I nodded. That sounded like an easy job, but I knew that there was more to it.
“So you won’t make me do anything that I don’t want to do?” I asked.
Roberto smirked, but there was nothing but darkness in his eyes, “No, but it’s better that you just follow orders when given. I’m a bit of a control freak and really don’t like to be disobeyed.”
That was it. Now I know why Lorena was too afraid to give more information to the police. She was brave enough to call and tell about the children, but didn’t want it to lead back to her so that he would find out. I don’t know what exactly he would do besides kill her, but I imagine that he could be brutal.
I nodded, “I understand.”
“Great!” Robert said. He clapped his hands, then pulled open a drawer from his desk and pulled out a key card, a gun, and another phone. “I’ll pay you fifteen hundred at the end of each week, you need to be here every day, and also when I give you a call. This phone will have my driver and my own number in it, and also this gun well...it’s for whenever I need you to use it.”
I slowly stood up and walked over to his desk. “I kind of… Already have a gun on me,” I said nervously. “I can’t help but carry one sometimes because of where I live at.”
Roberto smiled, “Yes, I’ll need you to be using mine for now on.” He slid the gun over to me and held his hand out for mine, which I didn’t hesitate to give to him. The 9mm pistol he was giving me already had its silencer attached, and it looked way better than this little silver handgun Bobby was making me carry around.
Roberto took the gun and dropped it into his drawer then slid it shut, “The day I hand you back that piece of shit will be the day I no longer require your services,” he laughed, but I knew that he was serious.
“Thank you,” I said, putting the gun away.
“You’re welcome to lounge around, eat, and use whatever you would like outside this office as you please when we aren’t working. Lorena doesn’t leave the house much, so I’m assuming that you two will be keeping each other company? This house can get lonely sometimes.”
I nodded. I had forgotten all about Lorena being here for a moment and started feeling excited, then I remembered why I was here, “So, what kind of work do you do? I mean, you said that I’ll just tag along, so I’m assuming that whatever you’re doing, I’ll be there.”
“Yes, you will be. Let’s walk and talk, I can give you a short tour of the house.”
“OK,” I followed him out of the office and walked behind him as he showed me the different rooms of the house.
“So, as you may have been told, I hold dogfights every now and then at the warehouse. Mostly just for the big fights with the more popular fighters. I also distribute drugs of all sorts, but mostly just cocaine,” Roberto said, slowing down for me to walk next to him. “My main business is the distribution of children.”
“So, human trafficking?”
“Yes, but not for sex,” he sighed. “I wouldn’t say that some aren’t being used for that though.”
The first person I thought of was Terry. She was made a fighter and also being used for sex by another cop. It made me sick to my stomach just fucking thinking about it.
“It’s a sad story when I hear about a child being abused in such ways. I believe that they should be disciplined, and sometimes maybe even broken into fighters, but sexual abuse isn’t something that I support. They are just too young, and don’t understand what’s going on with their bodies, let alone someone else’s,” Roberto shook his head and sighed again. “When I found out that one of the men who bought a child from me raped her, I had his genitals removed,” he smirked as he thought back to it. “I took the child back in, but I can’t seem to get anyone to buy her. I may have to put her down.”
I clenched my teeth and did my best to ignore the twisting feeling in my stomach. This man would sell children to strangers, not really knowing what goes on after they are sold, and only punishes owners for sexual abuse? Then on top of that, he has a broken child that no one wants and has decided that he would have to kill her if she doesn’t get sold soon. Roberto was much worse than Arnold. This man had no heart at all.
We made our way through the house, and I had yet to run into Lorena. I wondered if she even knew that I was coming to work for Roberto. She said that he didn’t discuss his business with her, so I’m guessing that she would be surprised to see me again.
“I want to show you something,” Roberto said. “It’s one of my favorite rooms.”
We made our way down a long hall and to a door at the end. When he opened it, I saw that it led downstairs. To the basement.
My heart raced when I saw how dark it was at the bottom. It was so dark that at one point the steps looked as if they’d dropped into the abyss. I knew what he was going to show me, and I knew what I saw down there would scare me, but I had to do my best not to show it.
Roberto smiled back at me when he noticed that I was frozen at the top of the steps, “Come on, don’t be afraid. Nothing you see down here will be used on you...unless I find it necessary of course.”
I clenched my teeth and started to follow behind him. Once we got to the bottom, Roberto flicked on the light and what I saw next made me sick. On the far left of the basement, I saw a large cage with blood on the bars. The middle was a large open space where I figured the children fought each other for training purposes. A little to my left I noticed how there were chains dangling from the ceiling with a pair of cuffs dangling on the end. Under that were little drops of blood, and further back there was a table with all sorts of tools and sharp objects. To the left I noticed a wooden chair with cuffs hanging from each arm of it, and some on the floor to bind a person’s legs.
Roberto looked back at me and said, “This is where I have people brought when they disobey me. The ones who cross me don’t tend to make it out alive.”
