by Aubrey Dark
What I didn’t realize was that I would have to withstand more than that.
El Alfa opened the door to his bedroom. He’d seemed very drunk downstairs, but now he was walking on steadier feet. He jerked the chain to my collar and led me into the room.
“No,” I said, stopping in my tracks.
April was there. She was already chained up in the middle of the room. She was topless like me, a bruise running down her side. Her skin all along her waist was black and blue. There was a table—oh God, a table full of whips and knives. My heart sank.
“No,” I said again. It was the only word that came to my lips.
No. No. No.
April was sobbing, and when she saw me it was like she didn’t even recognize me. Her eyes were blank, empty pits of suffering.
The collar choked me as El Alfa yanked me forward. I hadn’t realized that I had stopped in the middle of the doorway.
“Move, bitch,” he muttered, pulling me forward. My feet walked as if of their own accord. I couldn’t feel anything.
“You know her, don’t you?” El Alfa asked. He hooked my chain up to the ceiling near April. Not near enough to touch her. I felt my hands ball into fists as I saw her bruise close up. The dark swelling looked too painful to breathe.
“Answer me!”
He slapped me across the cheek, and I realized that I hadn’t said anything. I’d only been staring.
“Yes,” I whispered. April looked back down, her hands clasped across her chest, already in cuffs. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
“You are perfect. A virgin princess, yes?”
I shuddered as his fingers trailed down my cheek. His black eyes were hungry. Greedy. He turned to April.
“But this one is not. A common whore, likely.”
April sobbed. I wanted to take her into my arms and comfort her, but I was too far away. My whole body ached to act—to kill El Alfa, to hurt him, to escape. But the collar around my neck told me that I couldn’t escape from here. I was trapped, waiting for my kidnapper to hurt me… or my best friend.
“You’ll be worth a lot more on the selling block,” El Alfa said, coming back to me. I stood as steady as I could while he put his hands on my hips, as though measuring me. His voice was a chilling whisper in my ear.
“Touch yourself.”
I whipped my head around. El Alfa was smiling, a needle-thin smile. He was already unzipping his pants. I expected him to tell me to kneel.
But instead of me, he went to April.
“No.” The word died on my lips as he tore down her panties. Her sobs grew panicked, and I turned my head away.
“Watch!”
El Alfa’s voice was a roar in the room. April’s sobs grew fluttery and faint. I met El Alfa’s eyes.
“Watch, and touch yourself,” he said to me. “Do it or I’ll whip her.”
April screamed, a desperate scream, and he shoved a gag in her mouth. It was then that I realized why she didn’t want to recognize me. She didn’t want me to see her like this. This wasn’t her.
“Do it!”
My hand moved down between my legs, but I was numb. All of my feelings went dim, and the tears blurred my eyes. I watched as he fucked her. I watched and cried, and couldn’t do a damn thing.
When he was done, he sent her back down to the cells. Two guards came to take her away. She limped as she walked, and she didn’t look at me again. I didn’t look at her either. There wasn’t anything I could do that would help.
I would kill him. I would kill them all for doing this.
Then she was gone, and El Alfa came back over to me. I thought he would send me back down too, but he didn’t. As he walked toward me, he smiled, an awful, terrible smile that made the last of my tears dry up in my eyes.
“Now it’s your turn to please me, princess.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Vale
Down in the cells, I paced back and forth. There was no way I could wait until the raid happened. It had to be now.
I couldn’t let Jessica be taken away tomorrow, or there was a good chance I’d never see her again. El Alfa hadn’t given away much information about where the girls would be sold to after they went to Antigua. She might end up in Russia, or China, or Brazil. There was no way to be sure where she would go after El Alfa had given her to the highest bidder. I only hoped that he would keep his hands off of her before I had the chance to rescue her.
A noise in the hallway made me stop pacing. A woman sobbing. I came out into the hall, closing the metal door behind me. It wasn’t Jessica, though. It was her friend, in between two guards. There were handprints on her hips. A flare of anger made adrenaline pump through my veins.
“Finishing up for the night?” one of the guards asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “Is El Alfa done with the girls?”
“Done with this one,” the second guard said. He dragged Jessica’s friend into her cell and began putting the chain back through the loops.
“And the other one?” My mouth was dry, but I was calm. I came forward and planted myself in the doorway, between them.
They weren’t careful with their weapons. The first guard had put his machine gun against the wall before locking up Jessica’s friend. He was still messing with the chain lock. Already, the plan was forming in my mind.
“Oh, he’s still having fun with that one,” the guard said, laughing. My blood boiled and I struggled to maintain composure. The guard outside was tired, yawning. His hands were nowhere near his gun.
Do it. Do it now.
I tried to think rationally, but I couldn’t. The idea of Jessica up there at the hands of El Alfa… it was too much for me to handle.
I turned away from the doorway, my arms coming up lightning-quick. I grabbed the guard in the hallway and smashed his head against the stone wall. He grunted once and slumped down to the floor, his gun clattering to the ground behind him.
