Third Degree

by J. D. Dudycha

  “A former governor, yes. And next to him, a senator, three mayors, and a sitting judge on the supreme court.”

  “And they’re all connected to this case?” Collar asked as she continued her search.

  “Every last one of them.”

  “There’s gotta be over a hundred photos here. How have you not shared this with me and my task force?”

  “Like I said, we’ve known for a while someone’s dirty. Not just because of this bogus tip, but there’s more.”

  “What do you mean, there’s more?”

  “I mean, someone’s been protecting these high-ranking men. Masking their identity and playing with us from the inside. Also, the bastard who’s doing this is feeding information on the women too. Who they are. Where they will be for abductions.”

  “What kind of information?” Collar gulped.

  “Inside information. They may have known Ashley was your niece.”

  Color left her face. “And my agent?”

  Kramer dropped his head and stared at the ground before looking up again and squaring her eye. “Maybe her too. We can’t be sure.”

  Immediately her hand went to her mouth, and she fell back onto her heels. The room began to spin, and she was woozy. “What have I done?” Collar said.

  Kramer started to speak when another man entered, handed him a note, and said, “Sir.” Kramer read the contents. “We’ve got them.” He flicked the note onto his hand and said, “Let’s go!”

  Trailing behind, Collar had an out-of-body experience as she walked. How could this happen? How could she have led Niki into the lion’s den? If they’d found out who she really was, she was likely dead already. If not yet, then soon.

  33

  Upstate New York

  AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRCASE, the men stopped. Niki was last in line. She lifted her head and her torso away from the guard who held her. Her eyes danced. Maybe she could drop from his shoulder. Run for the door. But she didn’t give into that urge, even though she could have. The impulse to flee was birthed from fear, and she was committed to seeing this through and saving these girls.

  What’s the holdup? She wondered why they’d stopped. Soon she got her answer when Sergei appeared.

  “Ladies. Welcome,” he said, walking down the row of men who held tight to their products. “When you get inside the room, take your seats. These gentlemen will set you down on your respective numbers.”

  Take a seat? What the hell? I thought we were going to our rooms. Where are we going now? Niki didn’t understand.

  Then Sergei continued to give more instructions. “When your number is called, you will approach the glass, undress, and let the bidding begin.”

  Niki gulped, then lowered her tense torso down and laid her head back against the man who held her. She went limp at the news, but soon her thoughts shifted. The knife. How would she hide it?

  “Now, let’s go have some fun, shall we?” Sergei turned and walked down the hallway.

  The guards took slow steps and walked behind Sergei. Niki racked her brain. She had no options, nothing she could think to do in that moment. She had to ditch the knife, and fast. With her hands stretching out above her head, she gently bent her right elbow and curled her wrist and reached into her cleavage. The tip of the knife touched her fingers, and beneath her thumb and index finger she pressed hard and lifted the blade. It moved slowly; she could feel the stiff steel on her skin. It was coming. When the knife broke free from her dress, she turned her head and looked for a place to toss it down.

  To her right sat a cushioned chair, just outside another doorway, most likely for a guard to sit and wait. That was her best chance. The knife had to land on the chair and not make a sound.

  Securing the blade between her fingertips, she swung her arm like a pendulum and let the blade fly free. Niki watched upside down as the knife tumbled end over end until it landed squarely on the cushion. She blinked slowly, but after a moment of thankfulness, panic set in. The knife didn’t stay on the cushion long. The momentum carried the blade to the edge. The guard, still carrying Niki, came to the end of the hall and turned just as the knife fell from the chair and crashed to the floor.

  Behind the cover of the wall, Niki only heard a slight noise, nothing that would cause alarm; she thanked her lucky stars she was the final woman to enter.

  The room was dark with only a faint red light illuminated on the opposite wall. As the man walked toward the red light, Niki looked down and saw the feet of the other women who now sat on their numbered chairs. Niki noticed each number as she passed, waiting to see her own. But when the guard stopped, she didn’t see her number, only the feet of Ashley. The guard lowered Niki from his shoulder and set her onto the ground, positioning her on the chair.

