Among the Shrouded (17 page)

“Because technically the women are illegal immigrants.  They are not protected under our laws per se because they are not legal U.S. citizens.  Sadly, many times when women escape or are found, they are arrested for prostitution.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah.”

She
watched him furrow his brow.  “So, what about the commissioner?” he asked.

“Yeah, so the commissioner shows up out of nowhere this morning and breezes in to take the case.  He was extremely interested in it.  My partner Jack says human trafficking is one of his pet projects.  So now I’m thinking
, if he’s willing to take on something so difficult, how bad can he be?”

“I see.”
  He thought for a moment.  “Can I make a suggestion?”

“Of course.”

“I certainly don’t mean to imply that I have any idea about how your ability works, but it seems to me that perhaps in this instance, you might just have to rely on your other abilities.”

“What other abilities?”

“Mia!  You have lots of other abilities! You think you are a good cop just because of the aura thing?  I would bet you use a lot more than just that when you do your job every day.  In the short time I’ve known you, it’s easy to see how highly intuitive you are.”

“
You think so?”

“
Of course!  So maybe, in this situation, you’re just going to have to play mortal like the rest of us and just go with your gut.”

“My gut?”

“Yes.  So what does your gut tell you about the commissioner?”

She
examined him, his soulful eyes teeming with compassion for her well-being.  She reached up and took his face in her hands, placing her lips upon his.  He returned her kiss, matching her passion with his own.  When at last she pulled from their embrace and opened her eyes, her legs were shaky and she needed to hold his arm for support.

“I don’t know what my gut is telling me about the commissioner, but I do know right now it’s telling me
I’m falling pretty hard for you or my blood sugar is low.”

He
laughed.  “Maybe it’s a little of both.  How about ice cream?  We can share a cone and maybe that will solve both of your problems.”

Hand in hand, they strolled along the winding path, pointing out a myriad of animals to one another along the way to the snack shack.  As they sat together at the picnic table, she admitted to herself, over the dish of chocolate and vanilla swirl soft serve they shared, that being with Thomas seemed to have a magical effect on her soul.  Somehow, being with him, she was able to push the dire thoughts of the commissioner and her wavering ability from her mind and concentrate on nothing but whatever bond was growing between them.  And that was a very good thing.

CHAPTER

25

KATE

The telltale sound of the rusty door hinges alerted the women to their captors’ arrival.  Kate was neither pleased nor dismayed to see the two suited men return, both brandishing handguns.  The taller of the two, whom she assumed was in the position of authority, spoke directly to the girls as he entered the basement.

“You know the drill
, Ladies.  Stand by your doors and turn around, hands behind your back.  And no funny business.”  He paused.  “I’m talking to you,” the man said directly to Anya as he passed by her cell.  “Does anyone need to be reminded about what happens if you don’t do what you’re told?”

Anya did not respond but returned his steely gaze with her own.

“Ladies, would you like to tell our newcomers about last week?”

No one spoke. 
She felt her heartbeat pulsing in the veins of her neck and could hear it reverberating in her ears.  She closed her eyes in an attempt to block out the negative energy hanging heavily in the room.  She attempted to summon her gift, invoking whatever power laid within her to somehow help her avoid whatever was about to happen.  However, instead of strength, all she felt was doubt.

“No one?
  Fine.  Then I will share.  While you are here with us, you are expected to do as you are told.  As long as you do, your families will remain safe.  If you decide to disobey us, there will be punishments, both to you and to your families.  Last week, when Wan here decided to attack a customer, we were obliged to punish her and her family as well.  I can see from here that she’s still recovering from her injuries.  Most of you had the privilege of hearing the recording of her mother being beaten.  So, as we leave today for the showings, let’s all play nicely.  Remember, the girl who brings in the highest bid at the auction will be rewarded with extra food this evening, so I suggest you do your best.”

