People Trafficker (34 page)

Karen was looking at him, she’d gone cold inside, wanted to hate this man but it wasn’t what she’d always believed. She had never realised just how much she owed him until now.

“How was I to know? I was really sorry to see your house destroyed, Sirec. They did it for fun, for a laugh. I could do nothing about it. The house and the grounds were beautiful and like you say my room was luxury. I’d even decided to really work hard and try to get you to like me, want to be with me so that you wouldn’t send me on to a brothel, but by then I’d already called home and they knew where I was. If you found out, you’d have killed me, or sent me away. So I didn’t know what I should do. Besides which, Saeed and his friends had raped me and I was glad you weren’t there to pick me up. I was in so much pain, so scared of my future and worried if you’d seen me that way, you’d not have even given me the chance to show how loyal and loving I could be. Saeed had told me you’d not have a girl who’d been used and I’d be given to your guards, before being sent to a brothel. I cried myself to sleep the night I was raped. Terrified of what was going to happen to me.”

He could now understand why she’d returned to Saeed’s. Why the reports were coming back that they believed she’d take her own life. The girl had been more than scared, like she said, she was terrified. Because of Saeed, she’d no idea that the soldiers weren’t looking for her, and just kept running.

“So why did you return, Karen, you knew the risks, the real possibility of you being captured. When you saw the soldiers today, what was going through your mind?”

She shrugged. “I had to come, Saeed was still alive. I’d thought he was dead. I was being chased all over England, caught twice but escaped. It was only a matter of time before they would get me. Then there were the girls he took. I knew what they would be going through, so when I found out it was Saeed’s work I took the opportunity to finish our feud once and for all, besides find the girls. Was I bothered about the troops today? I don’t think so, after all I’d been there before and whatever, it was either them or me, I’ve no illusions about that.”

“Then you joined the army, why was that?”

Karen grinned. “I’m not in the army; I was told that I wasn’t a team player. I was a loner and although they needed me to identify the house and Saeed, they weren’t prepared to take someone who had no discipline, didn’t even know how to use a gun correctly and was a complete wreck, taking drugs to stop the nightmares and keep my sanity. So they dumped me in a training camp, gave me a rank and that was it. When I go back I suppose they will fire me and I’ll have to sign on unemployed.”

“Do you want that?”

“Of course I do. I’m not cut out for this; after all I’m really very feminine under all this gear. All I want is a man to love me, to grow up with, have a fun time and one day have children of my own. When I was training on the moor in driving rain and gales all I could think of was being by the side of a pool in the tiniest bikini you could imagine, letting the world go by, not running around playing soldiers. Now I’m hoping after all this I’ll able to walk down the street in safety and not keep looking over my shoulder.”

Sirec refilled their cups and took the seat opposite. He liked this girl even more now he’d met her. She was not only very attractive, which first alerted him to her, but now talking to her he found she was also very intelligent, honest, sensible and determined about her goals.

“You realise that this is the end of the line as far as the missing girls that are left go? The last two you are looking for including the driver’s little girl, were sold to men who live in the north. It’s a region full of marauding bandits and it would take an army just to pass through the area.”

She said nothing for a minute and then shrugged. “I didn’t realise that, but now I’m here I may as well go anyway.”

“Why, Karen, why are you so determined to risk your life? After all you’ve just told me you’re not cut out for this sort of life.”

Karen took a sip of her coffee and looked directly at him. “You want the truth?”

“It would be pointless if it wasn’t, Karen, but I also want to understand you.”

“I shouldn’t be alive now. By rights I should have died weeks ago. After all I’ve killed for revenge, for protection and in error. I was brought up a Christian, believed God had abandoned me. I suppose now I realise why he has let me live, perhaps forgiven my breaking of his commandments? It was to bring these girls out. They are innocent, like I was, but they are also weak, unable to look after themselves and deserve every bit of help I can give them. Even if it means I don’t come back, after all, if I failed God would no longer have a use for me and I should pay for my crimes.”

“You’re a very brave girl, Karen.”

“Not so much brave, Sirec, more stupid, believing I can save the world. When in reality I can’t even sort my own life out.”

He pulled a case out of his pocket and removed a cigarette. After first offering her one, which she declined, he lit his own, then began drawing on it slowly before replying. In some ways he didn’t want her to go, but could see no way in which he could stop her besides force and that wouldn’t work with this girl.

“Well if you’re determined to move on I’ll help you. But without the SAS, it will have to be with local fighters. They can move freely through the areas, the SAS presence alone would bring hundreds of troops down on you.”

“Why do you want to help me, after all I’ve not done very much for you, apart from cost you a great deal of money?” she asked confused.

He stood and walked to the edge of the room, leaning on the wall looking at her.

“You are right, there is a reason, Karen. The truth is I still want you as my girl. I want to prove to you that the money was just a means to an end, to get you away from Saeed, it has no significance. I’d like you to come and stay with me, after the girls are returned, and see if we can pick your life up again.”

“You mean as a prisoner?”

