“Yes, ma’am.”
He salutes me in jest and leaves the room, leaving me to contemplate whether I felt worthy of such a position or not. I didn’t know if I was bad enough or good enough.
A knock comes at the door, and I call the person in, only to find that it’s Reed. “How’d it go, Siren? Did you show him who’s boss?” he asks in a lusty voice pulling me out of my chair and into his arms. He has this way of turning me on in an instant, no matter the time of day or what was going on around us. I thought back on the first time I landed myself in Reed’s bed and was bewildered by the place we were at now; in love with me wearing his cut.
Reed sucks my lip into his mouth and makes me moan loudly. I knew the office was far from sound proof, but I just couldn’t help myself. Things have been a little too business and not enough pleasure.
“You know,” I begin, twisting around so that it was him in front of the office chair. “I’ve always wanted to fuck someone in their office.”
CHAPTER 11
Elena
I look at the man sitting in my brand-new office with complete disgust, though I wasn’t going to let it show on my face. Seamus has been sent down here to hot-as-hell Texas with me to meet Juan, our most obvious connection to the Mexican cartel I was supposed to be reporting on. Reed ha contacted him for me to set up the deal so that Vipers MC could start purchasing women from him as well. I wanted to make sure we got something good out of our work with these filthy assholes. And filthy was no understatement.
The man in front of me, Juan Gonzales, oversaw procuring and transporting women within the cartel. He had been making the transactions with Reed for a couple of years now. It’s the only reason he was even giving me a meeting, but he was a pure low life.
His accent’s thick, and his clothes are covered in dirt as if he had been rolling around in it all day. My office would need to be fumigated due to the smell once he leaves the place, and he keeps picking at his teeth; which were mostly covered in dirty, gold caps. When he does the picking, it makes this awful smacking sound that made me want to lash out and slap him across the face. But I knew that wouldn’t get me anywhere, even with Seamus by my side just in case.
“So, Reed says you want to start buying girls from me like he does. Is that right, chica?” As he said it in his thick Mexican accent, his eyes raked over me like I was a piece of meat, and it made me feel so dirty. I couldn’t imagine what these women and girls he had in his possession were going through with him as their caretaker. He’s a sick fuck.
“Yes. I would like to cut a similar deal with you if you’re interested,” I tell him flatly. I was beginning to sweat, and I made a note to mention to Dmitri about getting some damn air conditioner in there. No way was I doing business in this hell hole without some cool air blowing my way. It was bad enough being back in Texas, to begin with. I hated the memories it brought forth.
“That is if you have enough product to offer to us.” I almost gag at the thought of referring to human beings as objects for sale like that, but if I was going to deal with Juan, I would have to play the part. I could not risk him finding out what I was up to. It could out more than my own life, putting everyone in danger.
“I promise that we have plenty of beautiful women from all over the world to offer you, chica. Whatever you want, they will do for you. We know the best ways to break them.” Juan sounds just like a snake as the words slither off his tongue like he was savoring them. I felt sick to my stomach. All I have to do was make the deal, and then I could throw up all I wanted. It’s a mantra I keep going in my head as I stare him down with authority.
“Good. What terms do you propose? I want a good deal here, but I’m not going to go cheap on you if you offer me a good product.” I raise my eyebrows at him for effect, gripping the arms on my seat.
“I am glad to hear it, and I am sure my boss will too. All we require is a trade at the border. We will disclose the location via phone message. I trust you have a phone that can’t be easily traced?” I hold up my burner phone and nod. Little did they know the same phone that’s making black market deals would also be informing the FBI about the goings-on with their cartel as soon as I become aware of it. “Bueno. Then, you’ll come with the cash and hand it over to me, and you’ll get the agreed upon number of girls. You can inspect them if you want before you leave. It’s that simple.” Juan shrugs as if it was no big deal. How many of these contracts had he put together over the years? He looked to be in his late 30’s or early 40’s and has probably worked for the cartel a good half of those. I could only hope that between Reed and I we could save a large chunk of these women from going somewhere else where they would have no chance at a happy life.
“It does sound simple. I’m ready to make the deal, Juan, and to put in my order if you’re ready for it.” Juan nods and stands up, reaching out his black hand to shake.
“What do you require, chica?” he asks with a savage hiss.
I thought long and hard about what they might have and how to make my selection the most impactful for the girls and for the FBI. “I want three girls with this first order. I want two of them to be young; as young as you’ve got. The other I want to be over the age of 25. Give me a mix of races and body types. I’m not picky about that. Is that something you can handle?”
“I already have the three women in mind, chica. I can get all three to you within a week. Show up at the location I give you with a flat $50,000.” I shake his greasy hand again, and he pulls me in with a disgusting smile before Seamus escorts him out. A chill goes down my spine, and I turn around to the trash can, spilling my guts immediately. Much like my father, Juan had been stripped of his humanity. There was no other way a human being could treat others quite so coldly.
CHAPTER 12
Elena
“Just pull off here,” I order Dmitri. I had him drive a large van out to the border where we to meet Juan and the women we were purchasing. I have wads of cash sitting in a backpack in the backseat, ready to hand over to Juan in trade for the three girls he would be handing over to me. I haven’t been given any details other than that they matched my exact specifications.
