“Where did he go, Maga? I have to talk to him right away.”
“I don’t know, honey. He grabbed his jacket and left in the car a few minutes ago.”
Stella slumped into one of the kitchen chairs and burst into tears.
“What is the matter, honey? Did you have a fight with him?” Maga asked, putting her arm around Stella’s shoulders.
“No,” she sobbed, “not at all. In fact, he didn’t say anything. He was there when I woke up. He just watched me without saying anything. He looked… I don’t know, he just looked messed up.” She threw the wad of cash on the table. “And when I came out of the bathroom, he’d gone and this was on the dresser. I don’t even want it. I just want him.”
“Did you tell him that?” Maga asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I didn’t have a chance before he left,” she sobbed.
Maga hugged her a little tighter and said, “Well, it sounds like you’ve finally figured something out.”
“What do you mean?” Stella asked, lifting her head from her hands and looking into Maga’s eyes.
“It sounds like you’ve finally figured out you actually want to be here with him—money or not. Now dry your eyes, honey.”
Stella couldn’t even speak anymore, and she couldn’t stop crying either. I’ve really fucked things up, she thought to herself. Michael had left her again, thinking the only thing that mattered to her was the money.
Maga hugged her tight and said, “He’ll be back, sweet girl. I’m sure of it. Meanwhile, why don’t you get yourself together and come out to the garden to give me a hand?”
“Are you sure, Maga?”
Her warm smile broke into a laugh, and she said, “Of course, I’m sure. He can’t stay away from old Maga’s cooking for very long. Now, meet me out there when you’re ready.”
Maga headed out to the garden while Stella tried to pull herself together at the kitchen table, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Was she right? Or was it too late? She had to tell Michael as soon as he got back that the money didn’t matter to her anymore. She had to tell him she loved him. She had to tell him all she wanted was to be with him.
Chapter 21
Just as she felt there was hope for her and Sir again, she heard Maga scream from the garden and a man’s voice yelling. It certainly wasn’t Michael’s, and he’d never shout at Maga like that, anyway. Stella got up and headed to the back door. Her blood instantly turned to ice when she saw two dark-haired men in suits had pushed Maga up against a tree and were threatening her. Stella quietly stepped onto the porch.
“Where is she?” one of the men asked. “We’re going to find her anyway, so make it easy on yourself or you’re going to be sorry.”
“No! You leave her alone. What do you want with her, anyway?”
“Listen, you old hag. We’re here to find that Stella bitch, that’s all. We don’t want to hurt you, but if you give us any trouble, we will. Now, where is she?” he demanded, holding a knife to Maga’s throat.
“She’s not here. She packed up and left this morning. Michael’s taken her to the station. Now go away and leave us alone,” Maga said.
“Bullshit! We just saw him leave, and he was alone in the car. She’s still here, and we’re not leaving until we find her. Nice try, grandma,” one of them said, right in her face.
“Our boss wants her. Plain and simple,” said the taller man. “We’re going to get her no matter what, so just give her up. How could that whore possibly matter to you, anyway? You want to lose your life protecting a slut like that?”
Stella couldn’t let them hurt dear, sweet Maga after all she’d done for her, and especially the friendship and warmth she’d shown her since she’d arrived at Sir’s home. Yes, she knew what she had to do. Her heart jumped into her mouth with a gulp, and fear rumbling in her stomach unlike anything she’d ever felt before, she stepped forward and said, “You looking for me? What do you want?”
Both men turned and grinned at each other, then looked back at Maga and nodded to one another while the taller man kept the knife at Maga’s throat. “I fucking knew it, Frank.” He turned back to Maga. “What do you take us for, old woman? Patsies? We do this for a living, you know.” He lowered the knife and put it in his pocket as they both walked toward Stella.
“There she is, Tony,” said the shorter man. “Boss was right. She is a pretty little whore, ain’t she?”
“She sure is. You’re coming with us, bitch. Nice and easy,” he said.
“Who sent you?” Stella demanded.