I held my breath and turned to Roberto. He was no longer smiling and reminded me so much of Arnold that my hands started to shake. Control. I needed to control myself. I couldn’t let him see that I was actually afraid, and I couldn’t let him see me be weak.
Roberto sighed, “Well, now that I’ve shown you this room. Let me show you my other favorite room.” He flicked off the light and walked up the stairs. He knew that he had put true fear in me. It was exactly what he was aiming for.
Chapter 16
Roberto took me back through the house and to the art room that I had admired earlier. When he turned on the light I could really see just how beautiful it actually was.
“This is Lorena’s art room. When we moved here from France I made sure that she had her own space that she could work in and enjoy herself,” Roberto said. He ran his fingers over a painted rose on the wall.
When I looked around I noticed that there were mostly only roses painted on the walls in different colors. The paint surrounding the roses went in all directions and swirls. The only part of the room that wasn’t painted was the carpet, which was stained with droplets of different colored paints, but it was still beautiful. There were also paintings hanging on the walls with one being a little girl, the other being Roberto, and the rest were other faces that really didn’t catch my attention.
“Funny,” Roberto said, looking around. “There was a painting that I wanted to show you. She painted it back in France, but then somehow it got lost in the move. Anyways, the painting looked a lot like you. It was beautiful by the way, and my most favorite of her paintings. I knew when I saw your face at the party that I was going to like you,” he smiled back at me and waited for a response, but I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to say.
Roberto’s phone rang and he pulled it out. “I won’t start you today,” he said. “I have business to attend to, but you can get started tomorrow. Please, stay as long as you would like. Just call Mark when you’re ready to return home.”
I nodded, then watched as he exited the room and disappeared around the corner.
Even
though we had just taken a tour, I wanted to do a little more looking around myself. I guess I was hoping to find clues about the kids, but the house was way too clean, and I wasn’t going to risk being caught snooping in Roberto’s office after what he had just shown me. At least not yet.
I made my way over to the dining room and ran my fingers over a silver spoon that was set next to a large white plate. When I looked up I saw the backyard through two glass sliding doors, and couldn’t resist but to go and take a look.
I walked to the doors, slid them open, and stepped outside. All of a sudden I felt as if I could breathe again, and it felt great. I closed my eyes and took another deep breath, knowing that I had to go back inside soon. Luckily, I didn’t have to start working for him yet, so I had the freedom to leave whenever I wanted today.
“Rose?”
I jumped at the sound of my name and opened my eyes. At first I was angry that she used my real name, but I couldn’t stay mad long. Not even for a few seconds.
“Lorena,” I said. I looked her up and down and lost the breath that I had just worked so hard to get back. She looked beautiful, as usual, in her dark blue sun dress with a blue flower in her long free hair.
“What...what are you doing here?” Lorena looked even more worried than she did before.
I gave a slight smile, “Working. I work for Roberto now.”
Lorena sighed and looked around, then she frowned, “Do you have any idea how stupid that is?”
“Do you know that he has children kidnapped and sold into fighting?” I snapped, but then I calmed down again. I didn’t want to show anger towards her, but I guess after what I saw there were too many emotions that wanted to come to surface.
Lorena sighed. She knew that I wasn’t going to stop the investigation until I found those children.
“Walk with me,” Lorena said.
I nodded and started walking through the large garden with Lorena.
“So, what does he have you doing for him?” Lorena asked.
I shrugged, “Sounds like a bodyguard job to me. He wants me to go wherever he goes and follow orders. He’s also asked that I watch over you.”
Lorena nodded. “He was a little shaken up after the party. Doesn’t want anything bad to happen to me,” she said in a dull tone.
I looked over at her, but didn’t say anything. At the same time I was feeling so many things that I didn’t really know what to say to her... “I missed you.”
Lorena’s frowning face relaxed, “I missed you too. I’m s-”
“Don’t apologize,” I smiled, already knowing what she was going to say. “You started a new life out there. I understand why you didn’t come back.” It made me feel good that she looked a little relieved. I guess she felt bad about never returning home.
Lorena finally looked up from the ground and smiled, “So, how is everyone? How are Abigale and Cameron?”
My heart sank when I thought of Cameron. “Oh, Well, Abigale is doing just fine. She’s actually with me, and Cam...he’s okay too.”
Lorena knew that I was lying. She could still tell when something was wrong with me, even after all these years.
“Well, I’m glad,” She said.
“Yeah,” I sighed, “so before I really get into everything, I need to know...I mean I can’t really do anything if you’re not...”
“What is it?”
“You,” I said in a serious tone. We both stopped walking and I faced her. “Are you with me in all of this? I know you don’t support what Roberto is doing, but he’s still your husband. If you’re not in this with me, then the whole operation-”
“I am,” Lorena responded in a serious tone, then she raised her chin. “I want him put away.” She looked over to the house and then back into my eyes, “I want to get away from here.”
I clenched my teeth and frowned, “Have you tried leaving before?”
Lorena knew that she had said the wrong thing to me. Now my mind was rushing with so many thoughts about why she didn’t leave, if he may have hurt her, or did he take her downstairs?
