The HUSH Series: (HUSH, HUSHED and JANE.)

by Sandra Raine

  "You're a pretty smart girl, Jane." Justin then said with a hint of sarcasm. "And I think you can figure out the rest for yourself. Wouldn't you agree?"

  The girls and I were given bottled water and snack bars to eat. And once again I was neither hungry nor thirsty however, I was missing my valium and my vial of coke which Josh had been supplying me with lately. And it was right about now that I could have surely used both to alleviate the tension between Las Vegas and the men who awaited me, and not to mention, to kill the pain throbbing in my lobe. I mean, Justin had bit it so hard he actually drew blood. So I spent the next few minutes nursing it. A trickle of blood would occasionally seep from the wound so I was forced to constantly nurse it; I was wearing a new tee and I didn't want to ruin it.

  During the drive, I would frequently steal a glance at Jenna and the other girl who I still didn't get a chance to acquaint myself with but figured I would do so once Justin and Josh weren't around. They both kept their gazes glued to the view ahead of them only because Josh was sitting in between them crowding their space with his big gun still holstered down the front of his jeans.

  I was grateful each time Justin took pity on us girls and stopping at rest areas so that we could use the restroom. And even though we were only allowed to go one at a time it really didn't bother me 'cause all I wanted was some fresh air, and to glimpse the clear blue sky, and to feel the sun kissing at my skin before I was locked away in a motel room where nature wasn't easily accessible like room service or the Concierge.

  Per Jenna's previous prediction, Justin pulled the Suburban into a truck stop, and he and Josh quickly got off with Josh carrying two suits still wrapped in their previous dry cleaning bags.

  "See," Jenna prided after Justin and Josh disappeared into the men's restroom.

  "How long do they usually take to change?" I probed, sounding a bit restless.

  "Why?" Jenna sassed, "You plan on escaping?"

  "And I assume you attempted. . .twice, maybe?" I then sassed in the same fashion. Jenna smirked. I changed the subject. "How many times have you been to Vegas?"

  Jenna shrugged her shoulders. "To many times to count, I guess."

  "You?" I then asked the younger girl. "What's your name?" I quickly added remembering my original intent.

  "Chloe."

  I nod in appreciation for her answering my question but then I suddenly halted that nod when the name hit me: "Chloe. . .what?"

  Chloe exchanged a vigilant look with Jenna who merely shrugged her shoulders again and said, "Tell her what you want. . .but I really don't see the point. I mean, it's not like we're going to be around enough one another to become the best of friends anyways."

  Chloe ignored Jenna. "Reynolds." Chloe said ignore Jenna, and without missing a beat.

  "Damn!" I indirectly cursed, biting my lower lip just to keep from breaking down.

  "He's in love with you, isn't he?" Chloe presumed much to my surprise 'cause I had had my suspicions about that in the past 'cause of Dominic's unorthodox affection toward me. But to avoid jealousy and possibly favoritism 'cause she, too, was Dominic's girl at one point, I instead cocked my head and stared at her dumbfounded like I didn't know who she was referring to. Her frown then upturned slightly as she said, "Dominic?" I shook my head adamantly. "You don't agree?" she then mused.

  "I don't think he's capable of love."

  "Oh, he's capable alright!" Chloe declared much to assuring . "I'm living proof, particularly when he sweet talked me into having sex with him then betrayed me after our "sessions" expired."

  "Wait!" I exclaimed stirring in my seat. "He. . .he-"

  "No you wait!" Jenna suddenly snapped as my head snapped in her direction. "What's up with you and Justin?"

  "Huh. . .What?"

  "Don't play little Miss Innocent, Jane. You and Justin?" she pressed firmly. "I mean, he kissed you - "

  "What?"

  "He never kisses any of us girls. . .not like that. Not even Tia who's his favorite."

  "Who's Tia. . .I mean, what are you talking about?"

  "Never mind." Jenna said sighing out frustrated. She then turned to Chloe. "Sorry, Chloe. What were you saying?" But I really didn't care to hear what Chloe had to say. I was much to interested in what Jenna started to say but didn't say which left me feeling somewhat wretched and confused. I mean, Jenna sounded like she had a double-personality, and it was starting to scare me.

