Lost in the Darkness (Crusaders of the Lost Book 1)

by William Mark

  “Yeah! Of course,” Louis smiled devilishly. “We’ve been buddies for a little while. He told me this was a good place to party, so I brought money to play.”

  “Okay, take off your shirt,” he ordered. The enthusiasm dissipated quickly and turned into suspicion as his salesman smile went flat.

  “Huh?” Louis was unable to hide the panic, and his voice cracked.

  “If you know Jack, like you say you do, and you are here to party…,” Cortez paused for effect. “Then you know he is a lying sack of shit only out for himself, and he cannot be trusted. So, Amigo, take off your shirt.” Cortez unbuttoned his jacket to reveal the pearl handle of a pistol in his waistband. Julio moved in close somewhere behind Louis because he could hear him breathing.

  Louis immediately keyed into the handle of the gun but heard the voice of Rachel trying to coach him along through the ear bud.

  “Stay cool; we we’re ready for this. Just stick to the plan.” She was blind to the subtle threat Cortez posed by showing the gun.

  “Sure, man. No problem.” Louis set down his empty glass and began unbuttoning his shirt slowly from the bottom. He moved slowly so that he could pull off the ruse without slipping up. Cortez waited patiently as the new customer revealed a skinny upper body that was as pale as the blank walls of the formal room. Jack Cauldress had backed up away from Louis and instinctively found himself inching towards the door in order to make a quick exit if things went wrong. Louis slowly pulled back the sides of his shirt and cupped the body wire within. He had run the wire carefully up and inside of the stitching of the shirt, so it moved naturally with the material, mainly to counter this inspection. The small, flat transmitter was no bigger than his palm and slid into a small pocket sewn in the inside of his shirt. Louis palmed it as he held up the sides of his open shirt showing off his skinny waistline. He turned around to give the traffickers the full look of no wire and no weapon.

  “Empty your pockets, amigo,” he ordered.

  Louis slowly pulled out the contents of his pockets: keys, wallet, with fake ID in the window flap, some gum, condoms, and his flashy roll of cash. Julio sifted through the items carefully and moved from behind the bar to pat down the rest of his body. Louis held his composure while the large, Hispanic man groped him up and down. Not finding anything on the skinny, pale man, Julio stood up and shook his head to the other trafficker.

  Cortez studied the new customer carefully and scrutinized him closely. After a minute of internal judgment, he was satisfied.

  “Gracias, amigo.” His demeanor was back to the car salesman.

  Louis smiled, overly relieved that he passed the test. He quickly buttoned up his shirt and needed another pull of the vodka to calm his nerves. He held out the empty glass wanting more. The big guy moved back behind the bar and filled it up. The alcohol chased a sigh of relief, but this time he welcomed the sting in his throat, needing to dull the anxiety.

  “So, what can I do for you two tonight?”

  “Well, I was thinking—” Louis started but was quickly cut off.

  “We want to play two hands for the poker game tonight, Amigo.” Jack held up two fingers to the trafficker with a lustful look on his face.

  He looked surprised but ready to fulfill the request if the money was good. “Two hands, eh?”

  Louis quickly caught on, “Yes, two hands.”

  Rachel looked over angrily at Curt who heard the same thing she did through the comms. He wasn’t surprised. She disengaged hers and turned to the side in her seat, looking at Curt.

  “What the hell? Why the hell didn’t he tell us about the little secret code there?”

  Curt shook his head. He held a look of indifference, only because it was past the point of doing anything about it. He pulled out his ear bud for a moment and cupped it in his hand.

  “I told you. This is why informants can’t be trusted. As soon as we can, we leave him there or dump him somewhere, and leak his videos to the cops anyway.”

  “I’m so mad at that piece of crap!” Curt laughed at Rachel’s frustrations as they put their ear buds back in.