“Hey, what’s going on out there?” the other guard asked. As he leaned out into the hall, I grabbed his head and twisted. Dumb fuck. He hadn’t even bothered to pick up his gun.
Then the girl screamed.
I stepped across the body of the guard and clapped a hand over her mouth. She shrieked against my palm.
“Shh, shh,” I said, panic rising in me. I hadn’t counted on her making a scene, but I could hear footsteps coming down the stairs already. “Be quiet!”
She screamed again against my hand. There wasn’t much time. Letting her scream, I darted back into the hallway and dragged both guards into Jessica’s room. Closing the door, I was back in the hall as another guard came down the bottom step, holding his gun.
I pretended to zip up my pants.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Bitch isn’t trained properly,” I said, shrugging in the direction of the cell where Jessica’s friend was still screaming. “El Alfa told me to try with her, but she’s crazy.”
“Oh, that one doesn’t listen at all,” the guard said, peeking into the cell. He slung his gun over his shoulder to pull the door shut. The screams were muffled.
“Hey, do you know where—”
The man’s neck snapped like celery. Again the darkness rose inside of me as I dragged his body into Jessica’s cell with the others.
Two dead. One unconscious. I snapped cuffs on the unconscious man and left him chained up in there with the others. I took one of the machine guns and tucked the extra ammo into my back pocket. They each had pistols and knives. I debated for only a moment before taking one of the knives and tucking it into my belt. The pistols I left in another empty cell.
My motions were quick, automatic. My shirt was still bloody from the cut Jessica had given me, but I didn’t feel hurt at all.
I had a new mission now.
At the top of the stairs, I looked left, then right, and stopped dead.
Valentina was standing there in the hallway, right in front of me. Her eyes tracked the gun on my back.
“Hel
lo, Vale,” she said.
Fuck. I’d hoped to be able to do this mission alone.
“Hey, Valentina,” I said, hefting the gun on its strap.
“You get promoted?” she said, eyeing me suspiciously.
“Something like that,” I said.
She stood with her hands on her hips. I tried desperately not to notice her nipples perking through the gauze dress she was wearing.
“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”
I had to trust her. There was no way around it. I hated being dependent on anyone, especially during a mission that had gotten as fucked up as it already had. But she was the only person in the house who knew who I was, and I had to trust her.
“The two guards downstairs are dead.”
Her eyes went wide with the realization of what I was saying.
“Dead?” At least she had the decency to whisper.
“I killed them. And one more, I don’t know what post he came from.” It could have been one of the perimeter guards, I guessed.
“But the raid isn’t for another two days!”
So she knew about the raid. I took a deep breath and pulled her into the stairwell so that we wouldn’t be caught while I tried to explain.
“I can’t wait for the raid,” I said.
“Why the fuck not?” She sounded pissed, and I didn’t know why, but it wasn’t helping.
“El Alfa was going to ship out the girls tomorrow,” I said. “We can’t wait until the raid.”
“There are always more girls,” Valentina hissed. “You can’t fuck up the timeline. They told us to wait for the raid.”
I frowned.
“I can’t let them go.”
She leaned toward me, fire in her eyes.
“Stop playing savior, or you’re going to get yourself killed! Do you know how many guards there are in this compound?”
I did know. I’d counted.
“Eight on the outside perimeter. Seven now. Ten more asleep. And three downstairs. They’re dead or unconscious.”
“And David.”
“And David.” I’d forgotten about the little bastard. He didn’t have perimeter duty like the other guards.
“And El Alfa.”
“I’m going to kill him right now. Then I’ll clean up the rest.”
“With what? A gun? You’ll raise the whole house!”
“I have a knife.”
“And a machine gun?”
I couldn’t stand any more of her objections. With every second ticking away, Jessica was more likely to be hurt by El Alfa.
“That’s just in case. Listen to me. All the girls upstairs, can you round them up and get them to a safe spot?”
“There isn’t anywhere safe in here.”
“There’s an escape route in El Alfa’s room.”
Valentina sighed, but nodded. I said a quick thanks in my head. I needed her help. I hated needing anything from a woman.
“I know about it. But only he can access the door.”
“We’ll see about that,” I said. “Get them gathered together and ready to go when I say so.”
“I can’t tell the girls what’s going on.”
“Why not?”
“Look,” she said, as though she was explaining things to an idiot. “Some of the girls are loyal to the guards who train them.”
“What?”
“They’ve been brainwashed. I wouldn’t risk my life to save them. You shouldn’t either. This is a crazy plan.” She leaned out back into the hallway and darted a glance around, making sure there was nobody there.
“What about the girls in the cells?” I asked. I was sweating down my neck trying to get Valentina to agree with me. Jessica needed my help NOW!
“What about them?” she asked.
“If anyone knows what’s going on, they’ll be the first ones killed.”
Now Valentina looked more than upset with me. She crossed her arms.
“They told me you were in control of this mission,” she said carefully, slowly. “Your job is to kill El Alfa. Not save a bunch of slaves.”
“I can do both.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Really.”
“There’s no saving these girls now. Kill El Alfa, and you’ll save all the ones who’d come after.”
