Elsie was touched and saddened by the whole scene. She, too, was wearing clothes that made her look dowdy and old, and it was impossible to tell if she were male or female in her tracksuit and beanie. Looking at Sienna now, she saw a broken person, broken because of what she knew was happening to her sister and because for now, she would go along in relationship with the man who put Crystal there.
Sienna felt the full strength of her anger as she watches her once stunning sister give parts of herself away to total strangers who happened to have the cash and the desire. She felt the irony of being the chosen one, as it could just have easily been Crystal in her place and she in hers. Their looks, although now different because of lack of lifestyle and basic care, were always the same back then. It could have only been the differences in their personalities and the betrayal, which Marcus blamed solely on Crystal that put her in this situation and Sienna living on cream! Although it made no sense to feel guilty about the different lives they now led, Sienna felt that she wanted to reach out and change her sister’s life, pluck her from the disgusting streets, and give her all the luxuries she now had.
Bonnie kept in touch with Sienna and told her that she had a few of her friends from other camps looking out for Crystal, secretly watching over her, but for now, it was all she could do. She had tried to arrange a meeting with Mr. Sawtell, the man who kept Crystal prisoner and he had come back at her with suspicion and an unpleasantly worded show of disinterest. He told Bonnie he would be back from his European trip in five months and may agree to meet with her then. He was very forceful in his attempts to find out what she wanted from him over the phone, instead of seeing her in person, but Bonnie held her ground and said she’d see him when he returned if that was the best he could do. He offered for her to speak with his younger brother while he was away after Bonnie was persistent about the need for a speedy conversation with one of his staff. She thought if she could convince a younger, less experienced family member she may pull the rug out from under Sawtell while he was away and purchase Crystal quickly.
The meeting was set for next Monday night, and Bonnie opened up the doors of the big house as a show of trust for the younger Sawtell—Jason. Jason was a clean cut–looking man; he almost looked like a real businessman who worked in an upmarket office with a decent, wholesome job. His executive look was a well-groomed act to trap unsuspecting girls and create trust, but it didn’t fool Bonnie Leslie. She served him bourbon and cola per his request and offered him a platter of cheese, crackers, and dip from the table in the lounge room.
Jason was keen to know what it was Bonnie wanted, and he wasn’t at all interested in talking shallow shop talk or current affairs. He turned in his chair within five minutes of arriving and asked point blank what it was the wealthy madam wanted of him and his family. Bonnie wasn’t quite ready to lay her cards on the table in a forced instant, so she framed her proposal in a story about her desires for a perfect set.
“A perfect set of what?” Jason asked.
“I don’t want to bore you with my wants and needs, but I have always liked to have a group of girls who appeal to all types of clients. Some customers like brunettes, some redheads, some short, some tall, and some curvy and voluptuous. Right now, I am missing a certain type of girl, and I know a number of my clients are looking for just that type.” It was a longwinded answer and only half an answer. Jason tried to get her to reach her point. “Well, I need another type of girl. She will be tall and blonde, and she will have soft blue eyes and very few curves. She needs to be thin and look kind of like a little girl in her innocence. I am
willing to pay for that exact type of girl.”
“Right,” said Jason. “What exactly has that got to do with us?”
“I’ve seen the girl I want, and she is in your employ.” She stopped and looked into his dark eyes. “I would like to purchase the girl I have seen who will be the missing piece for my set.”
Jason reached for another biscuit and some Camembert cheese, put it in his mouth, and chewed slowly. When he finished, he took a long swallow of his drink and asked another question.
“So, if I’m hearing you correctly, you are saying you want me to break up my set so that you can make your set complete, yes? This could be very costly. I may not want to lose a girl, especially if she is a particularly good one.” He halted and then raised his eyebrows. “So, Ms. Leslie, who is it to be? Which of my girls have you got your eye on?”
Bonnie spoke with as much nonchalance as she could. “I like the tall blonde, the one who works on High Street, the one they call Crystal. I will pay whatever you want for her.”