“Doesn’t matter, and don’t ask questions. You’re his now. You come with us, and we’ll let this old biddy live.” Stella knew she had no choice. She had to go with them or they’d hurt, or possibly kill Maga.
“I’ll come,” she said. “Just leave her alone like you said you would, and I’ll come with you.”
“No, no! Run, Stella, run! Don’t go with them!” Maga shrieked. “Michael will be back any time now, and you gentlemen can talk to him then.”
“Shut up!” Frank said. “You don’t seem to understand, old lady. We’re not here to ask permission or ‘talk things out’ with your boss. She’s coming with us, and that’s that. Now get back to your gardening and keep quiet.” He walked up the porch steps and roughly grabbed Stella by her arm. He yanked on her so hard she almost fell down the stairs then dragged her toward their waiting car as she tried to free herself from his grip.
Tony walked back to Maga, grasped her chin roughly in his hand, and brought his face close to hers. “You tell that Michael he’d better keep his phone handy. Our boss will be in touch,” he sneered. He snapped her chin free of his grasp then walked toward the car where Stella was being shoved into the backseat of a black sedan with dark tinted windows. The car had barely idled to a start before they ripped the gearshift into Drive and tore out of the driveway like a bat out of hell.
Stella had no idea where these men were taking her, and she feared what might happen to her. She wondered whether Sir would even try to find her after the silent treatment he’d given her over the last few days, but she took some comfort in knowing they hadn’t harmed poor Maga. Frank, the shorter man who’d shoved her in the car, turned toward her and threw a dirty rag in her lap. “Put this over your eyes.”
“Can I just ask one question?”
He shrugged. “You can ask, but it doesn’t mean I’ll answer. Shoot.”
“Who sent you to get me?” she said.
“You don’t know? I believe you and your boyfriend had a little meeting with him a few nights ago… at some porn club.” Now Stella knew immediately who it was.
“Did you think he was going to let your boyfriend get away with that? Disrespecting him in public like he did? Willy’s mad about that, and he knows what you were before. He knows all about you. And he thinks it’s a pity someone’s not capitalizing on your, shall we say… assets.” Both men sniggered at that comment. “A pretty little whore like you should be on the streets, turning a buck. It’s selfish of Carrington to keep you all to himself,” said Frank.
“Dude, shut up!” Tony looked at Frank and gave him the eye to keep quiet.
“No biggie. She’s going to find out eventually.”
“Just shut up, okay? It’s not our place to talk about the boss’ business.” Frank faced forward again and just smirked.
“Put it over your eyes, Stella. Now. Willy said we could rough you up if we needed to.”
Stella pulled the cloth over her eyes and tied it in a knot behind her head. It stank of old sweat and something else she couldn’t quite identify. She was terrified. Her heart was beating out of her chest, her hands trembled with fear, and doubts crept into her mind. Surely Michael would come for her, right? He wouldn’t let them just take her, would he?
They drove for what she guessed to be thirty minutes. She tried to stay alert, but after everything that had happened that morning already, she felt exhausted. She listened to everything. The men in the front seat never s
poke again, but she heard lots of cars around them, like they were on a freeway. They slowed down, and she heard trains and felt the car go over railway tracks. Next, she heard dogs barking, and they sounded close—like they were right outside the car. Finally, the car slowed to a stop, and one of the men yelled at the dogs to keep quiet. The door opened, and she was roughly pulled from the back seat. The rag got yanked off her head, and she blinked to adjust to the bright midday sun. She had no idea where she was.
They were at the back entrance of a building, and that’s all she could tell. There weren’t any other cars around the dirty area, and there were no landmarks or anything significant to give her an indication as to where she might be; other than a pen with four dogs just outside the door—and that could be anywhere.
“Now, Stella, all you have to do is be a good girl and do what you’re told, and you won’t get hurt.”
“Where are we, and why am I here?”
“Don’t ask questions. Just shut up and do what you’re told.”
