13. Thirteen

Joey

I scrub my body under the cold water until my skin is raw. I wince every time the shower hits the welts on my back. It doesn"t matter how much soap I lather over myself, I can still feel the last man"s hands on me. I'm glad neither one had wanted to actually have sex. Maybe it would have been better if the last one did.

The first guy had wanted to watch me get myself off while he came on me and the other man had wanted to rough me up. He never did touch me in a sexual manner and never touched himself either. He'd tied me up and blindfolded me while asking random questions. I'd felt the crop come down hard against my back every time I got the answer wrong. He took joy in each punishment, making sure I never did. He had dragged me back up on my knees, gripping hard at my hair every time I fell forward, grazing a knife over the skin of my neck. When they came back to the room to collect me, I'd sighed in relief, hoping I wouldn"t have to be back in any of those dark, small rooms again.

A knock on the bathroom door has me jolting where I stand. I quickly shut the water off and reach for the towel on the rack nearby. "Hurry up in there, princess. You have somewhere to be soon. We don"t like to keep our guests waiting."

I step outside the bathroom with the towel tied around my waist and water drips down my chest. "I was getting clean like you asked me to."

"It doesn"t take that long to get clean. This isn"t a fucking spa day. I hope you enjoyed that shower, because I don"t see you getting many like that in your new future. Mr. Williams from earlier was quite taken by you and is considering not leaving here without you. I think a man like him is exactly what someone like you needs. You won"t be the first one he"s purchased from us. Won"t be the last either. His boys never seem to last more than a few months. I wonder how long it will take to break someone like you. Too bad I can"t be there to watch it happen."

He shoves me forward and points to the bed. "Put those on and let"s get you delivered to Mr. Masters' room. Based on earlier events, you won"t be the only one keeping him company tonight." My eyes widen and I keep my gaze on the ground while I slip on a clean pair of black panties. After I leave this hell hole, I will burn every pair at home that I own.

I think about Isaiah waiting for me and it helps ease my stomach a little by offering me a small bit of hope. Isaiah is my light at the end of the tunnel, and I"ll do whatever it takes to make it to that other side. Whatever it takes to be in his arms again. I wrap my hand around my bare finger, missing the weight of my wedding band, wishing I'd fought harder when they took it from me.

The man with the scar loudly clears his throat from behind me, pulling me from my thoughts. "Times up. I'm not tying your hands this time so if you do anything stupid, I won't hesitate to blow your ass to pieces. Go on, walk toward the hallway. We don't have all damn day."

He shoves me through the elevator doors so hard I crash hard onto my knees. "Get up, clumsy shit," he yells, stepping into the elevator behind me. The doors close and he kicks me in the stomach when I remain on the ground too long. I curl into a ball, wrapping my arms around myself. "I said get the fuck up."

I stare up at him, biting my tongue to keep from saying the wrong thing. I don't want to give him more of a reason to kick me again, not that it matters. If he wants to kick me, he doesn't need a reason. The elevator dings when we reach the floor Carlos is staying on and the doors open.

Grunting in annoyance at me taking too long to fully get to my feet, he grabs me by my hair and drags me out causing my feet to lose their grip on the floor. This time when I fall, I catch myself on my hands and knees. I rock back and forth trying to gain my balance. We only eat if the customer we are with decides to feed us and neither one of mine did. My stomach aches more from hunger than the blow I just took. I always had a high tolerance for pain which could be both a good and bad thing in a place like this.

"I guess I'll have to drag your ass the rest of the way, huh?" He grabs me by my arm and my knees scrape against the carpet. I try my best to keep my face from hitting the ground by extending my neck back as far as I can. They like it when you plead and beg. They get off on your screams and tears, so I try my best to remain quiet, biting back a yelp when he tugs on me harder and throws me against the door. "We're here, princess. Remember to be on your best behavior. If the customer isn't happy then I'm not happy and you know what that means for you."

He knocks on the door and when it pulls open, Carlos is standing in the doorway wearing a familiar suit. He stands tall with a smile on his face. If I were anyone else, I'd never guess it is forced. He blends well with all the other men in this place, and I have to keep reminding myself he's a friend. "Got him all nice and clean for you as requested. Will you be needing anything else for the night?"

"No, I think I have everything I need. I would rather not be disturbed for the remainder of the night and would like to have my dinner in my room. Make sure there is plenty of food for my little pet as well. He will need his energy for everything I have planned for him."

