Tattoo Lust: A Tattoo Romance Collection

by Skyla Madi

  “She injected me,” I whispered.

  A hand moved to my neck where I had felt the needle. The skin was tender and probably bruised.

  “Where are we?”

  Marie and Anne sat down in front of me. I took a good look at them. Both were about the same age as me. They didn’t look as dirty or as worn out as the others did.

  “I think we’re in a container. I caught a glimpse of a few more containers when they threw you in.”

  “Has anyone tried to get out?”

  “No,” Anne said. “They come to give us water every few hours, but that’s about it.”

  “We need to do something,” I muttered. “I’m not going to just sit here.”

  I stumbled to my feet. For a few seconds, my head span. I squeezed my eyes shut as I took calming breaths. Once the dizziness faded, I walked around. The container was small and hot. Sweat covered my body. I took a look at all the other girls. They were weak. Some looked like they were sleeping, but it was hard to tell if they were breathing. I winced when the smell of urine filled my nostrils. Two full buckets were pushed into the corners. No bathroom breaks. No food. No showers.

  “Stephen will find me, and then we’ll all be set free,” I told them with conviction. “He will come.”

  ***

  I gripped the wire tightly as I heard the lock from outside the container being unlocked. Every day that passed made me feel even sicker. It had been a long time since they gave us water. I was starving. Everyone was. I glanced around, but none of them looked at me. They didn’t want to fight or try to escape.

  The door opened. Bright light blinded me for a few seconds. I stared at the man filling the only exit. He was big—a little overweight—with a bald head. I waited until he bent down to get something before I moved. I used all my strength to move forward and stab the wire into his exposed neck. He cried out, stumbling backwards.

  “Run!”

  I didn’t look back to see whether they were following or not. Getting away from them was my first priority. It they wanted to stay, then it was their choice. A shout behind me made me push myself to run even faster. I pulled to a stop when I saw the brick wall in front of me. Footsteps behind me made tears fill my eyes. I was trapped. There was nowhere to run. I spun around. Pain flashed through my jaw and cheek.

  “Fucking bitch,” the man puffed. “You’re going to pay for stabbing me!”

  Before I could do anything, I was thrown against the wall. I fell to the ground, gasping for air. A kick to my stomach made me roll away. I curled into a ball as the man stepped closer.

  “Enough! Go get cleaned up and make sure nobody else got out.” A hand gripped my arm and pulled me up to my feet.

  I stumbled, which resulted in the man jerking me toward him. His dark eyes caught mine as he sneered down at me.

  “You better keep your mouth shut. I’m not in the mood for running.” He turned and started walking.

  The man pulled me behind him as I stumbled. He was taking me back to the container. Two other men stood outside it. Both were dressed in neat suits. They looked like businessmen.

  “What about that one?” one asked as he pointed at me.

  “She’s not for sale. Boss had taken this one especially for himself.”

  “She looks better than the others.” The second man stepped forward. “She has a great pair of tits. Has she been fucked before?”

  “Not sure. Look, if you want her, you talk to the boss. I was told she is not for sale.”

  I didn’t like the way their eyes trailed over me. They lingered on my breasts most of the time. These men were part of the human trafficking ring.

  “Call him.”

  The grip on my arm loosened. I watched in fear as the man walked a few feet away. He pulled out his phone and pressed it to his ear. It only took a few seconds for him to return.

  “She’s not for sale, but he said he’ll make a deal with you once he had his fill of her.” He glanced at me. “Pick from the other girls. We need to get moving.”

  I couldn’t do anything to help. I was forced to stand there and watch as they carried Marie and two other girls away. Once they disappeared, the container was locked again.

  “You’re a lucky bitch,” the man who first opened the container snarled. “If the boss didn’t have such a high liking for you, I would’ve already bent you over and—”

  “Keep your mouth shut!”

  I swallowed. My lower jaw and stomach ached from the punch and kick. I was sure the skin was already bruising.