  Niki stared ahead. All she saw was a shadowed mirror until a bright spotlight sparked to life in front of her. She shielded her eyes, continuing to look forward, but now all she saw was her reflection in the mirrored wall. The wall was much like the one in her room, but this was on a grander scale; the glass must have spanned over thirty feet.

  “That’s where those monsters are,” Niki muttered to herself, hoping Ashley heard her and would respond.

  But she did not.

  Niki glanced down the line. One guard remained inside, but the others had disappeared. The lone guard stood by the door. Niki figured he was there to help the women stand, if they needed it or were too shy to follow instructions.

  The unmistakable voice of Sergei boomed through a speaker, causing Niki to jump in her seat. “Let’s begin with number one.”

  The girl didn’t move.

  “Darwin,” Sergei said over the speaker. “If you please.”

  Niki noticed the guard move from his position and walk toward the girl who sat in the first chair. He helped her up, then moved her to the center of the room and backed away from her but not to his post by the door.

  “Please turn around,” Sergei said.

  She did as instructed.

  After she turned in a circle, Sergei said, “Thank you. Now take off your dress.”

  Blood filled the young woman’s cheeks. She was meek and embarrassed even in her altered state. She stared at the floor and shook her head no.

  “Darwin, it appears she needs some help.”

  The guard stood behind her, then reached up and pulled the zipper down her back. The dress draped off her shoulders. Tears fell from her eyes, and her shoulders rose and fell as she held her hand to her mouth and sobbed when the loose dress fell to the ground.

  She covered herself best she could, but her vulnerability shone through and she couldn’t stop the tears from coming.

  Niki averted her eyes, rocking in her chair in searing anger. Her blood pressure mounted. She had to make this nightmare stop, to cover this poor girl. To make these animals pay. But then Sergei’s voice broke through again. “Let’s start the bidding at five hundred thousand.”

  Shocked, Niki thought, Five hundred thousand? Is that a joke?

  But it was no joke, and the bidding clicked up higher and higher until it stopped at just over two million.

  The auction continued much the same until it reached Niki. And so far, the highest bid was on Ashley for just over three million.

  Niki stood from her seat and walked to the center of the room. She was the only one who didn’t need assistance from the guard, Darwin.

  “Turn around,” Sergei said.

  Niki didn’t even hesitate. “No.” She shook her head.

  There was silence for a moment. “Darwin, I think she’s in need of assistance.”

  “I’m not in need of anything. And if that ape comes anywhere near me, I’ll kick him in the balls so hard, he’ll never be able to get it up again.”

  Darwin hesitated and looked to the glass awaiting instruction.

  “Have it your way. Undress,” Sergei said.

  “No.” Niki held her head high. “The people inside will have to use their imaginations. I will not let them all
see me. If they want to see me, they’ll have to pay for me.”

  Again, more silence. Niki looked into the glass, moving her eyes to different places as if she could see through the two-way mirror and peer into the souls of everyone behind the wall.

  “Have it your way . . . for now. Let’s begin the bidding. Shall we start at five hundred thousand?”

  But upon his first bid, Niki heard a man say five million. The first bid and the one bid to outbid them all.

  “Do I hear six? Very well, five million going once . . . twice . . . sold. Congratulations, number eight, you may take your seat and await further instruction.”

  Niki returned to her seat, and as she sat, she thought, If someone can afford to pay five million for me and two or three for the rest of us, how much are they likely going to make whoring us out?

  Niki knew this was business to the men and women beyond the glass, and businesses had commodities. She also realized that if she left this house with the man who purchased her, she’d be gone, on her way to a distant land, never to be seen again.