She
struggled to keep from throwing up.  The reality of what was about to happen hit her with the force of a freight train.  She immediately did as she was told, turning her back to the door with her hands placed behind her back.  She thought of her parents and her sisters and made a silent pact with herself to do whatever was necessary to protect their safety.

One by one, the cage
doors were opened, and when the men finally reached her cell, she submitted to them willingly.  Her hands were bound behind her with a large length of rope that dug painfully into her flesh.  She winced.

They were led
up the staircase into the warehouse where the same van that brought them from the airport was parked.  As they stood together in a line, blindfolds were secured over their eyes, and they were corralled roughly onto the floor of the van. 

For
the first time in days, she felt the warmth of human contact as the women squeezed together in the cargo bed.  Her back was leaning against the back of the girl behind her and she was overcome with emotion by the power of that simple touch.

“Who are you?” she said to the girl she was resting against
as soon as the door was slammed shut.

“It’s me.
Anya.  Kate?  Is that you?”

“Yes.  Lera?  Where are you?
” she called.

“I am over here,” Lera
replied from the far side of the van.

“Try to come over to us,” Anya urged.  “Quickly, before we start moving.”

“You are foolish,” said one of the women from the front.  “Stay where you are.”

“No,” she said
, “she needs us.  You will make it, Lera.  But please, hurry.”

Lera could be heard shuffling across the floor of the van on her knees,
bumping into the others until she finally reached her, collapsing into her lap.

“I’
m so scared,” Lera whispered.

“Don’t be scared.  Whatever
happens, it won’t change who you are.  At the end of the day, you will still be Lera.  They can’t take that from you,” she said.

“You are wrong,” the same cautious voice
from the front of the van declared.  “It will change you forever.”

“They can only change us if we let them,”
she replied.

“We will see.”

The women fell silent for the remainder of the ride and she concentrated on matching the cadence of her breathing to Lera’s.  When the van finally stopped and the door opened, they were unceremoniously dragged from their confinement and instructed to stand where they were placed.  Cold air blew through her thin dress, causing her skin to prickle.  She tried to imagine how wonderful the cold would feel if it was blowing off the Dnieper along her favorite riverside path. However, at that moment, she felt as though Kiev was as far from her as the sun.

Once inside, her thoughts
of home quickly faded and she was overcome by the pungent smell of cigar smoke.  The cold air was replaced by the dry warmth of a roaring fire she could hear crackling softly in the distance.  Music was being played, but she couldn’t tell if there was actually a piano in the room or whether it was merely a recording.

She was shocked when the blin
dfold was removed from her eyes, revealing the scene before her.  She struggled to remember having been in a room filled with such opulence.  There were crystal chandeliers hung high above her head and beneath her feet was a thickly woven Persian rug in hues of navy and burgundy.  The few windows she observed were covered in heavy drapery and the room was dimly lit, making it difficult for her to examine the faces of the men who were milling about the room, smoking cigars and drinking scotch.  Only two of the men were familiar to her, leaving seven others she had never seen before.

She
held her breath in guarded anticipation of what was to come.

“Gentlemen,” began
her captor, waving his arm with flourish above his head, “I hope you will be happy with this evening’s selection.  As always, take your time with the assessment period.  When everyone feels they have spent a sufficient time considering each girl, we will begin the bidding.”

She
felt the acid from her stomach bubbling into her esophagus.  Her legs, always sturdy and reliable, suddenly felt like twigs beneath her, on the verge of giving way at any moment.  She kept her eyes focused on an imperfection in the mahogany paneling on the wall directly in front of her.  She couldn’t make out whether or not it was a knothole from a long removed branch or perhaps a chunk that had broken out during installation.  Regardless of what it was, she held on to her single point of focus while man after man approached her. 

The first, a
handsome middle-aged professional, gazed upon her with great longing.  He didn’t hesitate to run his fingers gently through her hair and then continue down her body to harshly grope her breasts and thighs.  It was all she could do to keep herself from kneeing the man in the groin but the threat to her family’s safety kept her feet planted firmly to the floor.