  "He told you what he exactly told me. . .about the 'sessions'. . .about "grooming" you to be his girlfriend?" Oh, my God! Now Chloe had my full attention 'cause in no time I found myself bowing my head in absolute humiliation. "He took you to a frat party, didn't he?" Chloe then continued. And it was in that moment that my head jerked up leaving me to gaze at her with this staggering anticipation to hear her tell the story of both our lives. "And those guys at the frat party . . .they had sex with you, right?" My heart began to beat fast. "Then after, as if you did something wrong, something that supposedly betrayed Dominic, he, Tanya, Justin and Josh then blackmailed you into making a porno video, then after, threatening you to show it to everyone at school if you didn't do what they told you to do. Right again?" My jaw unconsciously dropped to the floor. And not only was I totally taken aback, I was shocked, and speechless, and suddenly I began to wonder on how many other girls, aside from Chloe and me, had fallen victim to their entrapment? And as if to read my expression, Chloe then comforted me with the absolute truth. "This has happened to many of us in one form or another. . .except for Jenna. . .She was bought then brought here to Arizona."

  "Jesus," I mumbled in disbelief over the word 'us'. 'Bought' I then reflected unnerved 'cause I was having difficulty trying to comprehend the exact word. "How many other girls are there?" I heard myself ask but regretted the question the moment it escaped my mouth. I mean, if my heart was already shattered over the harrowing possibility that there may be other girls like myself, Chloe and Jenna that suddenly I wasn't sure if I wanted to subject myself further to the truth?

  "I heard somewhere that there might be about a hundred more girls or so."

  "And Dominic and the others," I queried eagerly as I found I couldn't leave the subject alone. "They control all those girls?" I said sounding every bit as undoubted as I was having difficulty believing when I spent the majority of times with them.

  "They only control us and a few other girls," Jenna said with a slight resistance clinging to her tone. It's not until seconds later when she finally loosened up though. Maybe it was because we were all walking the same beaten path. "The other girls are part of circuits, you know, traveling city to city. The girls who are not in circuits are strictly pimped in brothels, or out on the streets, like in ghetto neighborhoods, apartments, houses, bars, clubs, casinos, while the rest are strictly controlled by other means now meaning us. Supposedly we're part of this huge global prostitution organization, and there's no escaping. Or so I heard." Jenna said rolling her eyes as if the idea sounded more like a joke rather than something that carried a severe consequence. I assumed Jenna was tired and she no longer cared if she came out of this dead or alive. I could feel myself literally caving in. I had to change the subject

  "Um. . .Chloe said you were bought?" Jenna's eyes suddenly sparked. And she actually smiled for the first time since she hadn't in the last few hours of my knowing her. But then her jubilance quickly turned into heartbreak 'cause a few tears had escaped her dull eyes. Sniffling and dabbing her eyes gently, Jenna found the strength to answer.

  "I was fourteen and living in a decent size city in California. I was cutting through a store's parking lot to get to the bus stop to go visit a friend. A van. . .you know, one of those minivans? And it was like this pearl blue. The window on the passenger's side rolled down and a woman, maybe around my mama's age, asked if I knew a so and so who lived at so and so address. I was like confused 'cause she sounded a little nervous. Anyways, I shook my head and I started to walk away but the back door suddenly swung open and all I remembered seeing was this
hand reaching out to me. By the time I realized what was happening to me, by the time I realized it was time for me to scream, the door had already closed behind me and the van started to speed out of the parking lot. Then, from one moment to the next, I was shoved onto the floor, my clothes ripped from my body, then I was raped and beaten by the man who pulled me into the van then after I was raped by the driver while the woman drove.