  34

  THE DOOR CLICKED OPEN, and Darwin stood to the side with his arm guiding the way. Girl number one stepped forward, then number two, until all filed out of the room. When Niki got to her feet, she gulped, remembering the knife she had dumped. As she approached the door, she took one last glance at the two-way mirror. She wondered if everyone remained behind the wall, or if she’d be met right outside the door by the highest bidder.

  In the single-file line Niki walked close behind Ashley, and once outside the room no one was there to meet her or the others. She leaned in and whispered behind Ashley’s head, “I’m going to get you out of here tonight.”

  Ashley had mostly sobered up by then; she turned and asked, “How?”

  “Can’t tell you yet, but know that I’m coming.”

  “How can I help?” Ashley said.

  “I don’t know that you can right now, but . . .” Niki saw the knife lying underneath the chair. One of the guards remained close behind, so she had to be quick on her feet, think of something fast, or else try to pass the knife and ignore it altogether.

  With a quick decision, she stubbed her foot on the ground and fell for the chair, crashing into the wall for further distraction. The guard bent over her just as she reached behind her back to feel for the blade.

  “What are you doing? Get up!” He reached down.

  “Don’t touch me!” She slapped his attempt away with her left hand as she continued to search for the knife behind her back with her right. “I fell. Give me a minute to compose myself.”

  But he didn’t allow her more time. “I said, get up. Now!”

  Her fingers danced over the rough carpet until she brushed the blade, then palmed it. She gripped tight. Now what? When I stand, he’ll see the blade behind my back.

  He hovered over her and wouldn’t budge. She scooted on her butt, then put one foot to the floor before the other. As she bent her knees, she stalled. Suddenly a sound from behind the man was the distraction she needed.

  “Luca, what’s happening here?” Sergei nodded.

  Niki jumped to her feet and spun around with her back to the guard, stuffing the knife back into her cleavage.

  “She fell,” Luca said.

  “She’s seems to be fine now. Get her to her room. Her victor will be there shortly to collect his prize.”

  Bile climbed Niki’s gullet. The way Sergei talked, as if the women were a champion’s purse, some trophy to put up on a pedestal to fondle. It made her sick.

  “You heard him.” Luca pushed Niki’s back to guide her forward. “Move.”

  The other women walked ahead of Niki. None had stopped. None aside from Ashley, but for only a moment. Once the guard told Niki to rise, Ashley moved forward, probably afraid of what would he would do to her if she stayed. On her last passing glance, Niki witnessed the look of agony on her face. Sure, Niki told her she would come through, but why should she believe it?

  As Niki turned the corner down the hall, four of the women stood with their heads lowered, terrified of what came next. Each walked into their respective rooms with little hope of rescue.

  Luca lagged, guiding Niki as if she didn’t know where she was supposed to go. She looked to the floor where the number eight was outlined.

  Use the knife. Shove it deep into his chest. She peered over her shoulder to see how close Luca was behind her. He was close, less than two feet away. He was large and intimidating but also fat and out of shape, which was easily discernable by the sound of his labored heavy breathing. What would that do? Her thoughts turned uncertain; then Darwin stepped into view after closing the door to number four’s room.

  Still she had confidence to rip the blade from her dress and incapacitate both within moments. What would that do aside from cause alarm, though? If she did, at least, they’d both be dead, and she could rip open the doorway’s letting the woman run for their lives. But would they? Some were still dealing with the after effects of the drugs and if she wanted to rescue them all, to set them free from this storm of trouble, she needed to wait until the perfect time. What she couldn’t know however was, how long would it take for the buyers to collect their new belongings?

  She let Darwin pass taking her eye away and continued to the open door. When she stepped into the room, the lights were bright white, straining her eyes. She felt Luca enter close behind her and say, “sit down on the bed.”

  “What did you say to me?” Niki whipped around.

  But the man didn’t return comment, just smiled slyly and closed the door in front of her face.