The second man was shorter than the first and brought his pockmarked face so close to
her she could smell the liquor on his breath.  He walked behind her and she could feel as he pressed himself against her before grabbing her backside with both of his hands.  She closed her eyes and breathed out deeply, her skin crawling with disgust and willed him to leave her alone.

Each man seemed to have
his own ritual, his own routine of important attributes he was looking for in a girl.  Some fondled.  Others merely observed.  But the look in each of their eyes was the same.  Pure malevolence.

As the men
finished their examinations, she strained to hear the conversations between those that were gathering in pairs in front of the fire.  She could only make out what those closest to her were saying.

“A nice piece of ass, that one,” commented one of the men
, pointing to Lera.  “But I don’t know whether she’ll survive what I have planned.  Seems a little frail.”

“What about the
other new one?  The big girl.  She seems like she could take a licking.”

“Maybe.  You know how I feel about the b
runettes though.”

“The
last new one on the end is a find.  Almost too pretty to mess with.”

“Are you saying she won’t be that pretty when she’s done with you?” the pockmarked man chimed in, laughing heartily.  “We all remember what happen
ed with that little Asian girl you took out.”

She
couldn’t stand to listen any longer.  She closed her eyes once again and began to hum softly to herself, a tune she and her sisters had sung together as children.  Although she tried to concentrate on the tune, the glaring realization that there were people in the world who saw her as nothing more than a commodity to be traded could not be ignored.  Although she understood her body was about to be sold to the highest bidder for the sole purpose of whatever depravity the man could conceive, she couldn’t bring herself to accept it.  She shivered.

God help me
, she thought,
because I may not be able to help myself.

“First up,” called the suited man from the far end of the room, “this fine specimen. 
Shall we start the bidding at $500?”

“$500,” called one of the men.

“$550,” called another.

“$600.”

“$625.”

The crowd fell silent.

“That’s all?  $625?  Gentlemen, perhaps you would like a second look?”  He paused to look around the room.  “No?  Alright then, $625 to Mr. R.”

Most of the bidding continued down the line in much the same way as the first.  However, one of the tiny
European women spurred a bidding war which she was sure would end in violence between the three men vying for her services.  Lera drove up a high price as well, bringing in $3,650.  By the time the auctioneer approached her, she wished only to bring in a high enough price to ensure she would earn the extra food.   

The features of the faces of each of the men were warped and distorted by the shadows that danced around the room, formed by the light of the fireplace.  They appeared to her each on
e more hideous than the next.  She focused her energy as the bidding began and concentrated on using her gift to ensure she would bring the highest bid.

“$1
,000,” called the first of the men.

“$1
,500,” called a second.

“$2
,000.”

“$3
,000.”

“$3
,500.”

“$3
,750.”

“$5
,000.”

The final bid silenced the
room and she turned to see which monster would seal her fate.  The drunken pockmarked man stepped forward.

“I believe I will have the honor of being the first to experience our newest beauty,” he said
, eliciting a round of laughter from the others.

“Go
ing once.  Twice.  Sold to Mr. V.”

Without notice, the women were immediately blindfolded once again and
corralled back out into the cold night air.  They returned to the warehouse in silence, none of the women daring to speak of what had just transpired.  After being led to her cell, her bindings were removed and the rations were allocated to all of the women.  As promised, she was given a double portion of food for having produced the highest bid.  As soon as the men disappeared up the stairs and the door latched scraped defiantly against its collar, she called quietly to Lera and Anya.

“Girls, come here.  Take some of this and pass it to the other
s,” she said, breaking the bread in her hands.

“But
that’s your food.  You earned it on your own.  You should keep it,” Anya said.

“No.  I’m still strong.  I’
ll only keep a little.  Pass the rest to the ones who are starving.  We aren’t starving. Yet.”

She watched as
Lera and Anya passed the bread through the metal bars of the cells.  Each woman took a portion for herself and passed the rest down the corridor.