It’s about an hour and a half before dawn as we pull to the side of a dirt road outside of El Paso. The road had a large dip in it that would hide them inside of a shallow ditch as the trade was made. Not that there were many cars driving by apart from some sleepy truck drivers.
The large van would hold the three girls, myself, Dmitri, Seamus, and Jenna who had volunteered to come along and help me keep the girls calm. We have no idea what they were expecting and what trauma they had been through. We needed to be certain two women were available to make them feel as safe as possible. Hopefully, they would believe me when I told them we wanted to help them instead of abusing them.
A shiny, black SUV soon comes down the hill and parks across from us. Its headlights are off, allowing it to blend into the dusty, early morning darkness. I nod for Seamus to get out of the van with me just as I see Juan and another man exit the SUV. I grab my bag of cash and drop it at Juan’s feet. “I’ll think you’ll find that the right amount is in there,” I announce, nodding to the bag and keeping a couple of yards between us. I couldn’t help but notice that the other man with Juan is easily half his age. Was life so bad for him that he ended up helping a Mexican cartel sell the bodies of young women at such a young age? That sort of business is full of victims, even if they weren’t being raped every night.
“You are a friend of a good client. We want to show good faith here. No need to count the money, Miguel.” Juan looks over at the younger man when he says this, revealing his name. It’s another bit of information in my back pocket, though I hoped the young person would get off easy when everything is said and done. He didn’t look like a fearsome killer and rapist to me; just a young man in an unpleasant situation.
“Let the record show that Vipers MC appreciates that,” I nod, glancing back at the vehicle. Surely the girls were scared and bo
und behind those tinted windows. It takes all my willpower to stay still, waiting to get those women in my grasp and away from Juan.
“Miguel!” Juan barks at the boy, making him jump out of his skin. “Take the money to the car and get the girls. I’m sure that the Vipers are anxious to see what they have received.” Miguel nods his head and runs to the SUV, practically throwing in the back and reaching in to grab an arm and yank her out.
I could see that the woman was African American, curvy, and older, maybe 28 or 29. She had probably been a slave for the cartel for quite some time, cooking and cleaning for them. They trusted her enough that she had minimal bonds and nothing to cover her face. “This one is great for service. She had been broken by many of my amigos for the last several years. I hope she serves you just as well.” Miguel walks the woman over and hands her to Seamus who holds her tightly. She looked tired more than anything.
Miguel goes back into the vehicle and pulls out the next woman. This one has a bag over her head, and her hands were tied with a rope. She’s a good head shorter than the other woman and clearly younger. They have her dressed in a revealing skirt and top that allowed for her breasts to spill over. If I had to guess, this one’s of Hispanic descent and under the legal drinking age or at least close to it.
“This one is a newer catch of ours from an enemy’s home. She is very complaint but a little timid at first,” Juan explains as this one is also handed off to Seamus.
I’m getting a little impatient as Miguel finally goes back for the last girl. As soon as Miguel reached in, I could hear her blood-curdling screams before she’s slapped several times into submission. I tried my best not to cry or react when she’s brought out as I realized what that the hefty sum of money had bought me.
The girl was young; too young, and bound at the feet and wrists. There is also a bag over her head. From the way her screams are now muffled; I could only guess that she probably has a gag as well. She is thin and pale with red hair spilling down her back. Worst of all, they had her dressed in lingerie that barely covered her body.
“Rafael handpicked this girl himself,” Juan says with pride as the girl is handed over into my arms. She squirms and tries to break free so that Seamus has to help me set her on the ground, and I hold her arms tightly. I hate the fear and the torture I was putting this young girl through, but it was the only way to keep a hold of her for now. “She has not been trained, but she is beautiful. If she gives you trouble, we can always take her back.”
“I like the feisty ones,” I tell him with a seductive growl, wanting to make sure I didn’t let this one slip back into their filthy fingers. I knew more than ever that I was doing the right thing. I couldn’t let young girls be treated this way. I knew I had my work cut out for me with this scared little girl, though.
“I see,” Juan states, nodding as if he was picturing the whole scenario in his head with this girl and me. But the good news was that this encounter has given me two more names and three women that would never have to face predatory men like this again. I couldn’t wait to reveal it to them. “When you or the Skulls are ready for the next shipment, you know where to find me. It was a pleasure.” He winks at us before getting into his SUV and driving back onto the road. I wait until his taillights are far in the horizon before I turn my back to the road and began helping Seamus load the girls into the van.
The red head in my arms was still fighting and screaming as Jenna helps me get her buckled into the middle between Jenna and the Hispanic woman. I sit in the middle row with the African American woman, as the men filled up the front.
“Are we ready to roll?” Dmitri asks as I finally go to buckle my seatbelt and slide the door shut. I nod in confirmation, and we pull out onto the road with the deafening screams of the young girl ringing in our ears. I wait until we were a good mile out before I attempt to speak to them. I had hoped calmness would come over them, but the screams had just turned into desperate tears.