  Niki stepped into the room. Instantly feeling the cold air on her skin. She crossed her arms and rubbed the tiny hairs on her arm that stood on end. She wished to wrap something warm around her body, but the only thing on the bed now was a thin blanket. With no sheet present, there was no way she was going to wrap a diseased filled blanket around her body.

  Hepatitis, no thanks, she thought.

  Then her focus went to the mirrored wall. She wondered if the man who purchased her was standing behind. Staring at her, judging her body, focusing on her flaws.

  “What are you looking at!” She yelled at the mirror, even though she had no confirmation anyone was there.

  Then a voice boomed over the speaker and startled her where she stood.

  “I’m looking at my treasure. A real beauty.”

  Niki covered herself, pushing her forearms close to her bosom and felt the blade of the knife dig into her skin.

  “You disgust me,” Niki said.

  “Perhaps you don’t know me yet, but you will. In every way possible.”

  Scorn wiped across Niki’s face. “Gross,” she mumbled.

  “And I don’t plan on sharing you, like the other girls.”

  “Sharing me?” Niki questioned, but that was it, Niki’s way of figuring out what would happen. “Like the other girls? What do you mean?”

  “I mean. Some will be harem girls. Concubines. Women to use as a pleasure tool, but not you, you will be mine. Only mine.”

  That’s awful. She needed more answers. “Where will they go?”

  “That’s for them to find out, not you.”

  “And where will I be going?”

  “I will be taking you far away, but not tonight.”

  “Why not?” Not that Niki cared, but for posterity she needed to know.

  “Because tonight, I will enjoy you in ways, you never even imagined.”

  Oh, no you won’t. But Niki stayed quiet.

  “In fact. Why wait. Let’s make our acquaintance now.”

  The door clicked open behind her as she stared ahead. She moved to the corner of the room out of instinct. The closer she got to the wall, the safer she felt. As she pushed herself against the wall she stared at the door and waited for him to enter. The delay was agonizing, but still held tight to her chest knowing that once the man was inside and tried to touch her that’s when she’d be forced to ac
t. No one was going to overpower her, even if it meant her death in the end. She’d never allow that to happen.

  He turned the corner and entered the room never taking his eyes off her. Not until he turned to shut the door to lock them inside.

  35

  South of Rochester

  COLLAR CHEWED HER FINGERNAILS in the backseat. Not in the middle this time, but rather on the right side. She pressed her head against the glass and stared out the window at the passing headlights. A pit grew in her stomach ever since Kramer told her about the organization that had her niece and Niki. As they drove, she didn’t think about her tactics once they would reach the compound, but rather what she would say to her brother and Gage Finley, Niki’s father, if in fact the worst happened. If what Kramer said was true, they may be finding a corpse. No man would hold on to Niki for collateral once knowing her identity. She’s too dangerous. There would be too much risk keeping her alive trying to sell her to the highest bidder.

  As she ruminated on her thoughts, Risen turned and spoke. “Are you ready for this?

  But his voice was muted, and she couldn’t make out his sentence because her focus remained on what she would say to Gage and her brother.

  When Risen spoke again, this time he reached for her forearm. His fingers shook her from her trance. “I don’t blame you if you want to stay behind when we arrive.”

  She turned to him. Her eyebrows scrunched and fire ran through her veins. “Bullshit. No chance. I’m coming with you. I’m going in. If they’re alive or there’s any chance I can make someone pay, I will find them.”

  Risen sat upright in his seat. “I figured as much.” He grinned, then turned his attention to Kramer who rode in the front passenger seat. “You hear that, Kramer?”

  “Sure did. Prepare yourself because it’s time to get paid.”

  The driver pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road. Collar looked behind them and watched the other SUVs do the same.

  On the country road there were no streetlights, and when Collar exited the truck, she felt the brisk wind kiss her cheeks. Once in the bitterness of the elements, the wind sucked the breath from her lungs. A puff of condensation pushed from her lips when Kramer faced her. He reached out and handed her an M4 assault rifle.