Frank held the door open while Tony pushed her through. Inside, it was dark and smelled damp. She couldn’t see anything more than a couple of feet from the brightness of the open doorway as her eyes adjusted to the dim interior. They walked down a corridor for a few feet, through double doors, then Tony walked into the darkness and flicked a light switch just inside.
Now it was brighter than outside, and Stella looked around the vast space, taking in everything she saw. She wanted to remember as much as possible in case they were going to put that rag on her again. It was a gym. A dirty, old, damp, smelly gym with a boxing ring in the center, a punch bag in one corner, some decrepit looking weights and a bench in the other corner. On the other side of the boxing ring, she saw another door and wondered what was on the other side. Other than that, the only things she saw were a few chairs in front of the boxing ring and steel support poles holding up the structure.
“Take off your clothes.”
“What? No!”
“You’re a whore. Surely, you’re used to being told to take off your clothes.”
“Yeah, but I’m not working right now,” Stella said defiantly.
“You sure about that? Willy owns you now, bitch, so take off your goddamn clothes! Willy said he wants to find you naked when he gets here, so that’s exactly what he’s going to find. Get it?”
Stella hesitated. Nudity was no big deal, but she didn’t want to be ogled by these men, or for them to think she was in any way okay with the idea of being owned by Willy. Before she could decide what to do, the back of a hand landed hard against her cheekbone, and her head collided with one of the metal supports. She felt faint, her head spun, and the last thing she remembered before she passed out was, “Am I going to die here in this hell hole?”
She came to and heard a voice shouting at her. “Stella! Wake up, Stella! Jesus, Frank! Why’d you have to hit her so hard, you dumb fuck? How am I supposed to put her to work looking all beat up?”
“I didn’t hit her that hard,” came the meek reply.
Her vision was blurry and her face ached, but she could see well enough it was Willy standing in front of her. She tried to move then realized she’d been tied to a chair and the chair to a pole behind her with her legs spread wide. Her dress had been ripped open, and she was completely exposed. Everything was open to these dirty, vile men. They were obviously enjoying the spectacle, and she wondered if they’d sexually assaulted her while she’d been out cold?
“Michael is going to come for me you know,” she said.
“You think so?” Willy mocked. “You don’t think he’ll be glad to be rid of you? I know you were charging him for every minute you were in that house. Maybe he’ll be happy to be free of a burden like you.”
“No. You don’t know him. He’ll come for me. I’m his whore, not yours.”
“Really?” Willy said. “You give your body to anyone who’ll will pay for it. Shit, I paid for it once. I have to admit it was worth it, but I’m not paying anymore because I own you now... unless, of course, your precious Michael is willing to pay me some serious green to get you back.” Stella decided to stop talking, because the truth was, she just wasn’t sure if Sir cared for her enough to come and rescue her.
“Let’s see, shall we?” Willy said, then picked up his cell phone and dialed.
“Carrington. So glad you were waiting for my call.”
She heard Michael yelling on the other end of the phone. She’d never heard him yell like that before—not even when Walt had come to get her back. He’d remained calm and in control, but he didn’t sound like he was in control at all now. He sounded angry.
Willy laughed, “Calm down, man. You showed me no respect the other night, so if you want your whore back alive, you’re going to cooperate.”
The yelling stopped, and Willy walked to the other side of the room. Stella couldn’t hear what he said, but it couldn’t be good because he was still laughing. Then he hung up and came back.
“Okay, boys. I have some business to attend to. You watch her. Don’t take an eye off her. And don’t touch her. He’s got twelve hours, and I’ll be back later. If he doesn’t show up, you can have your way with her before I put her back to work for me.”
Frank and big Tony grinned at each other, and she had no doubt they had nothing but evil on their minds.
Chapter 22
Evening turned to night, and Stella was cold and hungry. They’d given her some water, but nothing to eat, even while they’d sat there and made pigs of themselves in front of her, stuffing their own faces with pizza they’d had delivered.