“I’ll do that too,” I said. But I was thinking about Jessica. I wasn’t going to abandon her. But if I was going to save her and kill El Alfa early, I wouldn’t be able to do it myself. I took Valentina’s hand, desperation clutching my fingers tight around hers.
“Valentina, I need your help.”
She blinked. Her mouth opened as if she was going to say something, then closed again. She looked irritated beyond belief, and a little bit scared. For the first time, I wondered if maybe she wasn’t right.
Well, it was too late now.
I put a hand on her arm, and she looked up at me. I was desperate to get upstairs. I didn’t know what El Alfa was doing with Jessica, but if the guards were right, I shouldn’t spend a second more down here. I needed Valentina to be on my side before I went, though.
“Imagine if it was you down there,” I said, letting my fear start to show. “Imagine if—”
“I don’t have to imagine,” she snapped. “I’ve gone through their training.”
“Then help me save the rest of the girls from it.”
She was silent.
“Please,” I said. I was terrible at begging. Before, I’d always managed to get the job done myself. But I couldn’t do that now. Not with Jessica’s life on the line. I knew that I was putting Valentina at risk by including her in this mission, but there was nothing else I could think of that would save the innocent girls in those cells.
“Alright,” she said finally. “What do you want me to do?”
I realized as I let my breath out that I’d been holding it in.
“Stand here. Take this knife. If any guard tries to go down the stairs, kill them.”
“Kill them? How?”
The sound of footsteps coming down the side hall made both of us tense. Valentina ducked her head into the hall, then back quickly. Her face was pale.
“It’s one of the outside perimeter guards,” she whispered.
Looking up at the light above us, I had an idea. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but it was the best shot we had.
“Stay here,” I said, pushing her back into the shadows of the stairwell and to the side. I reached up and unscrewed the light bulb until it flickered out. The bulb was hot, and I swore as I pulled my fingers away, already burned pink.
I palmed the knife in my good hand and stepped out into the hallway.
The guard sidled up to me, caution on his face. Maybe he was wondering where his replacement was. His machine gun was already in his hands. A little better prepared than the other guards, but I hoped that wouldn’t matter.
I wasn’t going to shoot him. That would attract attention, and I didn’t want any more of that.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“I think there’s something wrong with this light,” I said, pointing up. He looked up at the dim bulb, and I sliced the blade across his neck and stepped aside.
Blood sprayed out the front of the cut into the stairwell. He was still gurgling as I shoved him down the stairs, into the darkness. You couldn’t see any more of him.
“Just like that,” I said. I turned the knife around and held it up to her, praying she would take it. Jessica was in danger, and I needed to get to her now. “Can you do that?”
“I think I can do that,” Valentina said, taking the knife from me and giving me, finally, an amused smile.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Jessica
“What other tricks has your trainer taught you?”
El Alfa circled around me, his hand hovering over the table full of whips and knives. I swallowed hard. I was still locked up by the collar, and I didn’t think I’d be able to fight against him while I was still tied up. H
e could stay out of my grasp, and use any of the weapons against me. It was almost worse than having my hands tied.
“Well?”
My eyes came back to his. Dark, evil eyes.
“Lots of tricks,” I said, racking my brain for an idea, any idea. I’d read so many books that had crazy sex in them, but now my mind was blank.
“Good,” he said. He reached the end of the table without picking up any of the weapons. Thank God for small favors. Now if only I could distract him so that he didn’t need to use them…
My collar felt tight around my throat. It was hard to breathe. The chain hung heavy and pulled at my neck.
“Yes, lots of tricks,” I repeated. My mouth was like cotton.
“Show me.”
Oh, God. I had to do something. I thought of where Vale had first met me. The idea came to my mind in a flash.
“He likes me to dance,” I said, making up the lie as I spoke the sentence. It was a good idea, I realized.
“Dance?”
“Yes,” I said, enthusiasm coming into my voice. “If you unchain me, I can dance for you.”
He eyed me suspiciously. I was being too enthusiastic, I realized. I dulled my face, putting on a blank, stupid expression.
“I like to dance,” I offered up, pretending to be a stupid submissive girl. “I’ll give you a good dance. A lap dance. You understand, a lap dance?” I patted my thighs.
The suspicion dropped away from his eyes. He thought I was stupid. He thought I thought he was stupid. Neither was true, but as long as I could keep him from being suspicious, I had a better chance of getting away.
“Yes, a lap dance. That sounds… nice,” he said. He undid the lock, and I felt the chain swing away. The collar was still around my neck, but I wasn’t chained anymore.
All I wanted to do was keep his attention occupied. I dreaded the thought of him touching me sexually. If I danced for him, though, I was only postponing the inevitable. Well, I’d try to postpone it as long as possible. He might fall asleep.
At least April was safe for now. I took some comfort in that.
Turning away from me, El Alfa headed to the bar. I edged closer to the table, trying to see if there was a weapon there that I could use on him. Before I could get close enough to grab anything, though, he turned around. I put on a simpering smile.