The People Traders (16 page)

Saeed panicked and asked the others to cover him but they all declined. Then he looked directly at Karen. "Her, she's worth forty thousand. She'll be my guarantee," he said with satisfaction.

The man looked at Karen then back to Saeed. "In this bet, she's worth the call, no more: lose, Saeed, and I keep her."

Karen's eyes widened. Saeed was desperate to stay in the game so was offering her. If the man won there'd be no auction, she'd belong to him. However, her fears were dispelled with Saeed's next words.

Saeed held his hand up. "For the night only. The girl's worth too much to give away. You may have her for the night."

The man laughed. "Five thousand for one night, Saeed? I could have twenty nights for that sort of money. No, I keep her if you lose."

Saeed looked around; everybody was waiting expectantly for him to respond. The table was covered with money, and at the turn of the cards it would be all his. Only a tiny doubt ran through his mind. What if he lost? The buyer's coming tomorrow and Karen would not be here. Saeed began talking in his own language, a language Karen couldn't understand.

"Hussein, I'll gladly give you a girl from tomorrow's batch if I lose. Keep Karen for the night as your insurance for payment but she must be returned tomorrow. Her owner's coming.
"

Hussein raised an eyebrow.
"Who's her owner?"

"Sirec."

Hussein stared at him.
"She's Sirec's girl?"
he stuttered.

Saeed nodded.
"Karen doesn't know it, but the advanced client meetings for her have been cancelled. I have other girls to replace her. Sirec sent Jordan, his man who looks after the villa, to purchase her. I had no option but to accept his price, as you know, what Sirec wants he gets; Sirec will kill me and possibly you, my friend, if she isn't here when his man comes to collect her."

Hussein nodded slowly
. "I'll take the deal, Saeed. If I lose, so be it. If I win, I take the girl as security until tomorrow. Then she is to be exchanged for another to be auctioned on my behalf and I keep the bid."

Saeed sighed with relief, he'd won anyway but he had to be sure Karen would be safe.
"One other thing, Hussein."

"That is?"
Hussein asked.

"She must not be beaten or marked in any way. The girl's already prepared by my mother. Sirec knows she's perfect and without marks. Mark her and it won't just be me you'll answer to but Sirec himself."

Hussein shrugged.
"I am not afraid of Sirec,"
he replied somewhat bravely.
"Although you have my word, she stays with me until tomorrow, to do as I will. That's of course, if I win."

Karen listened, trying to understand from the few words she'd picked up, but she couldn't. However at that moment, Saeed reverted to English.

"The deal's done. If I lose, Karen, you're to stay with Hussein as my surety to the debt. Do you understand?"

"Will I be safe, or raped?" she whispered.

Hussein cut in fast. "I rape no woman," he retorted.

Karen smiled weakly, then stood quietly at Saeed's side. She was praying he'd win and she could go back to her room. Already nervous about tomorrow and the potential buyers she was to see, she just wanted time alone to compose herself, besides think what these buyers really wanted of her. Should she be quiet and submissive? Alternatively, should she be her usual confident and talkative self? Karen had no idea and was terrified that they'd reject her, leaving only the brothel alternative. She was brought out of her thoughts when Hussein turned his first card; it was a ten of spades. Saeed turned one; his was a Jack of diamonds. Then Hussein was next with another ten. Saeed felt confident the man had a pair the same as him but a lower number. So, confidently, Saeed turned his second Jack.

"I think I win, Hussein?" Saeed hissed with satisfaction.

Hussein raised an eyebrow. "Why is that, Saeed?"

Saeed shrugged. "Look, I've a pair higher than yours," he laughed.

Hussein grinned. "You would, of course, if my last card wasn't a ten, Saeed, but you see it is. Surely that's three of a kind and beats you?"

With those words, Hussein threw the last card on the table so all could see. Saeed stared dumbfounded at the three cards, his mouth opening and shutting like a fish. Hussein stood and pulled the money towards him, pushing it into a polythene bag, then he turned to Karen. "Come, it's time I left," he said to her, offering his hand.

She took it gingerly, following as he left the room. Saeed, suddenly getting his voice back, ran after them. "Here, handcuff the girl, she's prone to trying to escape and she must be back tomorrow, Hussein, we have a deal," he demanded.

Hussein glanced at Karen. "You want me to handcuff you or do you promise not to try to escape?"

She shrugged. "That's up to you, you're a man, I'm only a girl. How could I escape you?"

He grinned then looked at Saeed. "I don't need handcuffs, Saeed, she won't escape me and she'll be returned to you tomorrow, if you have my money, that is?" Then they left.

Outside, he opened the passenger door of an old car parked behind others. Karen climbed in and he ran round the other side, climbing in alongside her. Soon, after a few tries, the engine fired and they were turning out onto the main road.

"Your name's Karen, where do you come from in England?" Hussein asked.

"Manchester," she said.

He didn't reply for a time until they'd slowed at a crossroads. Then he glanced across at her. "How old are you then?"

She was looking down at her hands, playing with her fingers, becoming more afraid of what might happen to her tonight. However, she decided perhaps if he thought her younger than she really was, he may treat her better. "I'm sixteen nearly seventeen. It was to be my party tomorrow night. My dad had booked a room in our town."

He'd no time to reply as at that moment he turned into a small drive. In front of her was an old house, badly in need of paint.

"We're here, shall we go inside?" he asked politely.

She looked at him for a moment, why had his manner changed? At Saeed's he was harsh and, on the drive, trying to be interested in her but without any real compassion. Deciding she'd never understand these men, she sighed and pushed open the door. By now Hussein was round her side and grasped her hand gently, but firmly, not giving her the opportunity to run. He pushed open the front door and they went inside.