“Why?” Jason said. “She’s skinny and not really pretty. She’s a junkie. She’s been around for years now, and she’s pretty messed up. Why her?”
“I just like her look,” Bonnie said. “I reckon I could clean her up, dress her up, and make her what I need her to be. It’s a challenge, Jason, and I really like a challenge. Underneath that mess is a real beauty, and I would like her for my own. And as I said, for my set to be complete, I am willing to pay.”
Jason stood up from his chair and began to leave. Bonnie wasn’t happy with this, and she tried to keep him from leaving by talking more, but he was undeterred.
“You know what I’m going to do, Bonnie? I’m going to go back and have a look at this girl. She must be really something if you want her so badly. You only choose the best, and if she’s that good, maybe I don’t want to let her go for any money. Maybe I should have her for myself, and I mean all to myself. Maybe Crystal should be my private prostitute. I won’t sell her to you until I’m finished with her. When I am bored and done with her, I might just kick her in your direction. Then again, maybe I won’t.”
Bonnie was surprised at his vehemence. She couldn’t work out why he wanted to keep something so badly he hadn’t taken notice of before. It seemed the cruel Sawtell blood ran in his veins, too. Now he was probably going to keep Crystal as his concubine, own her, torture her, and then and only then would he let her go. It seemed he was doing it just to vex her, and Bonnie didn’t understand his horridly spiteful attitude. All she had accomplished was to draw attention to Crystal, to heat up Jason’s lust for the one girl someone else wanted.
Chapter 21
Marcus remained unchanged. He did the same things he always did, but now every single thing annoyed Sienna beyond anything she had ever felt. It amazed her how her blood boiled, how the passion of anger raced through her like a wild animal. She had never felt this way before. She wanted to destroy him, hurt him, and watch him writhe in pain just as she had been in pain.
It was okay, though. Sienna wouldn’t have to do anything. Undercover drug police were all over Marcus, watching him, listening to him, and keeping tabs on his every move. It was only a matter of time now and the police would pounce on him. Elsie giving the emails to her nephew, Zach, was only the beginning. They had wondered which rock the owner of the drug and prostitute ring lived under, and although they had been watching the organization, they couldn’t pinpoint who the lead man was until they received the emails. In themselves they weren’t enough, but they were a good start. Their appetites were tantalised, and their lust for the blood of this man was stirred up. They were gathering evidence, and Sienna, even though she didn’t know it, wouldn’t have long to wait for the grand finale of their days together.
In her diary, Sienna wrote all of her thoughts. She hoped and prayed Marcus would never find this journal she so carefully hid. She would only ever write in it when she was completely sure he was away, and she wrote with one ear listening all the time for his car or the creaking of the front door. She wrote long entries, not holding back her feelings. Once she had written of love, of the glow of her feelings for this man. Now she wrote of the dark emotions that had eaten away at her love for him and showed her that she had been blinded by her childish ignorance and her desire to feel something good in her life. The journal depicted a rollercoaster ride of feelings. The diary was
hidden under the bed, under the loose carpet square and then under the floorboards and inside a box with old letters and birthday cards inside. The chances of Marcus ever finding it were very unlikely, but still she was very careful always to make sure she put it away long before the time he usually came home. For a long time, this book was all she had, her only outlet for her emotional journey, and she guarded it with her life.
Dearest Diary, God, I hate him touching me now! I hate the way he makes my skin crawl. When I look at him now, all I see is my mother in the alley, bruised, all messed up, and no longer able to move. And I see Crystal on the streets, being sold for money, giving herself to just anyone who has a few dollars, just like mum did, and it almost kills me.
I want to grab her, hold her, and tell her to come home with me. I want to fix her, help her, and I want to have her back so much!
Marcus doesn’t suspect a thing. He still thinks everything is all right. I think about killing him. I think about hitting him and bruising him the way he did to my mother. I hate myself for what I’ve become. I hate that I have lost everything because I fell for him! I wish I could take it all back! Please let me see Crystal again. Let her be okay! She is all I want.
