by LM Terry
I open my mouth to respond, but nothing comes out. The shaking still wracks me to my core. He reaches out placing his hand under my chin and gently forces my face up towards him. I keep my eyes lowered.
“Look at me,” he commands in a stern voice.
I had spent years imagining the monster hunting me. My mind always conjured up an ugly fowl creature. The mirage in front of me is that of an angel. He has short dark hair, cut to style as I would imagine most wall street businessmen would, chiseled features with sharp lines along his jaw, cheekbones and nose. His pale skin and blue eyes make him appear gentle.
I quickly drag my eyes away, frightened by the way he looked at me. He dove clear down into the depths of my soul. He wants to destroy me. I can feel it. His mannerisms are laced with tenderness all the while emitting a quiet violence.
He laughs. “What is your name?”
I know he knows my name just as surely as he knows his own. He knows everything about me. I am certain. I respond in barely a whisper, “Sarah.”
I can’t be Anna right now. This cannot be happening to Anna. I must remain as Sarah if I am to survive whatever this is.
He laughs louder this time. “Kitten,” he purrs. “We need to establish something here. I know everything. More than even you do, I am sure. I can give you the answers you seek but make no mistake, I will not tolerate you lying. You realize that I already know so why don’t you tell me?” he coaxes.
The shaking is so bad now that my teeth are chattering. I swear it must be thirty degrees in here. I can’t be Anna. I won’t let him hurt Anna. “My name is Sarah.”
He stands and slowly lays his hand on the top of my head. He is going to kill me. I don’t wish to die but I can’t do this. I want to go back to my life on the ranch. Tears threaten to spill now. I should just tell him, he already knows.
He yells out loud, spurring me jump. “Brian!” The door opens and then the man standing before me says two words. “Punish her.”
“How do you want me to do it?” Brian aka Mr. Jokester asks nonchalantly as if he were asking him how he would like his coffee.
“I trust your expertise in this matter as long as she realizes that she should never defy me again.” He takes his hand off my head and gently cups my cheek for a brief second before walking back to sit down at his desk.
Brian comes forward. I jump up and rush towards Mr. Wright. “Please, I’ll tell you.” I am full out crying now. I place my hands on his desk begging for him to look at me, his attention on the papers in front of him. “Please.”
Brian’s large hands grab my arms hurting me as he forces them behind my back, he shoves me towards the door. I scream craning my head back to look at Mr. Wright. “Please, my name is Anna. My name is Anna,” I cry out as Brian pushes me past the threshold closing the door.
“You should have listened doll face,” he says in my ear.
I should have. I don’t know what Brian has in store for me. Whatever it is, it can’t be good.
He takes me into a room a few doors down, one with the elaborate wood carvings on them. He opens it driving me inside past the bedroom furnishings into an attached bathroom. I wriggle in his hold, but it is nothing to him. I am small prey. He releases me and reaches down to turn the water on in the tub. I try shoving my way past him, but it is useless. He is literally like a wall, towering over my petite five, five. He could break me in half if he chose.
“In,” he says as he shuts off the faucet. He smiles at me menacingly, showing me a glittering gold tooth. I guess someone could consider him handsome if he wasn’t so damn frightening. “In,” he grates out again.
I cautiously step into the tub and sit down, water comes up slightly over my ribs. Brian licks his lips as he stares at my breasts. Self-consciously I cover them with my arms. Then just as quickly as lightning strikes he reaches out, pushing me back, submerging my entire head under. I grasp for the hands that are pressing me down, kicking my feet, raising my hips, spraying water all over the bathroom.
He pulls me up, allowing me to catch my breath. Before I can utter a word of protest, he pushes me down again. I fight with all my might. He is killing me. I am going to die. I am going to die with no answers.
Brian repeats this over and over just letting me up long enough to gulp in a few breaths. My mind wanders. A peace comes over me maybe from the lack of oxygen, I don’t know. Is this how Sarah felt right before she died.
