Series: The Moretti Crime Family Series by J.L. Beck
Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 111428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 557(@200wpm)___ 446(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 557(@200wpm)___ 446(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
I try not to focus on the future or what will happen tomorrow. It’s not promised for any of us, especially not under these circumstances.
“Yes, I’m afraid. I’m terrified, but I can’t let that fear own me. I won’t.”
“Then you’re stronger than me,” she shamefully admits.
“How did you end up here?” I ask, not wanting the conversation to end yet.
I’ve been stuck inside my head all day, trying to figure out my next step. Now that I’m here, I know the decision has already been made for me.
Her lip trembles and her eyes become glassy once more. “My father. He owed some money to the wrong person, and because he couldn’t pay, they took me instead.”
Heartbreaking.
Her response reminds me that we’re all fighting our own invisible battles, merely trying to get through today so we can see a better tomorrow.
“What about you?”
“I…” I’ve tried not to think about the circumstances that have gotten me to this point. At nineteen, I never thought I would find myself in a situation like this, but I can’t undo what is already done. “Someone grabbed me as I walked home after class.”
Julie nods. “What do you think they’ll do with us after the auction?”
She whispers the question almost as if she knows the fate that lies ahead but is too afraid to see it with her own eyes.
I shiver involuntarily, fear coiling tightly in my gut. A man willing to buy any one of us isn’t going to take us home to merely clean his house and cook for him. He’s going to use us, over and over again, leaving us a shell of the person we used to be. Nothing innocent will come from whoever purchases us.
“I don’t know, but I don’t think it will be anything good,” I reply honestly, licking my dry bottom lip. My throat tightens, and the fear I’ve been trying to swallow down and keep at bay starts to rise up again.
I’ve mentally prepared myself to be raped and caged by the man who is going to buy me, but what if it gets even worse?
What if I’m tortured?
What if he kills me?
The questions swirl, taking the shape of a tornado.
After the woman is done administering the drug, she takes her bag and leaves, as if this was just another day at the office for her.
The men come back around and start putting collars around our necks like we’re fucking dogs. The collars are heavy, made out of thick leather with metal rings on the front and back. They tighten them to the point of being uncomfortable and secure them with a small lock on the side.
Next, they put metal cuffs around our wrists and attach those to chains, which are hooked to the front of our collars.
Julie starts to sniffle. “This is wrong. How can they do this to us? Chain us up like animals and auction us off?”
The girl beside Julie leans over. “Be quiet, or you’ll get us all in trouble.”
“I don’t want to be quiet. I want to go home.” Julie starts to sob once more, her chains rattle as she struggles against them.
Despair and anguish are all I feel, along with deep sadness.
I look down at my own body and feel immediate shame. I can’t believe I’m doing this. Even after a few days, I think this has to be a bad dream. A nightmare I’m about to wake up from.
I’m so lost in my own head that I barely notice Julie breaking out of line and running toward the door.
“No!” I yell after her, but it’s already too late.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” The man closest to the door snatches her by the hair and pulls her back viciously. He slams her body to the floor violently, like a rag doll, and it takes every ounce of self-restraint I have not to rush to her aide. If I struggle or try and save her, I’ll be risking my own life. Is it worth it? The smart thing to do is turn the other cheek, ignore what is taking place even though it’s right in front of me. That’s not me… to turn and look the other way when someone else is in trouble, but what more can I do?
The other two men in the room laugh, the sound making my stomach churn. The poor girl is pulled from the floor by her hair while a man twice her size rears his fist back and punches her in the stomach.
No! I scream inside my head, desperate to help her, but too afraid to move.
She doubles over, practically folding in half, and cries out in pain before spitting blood all over the guy’s shirt.
“Fucking shit! Rick, how many times do we need to tell you not to damage the girls on auction day?” A guy with dark hair and menacing eyes, who seems to be in charge, questions with disgust as he walks into the room and inspects Julie.