Sienna began frequenting the street where she first saw her sister, and although she returned time and time again, night after night with Elsie, she didn’t see her there again. She called Bonnie, and although the story of where Crystal was now caused the madam so much personal pain to tell, she just had to be honest with Sienna. The next afternoon at the end of the school day, the black town car came to pick her up and take her to the big house. Bonnie was waiting in the foyer as she had heard the car come up the drive.
They held each other tightly, and Bonnie said she was sorry before she even told Sienna what had happened. Jason stood out to Sienna as the evil one in the story, and even with Bonnie taking all the blame, Sienna could see the truth. In some ways, she felt Crystal would be a bit safer in the company of only one man. If he was pleased with her, he may keep her well for a long while. She shared this with Bonnie, who admitted she hadn’t thought of it that way. They talked for over an hour, and by the end of their time together, they had resolved that even in a worst-case scenario, Crystal had to be better off than before. Bonnie would wait for the five months to pass and then speak with Mario Sawtell fresh from his European holiday. Surely he wouldn’t be pleased with his younger brother for deliberately upsetting a fellow industry giant. In her daydreaming, she saw Jason admonished and forced to make the sale she had requested. It was still four and a half months away, but if Sienna was correct, until Jason grew tired of her, Crystal would probably be lavished with gifts and treated better than in years.
Bonnie was grateful to Sienna for showing her the other side of the penny, and she saw in the young girl a wisdom beyond her years. She was proud of her, like a mother would be proud of her special daughter. If only Candice were here to see how well her girl had grown up.
Elsie had mixed feelings about the story, but as Sienna had thought, within a short eight weeks, Crystal was on the arm of Jason Sawtell and shot by photographers with captions describing her as his new and very beautiful girlfriend. Inside the Daily News on page four—the entertainment section—there was a photo spread of socialites out and about at posh restaurants, gala events, and fundraisers. There she was, with the best of them, her sister, looking gorgeous, well groomed, beautifully made up, her hair a golden cascade of curls, and dressed to kill. “Now that’s more like it!” Sienna exclaimed as she took the paper into Elsie. The housekeeper looked proud and happy, and then she looked pale and frightened. “What happens when Marcus sees this?” she asked.
Unbeknown to the lovely woman and her young friend, Marcus was highly unlikely to see the paper that day or for a while again. He hadn’t come home that night. Sienna hadn’t noticed, except that now at breakfast time, he was nowhere in the house, his bed was perfectly made, and his keys, phone, and overcoat were still gone from their usual places.
“We will have to pretend we didn’t see it, and he will never show us the pictures so everything will be okay,” Sienna ventured. Elsie said, “Well, he certainly doesn’t want you to know anything about Crystal. He thinks you’ve lost interest in finding out what’s going on with her, so he’s not going to say a thing.”
Meanwhile, the whole day and night and then halfway through the next day went by before they found out where Marcus was. Elsie and Sienna were in the room with the massive television, enjoying the freedom while he was away, watching a favourite old movie with the surround sound booming. On the coffee table sat Elsie’s mobile phone. It vibrated and lit up. Worried it may be Marcus, she sat bolt upright in concern until she saw who the caller was. She answered it, and Sienna muted the movie. She certainly wasn’t trying to hear the conversation, but Sienna could tell that Elsie was excited. After about two minutes, she asked the caller to repeat what he had told her while on speaker phone so Sienna could hear, too.
The caller was Zach, Elsie’s nephew, who Sienna had not yet met, and his message was wonderful. In short, he said that Marcus had been apprehended two nights ago while working and was caught in the middle of a well-orchestrated and long overdue bust of his organisation. Marcus had been charged with a string of felonies and was to go to court the following week. The evidence was overwhelming, and it was unlikely he would receive less than two life sentences. He had been denied bail, as the magistrate believed he would be able to raise any sum no matter how high the amount. He was a flight risk and no amount of financial penalty would stop him from leaving the country, so they kept him locked away and under tight guard.