  “We’ll do this the easy way or the hard way.” He stepped closer. “You be a good girl and come willingly, or I’ll make you.”

  I chose the easy option. The walk toward his car was short. We walked out of the empty building and into a parking lot. Woods surrounded the area. It was a place I’d never seen before. I waited until we were halfway to his car before I made a run for it.

  “Hey!”

  I was close to the tree line when a heavy weight slammed onto my back. A cry fell from my lips as I hit the hard ground. My head hit something hard. The last thing I saw was the dirt before everything went black.

  ***

  I was surrounded by darkness. With a groan, I pushed myself up. The horrid smell made me gag. It smelled like death. I pressed a hand against my mouth and stomach. Where the hell was I? What did those men do to me? It was hard to stand up. Every inch of my body was hurting. The lack of food and water made me shake. I was weak. Fighting or running was out of the question.

  I leaned against the damp wall as I tried to catch my breath. With my feet, I felt around on the ground. Nothing was within touching distance. There had to be a reason for the smell. I held a hand against my nose as I took small steps toward the left. My other hand was held out in front of me to make sure I didn’t walk into another wall. My foot suddenly caught on something. I went tumbling to the ground before I could catch myself. The air was knocked from my lungs. I gagged a few times as I tried to suck in air. Sitting up, I cautiously reached out.

  My hand came into contact with something cold. I started crawling. A scream fell from my lips when I hit something else. I kept moving until my back hit a wall. There was a click, and then the light suddenly flicked on. Another scream fell from my lips when everything came into view. Bodies were littered around to floor. Some were just bones and hair. A few looked fresh, but others were decaying. It was the cause of the smell. My eyes fell on a familiar face.

  Anne laid only a few feet from me with blood pooled around her body. Her eyes were open and staring straight at me. Tears dripped down my cheeks. I squeezed my eyes shut, but the image stayed. It was stuck in my brain. The sick feeling intensified until I started puking. I dry heaved onto the dirty floor. A loud creak filled the room. Seconds later, the wall started moving. It slowly slid open to reveal two men. They had masks covering their faces. Guns were strapped to their hips.

  “Get her.”

  One of them stepped forward over the bodies until he was right in front of me. He reached down and gripped my arm. I was pulled up and half dragged toward the exit. Once we stepped out of the room, something was thrown over my head. Darkness surrounded me once again. The grip on my arm only tightened when I was forced to walk with them. We took a lot of turns before walking straight.

  “Careful,” a man muttered, “we’re taking the stairs now.”

  My steps slowed, but I was forced to keep their pace. I almost fell when we reached the first step.

  “Slow down. He doesn’t want any more bruises on her.”

  Halfway up the stairs I was breathless. It was hard to catch my breath. My head was spinning. I was going to throw up again.

  “Carry her. Boss is already pissed off. I don’t want him to take his anger out on us.” The hand on my arm disappeared as an arm wrapped around my waist. Seconds later, I was thrown over the man’s shoulder. I kept still as he climbed the stairs. All the blood rushing to my head wasn’t helping the dizziness.

  Ano
ther door opened and then closed behind us. We walked a few more feet until I was lowered. I winced when I was slammed into a chair. The bag over my face was removed after my wrists were tied in front of me. I blinked rapidly. The smell was pleasant, a lot better than the room with dead bodies. I sat on a chair in an expensive-looking office. A dark oak desk stood a few feet in front of me. It was neat with only a few files placed on it. Beyond it was a medium-sized window covered by a thick red curtain.

  “Thank you. You may leave.”

  I tensed as the familiar voice filled my ears. He stood directly behind me. The door clicked closed, which left me alone with him. I was dying to turn my head to look at him, but I didn’t.

  “You’ve caused a lot of trouble for me, Alia,” he said. “I never knew it would take so much just to kidnap a naïve high school kid.”

  My eyes darted up when he stepped around me. A sense of déjà vu washed through me as I stared at him. Familiar green eyes watched me with interest.

