in black leather jackets.

  She had always known, deep down, this time would come in one form or another, and she knew her plan to befriend him and get him to care about her just enough to reconsider selling her was more wishful thinking than a real proposition. But she couldn’t help the intense feeling of disappointment tugging at the pit of her stomach. Because now it was final.

  All she can do now is try and make him feel just a hint of guilt as he listens to the bidding and then again when she is taken away. She held eye contact with him as the Banker introduced her to the depraved men seated in the foreground.

  ‘Gentlemen, I have saved the best until last. This sweet little thing is just twelve years of age. She is untouched and ready to give many years of pleasure to the successful bidder.’ He nudged Katerina’s arm. ‘Isn’t that right, Darling?’

  Katerina studied the men in front of her. They were fewer in number from the start of the auction because some had left after making their purchases. But as she glanced at those remaining she had an urge to shake her head in defiance and run for the door. But there would no doubt be consequences she would not like. So she just nodded.

  This was enough to cause a reaction from some of the men. They seemed to like her display of compliance.

  She tutted to herself. If they think I’m going to do anything for them willingly, they are in for a surprise. I hate them all, especially Hugo.

  The bidding started higher than the rest at ten thousand and soon rose to match Sabrina’s final bid. After a brief pause it continued to rise over twenty-thousand, pausing again at twenty-two.

  As the banker repeated the last bid, and enquired whether there were any more, a hand shot up from the side of the room near to the windows. ‘Twenty-five-thousand.’

  Katerina recognised the slight stature of the man holding a mobile phone to his ear with one hand while the other was held outstretched above his head. It was the photographer from the first safe-house in Arad, Romania.

  She was surprised to see him in Brussels, but she was more concerned with who the mysterious bidder was on the other end of the phone. It was then she noticed a camera on a tripod in the centre of the room, behind the seating, pointing straight at the stage. Her stomach turned over as she realised the mysterious bidder must be watching her over the internet.

  The banker pointed to the photographer but looked at the seated men as he announced the bidding stood at twenty-five thousand.

  After some mumbling among the audience the bidding took off again bouncing between the men in the room and the invisible bidder on the phone. The final closing bid of thirty-five thousand came from the unknown participant via the photographer.

  Several of the men showed frustration and disappointment, and Katerina wondered if it was because they had failed to buy her or because there were no more girls left on the stage, meaning they would be leaving empty handed. And she wondered why her price had been nearly double that of her friend. It just didn’t make sense. Sabrina was beautiful, with a womanly figure, and should have easily fetched a higher price. Whereas she was six years younger than Sabrina and still a child.

  Then it hit her with the force of a sledge hammer. Her price was nearly double that of the rest, not despite her age, but because of it. Over the last couple of days she had learned a lot about the world. And it was all bad. But this latest realisation shook her to the core. Now there was no base line left for her to measure these men by. She could put nothing past them.

  The banker thanked those present for attending and reminded them there would be a new selection of girls available the following week. As the men got up from their seats and began to file out of the room, Katerina stared at Hugo.

  He stared back.

  The caretaker took hold of her arm and began to lead her off the stage but she pulled away from him and turned back to the big man. ‘Is this what you want, Hugo? Is this really what you want?’

  Hugo continued to stare, his face blank. Marius just smirked at her.

  The caretaker grabbed her wrist and dragged her along the platform, down the steps, and through the room to the doors. She stared at Hugo until she lost sight of him but he remained silent as he watched her leave. Her last attempt to prick his conscience had failed. All hope was gone.

  She was taken back down and pushed into her cubicle. The half glazed door was slammed shut behind her. She looked at her sparse surroundings. A single bed, a wooden chair, and a small table. Then she flung herself face down into the pillow sobbing uncontrollably. She had lost the companionship of Sabrina and the protection of Hugo.

  She was alone.

  But for how long?

  30

  NATASHA

  Natasha drove as they followed the blue van up to the gates of the facility where they stopped and waited. A single door in the wall next to the gates opened. A man, dressed similar to the occupants of the van, spoke briefly to the driver
before walking to Natasha’s window. He bent down, looked from Natasha to Mason, then pointed to the gates. ‘Follow the van inside.’

  The large wooden gates swung open and Natasha gave Mason a nervous glance, then put her car in gear and followed the van into a cobblestone courtyard. The gates closed behind them and the two men jumped out of the van. They spoke to two others dressed in what was clearly this organisation’s security uniform of black leather jackets and black trousers. They motioned for Mason and Natasha to get out of their car.

  The first man from the blue van led them through double doors into the building. The pale green walls, white vinyl floors, and long chest-high counter all but confirmed they were standing in the original reception of an old hospital.

  The first man instructed Mason to stand with his hands on the edge of the counter and his feet shoulder width apart, then he swept a handheld metal detector all around him.

  Natasha was told to stand with her feet apart and her hands on her head. The second man from the van ran his hands up and down her body under the pretence of searching her but the way they lingered was evidence he was getting a kick out of it.

  A smartly dressed man in a grey suit and tie entered the reception from behind the desk and the men in black stood up straight, almost to attention. A clear sign he was in charge.

  The man searching Natasha stopped and took his hands off her.

  She turned her head and gave him a wry smile over her shoulder, then lowered her voice to a whisper, ‘I hope you enjoyed yourself because if you ever touch me like that again, I’ll kill you.’

  The man glanced at the boss and stepped away.

  Mason mimed to her asking if she was okay.

  She nodded.

  The boss stared at Natasha for a moment, then lifted up a section of the counter top and told Mason and Natasha to follow him. He led them along a corridor, turned left, and then right down another to a room decked out as an office. With its formica desk, vinyl bound chairs, and basic shelving, it could have been an office in any company or government department. There was nothing to indicate the type of illegal and perverse business being conducted in the building.