I see her now. She waves from the side of the beach. “Anna,” she says excitedly. “Let’s build a sandcastle.” Her eyes that of a ten-year-old squint in the bright sunlight. I walk over and sit down next to her in the warm sand. “Help me finish the castle,” Sarah says in a soothing voice, placing a hand over mine. “Don’t worry it will be over soon.”
Chapter Five
∞∞∞
Anna
I feel someone smacking the side of my face. I don’t want to go. It’s so nice here on the beach with Sarah. I have missed my friend. Whoever it is insists that I leave my haven. I hear her say as her voice fades, “You’re okay I will be here when you return.” And then I am choking, spitting water as gruff hands pound on my back.
Brian laughs as I peer up at him, wet hair plasters my face. “We done here?” he asks. Like I have a say in the matter. He gets up when I don’t answer leaving me alone.
I pull my legs up and hug them. I have a choice I realize. I can fight, or I can submit. Two choices, one will give me pain and suffering, one may lead to answers.
I’m not sure if I am supposed to stay put. The water is so cold. The insistent chatter of my teeth begins again. I rest my forehead on my knees. How did I end up here? I try not to let my mind wander to what they will do. They gave me a birth control injection, the implications of that I cannot deny. A voice startles me from my thoughts. I look up seeing Mr. Wright lean against the doorframe of the bathroom.
“What is your name?” he asks gently as he walks towards me and crouches down beside the tub.
“Anna,” I say barely audible to even my own ears. I stare at the water trying to decide if I am happy that I lived through the violence that just happened.
He brushes the wet hair off my face. “Good girl,” he says as he reaches to help me out. He takes my hand and leads me back to the double doors. I’m leaving footprint marks in the patterned carpet. He doesn’t seem to care that I am dripping all over the expensive softness.
We go straight through the room he initially interrogated me in to another. It is large with a big four-poster bed in the middle. The windows are covered in rich burgundy colored curtains, matching the coverlet.
He guides me to the attached bathroom. I stop at the threshold. Is he going to torture me again? I’m so tired, I won’t be able to take much more.
“No one will hurt you in here.”
I think about it for a moment. He doesn’t seem like a man who does his own dirty work, nor does he want it done in his presence. Yes, I am safer here, in what I assume is his space, than anywhere else in this house.
He walks over to the shower and turns on the water. “Here this will help you warm up,” he says.
I accept his offer, not fully understanding why he is being so nice. At this point I don’t care. I am cold. I need to stop the shaking. The muscles in my stomach clench tightly at the onslaught of the never-ending chills.
I step in as he shuts the door behind me. “Everything you need should be in there. Take your time. I will see about getting you something to eat. Are you hungry?”
I stare at him through the glass and nod slightly. He nods in return. I watch hesitantly as he leaves, breathing a sigh of relief as the latch clicks shut, thankful that he has left me to shower alone.
I stand under the spray of water to soak up the warmth. Tears stream down my face. So much has happened in the last few weeks to bring me to this moment. He said he would give me answers. That is all I have ever wanted. They will come at a price, a price I’m not sure I am willing to pay.
&nbs
p; I finish washing my hair and body, appreciative of the fact that the shaking has subsided. I shut the water off and step out of the shower, grabbing a towel hanging nearby. Am I supposed to wait for him to return? I do not want to let myself get chilled again. I wrap the overly large cloth around myself reveling in its softness. I open the door to peek out.
Mr. Wright is setting a plate down at the small desk set off to the side of the room near the windows. He looks up and smiles at me. He is a beautiful man, tall and slender. If I had to guess I would say he is in his early thirties, possibly older it’s hard to tell as his skin is flawless. He is dressed in dark-colored dress pants, a crisp white button up with the sleeves rolled up and the top several buttons undone.
“Anna, come relax and eat. It’s not much the cooks have all retired for the evening. I did manage to find someone to wrestle you up a sandwich.” He makes a grand gesture ushering me towards the table.
