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  There were also a number of pictures of her at the mall, walking alone in the evening and then her at cheerleading practice. The pictures of her cheering always gave me pause. There was such promise and happiness in her eyes and expression, like a beam of light and goodness shone from within her lighting up everything it touched. Sadly it was her vibrancy that landed her on our radar, her light that attracted our darkness.

  The pictures told a story of a young woman with a promising future ahead of her. It was like a knife in my gut thinking that it wouldn’t be long before that light in her eyes would dim and then fade out completely, leaving a hollow shell of a woman in its place. I didn’t even know this woman, but I immediately felt the urge to protect her from the evils lurking within these walls.

  “Sir, The Boss wants to see you in his office.” I turned to see my right hand man, Will. He had saved my life a number of times over the past couple of years, but I held no feelings or sense of obligation toward him. Emotions were what got people killed; they made you weak. There was no place for emotion in this world of death and debauchery.

  Then why did a woman I hadn’t even met threaten to make me feel?

  ~*~*~*~*~

  Gwen

  The door opened to reveal three men, two of them with rifles slung over their shoulders. I had no doubt they’d use them if they had to, although I wouldn’t be worth a hell of a lot dead. That only gave me a sliver of reassurance. What I find surprising was how normal they looked.

  There were two Caucasian men and one black man. They weren’t huge, domineering types, and they weren’t ugly hillbilly types. They were the types of men I’d expect to see in the stands at our high school football games cheering on the team, or the father of one of my friends who would check on us before going to bed and offering to make us some hot cocoa or bring some snacks. Not creepy or scary in the least, just – normal, which I supposed in itself was creepy.

  “Good, you’re awake. Saves me from having to carry you.” One of the Caucasian men stepped forward while the two men with the rifles stood by the door, not saying a word, but watching closely. I looked around me at the other girls; they were all cowering on their cots, eyes cast downward, not moving or making a sound, as if making themselves as small and as quiet as possible would make them invisible.

  I didn’t answer, but stood my ground, eyeing him intently.

  The man before me pulled a set of keys from the pocket of his jeans and gave them a little jingle, as if to taunt me. “All right, this is how this is going to work. I’m going to open the cell and you’re going to nice and politely walk out. You’re not going to try and run. You’re not going to try and fight. And you’re not going to cause me a single problem. If you abide by these rules, we’ll get along fine. But if you don’t…” he held his index finger up to me and walked over to the cell across the hall and a little to the left of me.

  “Come here, sweetheart.” He motioned for the petite Asian woman to stand and walk over to the front of the cell. The woman stood and slowly walked to the front of the cage. As she got closer I could see harsh black and blue marks littering her body. “Lift your head, let her see you.”

  “Yes, Master.” She lifted her face and I couldn’t stop the gasp from escaping my lips. One of her eyes was black and swollen shut and there was blood caked onto her cheeks along with several harsh cuts on her lip, forehead and cheeks. She looked like she’d just walked away from a horrific car accident.

  “This is what happens when you disobey. This little one used to box at an amateur competitive level. She thought she was strong enough to escape. She couldn’t. When you’re disobedient there’s a price to be paid. The only way you get out of here is when you’re sold. Or if you’re dead. The only choice you have is how easy or hard life can be for you while here.” He turned his attention back to the tiny Asian woman. “Go sit down.”

  “Yes, Master.” She turned and hurried back to her cot. She sat and remained motionless, eyes downcast as she was before she was summoned.

  Her captor made his way back over to my cell. “Now, you’ll refer to me and my men as Master. If you refuse or forget, you’ll be reminded, politely, once. And only once. For each act of defiance you’ll be punished. And each punishment will become more severe until you’ve learned your lesson. Your eyes are also to be downcast unless told otherwise. The rules are simple. Obey. So make it easy on both me and yourself and behave.”

  He jingled the keys once more. “Any questions?”

  I shook my head. Sure I had lots of questions, but none for him. Not now anyhow.

  He smiled and his smile actually gave me chills more than any sinister gesture he could have made, because it made him look approachable. It made him look like he was there to make my life easier and I knew that was far from the case.

  “So you’re not going to ask why you’re here? What we’re going to do with you? You’re not going to beg for us to let you go home? Nothing?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  He frowned. “Excuse me?”

  I froze a moment and we eyed each other. What in the fuck does he want from me?

  “No, what?” His smile began to fade and a darkness began to fill his eyes.

  I swallowed down the fear beginning to rise up in me and swallowed down my pride as I responded. “No, Master.”

  As if by magic the darkness in his eyes lifted and his smile returned. “Good. I think we’re going to get along fine.” He pushed the key into the lock and opened the cell, stepping back and motioning for me to exit. “That’s a cute little outfit you have on there. I always had a thing for cheerleaders when I was in high school.”

  I froze halfway out of the cell and stared up into his eyes. Had I entered some fucked-up version of Bizarro world? Or was this some cruel game where they acted friendly and then just when I started to feel a sense of calmness things changed? By looking at the women around me, many battered and bruised, I suspected this was simply the calm before the storm. “Thank you, Master.”