  Louis Melton, aka Brian, pulled out a thousand dollars cash from his flash roll and handed it over to Julio. He waved it off and nodded for Louis to lay the money on the bar. After doing so, Julio pulled a deck of cards from his pocket and withdrew two cards from the top. He set them face down next to the money. Louis looked over at Cauldress for a little direction as to what he was supposed to do. He nodded towards the cards, indicating he should pick them up. Louis reached up casually to the bar and took the two dealt cards, the queen of spades and the king of diamonds.

  Jack followed suit and set his money down, also receiving two cards from Julio. They finished their drinks and were escorted down a long hallway to the back of the house. Jack was directed into one room, and Louis was sent to the neighboring room.

  “Wait here,” said Julio unceremoniously and shut the bedroom door. Louis stepped up to the door and listened for the footfalls leading away from the room. He turned around and bee-lined it for the bedroom window.

  “I’m in the room; I think he’s going to go get the girls and bring them to me,” Louis relayed over the comms. He looked out of the window and saw the gravel side yard of the bluff just outside. He checked for an alarm in the window and found it in the top corner. He studied it for a minute and then fished out a small, magnetic strip from inside the flash roll and slid it in between the window sensor and the fixed sensor on the window frame. This would fool the window frame sensor in to believing the window was still closed when it was actually open. Louis held his breath and slid open the window to test it. When no alarm blared, he knew he’d succeeded.

  “Okay, Mel, you guys are on standby. You’re doing good, Louis,” Rachel assured.

  “Thanks…my hands are sweating up a storm!”

  Louis waited impatiently and nervously on the bed. His leg was impulsively tapping on the floor, and he stared blankly into the wall of the bedroom. He wished he was back in the virtual world where he felt in control, but it was too late to back out. A moment later, the door opened and two young, Hispanic girls dressed provocatively, one in a sexy, black cat outfit and the other in leopard-print lingerie, stepped in the room for approval. Both had forced smiles that hid their disgust and abhorrence of the current situation. Louis waved them in eagerly. Julio stood behind them and watched them lasciviously as they walked into the room and over to the bed. Louis held up the two playing cards he was dealt and handed them each a card. They took the cards and looked back at Julio, making the transaction complete. The large trafficker shut the door and Louis heard the click of the lock. He looked over and realized the door knob was reversed and the locking portion was on the outside.

  The two girls, like it was a matter of routine, moved over to the skinny man and started to rub and grope his body. Louis, unfamiliar with the touch of a woman, especially two at once, shied away and moved away from their advances.

  “Hold on ladies. Hold on!”

  They backed up with puzzled looks on their faces. They didn’t quite understand the physical rejection or the English he spoke.

  “Que?”

  He looked back at the door, hoping Julio wasn’t listening in and spoke in a quiet tone.

  “I’m not here for sex. I’m actually here to rescue you!”

  His heroic statement was met with blank and puzzled stares by the two girls.

  “Repeat what I say, Louis,” Curt said, stepping in. “Estoy aqui para ayudarte.” I want to help you.

  Louis repeated the Spanish to the girls. They looked even more confused. They looked at each other for the answer but came up empty. They had been subjected to some odd and kinky requests, but this was just weird.

  “Que?”

  Curt relayed more through the ear buds, “Te ayudarte a escapar.” I want to help you escape.

  The girl in the leopard print lingerie stepped up; she was ready to believe what the skinny, pale man was saying but
remained cautious as this could be a trap set up by the traffickers.

  “Policia?”

  “No, we are not the policia,” Louis answered shaking his head. “Tengo amigos fuera y le ayudara a escapar, para ser libre!” I have friends outside and will help you escape, to be free!

  “Gratis?” Free?

  “Si, gratis!”

  The two enslaved girls seemed hesitant to believe this skinny and pale knight in no armor was actually there to rescue them. They had been beaten and brainwashed into believing this was the only life they were allowed to live, but something in the man’s sincere face seemed to register within the girls. They spoke to each other about what they should do, and Curt steadily relayed what to say to keep convincing the girls to go with him.

  Minutes later, a loud knock came at the bedroom door, startling Louis and the girls. Louis thought fast.