"Of course. We will be having a few drinks by the pool later tonight if you plan on coming out of your room at some point. The owner of this establishment would like to greet his special guests personally. We'd hate for you to miss it."

"I suppose I could come down for a little bit. It would be rude for me to decline such an invitation."

"Excellent. We'll see you then, Mr. Masters. Enjoy your evening and make sure when you come down, to bring this one with you. The owner likes to ensure everyone's enjoying themselves at the mansion and we'd hate for you not to get your money"s worth by missing out on paid time. Also your new purchase from today should be ready for delivery by the time you are ready to end your stay here. We want to make sure he meets your conditions first. We don't like any unsatisfied customers after all."

"I'll be sure to do that and good, I hate being unsatisfied. For the price I"m paying, I expect my merchandise to be in the best condition it can be before taking it home. I rather not pay top dollar for something already partially broken. I could just go shopping at Peaches and probably get a much better deal too. As for this one, you can leave him where he is and I can handle it from here."

"Very well. I"ll let Mr. Castillo know you"ll be joining us tonight. He will be very pleased to hear. You be good for Mr. Masters now or I"ll make you be good," the man with the scars hisses at me before making his way back to the elevator.

Carlos waits until the doors are completely shut, and the hallway is clear before lifting me up and carrying me inside the room. I land gently on the soft comforter when Carlos sets me down on the king size bed. "What have they done to you?" He reaches for my cheek and I swat his hand away.

"I"m fine, just playing the part, remember. It"s better to pretend to be weak than for them to try to do everything they can to make sure I am. I just need a minute for the drugs from earlier to wear off."

"Drugs?"

"Yeah, I may have put up a bit of a fight when they took me to the creep's room earlier. I wasn"t expecting to see him again and when I did, I was hoping for the encounter to be over with quickly, the way it was yesterday. That was not the case. I got to play rag doll today and there were only so many degrading, foul words I could take coming out of his mouth so I may have kicked him in the balls."

Carlos laughs. "They should be lucky that was all you did to him. We may not know each other well, Joey, but I know well enough to know better than to piss someone like you off."

"Someone like me? I"m not even sure who I am anymore. Whenever I"m with those men or in that van, I"m not Joey. I"m someone else. Someone weaker and small. I no longer recognize myself and worry everyday they may break me enough that I forget who I am."

"You know I won"t let that happen. Only a few more days and we can set this whole place on fire if you want."

"I want to do more than set this place on fire. I want to burn down their whole fucking world."

"Then we will, but it won"t happen in a day or maybe not even this week. We still have your friends to think about. I have a friend who knows a woman who can help offer the boys a safe place to stay after we get them free. A place where they can recover and get the help they need. A safe haven for teens who"ve been abused or forced into prostitution. It"s a place in Texas. I managed to find your friend Trenton today and he was in pretty bad shape with a sprained ankle."

"What if we can"t save the others? What if someone outbids you and they get sold?"

"Then we will worry about it then and find another way."

"I want every single one of these men to suffer in the worst ways. They don"t deserve to continue walking the same earth as me and you."

"I want them dead as much as you do. I had to restrain myself more than once today. There were many times I nearly slipped and reached for my gun. I wanted to kill every man in the room, but I didn"t get this far to end up being fish food on my second day here. We stick to the plan the best we can, and the rest can wait for later until we"ve gotten you and the boys safely out."

I nod, knowing he"s right. I"m too tired and hungry to see straight. All it did is fuel my anger more and clog my brain from forming any rational thoughts.

"We should get those wounds cleaned. I don't need you getting an infection." Carlos disappears into the bathroom and I sit up on the bed with my knees to my chest. The metallic and sweet smell of blood is stronger when I place my head between my carpet burned knees.

The bed dips when Carlos takes a seat next to me, placing a first aid kit in his lap. It makes a snapping noise when he pops it open and I immediately shake my head when he pulls out an alcohol pad. "No way am I letting you put that on my cuts. Soap and water will do just fine without the awful unnecessary burn."

He grunts. "Since you"re having a bad day, I"ll allow you to be a little difficult. But I gotta draw the line somewhere," he says, standing up, before walking back into the bathroom. He comes back out with a small white towel. He folds it four ways and lightly dabs each cut. The wet, warm material softly slides over my skin, only leaving behind a slight sting. Rubbing anything over torn skin won"t feel good, but when Carlos"s soft, brown eyes land on mine, I forget for a few minutes I"m even hurt to begin with. Their warmth surrounds me like a large comforting hug.