  “You are smart, I’ll give you that.” He took a seat on the edge of the desk. “Do you know who I am yet?”

  “A low-life prick.” My head snapped to the side when he backhanded me. I swallowed as he gripped my jaw painfully.

  “I enjoy a smart mouth, but only when it’s wrapped around my dick,” he muttered. “I’ll make it easier for you. You have been fucking my son.”

  My eyes widened. He laughed as he stepped back. I couldn’t look away from him. He had Stephen’s eyes and his cheekbones, but that’s as far as the similarities went. He had black hair filled with greys at his temples. His skin was pale but covered in a few tattoos here and there. He wasn’t fit. The man had a beer belly and was sweating profusely.

  “I have been waiting for this for a very long time. Patience isn’t something I’m good at, but I’m glad I waited.” He straightened and then stepped toward me. “That bastard made my life hell. He threw my wife in jail for nothing, and now—”

  “Your wife abused him!” I yelled.

  I gasped as he hit me again. My lip was burning. I used my tongue to lick the blood. A hit to my stomach made me double over in pain.

  “You will learn,” he said from above me. “If you don’t keep your mouth shut, I’ll hurt you. If you don’t do what I say, I’ll hurt you. I’m going to make him suffer. He’s going to pay, starting with you.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  “My name is Alia Dune. I’m a fighter. My name is Alia Dune. I’m a fighter,” I repeated out loud.

  Darkness surrounded me. It was cold. So cold. I wrapped my arms tighter around my legs as I rocked back and forth. My stomach grumbled. In a few hours, someone would bring water and then it’d make the hunger fade.

  “My name is Alia Dune. I’m a fighter.”

  “Shut the fuck up!”

  I flinched, snapping my mouth closed. My back pressed painfully into the wall, but I was too afraid to move. Something hit the metal. I pressed my hands against my ears as they started screaming. They were fighting for water. Something hit the wall again. More screams followed.

  And then it fell silent.

  ***

  “You look like shit, my pet,” he muttered.

  I kept my eyes on the ground. Looking at him made me want to cry. Cry because I was stuck with him. Stephen hadn’t come yet. He wasn’t going to come for me.

  “I’ve been told what a good girl you’ve been.” His hand stroked my hair. “Good girls get rewards.”

  His footsteps echoed around the empty room as he walked away. My body slowly relaxed when the door closed. He was leaving. No more pain and no more pretending.

  “Hey.”

  I glanced up at the man crouched in front of me. He held a bowl filled with something that smelled good. I looked back up at him.

  “He said I can give you some food. I stole some porridge. It’ll build up some of your strength.”

  “H-how long?”

  He pursed his lips. “Four months. I’m going to get you out of here, Alia. I promise.” Promises meant nothing. Stephen wasn’t searching for me anymore. He told me. The police announced me dead after he planted a body. I saw her before they killed her—she looked like me.

  “Eat.”

  I took the bowl from him and slowly started to eat. It tasted good. I tried to eat everything, but I couldn’t. He took the bowl and straightened. I looked up at him.

  “Hold on to the memories, Alia. It’s the only thing that will keep you sane.”

  ***

  He wanted to see me. His men came to get me. They tied my hands behind my back and blindfolded me. I knew the way to his office. We weren’t going to his office today. My body started to shake. When he took me somewhere else, it was for punishment. I didn’t do anything wrong. I kept my mouth shut and did what he ordered. We stopped, and then a door opened.

  It creaked loudly in the silence. With a hard push, I stumbled forward. The door slammed shut loudly behind me. I winced when the blindfold was ripped from my eyes.

  “Nice to see you again,” he muttered. His eyes trailed over me. They lingered before moving over my shoulder.

  “Lock the door,” he said to whoever stood by the door.

  I sucked in a breath when he walked behind me. There was a tug on my wrist and then they were free. I wrapped my arms around my waist. My eyes darted around nervously. A double bed was pushed against the wall right in front of me. It was bare apart from a white sheet covering it. There was nothing personal in the room.