  I remembered being driven around for hours, Jane. I remember those two men being on top of me for what seemed like hours; terrorizing me, raping me from the back to the front. By the time we stopped at this house, and 'cause I was so beaten down, so fucking sore and in massive pain, I had to be carried inside. I was then stuffed in a basement with four other girls around my age. An hour later I was taken upstairs and forced to shower. Then later that night I was forced into having sex with various men." Jenna paused for a moment. And I know she didn't mean to hang her head in shame like all her misfortune was somehow her fault but she did. And she cried because of it. Chloe quickly reached for Jenna's hand and held it gently, giving it a comforting squeeze. Maybe to let her know that she wasn't alone, and that alone brought her some form of comfort 'cause she raised her head and continued.

  "I was with those people for about four months or so. They were very mean and abusive. Then one day I was put up for auction and bought by another couple who also bought another girl I was prostituting with. The new couple. . .they were pretty okay with us. We were only with them for about six or seven months. The man died. His wife looking to move back east put us up for sale. And again, from one day to the next, I was bought by a man from Arizona, and the other girl was bought by a guy in Vegas. A few days after he turned me over to Dominic and his cousins, and I've been theirs since - two years and two months since."

  "Jesus, Jenna," I whispered while trembling in my own skin. A chilling silence then settled between us but the chilling silence was more on my part 'cause just by the sense in Jenna's tone, it sounded like she had already accepted her fate while I was still struggling with mine.

  "And how have they treated you. . .Justin and Josh, I mean?"

  "I really don't know," Jenna retorted absentmindedly. "I mean, they have their good days and their bad days just like any other pimp, I guess. How are they with you?"

  "The same. . .I guess."

  "They don't keep you under lock and key like me and Jenna in a house somewhere, do they?" Chloe presumed all too correctly 'causing me to feel some form of shame.

  "I guess I can say I have free roam," I mumbled with a shrug of my shoulders.

  "Of course she has free roam, Chloe," Jenna scoffed. I shot Jenna a puzzled look, and she returned a contemptible one. I mean, her mood swings reminded me of Tanya, and I meant to tell her this but. . ."Jane here is the reason why we're all here."

  The door unexpectedly swung opened, and we jerked in our seats. Justin peered in. I had to catch my breath. Not because we had been caught talking but because of what Jenna said. I didn't understand.

  Chapter 40

  "We don't have time for this shit, man!" Josh grumbled to Justin as he passed him to get in the front seat of the Suburban. Justin had been seriously eyeing Jenna for about the last minute or so. But after hearing Josh's words of caution he instead stiffened a nod, yet somehow I sensed that he wasn't about to let our talking go unpunished. Justin slammed the door, and jumped back into the driver's seat. And Jenna was right, the two looked exactly like legit businessmen.

  Instead of pulling into one of the many casino hotels lining the strip, the Suburban instead pulled into a semi-crowded plaza and parked amidst a sea of randomly parked cars. Justin cut the engine, and the five of us just sat there in silence for about a few minutes, just until a late model pearl Escalade pulled up beside us. The Escalade, as with the Suburban, also had stock wheels in which I found to be ingeniously clever 'cause neither vehicles stood out like sore thumbs.

  Justin and Josh quickly jumped out of their seats to meet up with the driver to the Escalade. The three then stood in between both SUV's, smoking and talking while my nerves continued to tightened with each minute passing.

  The driver, from what I could see through the chicken wire, resembled Justin quite a bit with his thick to the scalp dirty blond hair and mesmerizing russet blue eyes. He was a couple of inches shorter than Justin but judging by his character he presumed to be mildly mannered and languished, and nowhere near in comparison to Justin and Josh whom were both hot tempered and could barely standstill for more than a couple of minutes. It was fair to say that this man had years of experience over Justin and Josh.

  "That's Henry. . .Henry Church." Jenna mused.

  "'Henry Church?'" I couldn't help but to chuckle lightly.

  "Pretty ironic, huh, Jane?. . .'Church' to be a sinner." Chloe scoffed

  "Cut it," Jenna cautioned. "He's one of them." she then said to me.

  "Oh." I groaned in disappointment. "So he's not a "John"?" Jenna ignored me, and she and Chloe quickly jumped back into their seats. I wasn't given enough time to get back into mine 'cause the door had already opened with Josh ushering me to step out.