  “Are you allowed to look at me, slave?”

  I visibly cringed at the term “slave” and I heard the two men at the door chuckle softly. A surge of anger fought to surface, but I pushed it down. I lowered my eyes and muttered, “No, Master.”

  “Follow me.” He turned and walked out of the room. I dutifully followed behind and heard the two men who were manning the door take up the rear, closing and locking the dungeon door behind us. Although my head was down I was able to take in a bit of my surroundings. I appeared to be in a house, a really large house.

  I wasn’t sure how to feel about being in a house. If I were in a warehouse then there’d be a chance I was close enough to outside people that if I escaped there may be a place to run. If I were in some far-off house, way out in the country somewhere, then I could be running for hours and hours naked in the woods. Hell, for all I know they had dogs that could hunt me down before I even got a mile from the place.

  I followed what appeared to be the leader of the group down a hallway until we came to a closed wooden door. He opened it up and a bright light spilled out into the dimly lit hallway and he motioned for me to enter. I hesitated, but when I glanced up at him and saw a frown begin to form on his face I quickly skirted past him and into what appeared to be a doctor’s office, with a table at the center.

  The reality of what was about to happen crashed over me and I couldn’t have controlled the instinct to flee if I wanted to. I spun around and bolted. I made it three feet before a hand reached out, grabbed my hair and pulled me backward. Screaming, I fell backward, pain radiating through my skull as the strands were tugged and some pulled from my head. I clawed wildly at the hand grasping my hair, but it was a futile effort. The blonde thug who’d been silent up until this point stepped forward, straddled my body and landed a punch to the left side of my face. There was ringing in my ears and a second later the world went black.

  ~*~*~*~

  My head hurt, and there was a faint metallic
taste in my mouth. My lip was also throbbing and I could feel it had swollen while I was knocked out. Groaning, I attempted to move, but then froze upon realizing I was strapped down on a cold metal table – my arms at my sides and feet in the stirrups, my legs spread wide. Even more alarming was the realization that while I’d been passed out I’d been stripped and I was lying bare on the table.

  A single tear escaped my eyes, but I swallowed down the need to sob, as I opened my eyes to find I was alone. Testing my restraints I wasn’t surprised to find they were secure. And there was something on my neck, a collar perhaps? It was snug and uncomfortable.

  “Shit, shit, shit…”

  I didn’t have to spend too much time thinking about what was going to happen. Or at least I assumed what was going to happen, although it was quite possible it happened already. A hundred different scenarios started going through my head, but when the door opened all thought left me and all I could do is watch in horror as a man in a white doctor’s coat entered, behind him the man who’d led me here. My scalp ached just setting eyes on him.

  “Good afternoon, Miss Anderson.” The doctor was on the short side and slender, perhaps 5’6 with grey at his temples. I guessed he was in his early fifties. “I have some questions for you, all right?”

  I didn’t respond, but just eyed him with suspicion.

  He chuckled. “Not much of a talker, huh Tanner?”

  “Not really, no,” the man who had grabbed me by my hair answered.

  “Is she retarded?”

  My mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”

  “Well, look at that, she can speak.” The doctor chuckled as he walked over to the side of the table and his eyes scanned the length of my exposed body. No one had ever seen me completely naked before and it was the most humiliating experience of my life, although I suspected it wouldn’t be the last or worst if I didn’t get out of wherever it was they’d taken me.

  I glared up at him, but refused to comment.

  He finished his visual inspection of me, turned around and walked over to the counter across the room. Grabbing a pair of latex gloves from a box on the counter he pulled them on and then grabbed an electric razor.

  “First thing is first, you need to be shaved. The Boss prefers you clean.” Grabbing a stool with his free hand he rolled it over, situating it between my legs, and sat down. Plugging in the razor, it began to buzz softly and he proceeded to carefully remove all traces of blonde hair from between my legs. With each strip of hair that was removed, a part of my dignity went with it.

  My hands fisted at my sides, as I closed my eyes and fought the tears threatening to fall. They don’t deserve to see my tears, I’m not giving them the satisfaction. I’d rather be punched in the face again than endure the humiliation of some strange old doctor shaving my most private of areas while some brute watched, no doubt sporting a hard-on.

  They’d pay for this, all of them. How or when I couldn’t say, but one day. A lifetime was a long time and I just needed to stay strong and keep my mind right. Eventually I’d have my freedom, it was only a matter of when. I knew that above all else I had to keep that in mind.

  “There. Done.” The buzzing stopped and I heard the razor being placed on the steel cart beside the bed. I took a deep breath in and slowly released it. My body had just begun to relax when two fingers were roughly thrust into me, forcing a cry to escape my lips as my eyes flew open to stare at the bastard between my legs. A vaginal examination proceeded to take place. I endured, trying to think of anything other than the situation I was in at this moment.

  “So? What’s the verdict?” the man I now knew to be Tanner asked.

  A slow smile spread across the doctor’s lips. “She’s a virgin. Good pick.”