After I sit he pushes the chair in closer as if he were my date and we were eating at a fine restaurant. My eyes drop down to the meal before me, my stomach chooses to growl at that moment. I look up hesitantly at him.
“Go ahead, I didn’t poison it I promise.” He gestures with his hand drawing an x across his chest as he speaks. He leaves me to eat and sits on the edge of the bed.
I pick up the sandwich devouring it in four bites. I don’t care what this man thinks of my appetite. I’m a little beyond that point. I try to remember my last meal and stop mid chew to worry over whether someone shut my oven off at the ranch. How silly, none of that matters now. I gulp down the water and set the glass back down on the desk. I don’t take my hand off it. I tap the side of the glass lightly with my index finger. Mr. Wright reads my mind.
“Anna, I don’t think you are the type of girl to take someone’s hospitality and throw it in their face,” he says. He looks the least bit worried that I will throttle the glass towards his head.
I turn to glare at him. I slowly remove my hand from the glass. “Thank you for the shower and delicious meal,” I say in my sweetest voice.
“You're most welcome,” he replies, ignoring my sarcasm.
He leans over and opens a drawer in the table next to his bed. I watch him intently, half expecting to see him pull out a gun. He retrieves a brush and something else. He stands walking towards me and I quickly turn myself away from him.
He pauses behind me then reaches around my shoulder, pushing the plate and glass back. Then he places a small case directly in front of me on the desk. I stare at it as if it is a snake ready to strike. It is a contact lens case.
I feel him gather my hair into his hands as he runs the brush through my dark long locks. He is gentle, holding it tight, so it does not pull at my scalp. I know what he is asking of me. He is stripping me of Sarah, leaving me with no place to hide.
I reach for the case slowly opening each side, left and right. I raise my hands to my eyes, carefully removing each dark lens and place them in the liquid filled little cups. I screw the lids on tightly. At least I don’t have to pretend anymore.
He wants Anna. A small part of me warms. No one has wanted me to be her for a long time. Nine years to be exact. I scold myself. This man kidnapped me, stripped me and had me punished. He runs his hand down my hair and I lean into his touch. I can’t allow myself to be lulled by him. I’m so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open.
The warm fuzzy thoughts are shattered as quickly as they creep into my mind as he whispers into my ear. “You are being such a good little kitten, if you learn to keep your claws in maybe we won’t hurt you so much. What do you think?”
He sets the brush down and pulls my chair out instructing me to stand in front of him. He tilts my chin up forcing me to meet his gaze and strokes my cheek with his thumb. “There you are Anna. No more hiding from me and no more hiding those magnificent blue eyes. I have been looking for you for a long time, do you know that? You are about to make me a rich man, well a richer man that is.” He winks and releases me to take a small step back.
“Brian found you a room with the other girls. We should head down there so you can rest.”
Thank god, he is not expecting me to sleep in here with him. But, it confuses me. I still don’t know his intentions. He thinks I will make him money. Maybe he is going to hold me for ransom or worse than that he plans on selling me. Everything inside me screams he is in the sex trafficking industry. How does this relate to my father’s business? Was he…
I don’t have time to ponder this thought as he suddenly pulls the towel away from me. His eyes roam over my body. I feel the blood rush to my cheeks. He lets out a long breath. “Beautiful, you look just like your mother.”
My heart stops. I watch the enjoyment on his face at my shock of hearing him compare me to my mom.
“Let’s go, you will be sharing a cell with someone. I am sure she is going to be excited to see you.”
My mind runs wild as he drags me through the house, downstairs to the lowest level, past the exam room. I am shocked silent. A bubble of excitement enters my veins at the thought of seeing my mother again. This is why she didn’t come for me, she was being held prisoner.
He stops at a door and pulls a set of keys out of his pocket, slowly he reaches out to slide the selected one into the lock. When it is inserted all the way in he turns to smile at me. Turning the key, he pushes the door open. It is dark in the room. He reaches around the frame to flick a switch. A bright light comes on in the center of the ceiling illuminating the tiny cell. There is a twin-sized bed, a bedside table and a toilet.