Zach was careful to tell Sienna and his Aunt Elsie that this was not at all official, and maybe he shouldn’t be telling them, so they should keep this quiet. Elsie’s nephew was sure things would take a turn for the worst because as the story unfolded and as the evidence was sorted through, Marcus was less and less able to come up with anything to help his case. His lawyer was requesting a deal be made in return for Marcus naming names and testifying against others. The district attorney would not have it and was standing by his decision to go to court and let the full force of the law decide Marcus’s fate.
The phone call came to a close, and Zach, feeling he had done the right thing with the news, went to bed and slept well. The two women jumped up and down in each other’s arms and danced around the theatre room. Then they raced each other to the kitchen for ice cream to celebrate. There was no topping this news, so they went to bed, too, but before she slept, Sienna wrote a short entry, with absolute joy, in her journal, and then she didn’t hide it as she had to before; she just put the book away in the bedroom drawer and turned off the light.
I have to write it down, Diary. I’m so tired, but I have to write! He’s gone! Marcus is gone! I never have to see him, touch him, or let him touch me ever again!
It feels so good to be free and yet I’m scared. I haven’t had to be alone before.
He’s always been there, but I don’t care. He deserves to rot in prison. He ruined my life and now I get to start again! I get a new beginning, and I’ll make a new start with Crystal, maybe with Elsie, too! I can’t wait until I can be totally sure he can’t get to me again!
I need to sleep, but I am so very happy! Thanks to everyone who helped set me free! Thank you, Elsie, thank you, Zach, thank you, policemen and detectives! I love every one of you! Gotta sleep now!
Sienna’s dreams were still full of fear and dread, but when she awoke in the early hours of the morning, the lovely girl felt like a massive weight had lifted from her shoulders. This was the freedom she had longed for these last months and years, and she felt blissfully happy!
Chapter 22
Bonnie was really irritated. The little scum, Jason Sawtell, had had the audacity to turn up on her doorstep to thank her for alerting him to Crystal’s presence in his life. He found her a marvellous companion, and now that he had dried her out and done her up, she was the perfect p
iece of arm candy and was a photographer’s dream. She wasn’t bad in bed, either, he brazenly informed her. Bonnie wanted to slap the smug smile off his face, but he turned away and walked back down the steps before she had the chance.
Week after week, Jason was in the paper at all the high-end social events, and on his arm was the blonde beauty, and no one knew from whence she came. Before Sawtell found her, she was nobody, so the tabloids were unable to trace her lineage or drag up her past. It sickened each one of them, Bonnie, Elsie, and Sienna, that she was a mere seventeen and he was forty-one years old, but this was nothing compared with the news of one month later when Jason Sawtell proposed to his young girlfriend and only out of fear, Crystal agreed to become his wife.
Bonnie was sure this would be the undoing of Jason. His brother would put a stop to this madness when he returned to the country. There was no way the great Mario Sawtell would allow his brother to marry a former streetwalker. To avoid the embarrassment, he was sure to give in to Bonnie’s demand to buy the girl from him. Besides, it was almost certain that Jason would tire of her by then; in fact they all held the view that if the cameras weren’t watching, he wouldn’t have stayed with her this long. He was a social climber and the lure of the media was enough to make him do almost anything, even if it could do his family and the business great harm. If it was ever discovered that Crystal Carmody had such a questionable past, the carefully built Sawtell kingdom could very well come crashing down around them all.
Despite the surety of Mario’s displeasure, Jason married Sienna’s twin sister just one week before his brother’s return, and he took a massive chance in doing so. Mario had seen the engagement in the papers he was receiving overseas, but he didn’t expect for a moment that his brother would actually go ahead with the union. Jason wasn’t exactly known for his fidelity or his longevity in relationships, so this was a totally new move on his part. Normally, the marriage wouldn’t be able to take place because Crystal was so young, but without parents to give their consent, the courts ruled in favour of the joining of these two people, with a large sum of money passing hands to cinch the deal. Everything happened so quickly, but that was the way Jason planned it, for he knew his brother would oppose it should he await his return.
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