"Hussein, who is this?" A woman's voice came from behind. Karen spun round to see a woman of about forty coming through a door. Hussein went to her and kissed her cheek.

"We have a visitor, Rias, I sort of won her at cards with Saeed."

She glared at him, then Karen. "I'll have no prostitute in my house, get rid of her now," she shouted.

Karen looked indignantly at her. "I'm no prostitute, thank you," she retorted.

"Ha," the woman responded. "I suppose decent women walk round dressed like you then?"

Hussein cut in to stop the potential fight. "She's right, Rias. The girl's English, one of Saeed's deals. She's been sold to Sirec and Saeed made her dance for us tonight. I don't think what she's wearing would be her choice."

The woman stared at Hussein. The very word Sirec sent cold shivers down her spine.

"She's a Sirec girl, are you out of your mind, Hussein? That man would kill you if he even knew she was here."

Hussein started to talk to her in their own language, the woman shaking her head and throwing her arms about, close to hysterics. Eventually she calmed and looked back at Karen. "You will stay with us tonight. We have a spare bedroom but I need your promise."
Karen frowned. "Promise? What sort of promise?" she asked.

"That you won't try to leave and you'll tell Sirec how well you were treated," she replied softly.

"Who's this Sirec?" Karen asked.

The woman didn't reply at first but urged Karen to follow her into a small kitchen. Then she passed her a drink and asked her to sit. "Sirec is a wealthy man in these parts," the woman began. "He has eyes and ears everywhere and even if you did escape and go to the police it would do you no good. They, like everybody else in this country, are corrupt or supplementing their pay from people like him. If Sirec has decided he wants you then you're lucky, very lucky. You'll want for nothing and will always be protected. So when my stupid brother said you belonged to Sirec, you can understand my fear? Anyway will you promise not to try to escape, for me and my brother's sake?"

Karen smiled and touched the woman's hand. "Where could I go? Besides, I don't want you to get into trouble."

Rias thanked her and they spent some time talking, Karen telling her of her ordeal. She then asked Rias if she could use her telephone and ring home. She promised not to say where she was; in fact she'd no idea where she was, just wanted to talk to her mum. Rias sat for some time, staring at Karen. She felt sorry for the girl but the fear of Sirec finding out was very real. Hussein had come in on the end of the conversation.

"
What do you think, Hussein? Dare we risk it
?" she asked in their own language.

He replied in the same, not letting Karen understand. "
Tell her 'maybe tomorrow'. It won't be possible, of course, but it will save us any trouble tonight. Besides, let her do this and Sirec's bound to find out or the girl may mention it to him, then we're dead
."

Rias sighed. "
You're right, of course, I will say tomorrow she can call, giving her an excuse, but it won't happen as you'll leave early and take her quickly back to Saeed
."

Karen was disappointed she couldn't call till tomorrow, accepting Rias's explanation that in this area, phone calls abroad are through switchboards that close down at night. So after a small piece of cake with a glass of wine, they showed her to her room for the night. She lay there for some time, their words about this man who possibly was to bid for her tomorrow was spinning round in her head. Eventually she dropped off. She'd not been asleep more than an hour when someone clasped a hand over her mouth and whispered in her ear.

"Karen, it's me, Hussein, don't make a sound. I want to talk to you," he whispered.

Then he removed his hand from her face. "Rias is sleeping. Do you still want to call home then?"

"But Rias said I couldn't call till tomorrow."

Hussein grinned. "She didn't tell the truth, she was trying to protect the family in case Sirec found out. I can arrange it, mind you I want something in return," he said quietly.

"What's that?" she asked cautiously.

He tried to shrug indifferently. "I won you tonight; Saeed said I can do what I want with you, so long as you're returned tomorrow."

Karen's face darkened. "So?" she said slowly.

He touched her arm. "I want you, Karen, I couldn't sleep for thinking about you doing that dance round Saeed. I want you so much."

She sighed to herself. She suspected this might happen but had hoped when she first met Rias, she'd been his wife, not his sister. However, Karen wasn't so naive as to say no, just yet. Although Barry had called, she'd now left the ship and that was nearly a week ago. If they'd known where she was, someone would already have come, and they hadn't. She needed this call home to tell them where she was going.

"If I agree to what you ask, I have conditions of my own," Karen replied quietly.

"Conditions? What are these conditions?" he asked.

"I want more than just to call home, like I asked your sister. I want you to give me this man Sirec's address, so I've a chance of some help. Besides, I also want to call before we do anything."

Hussein's eyes widened. "You ask a great deal, Karen, wanting Sirec's address. But the call, can't it wait till the morning?"

Karen sniggered, her voice scathing. "So I'm letting you fuck me on a bloody promise. You're off your trolley if you think me that stupid; I call first, otherwise I'm not interested."

Hussein was taken aback with the girl's words but he wasn't going to walk away, after all, she'd practically agreed. "How do I know how good you are, you may be hopeless?"

She smiled at his crude attempt to have her with just a promise to let her phone. "Hussein, believe me, if there's one thing I can do well and I mean well, it is to please a man. The man who taught me was good, showed me how to excite a man, besides take me in every position, you... could imagine. Do you really believe I'd be a hopeless lover?"

As she stopped she could see his eyes widening at her words. He was hooked, the same as Barry had been and she knew it. Hussein touched her lips and left the room, moments later he returned with a telephone.

He pushed a piece of paper into her hand and moved closer. "That's the international code to get connected. I've included Sirec's home address so they know where you'll be, I can do no more. You've got fifteen minutes, call whoever you want. When I return I'll expect you ready for me. I want the works, Karen, what you're asking could get me killed if Sirec finds out."

She leaned over and kissed him. "Like I said, you can do anything you want with me, take me in any position, but there is one more condition. Have you a condom? I'm not prepared to get pregnant on top of everything else."