Page 107 of Cruel Debts
Fuck my life.
We were keptat this location so long that I began to think we'd never leave, but in just a few short hours, we were piled into the back of a van and carted off to a place by the water. I could tell by the pungent odor of fresh fish and the sound of the gulls on the pier rails, protesting their human interruption at work.
And suddenly, my blood ran cold.
We were shoved into a shipping container, which turned out to be a staircase under the section of the wharf that heldwhatever this was. Stair after stair, we carefully hiked down, down, until the steps opened up into a large room with a stage in the center.
On that stage was a woman. Or a girl. She was so made up, I couldn't tell how old she might be.
And she was being auctioned off.
I knew without a doubt that this was to be my fate, too. The realization brought with it a sense of panic that had my heart racing, my breath turning into panting gasps, and my mind racing.
I was a wreck, and no amount of anxiety medication could have taken the edge off whatever this was.
Panic attack,a small part of my brain warned me, but though I had plenty of coping mechanisms, I couldn't bring one to the front of my mind and help myself. I was stuck, trapped in the spiral, and there was no light at the end of the tunnel.
"Don't lose it now," the girl behind me warned, her voice low. "If you freak out, they'll shoot you. They don't want the panic infecting the others. Making them look bad."
"How do you know that?" I asked quietly, my voice shaking as I turned around and shot her a look of worry.
"I've been here before. This isn't my first sale. And it likely won't be my last. These men buy, sell, and trade us like we're used cars."
That was a sobering thought. "That's disgusting."
Her frail shoulders lifted, then fell, the weight of the world resting atop them. "Yeah, but what can we do?"
"Fight back? Run?" Anything but let ourselves be led to the slaughter like stupid sheep. "Something."
"There's nothing to do. You come here, you get sold off, you hope the man that buys you isn't as shitty as the last one, and you wait for the cycle to repeat until you're too old to be sold anymore."
"What do they do to you then?" I had a feeling I didn't really want to know.
She dragged her finger across her throat and then motioned to a woman in the corner of the room, her gold outfit standing out among the inconspicuous black suits and jumpers the men wore. "You either die, or you become her."
I knew that woman. I trusted her, once upon a time. Standing there in a very expensive, flashy evening gown of gold satin, was Minnie, my boss, my confidante, and protector. And now, apparently, my handler and auctioneer.
I gritted my teeth and grunted in aggravation. "What is she?"
"The handler. She makes sure we go to the buyers and sells us to the crowd. She also procures girls occasionally, though I don't know how or where."
I knew where. She used her club to drag in girls who needed help, and then turned some of them into slaves at auction, apparently. Now that I thought back to the girls who came and went in the span of a few weeks, I wondered how many of them ended up in a place like this. How many of them never saw the light of day again.
We stood there in the dim lighting and inched toward the stage, one by one, removed from the chain line to be sold off to the highest bidder. I hoped someone really shitty bought me at this point, so that I could kick him in the dick so hard he'd never use it again. So that he'd never hurt another girl again. Hell, I was determined just to start kicking all the dicks my feet could reach on my way out when suddenly, there was a commotion from the direction where we came in.
Several security guards ran toward the entrance, and Minnie stepped forward and reached out a hand with a key to unlock the next girl. She faltered when she realized that girl was me.
Her eyes registered shock, probably because she never thought I'd be in danger with the guys. Wow, what a shock. Trinity should have listened.
I'd never admit it, though.
"Tee? What are you doing here?!?" Her voice was panicked, and if I didn't know better, I'd almost believe she felt bad that I was here. That she never wanted me here. That she regretted some of her choices.
But I knew better.
"I'm here because I went back to work tonight and got caught up in something when I tried to get into my apartment." I waited for her to act surprised, but she didn't, and that confirmed what I already knew. That she was more than just a pawn here. She was a player in this 3D game of chess. "They chased me and ran me down and brought me here."
"Tee, I—you were never supposed to end up here." There was something in her eyes that told me she was being honest, but it didn't change anything. "I never meant for you to find out. Or get hurt."