“Only once. I tried running away from here, but he just sent his men after me and they brought me back,” her voice shook. “He didn’t hurt me though.” I could see her hands begin to shake as she thought back to whatever he had done to her. Lorena didn’t leave Roberto. She was too afraid to.
“I’ll get you out of here,” I said. “I promise.” I wanted to pull her close and hug her tight, but that wasn’t such a good idea right now. Not in the open at least. “I’ll need your help though. If you can find anything that may lead us to the children, then we can end this soon.”
Lorena nodded, “I’ll do everything that I can.”
I pulled out my phone to look at the time and saw that it was almost five.
“I need to start heading back home. Walk me to the door?” I asked.
“Sure,” Lorena led me back through the house while I called Mark to pull around to the front. He was there only a few minutes after I hung up with him.
“So, I’ll see you tomorrow?” I asked.
“Yes,” Lorena smiled, and then gave me a quick hug, “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Me too,” I chuckled, “bye.” I got into the car and stared over at her until we pulled off.
Mark looked at me through the rear view mirror and asked, “How was orientation?”
I just shook my head and he laughed. He must have gone through the same thing.
***
Once I got back to the apartments I told Bobby everything that had happened today. The only thing that I was worried about was what I was supposed to do in a really bad situation. I was still a cop, so I couldn’t just sit back and let shit happen.
Bobby frowned in thought, then he sighed, “You will have to do your best to convince him not to kill anyone, but if you’re in a tight situation, then...you may not be able to save the day. You have to remember that Bellerose is a very powerful man right now, and on top of that he has a fucking torture room for a basement. You can’t go in with a wire, and you can’t contact me as much as I wish you could, so if he takes you down there, I won’t know. I understand that you’re a cop back in Ohio, but out here you’re nothing but a normal person. I’d rather you be safe.”
I could tell that he was serious. Bobby was seeming more and more like an older brother each day.
“Just remember that your job is to find those children,” Bobby said before I walked off to go to bed.
Surprisingly, I felt okay when I laid down. I was tired after taking in so much today, and all I wanted to do was sleep....
***
I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing at three in the morning. I had three phones now, so I wasn’t sure which one it was until I looked over the edge of the mattress. It was the phone that Roberto had given me, and his number was the one flashing on the screen.
My stomach had already started to form knots, and I wanted to ignore the call, but I couldn’t. I reached down to grab the phone, and then hit the talk button, “Hello?”
“Sarah,” Roberto’s deep French accent made me want to hide under the covers and never come out, “I’m glad you answered. I sent Mark to go get you. I need you to come to work.”
“Did something happen?” I was no longer tired, but more so worried about what he wanted me for.
Roberto laughed, “Nothing out of the ordinary. Mark should be close, so I advise you to get up now. I don’t want you to be late.”
“Okay,” I said, sitting up now. “I’ll be there soon.”
“Good,” Roberto said. “Oh, and Sarah?”
“Yes?”
“When you get here, come straight to the basement.”
I didn’t respond, and Roberto knew why. He could tell that I was uncomfortable down there, and now he wanted me to come back for unknown reasons. Something really bad was about to happen, and he wanted me to be there to watch.
***
It took an hour to get back to the mansion, and
I was let in by Ronald. As I followed him to the basement I noticed that there were a few other men standing around the house either smoking, or simply relaxing. I figured that all of them, including the one in front of me, worked for Roberto.
Ronald stopped at the basement door and opened it for me. He could tell that I was a little shaken by my thoughts and anticipation, and gave a slight smile, “He just wants to break you in, that’s all.”
I took a deep breath and nodded, but then jumped when I heard a man scream. When I looked to my left I saw another one of his men shaking his head. I had no clue of what was going on, but from the sounds of it, it was something very bad.
I slowly made my way down that stairs and stopped at the bottom. Across from me was Roberto who stood facing the wooden chair with his arms folded. When I turned my head to see what he was looking at I almost screamed.
Roberto was having a man being beaten by two of his men while cuffed to the chair. His face was so swollen by now that he could barely open his eyes, and there was blood dripping from his chin. If I were to see this same man on a normal day I wouldn’t have recognized him.
“Come here,” Roberto said without looking at me. I did as I was told and made my way over to him.
The two men took turns hitting the man as hard as they could, and something inside of me told me to stop them, but I couldn’t get myself to move.
“What do you think he did to deserve this?” Roberto asked.
I licked my lips, bit my bottom lip and then answered, “I don’t know...” My voice shook.
Roberto sighed, “This man stole from me. He was stealing my beloved children to try and sell on his own.”
“The children?”
“Yes, he only got a few to go with him, there were only four or five, but my men found them and we’ll be going to see them tomorrow. I’ll let them rest for tonight, but each of them will be punished when I get there.” Roberto said, shaking his head. “They know better than to go running off with someone that I didn’t give them to. I mean what were they thinking?”
I winced when the man was hit again. He didn’t even look conscious anymore. I guess Roberto’s men weren’t supposed to stop until he gave the order.
Caged 2 (Caged Series) Page 11