The boredom for Stella was unbelievably mind-numbing, listening to the two hoodlums brag to each other about their criminal exploits and dubious sexual encounters. The pins and needles in her arms and legs seemed to be getting stronger, and she shifted to make herself as comfortable as she could on the hard plastic chair. Stella thought about Sir and everything she’d experienced with him over the last few months. It helped a little to relieve her worry about what may happen to her if he didn’t agree to Willy’s demands.
Her thoughts about Sir’s hot body and how he’d given her so much pleasure and pain were brought to an abrupt end when she became aware of the thugs looking in her direction and laughing at her.
“How you doing over there, slut? Are you ready to have some fun?” he asked, looking at his watch.
Frank ogled her breasts and open pussy. He was practically drooling. She could see the outline of a hard-on in his pants, and Tony just grinned, looking just as lecherous.
“Willy said Michael had twelve hours. You’re not supposed to touch me until then,” Stella replied.
Frank tapped his watch. “Time’s almost up, little lady. You’ve got fifteen minutes. Doesn’t look like your boyfriend thinks a two-bit hooker like you is worth a hundred grand, after all.”
“No, he’ll come,” she said, more hopeful than convinced he’d actually pay that huge sum of money to get her out of Willy’s clutches.
“I don’t think so, honey. I think you’d better get used to your new reality back on the streets. You belong to Willy now,” Frank said, unbuckling his pants.
“She’s right. You’d better wait, Frank,” Tony said. “Boss said he had twelve hours to come up with the goods. Another fifteen minutes ain’t gonna kill ya.”
“Aw, c’mon, man. He ain’t coming for her, and I want my dick sucked. I bet this whore is real good at it, too.” He stared at Stella’s pussy, pulled his cock from his pants, and stroked it. Stella turned her head away in disgust. They heard a car pull up outside, and Tony stood and walked to the window.
He turned and walked back across the gymnasium to Frank and Stella with a huge grin on his face. “Better put your dick away, Frank. I don’t think the boss will want to see that,” he said with a laugh. “He’s on the phone, but he’ll be in soon.”
“Holy fuck! Boss is here?” Flustered, Frank hurriedly stuffed his fast-deflating erection into his pants,
tucked in his shirt, straightened his tie and zipped himself up. Turning to Stella, he smiled and said, “Don’t look so disappointed, sweetheart. You’ll be sucking that cock soon enough. Carrington doesn’t give a fuck about you,”
No sooner had the words left his mouth, they heard Willy shouting from the corridor outside.
“What the fuck! Boys, get out—” There was a heavy thud followed by silence. Stella snapped upright, her eyes wide open. Frank and Tony looked at each other.
“Shit! What was that?” Frank asked.
“I don’t know, you dumb fuck. I’m in here with you, aren’t I?” Tony replied. “Maybe he fell.”
“I hope so, and I hope he broke his fucking neck,” Stella muttered under her breath.
“Shut up, bitch,” Frank snarled then turned back to Tony. “We’d better get out there.”
Stella watched the two of them move across the gym and thought how funny they looked together from behind. One really tall and one really short. They went through the double doors and they slammed shut behind them. From where she sat, she couldn’t see anything in the dim corridor through the frosted glass panes. Suddenly, a bright flash lit them up, accompanied by an incredibly loud bang. It sounded like a gunshot—only ten times louder. The sound waves pounded against her chest and echoed around the vast gymnasium. She strained to see what had happened, but the space outside the gym was dark once more. All she heard was Frank and Tony shouting to each other, coughing, and spluttering as thick gray smoke crept under the doors and hung in the air like fog. Stella wondered if there was a fire and looked around for another exit when a shriek of pain from the corridor made her jump, and her blood run cold. Did someone just get shot out there?
*****
“Aaaaagghh! Fucking hell! Frank, something just hit me. I think my arm is broke. Aaaaggghh, fuck! I think there’s someone in here.”
“I’ll get ‘em, Tony,” Frank said. He pulled a gun from his shoulder holster, flicked off the safety, and shot twice into the dense, choking smoke.
Shameless Submission: A Dark BDSM Romance Page 14