He sets down the towel to pull out a few Band-Aids. Warm air glides over my skin when he lowers his face to blow over each damp knee. A shiver runs down my spine when he does it a second time. He gently places a bandage over each cut with his eyes never leaving mine. There"s a glint in his eyes that tells me my responses didn"t go unnoticed. I don"t know what's happening. Maybe I"ve been in this place for so long that it"s fucking with my head.

"Are you hurt anywhere besides your knees?"

I stare down at my throbbing arm and shake my head. "I think he just pulled a muscle in my arm, but I don't think anything is out of socket." He lifts up my arm and the warmth of his fingers sends a bit of comfort through me. I'm not sure how I could feel so safe near a man I barely know. Maybe it's because I know Isaiah wouldn't trust just anyone and that alone seems to be enough for me. He moves my arm in circles and I wince, biting my bottom lip to keep from yelping.

"Can you lift your arm on your own?"

I stare at his fingers which are still tightly gripping onto my arm and smile "I probably could if you weren't still holding onto me."

His eyes blink and he quickly pulls his hand back. "So…sorry...try now."

After all the encounters he's had with numerous bad guys who would"ve killed him if he made them even just a little suspicious, it"s being alone in a hotel room with me when he stutters on his words. I lift my arm still smiling and slowly lift it over my head. "Moves a lot easier when nothing"s holding it down."

He rolls his eyes. "I see your sense of humor has remained intact as well."

"As Isaiah always says, it's easier to get through all the bad days with a sense of humor."

"I'm glad to see you still have it after everything you've been through."

"What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, right?"

"So they say. But it's okay not to be strong all the time. You had a rough few days."

"I won't let go of that strength or allow myself to be vulnerable in any way until I'm far away from this hell hole. Even then, I won't waste time and energy on these men. The best way for me to cope is to make them all pay and to get these boys out of here. Hopefully this will soon be nothing more than a bad memory. One that I will learn to drown out over the years."

"Joey…"

"No, I won't let you sit here making me feel like this weak and broken man. Because I'm not. I won't let them take credit for breaking me. Okay?" My breathing increases and my gaze drifts to the floor.

Carlos lifts my chin with his fingers, smiling softly. "Okay, but even strong guys need a little TLC."

I blink my eyes a few times, unable to pull away from his gaze. He swallows hard and moves his hand away, putting more distance between us. "So, um let"s get this mess cleaned up before the food comes, huh?"

"Are you calling me a mess?"

He chuckles. "Nah, of course not. Except for maybe your hair, you may wanna fix that a bit."

I grab at my hair with my eyes growing large in mortification. I had never even once thought about how I looked with my face probably beet red from being dragged down the hall and my eyes burning like they"re on fire from resisting the urge to cry in frustration. It"s hard to focus on how you look when you"re not even sure you"ll make it back to your husband alive.

He laughs again, running his hands through my dark brown strands. "Relax, it works for you."

I shake my head, and my top teeth sink into my bottom lip. "It"s not that. I…I just…" My words trail off and he takes me in his arms, rubbing his hand down my back in a soothing way. "Shhhh...I know. Only a few more days, Little one."

I inhale his familiar scent, wanting to bury my face in it. I close my eyes, imagining the man holding me is the man the suit belongs to—Isaiah. "You smell like him. Can we stay like this for a bit longer? It"s almost like he"s holding me again and I"m not ready to let go of him yet."

"Sure, however long you need, Little one."

"I get it too, you know."

"Get what?" He shifts a little against me.

"Why Isaiah always went to you all the times he didn"t have me to lean on."

He stiffens. "You mean because he felt desperate and alone enough to finally need a reason?"

I shake my head. "No. Underneath all this hard exterior is someone soft, warm, and gentle. Also the whole time I"ve been here, this is the first time I"ve actually felt something that I"ve only ever felt with Isaiah."

"What"s that?" He asks softly.

"Safe."

He grows quiet for a while and a knock at the door has us breaking apart. "That"s...uh probably the food. You can eat and rest while I transfer some clients to my brother. He"s been standing in for me these last few days."

"How many people could possibly need you to hunt down and kill someone in just a few days."

"A lot more than you think." He stands up, straightening his suit that I practically had my nose buried in. He smells like Isaiah, but he isn't Isaiah. He is the most familiar thing to me in this room and maybe it"s just my inner self trying to cling onto any bit of him it can in order to separate itself from here. It doesn"t mean anything else. Why would it when I hardly know Carlos and the only man I want is practically on the other side of the world?