“No, not at all, you would never have been a prisoner. You’ll be free to go home if you and I can’t get on. I believe we can, and we’re alike in lots of ways. You will be at my side, meet my clients, not be locked away as some sex object to pass the nights away. Although…” he grinned. “I’m a particularly demanding and very good lover, so you will look forward to the nights, that I can assure you.”

She smiled to herself at his comment. “I’ll have to think about coming to live with you, Sirec. I do have a mum and dad and I’ll have to explain to them why I’d be staying.”

“I’m not asking you to think about it, Karen, the condition of bringing the girls out is you do come and stay with me. You become my lover; throw all you have into our relationship, so I can prove that I am the right man for you.”

“And if I say no, what then?”

“Say no and you go home with the SAS, the girls are lost forever. Say yes and you leave today to collect them, but you stay at least six months with me. After that time if the relationship is not working for us you may return home.”

“But that’s blackmail, expecting me to exchange myself.”

“Yes I suppose it is, but that’s the way things are around here. You have to fight for what you want, so if I have to give you a shove to decide, you can’t blame me, after all if you left with the girls you’d have tremendous pressure from your own family to forget me or more importantly, you would not know where to come back to, or how to contact me.”

“Will you be coming with me to collect the girls?”

“No, I have a business to run. But you’ll be looked after by my right-hand man, Halif, as Sirec’s girl. That means, Karen, you demand respect, help and above all you will be as safe as you can possibly be. Although be warned, there are a lot of people out there who don’t like me, who’d be happy to put a bullet in my skull. Those won’t respect you being my girl, as even the mention of my name could bring retaliation on you to get at me. So it won’t be plain sailing.”

She sat quietly for a time in troubled thought, he never said another word. After his fine words about liking her, wanting to be with her, the bottom line was she’d be expected to pretend to love him, enjoy his demands on her body for six months, even if every time it disgusted her, there’d be no escape. Karen had also noticed he was taking no chances of her escaping when they went for the girls, his main man would be constantly at her side to ensure she did return. Maybe even his promise she could go home, if things didn’t work out, would be conveniently forgotten over the six months and she’d never be allowed to leave. Could the families of the girls really expect her to give her freedom up in exchange for their daughters? Then there was the little girl of fourteen, what of her if she said no? Would she be abused for years, never see her mother again? All and more of these arguments were going through her mind as she sat quietly, Sirec watching her. Finally she decided.

“All right Sirec, you have my word. When the girls are on their way home I’ll stay. The only stipulation I’ll make is you give me time to settle and accept you as my lover. I’m not a prostitute or someone who treats sex as just something you do with anyone regardless. I admit I’ve had a lover, but I loved him, he treated me with respect and gave me time to get to know him before we actually made love. And of course Grant was also first and foremost my boyfriend, even if I didn’t know the real reason he was with me. But if you expect me to share your bed on the first night then you’d put yourself at the level of Saeed and his friends. It’d just be rape in my book and every night you wanted me after that it’d be rape. But give me time to accept my new life, our relationship, then for me you’d be my boyfriend and I’d be a very different girl. I’d be faithful and I hope a good lover willing to learn how to please you, I can promise that.”

He smiled inwardly, how he wanted this girl for himself. And if it meant she needed this time to settle, why not, after all he had every intention of her bearing his children far sooner than she could imagine, and a mother would never leave her children. “You have my word, Karen, like I’ve said to you; I can get a girl any time, but in you I want more, so I will give you the time you ask.”

He stood and walked round the table taking her hand. She stood as well and he kissed her gently on the lips. “I have to go now, Karen, take care love and I’ll see you when you return with the girls.”

Following him outside Karen waited until Sirec had talked to the officer in charge, before he climbed into his car and left. She then approached the officer. Pulling out a small pad from her breast pocket she wrote the address of the house they’d been to, handing him the sheet of paper.

“I’ve locked the residents of the house in the cellar. The owner is in there with them. He was the one who purchased the girl with us and abused her. Perhaps you will inform the local police to let them out in a day or so? At least he will have had time to experience just what the girl had to endure every day.”

“We’ll forget the police, I will go with my troop personally Lieutenant, this man’s actions and of course the shame he has brought to our country, necessitating armed intrusion, will not go unpunished. After you have talked to your Captain there will be a car waiting to take you to a place to sleep for the night.”

Karen told the Captain what had been arranged, however she didn’t mention the fact she’d not be returning with the freed girls.

The Captain looked concerned. “I’m not sure about this, Lieutenant, I should call control.”

Karen shook her head. “This was always an expectation of Sir Peter, that I’d have to go on alone,” she lied. “That’s why I had my own agenda, with your task to secure and extract. Besides, I know Sirec, so this is why he’s helping me. All you have to do is wait for my call, then bring in the rescue helicopters to pull us out. I’ll be a couple of days at the most, and then we can all go home.”

“Well if you’re sure. Are you certain you don’t want anyone to stay with you?”

“No I’ll be fine, just be ready to come for us. That’s all I ask.”