  “What dude? I’m about to start the party…go away!” He hoped the big guy respected the customer’s wishes and left it at that but didn’t hear him walk away. Louis quickly jumped on the bed and started to make groaning sounds. The girls watched and quickly figured out what he was doing to fool the trafficker outside of the door, and they joined him in making sounds of ecstasy. The act rivaled any adult film, if only in sound, and the trafficker soon walked away from the door.

  The girls seemed to buy into what the man was saying, and he was able to finalize the escape plan with the help of Curt’s translation.

  “Mel, you guys are up.” Rachel signaled, while she and Curt took their positions.

  Julio stood at the bar waiting for the gringo customers to finish up with the whores in the back rooms. He was feeling rather horny and wanted his turn after they were done. He was imagining taking care of the same two girls after the skinny nerd was done. Clearly, he was more of a man than this Brian, although he was impressed at what he heard coming from his room during his last rounds. But they were customers, and the girls were told to act accordingly to the customers, especially the ones with a lot of cash on hand. He took a sip of his tequila when the doorbell rang. They weren’t expecting anyone else, but business is business.

  As he opened the oversized door, he was surprised to see two well-dressed women standing there. The first, a short-haired, black woman in a dark gray business suit offered a courteous smile to the large man, and the second, a rich-looking, little white woman, with long, blonde hair in a slim-fitting dress, white fur coat, and high heels stood just behind her. They were clearly not customers, so Julio pulled the door shut as he stepped out onto the covered porch to find out what they wanted. He looked around suspiciously since Jack Cauldress assured them that this house was secluded and “off the books.” He buttoned up his tight-fitting jacket to keep his gun out of sight.

  “Hi, I’m Brenda Martin with Rocky Mountain Realty. I tried to call earlier, but I realized there is no phone here. I have a client with me who is interested in looking at the house. I know the timing is a little late, but may we come in? Take a look around?”

  At the sound of the doorbell, Louis and the girls faked their climax and subsequent collapse on the bed. He quickly went to the window and looked outside. A quick beam of light from a flashlight in the bushes hit him in the eyes; it was Rachel. He smiled back at the girls and slowly lifted the window, letting the cold mountain air filter into the room. The nearly naked skin of the girls quickly displayed goose bumps from the influx of cool air.

  Rachel ran up to the side of the house and stood under the open window. Her presence solidified the promise of freedom the skinny, pale knight had made. They didn’t hesitate to go with the pretty blonde woman who appeared out of nowhere, because they didn’t care what was waiting for them outside of that window. Anything was better than the hell within. Rachel helped the girls climb out of the window—still dressed in racy lingerie and high heels—and directed them to the thick bushes off to the side of the gravel yard. Curt had found a quick path down the ravine to a neighboring driveway. It was ideal to make their escape with the girls. Curt stood at the beginning of the trail, at the edge of the bush line, and welcomed the girls who had shucked their restrictive high heels and ran across the gravel yard barefoot.

  He waved them over and told them in Spanish to hide behind the bush line; they would wait for the other girls to join them. Leopard print started to argue they shouldn’t wait, for the price of being caught was too costly. Curt snapped back at the terrified girl and explained that they weren’t leaving without the other girls, end of argument. She didn’t like his rude answer, but his degree of confidence and control eased her anxiety, and she fought hard against the urge to take off running down the trail on her own. Never mind she was barely clothed.

  Louis explained that Jack had two of the other girls in the bedroom next to his. Rachel moved over to the neighboring window and knocked softly on the glass. It went unanswered for an uncomfortable amount of time. She grew angry and knocked softly again. She waited impatiently and thought about having Curt go in and force the issue, but just then Cauldress’ face appeared behind the curtains. Rachel waved frantically telling him that it was time to move.

  “Let’s go!” She hissed quietly.

  Cauldress nodded and finished zipping up his pants. He pulled out the magnetic strip as directed and slid it in between the sensors and opened the window. The two girls he had ordered were huddled in the corner in each other’s arms, scared at the knock on the window and the presence of the strange, white woman. They watched in utter confusion; the woman was yelling at the customer they were just having sex with.