  The moment my eyes locked onto Henry Church something warm and invigorating swept through me: He reminded me so much of Dominic that tears instantly swelled up in my eyes while my heart ignited with this immense sense of hope particularly when his eyes gazed at me questionably curiously as if he had never met someone like me before, or felt how someone like me could possibly be mixed up in such a fucked up prostitution trade as this one? 'Cause it was obvious that he wasn't interested on what was beneath my clothing, beneath my battered and bruised flesh but within my soul; a soul I had totally mistaken for dead until now - I liked Henry Church right away.

  "Mr. Henry Church meet Diamond." Josh casually introduced pushing me toward Mr. Church until I was but a few inches from kissing the brawn of his chest.

  Mr. Church smelled expensively conceited the way Dominic tended to always smell whenever I was dangerously close to him. And for some strange and unexplained reason his scent began to stir me wild with this desire I was having trouble understanding until I realized it was the same desire I had tempted myself with Dominic on the night of his graduation. . .a willingness, I assumed, of a forbidden desire, like trading my soul for sex but with the Devil himself. I felt shame. And my face started to flush as I thought Was I freaking mad?. . .Mad with this desire to have casual sex with pimps like Dominic and Mr. Church?

  "So this is Dom's girl, huh?" Mr. Church alleged pulling me from my blasphemous thoughts of he and Dominic. He then dragged hard on his cigarette with the possibility of having a blasphemous thought of his own. A plume of smoke casually escaped his mouth. The sweet smell of his impending cancer and a whiff of his fragrant air kissed at my cheeks, my hair, causing me to shiver. I meant to look away from Mr. Church but Mr. Church grasp up my chin softly and gently coerced me to look up at him. And those mesmerizing russet blue eyes eerily matching Justin's were as deep and as sensual and as genuine as a Robert Frost poem. And Mr. Church must've read my thoughts 'cause he just grinned and stepped around me. I bowed my head and shuddered, quickly shielding myself with both my arms although the air was excruciatingly hot.

  "Jane," Josh suddenly called out to me impatiently. I walked to him quickly. "C'mon, c'mon!" he snapped while snapping his fingers. He was holding the Escalade's back door open for me. I slid into the backseat nervously where Jenna and Chloe were already seated.

  "It's very simple, Jane. . .girls. . .anything Mr. Church wants, you give. If he asks you to talk, you talk. If he tells you to be quiet, you be quiet. Understand?" We then nodded like a bunch of law abiding prostitutes. Josh closed the door, and then we were driven off.

  Mr. Church drove up and down the strip for the first fifteen minutes or so. From the corner of my eye, and 'cause I had the better view of him, Mr. Church looked a bit paranoid 'cause he kept glancing his surroundings, glancing the rearview mirror, glancing the front driver and passenger mi
rrors as if he were looking out for someone or something.

  After a few more minutes of repetitious glances, and aimless driving, Mr. Church finally eased the Escalade onto a nearby plaza and into the parking lot of an all-night diner. He shifted the gear in park and cut the engine. From his seat, he turned around and looked at us girls. My heart stopped.

  "We're gonna get off and grab something to eat. I'm not going to have any trouble with either of you girls, am I?" Again, we nodded but it was in a manner that was far more than just sincere, but promising. "Good," he grinned. "Doors are unlocked." Mr. Church then said turning back around in his seat and pulling the keys from the ignition before stepping off the Escalade. And for once it was nice to touch down on pavement without someone grabbing me by my arm.

  Aside from being polite, I also found Mr. Church's trust in us [to not run away] rather clever as he did this to not draw attention to himself nor to us as a trio of prostitutes with their pimp. In fact, the four of us actually looked casual, getting off a company Suburban like a group of co-workers going to a luncheon together. And because Jenna was the eldest and the more mature looking of us three, Mr. Church casually entwined his arm around her delicately figured waist and pulled her close to his side as soon as we stepped into the restaurant, making them appear more like a couple's couple rather than a couple of strangers with me and Chloe as friends - ingeniously clever.