  Tanner chuckled. “Yeah, I figured. Even if she wasn’t she’d still bring in a hefty amount, buyers love the petite, blonde, blue-eyed ones.”

  The doctor’s eyes roamed my body once more. “Indeed.” He pulled off his latex gloves and rolled back over to the counter. After a moment he returned with a syringe in hand and rolled over to my arm. “Don’t move.”

  I could have laughed outright as he prepared my arm and then jabbed me with the needle. Where in the fuck was he expecting me to go tethered to the table?

  “What’s that for?” I demanded, my eyes widening in horror as the dose entered my body.

  “Birth control.”

  Pulling the needle from my arm, he pointed to my face. “The Boss is going to be pissed over that. He wants to show her as soon as possible.”

  Tanner thrust a hand into his dark hair and shrugged. “She tried to run.”

  “She’s lucky to be a hundred pounds for Christ sakes, you saying you couldn’t have detained her without marking her up?”

  Tanner glared at the doctor, but didn’t move from his place at the door. “Connor took some liberties. Fuck, what can I say, man?”

  “You say you’ll keep your goons under control, doesn’t look it to me. We get top dollar for our girls because they don’t look like strung-out, beat-up crack whores. They’re top quality. This is becoming a bit of a problem. If you can’t keep Connor from damaging the merchandise then we no longer need him.” The doctor grabbed a steel shackle from the tray beside him and then rolled down to my right ankle.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  The doctor smiled. I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be a smile of reassurance, but if it was it failed terribly. “This remains on your leg until you leave us. It has a tracking device so even if you have dreams of escaping and by some miracle you manage your way out of the compound you won’t get very far.”

  The doctor turned back to the steel counter and grabbed a clipboard and pen. “Now I just have some routine questions for you and would appreciate some cooperation. If you cooperate then this will go nice and smoothly.”

  Chapter 3

  “We’re going to see The Boss before you go back to your cell. I suggest you be on your best behavior. If you are, then it’ll go smoothly,” Tanner stated, hooking a leash to the silver loop of my collar.

  I chanced a look at my naked body in the mirror by the doctor’s office door and had to bite down on my swollen lower lip to keep from crying out. My face looked horrible with a swollen lip, cut across my cheek and a darkening around one of my eyes. Not as bad as the poor Asian woman in the dungeon, but still shocking.

  The collar was the worst. I looked like a real slave, a pet. With each minute that I remained in this nightmare another slice of my dignity was being cut away from me. They may have control of my body, but I won’t give them my mind, I silently promised myself.

  “Come on.” He gave my leash a tug as he opened the office door and guided me out of the room. As soon as we exited we were joined by Connor and the black man whose name I had yet to learn. As like when we entered the doctor’s office, Tanner took the lead, with the two other men taking up the rear.

  “She’s got a fucking hot body,” one of the men behind me commented. His comment was greeted by an “uh-huh” of agreement by the other man.

  “Yeah, well, she’s a virgin so hands off unless The Boss says so,” Tanner replied, not bothering to look behind himself. We walked past the dungeon door and up a flight of stairs, presumably to the main floor of the house, although all I saw was more hallways so I could only guess.

  We came to an oak door and we all stopped. Tanner turned and set his gaze on me. “Now, I want to hear from you. How do you address The Boss and where are your eyes to be looking?”

  I gritted my teeth. I was dying to tell him to go fuck himself, to claw that sick smirk from his lips, but I couldn’t. I had to play along. This wasn’t about pride, it was about survival. I had to keep reminding myself of this.

  “Eyes down, Master.”

  “Good girl.” The bastard had the nerve to reach out and muss my hair like I was some sort of dog who’d just earned praise. I jerked back and glared at him. His eyes narrowed and jaw clenched so I quickly lowered
my gaze and forced the tension from my body.

  Tanner knocked on the door and upon hearing approval to enter he opened the door and led me in. The other two goons stayed outside, closing the door behind us. He led me to the front of a large oak desk, but I couldn’t see the man behind it. I was aching to look up and see the man who was “The Boss,” but suspected I wouldn’t like the outcome of the action.

  “So this is our little cheerleader?” I heard the sound of a pen being dropped onto the desk top and a chair being pushed back.

  “Yes, Sir.”

  The Boss walked around the desk and over to me. “Lift your head, child. I want to see your face.”

  I did as told, lifting my head to look into the eyes of The Boss. He was maybe 45 or so, over 6’ tall and if it were under different circumstances I’d have considered him handsome – for an older man. But it was his rich blue eyes that drew me in.

  Movement to my left caught my attention and I swiveled my head to see a second man, maybe in his mid-twenties and a younger mirror image of The Boss. My eyes locked with the rich blue ones of the younger man, but his expression was unreadable.

  “What happened to her face, Tanner?”

  My attention flew back from the son to The Boss.

  “Connor, Sir.”

  The Boss’s eyes darkened. “Connor!” His voice bellowed out making me jump backward, bumping into Tanner.

  The door behind me opened and Connor entered.

  The Boss pointed to me. “Is this your doing?”

  “She was trying to escape, Sir.”