“I need you all to listen to me!” I yell with authority. I hated to be harsh, but it was all they were going to respond to right now. “I need you to shut your fuckin’ mouth so I can tell you what’s going to happen when I take you home with me.”
The women were quiet; the African American woman was training her tired eyes on me. “What does a woman want with us, anyway?” she dares to ask. “Are you a lesbian or something?”
I shoot her a look, so she knows I meant business. I wasn’t going to beat the shit out of her like those men probably had, but I wasn’t going to let anyone’s attitude get in the way of accomplishing this. “No, I am not a fuckin’ lesbian. Now, I don’t expect you to believe me with whatever it is you’ve been through, but I am not going to hurt you or make you my slave. I’m not going to let anyone do that to you anymore if you listen and let me help you. I’m going to have my friend, Jenna here, remove the sheets off your heads, but I need to know you won’t fight or scream. Can you promise me that?”
The Hispanic woman was the first to nod, and Jenna reaches over and lifts her sheet off. I was hoping that the young one would allow us to do it too, but she shook her head and continues to cry.
I turned around in my seat as Jenna begins to coax the woman into talking. She apparently has been crying silent tears for a while, the stains from them streaked across her tan face. “How old are you, sweetheart?” Jenna asks calmly. “How did you end up here?”
The woman glances back and forth between Jenna and I a few times before opening her mouth. “I’m 19.” I take a deep breath, knowing that I should have expected this when I asked for someone young. “My father makes drugs for Senor Rafael, and he didn’t deliver enough a couple of months back. So, I was taken as payment. Along with my sister. She was taken for Senor Rafael himself.”
I shake my head at the idea of a father getting into drug trade when he had a daughter at home. She was probably used to harsh conditions at this point. “How old was your sister?” I dare to ask. I probably didn’t want to hear it.
“She is 17, Miss. I haven’t seen her in two months.” I look at her with sympathy, and Jenna picks up her hand and pats it.
“What about you, hun, what’s your story?” I asked, looking at the older woman who sits beside me.
“I’m about to be 30, I think. It’s easy to lose track of your birthday. They found my one night about six or seven years ago coming out of a strip club and took me. I’ve been their slave for a very long time now. They haven’t treated me too badly in the last few years because they trust me, and I’m too old to be in any of those men’s beds.” I nod, listening to her. If they trusted her so much, she might have heard things. She could easily come in handy later.
I look at the young girl who has since quit sobbing. I nod to Jenna to take off her sheet and remove her gag while I work at the ties on the other girls’ hands. I didn’t think they would run now. They both seemed to be calm.
I tried not to focus on the red and swollen face of the young teenager in the back seat. She had cute little freckles all over her face and long orange-red hair. “It’s okay baby. You can tell us what happened,” Jenna coaxes, pulling the shivering girl into her arms. I could see bruises on her body both fresh and old and could tell she was deathly afraid. “We want to help you. We won’t let those bad men get to you again, okay?” The girl nods and rocks back in forth in Jenna’s arms as her hoarse voice began to explain where she came from. It instantly broke my heart. This girl was not the kind to normally be at any risk for such a horrible thing to happen. She had a family out there somewhere looking for her.
“My name is Kimberley,” she told us. “I just turned 15.” She squeaked that part out as tears began to stream down her face again. I couldn’t fuckin’ wait for the day that Rafael and Juan were going to be locked away for good and tried for their horrible crimes. They were going to rot in there. “My family and I were having a vacation in Cabo when they took me. It was horrible. Are you guys serious about helping me? I really want to find my parents and my l
ittle brother.” Jenna pulled Kimberley into her chest and cradled her like she was her own child.
“We’ll do everything we can,” I tell her confidently. “I’m sure your family must be out there looking for you, which means they’ll be loud and easy to find. For now, we’re going to get you all some clothes and get your birth certificates and everything you need before we talk about the next step. If you’re up for it, you’ll have the chance to join an MC and earn some cash and have a place to live. We can also try and get you set up with a real job if you’d like.”
The women look hopeful despite their scars and the obvious beatings they’d taken. I feel like all my hard work on this crazy case was not going to be in vain.
***
I sit down at the bar, feeling the exhaustion taking over me as I order a drink from Daisy. The older woman, I had left in Dmitri’s hands. She had been ready and willing to join the ranks of the Vipers immediately. She was going to be a strong asset, I could already tell. The two younger girls opted to come back to Tennessee with me and were sharing a room with Jenna, whom they had bonded with on the way over. It was a side of Jenna I hadn’t seen before, but apparently, she had a real motherly instinct in her. She had been able to make both the girls comfortable and sang them to sleep.
“You know, I just really admire what’ch’yer doin’ with these girls,” Daisy leans over the counter and tells me with a warm smile. She seems to be more of herself than the last time we had spoken, so I hope that meant Kyle had straightened his shit out as I told him to. “It’s amazing to see them escape and turn into beautiful young women.”
“I agree with that,” Seamus says, suddenly lifting his drink in a toast. Michelle and I both notice the fact that he was making clear goo-goo eyes at Daisy and I start to snicker.
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