Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

KARMEN

My eyes spring open at the sound of rain all around me, and it takes me a second to realize that I'm in the back of a vehicle. I can feel the vibration as it moves quickly, and my mind struggles to remember how I got here.

My head and knees throb, and when I lift my hand to try and rub the back of my head, I realize that my wrists are duct-taped together. The reality of my situation is sinking in, and panic starts to rise in my chest. This can't be happening. I want to open my mouth and scream, but fear has me paralyzed.

A cell phone starts to ring, and although I want to look around and try to see where it's coming from I don't move. I keep perfectly still because I don't want whoever took me to know I'm awake. My mind races to understand why this could be happening.

"Yeah," a deep voice says. "I got her." Then there's a long pause as he listens to someone else on the other side of the phone. "That's not part of the fucking deal," the man says, and he sounds agitated. "Fine, I'll make the drop."

He must end the call because he doesn't speak again. When the vehicle slows down to make a turn, I try to track each one. After several I give up because it's useless. My head has a dull ache and my brain is fuzzy. Besides, I don't know how many he made before I woke up. All I can do is lie there while the dull ache spreads to all of my limbs.

When the vehicle rolls to a stop and the engine cuts off, I shut my eyes. I force myself to pretend to still be unconscious, but it's partly because I'm scared out of my fucking mind. I don't want to see the face of the man who took me.

However, a dark-haired man with a gentle smile suddenly appears in my thoughts. When I imagine him, a feeling of peace fills me. His image fades away when I hear voices outside the vehicle, but I can't make out anything they're saying. Tears burn my eyes, and I take a few deep breaths, willing myself to stay calm. I want the image of the man to return.

"Does that shit really mess with your head?" I hear someone ask, and then a second later the doors to the vehicle fly open.

This man's voice is different from that of the driver who took the phone call. I want to open my eyes and see if I recognize them, but for some reason I know that I won't. In fact, I can't recall much of anything.

"That's what he said. Messes with the mind and puts you down." One of them snaps his fingers. "Like that."

"How much did you give her?"

I swear I can feel their eyes on me, but I remain perfectly still.

"Just the one shot but she fought hard. She ended up hitting her head on the way down."

"She better not be dead."

"She's breathing, you idiot."

That's a plus, I guess? They don't want me dead, but there are worse things than death. Whatever their reason is for kidnapping me, it can't be good.

"Fuck, how old is she?"

My mind blanks at the man's question. He's not asking me, but I'm at a loss for the answer. My brain is slow and fuzzy, and I can't remember how old I am.

"She's not a minor. Besides, it doesn't matter at this point," the driver responds.

"She's wearing a school uniform, man," he scoffs. "And yeah it matters. Someone could put out an Amber Alert. Then we'll be fucked."

"They won't. I grabbed her after she was released from Bellevue Asylum."

An asylum? Oh god, have I lost my mind? Why else would I have been there? On top of that, I can't remember anything.

When a hand brushes against my thigh, all pretenses of being asleep are gone, and my eyes fly open. Two men I've never seen in my life stand over me. They're both dressed in all black. One is freakishly tall and thin with shaggy blond hair. The other is short and husky with a bald head.

The skinny one curses and spins around, giving me his back.

"Have a relaxing nap?" the bald one enquires, and that's the voice of the driver.

I shake my head and try to wiggle farther into the vehicle to put distance between us. When I run up against the seats, I realize there's no escape.

"Don't let her see your face!" the tall one shouts.

"Will you calm the fuck down? She's not going to the cops. Andrew has plans for her."

Who the hell is Andrew, and why does he want me? I search my mind again, but everything is gone. What the hell is wrong with me?

"He better pay up." The skinny one turns halfway back to run his eyes over me. "She's cute. A little chubby for my tastes, but I don't think she's worth a quarter of a million."

"I like them with a little meat." The bald man licks his lips. "They can handle more."

My skin starts to crawl, and an uncontrollable whimper escapes me.

"Hey, he said nothing sexual. Don't mess with our money. You can buy a handful of girls for the night after we get paid."

"All he said was not to fuck her. Probably because she's a virgin." Baldy runs his eyes up and down on me. "Yeah, I bet you are, sweetheart."

I swallow hard, and an image flashes through my mind of the dark-haired man. My arms and legs are wrapped around him as he pushes his cock into me. I'm lost in pleasure as I cling to him, and then the image fades. I need to find this man.

Baldy reaches out to touch me but jerks his hand back when I hear another vehicle pull up. The sound of the car shutting off is loud before I hear the car door close.

"You Andrew?" Baldy asks, but I can't see whoever it was that arrived.

"Do you have the girl?" the person responds.

"Yeah. She was a fucking handful." When the bald man turns, I see scratches down his neck. Did I do that to him? I really hope so because fuck these assholes.

"Whoa, what the fuck?" The tall man holds his hands up a second before there's a loud bang. I scream when the tall guy falls to the ground covered in blood.

"Wait, no!" Baldy tries to back up, but it's too late and we both know it. "I got her. She?—"

Another shot goes off, and blood splatters across me, making me scream even louder. Baldy drops to the ground and then there's someone standing in front of me, someone I recognize.

Only one word escapes my lips.

"Daddy!"