  “Strip,” he ordered.

  I shook my head. The only man I ever stripped for was Stephen.

  “I said strip!”

  “Go to hell,” I croaked.

  He laughed. “Hold her.”

  Hands gripped my arms and forced them away from my body. He stopped in front of me. I jerked against their hold when he stepped closer. There was nowhere to run. Rough hands started ripping off my clothes. I was left in my dirty underwear, but even that didn’t stay on long.

  I screamed.

  They picked me up and forced me onto the bed. With my arms kept immobile, I used my legs instead. Someone cursed when I kicked him in the leg.

  “Tie her up!”

  I fought harder, but they were stronger. My arms were forced behind my back. I cried out in pain. The rope dug into my skin when they tied my wrists. My elbows were also tied tightly together. They picked me up and moved me higher on the bed. A weight came down on top of me.

  “You got her?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Keep her down.”

  Tears filled my eyes when my legs were spread. His sweaty hands started trailing over my skin.

  “I’m going to see why my son likes fucking you so much.”

  I bit down on my lip when he entered me. The weight on top of me pressed me tighter against the bed. It was hard to breathe, but I didn’t fight it. Passing out while he raped me was the only thing I could wished for. His weight shifted.

  Warm breath brushed against my ear. He grunted. His hold on my hips became just as painful as his thrusts. I gave up trying to keep the tears at bay. They trailed down my cheeks and onto the sheets.

  “Keep hold of the memories.”

  ***

  I hung from the ceiling. The room smelled of urine and blood. I was so tired. My body jerked as the door slid open. I didn’t even bother to lift my head. It was always him who came to visit. It was always him touching me and making me do things to avoid punishment. It was always him.

  “So lovely,” he muttered.

  His shoes appeared in my line of sight. They had blood splatters on them. My blood.

  “We will be moving again in an hour. I expect you to be dressed.” He walked closer to grip my jaw. I was forced to stare into his eyes. “You’ve become my favorite pastime, but I’ve grown tired of you. I found myself a new pet that fights and screams when I fuck her.”

  I blinked. I’d given up fighting him a long time ago. He enjoyed it. What’s the use of fighting when it only m
ade him hurt me more? He had already ruined me in every way he could think of. I became his fuck toy. Something for him to stick his dick in when he felt like it. Now he could kill me because he had no more use for me.

  “I’ll get big money for you even if you’re not a virgin anymore. I have someone willing to pay over a million,” his hold on my jaw tightened, “but you’re not going anywhere. Do you know why? I’m going to mark your skin and then send you back to that fucking bastard. He will watch you suffer and then die.”

  Who was he talking about? I had no one. I was his toy. He called me his slut. I was a slut. His slut.

  “Alia. Come on, we don’t have much time until he sends men to get you.”

  The chain slowly lowered until my feet touched the blood-soaked floor. I found the strength to raise my head and stare at the man. He called me Alia. He said it was my name. I don’t remember his. He told me once a long time ago.

  “Jesus, what did you do?”

  “He wanted me to suck him. He forced his dick into my mouth, so I bit him,” I whispered.

  The man moved behind me and gently started to clean my back. It burned. It was supposed to feel worse than anything he’d ever done to me, but it didn’t. Whipping me didn’t hurt as much as it did when he carved his wife’s name into my thigh. Unconsciously, my hand moved toward the name. I could trace every letter with my fingertips.

  “He’s taking you to his home hidden somewhere in the woods. I don’t know why. The others won’t tell me anything.”

  “Is he going to kill me?”

  “No.” He gently covered my back with a bandage. I looked up at him when he sat down in front of me.

  “I found your Stephen. Do you remember him?” I shook my head. “Try to remember, Alia.”

  I closed my eyes. I couldn’t remember. I saw nothing but darkness. All I ever saw when I closed my eyes was the man who took me.

  “Try to remember him, Alia. He will come for you.”

  ***