  Rachel ordered Cauldress out of the way and addressed the girls in her rusty Spanish. She shot daggers at Cauldress, scolding him for taking advantage of the situation. She shoved him out of the way and worked on convincing the two girls to leave with her. They were hesitant at first, but her kind face and the sincerity in her promise quickly earned the girls’ trust. What convinced them to leave was the sight of their friends standing off in the bushes next to a tense looking white man in a tan trench coat. The girls climbed out the window and ran over to them. Curt asked how many girls were remaining, and they answered that there was one more, Alma. The girls explained that they were kept in an upstairs bedroom while waiting for the customers.

  “We have to go get her. We can’t leave her behind,” Rachel pleaded with Curt. It was more of a directive than a request made to Curt.

  “Okay.” He nodded in agreement. He told the girls to stay huddled behind the bushes, and he would be right back. He moved over to the window, but Rachel was already climbing back in.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going to find her. You stay here with the girls,” Rachel ordered. Curt saw the sheer determination in her eyes. He paused for a moment, wondering if her abilities matched that resolve.

  “Fine…I’ll be out here.”

  After Rachel climbed through, she stood up next to Jack Cauldress. She was disgusted that he would take advantage of those girls, knowing what the team and she were there to do. She lured him in with a sexy come hither look, and he immediately took the bait.

  “We got time—”

  Rachel felt the satisfaction of hearing the crunch of his balls as her knee smashed against them. The blow sent the pathetic man to the ground, writhing in pain.

  “Find your own way home, asshole!” Rachel shoved with her foot for good measure as she snuck out of the room in search of the last girl.

  “Mel, how is it going up there?” Rachel, Louis, and Curt had moved fast, but Melinda and Beth had stalled as long as they could, trying to convince Julio the trafficker that they had an appointment to look at the house that was for sale. He had called Cortez downstairs, which played in their favor, drawing both traffickers together while they were able to sneak the girls out. However, Cortez was getting impatient at the intrusion of the two women, and with his impatience grew suspicion of their behavior.

  “Are you sure we can’t just come in and look around. We’ll on
ly be a moment?” Melinda begged in a last ditch effort to continue the stall. “My client here is in from California and is very motivated to buy. It would really help me out if we could just look around, please?” Melinda offered her best flirtatious look to the head trafficker. He thought briefly and looked at the client, a dolled up West Coast lady he wouldn’t mind having alone, but he decided that this didn’t feel right.

  “No, I am sorry. Please move on; no one let me know about this appointment. I can’t let you in. Come back later.” He was abrupt and shoved his muscled partner back inside the house and shut the door.

  As Brenda Martin and Priscilla Harvey walked back to their car in the front circular driveway, they stopped to enjoy the view. However, it was Melinda, shielded from the front of the house by Beth, who quickly spoke into her ear bud comm that the ruse was over, and the traffickers were back inside the house.

  “Okay, I’m upstairs,” Rachel answered. She had managed to check most of the upstairs rooms.

  “You need to get out of there!” Melinda pleaded. Curt heard the update and stood tense, watching the upstairs of the house for any signs of danger. Louis heard the update too and started to climb out of the window and over to the huddled girls.

  Rachel ignored the pleas. She was not leaving the last girl, Alma, alone in the hell that she knew well from personal experience. As she searched the remaining rooms, she heard the two men talking, their voices carrying up to the second-story from the front formal room. She caught some of the Spanish spoken between them and believed they were talking about the strange visitors.

  As Rachel came to the final door upstairs, she heard some faint music coming from within. She stepped up to the door, hoping the remaining girl was behind it. With a slow turn of the knob, she pushed it open and saw a young, Hispanic girl, no more than fifteen years old, listening to music on an iPod, unaware of her surprise visitor.

  Rachel moved inside the room and pulled the door shut. She side-stepped slowly trying not to startle the young girl. Suddenly, she looked up but wasn’t scared or startled.