He steps inside the cell. I follow behind him eager to see my mom. Instead, I spy a petite young woman curled up naked in the corner of the cement room near the foot of the bed. Mr. Wright crouches down in front of her. He touches the top of her head much the same way he had done to mine earlier, saying, “Sweetheart, I brought you a friend.” The girl looks up at him. It’s not my mother, but it is a face from my past.
“Sophia?” I ask, shaking my head in disbelief. She appears thinner than I recall. The expression in her eyes when she sees me will haunt me forever. It is a mixture of sadness and horror.
Mr. Wright stands and pulls Sophia to her feet. He turns with a smile. “You remember,” he exclaims. “Good, then there is no need for awkward introductions. Sophia, you recognize your little ward Anna don’t you?”
“Yes sir,” she replies emptily.
He clasps his long fingers together in front of him before saying, “My work here is done. I’ll leave the two of you to become reacquainted.” He walks out into the hallway leaving us standing in the tiny room. Before he closes the door he says, “I would get some sleep tonight Anna, tomorrow will be another fun filled day.” I hear the clang of keys as he locks us inside.
I rush to Sophia and reach out for her. She stands still, flinching slightly as I near. I slow my movements down, taking in the marks, bruises and the dark circles under her eyes. I wrap my arms around her ignoring the fact we are both naked. She seems shorter than I remember. I think to myself that it is not that she has gotten smaller. It is I that has grown.
I hold Sophia like this for a long time until I hear a tiny sob escape her. I pull back to look at her, I walk her over to the bed. She gets in lying down and curls up to face the wall. I shut the light off then get in the bed beside her pulling the thin blanket over the both of us. I draw her into my embrace. I feel her sobs coming stronger and faster now. I cradle her in my arms. What can I say to ease her pain? I see from her body she has endured far more than I have, guilt washes over me, this is my fault.
I want to ask her a million questions. I can’t bring myself to speak. I let her cry, this isn’t about me, it’s about her. After a while her sobs subside. She whispers in the dark, “I’m so sorry Anna.”
I don’t ask her to explain. What could she possibly be sorry for? I decide that it is an apology for the situation we are in and leave it at that. My eyes are so heavy I could not respond even if I tried. After everything
that has happened my body is forcing a shutdown. I drift to sleep comforted by the warmth of my nanny Sophia beside me.
Chapter Six
∞∞∞
Dylan
I cram the last of my shit into my suitcase fighting the urge to turn around and punch Liam right in the face. I’ll be damned if he thinks I am staying away.
“Dylan, you know I can’t allow you to fly to Venezuela.”
He tries to reach over to take my bag away from me. I knock his arm and shake my head. “Fuck you. I promise I will stay back and let your team go in, but I need to be there when you get her out.”
Liam sits down on the edge of the bed. “You realize she might not be there,” he breathes.
“Do you think I don’t fucking understand that?” I growl.
“I can’t let you leave. Wright and his men know who you are Dylan. They know what you look like, they have eyes everywhere. If one of them spots you, they will be gone without a trace again.”
I stop. He is right. When he showed up here in Dallas with news they had a location, I couldn’t get my shit together fast enough. I sit down on the other side of my bag flopping myself back onto the bed to stare at the ceiling. Defeated. Liam has always been the voice of reason.
“We are finishing up the last of the logistics. We should be ready to move in soon, we are shooting for two weeks. Any longer and we risk them moving.”
“You’re certain Wright is there?”
“Yep,” he replies as he rises. “We have a plane ready to bring Sophia and any other girls we find back here. I also have Dallas Memorial on standby letting them know what they might encounter.”
I mull over what he says.
“I see it’s tough for you to sit this one out but there is no other alternative. Once we have the fucks in custody, then…well you and the boys will think of a way to get to them. Let’s just find her first, then we can deal with them later.”
