Imperial

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Plastic tie wraps trapped my wrists as I was led away, and I didn't look for him again. He was gone, a figment of my imagination now. Machi was my past, this man was my future.

I'll keep fighting, nothing will stop me.

Not him, not chains, whips, locks—nothing will keep me from making him regret buying me.

The man spread the curtain apart, exposing the front entrance. I was struck by how plain he seemed to be. His shirt was a basic, red button-up with a black tie, his hair was brushed to the side, tucked neatly behind his ear. He wasn't overly tall or short, thick or thin, he just looked normal.

I didn't recognize his face, but I wanted to hear him speak. Maybe I knew his voice, maybe he was one of the men at breakfast. Until he spoke, all I could do was wonder.

The double doors smiled at me, the chain link lips spread up, twinkling in delight as we turned down a corridor I hadn't seen yet.

My muscles twitched to break loose and charge the door, I had the chance before and I didn't take it. I let Machi thread me into his world like a stitch in fabric.

But I had unraveled, dangling like a loose loop just waiting to be pulled.

Machi told me to do what he had taught me.

That was easier said than done. Machi made me feel safe, he let me speak freely when we were alone, he allowed my mind to have its own thoughts.

I didn't know this other person at all.

“Where. . . Where are we going?” I asked, crunching my lids slightly, afraid he might turn and slap me for speaking.

The man stayed quiet, his breathing heavy and quick as we took turn after turn through the belly of the hotel.

Please, don't take me upstairs. Don't take me to one of those rooms.

I wanted to beg and plead with him to go easy on me. I hadn't endured the same training I assumed others had been through.

My gut twisted, crumbling up like someone had reached inside and balled up my stomach like an empty bag.

“Please, tell me where you're taking me. I—I need to know.”

Flicking his eyes over his shoulder quickly, I saw sweat trickling down over his temple. But he still didn't speak, keeping his lips glued shut and darting his eyes forward.

His hand squeezed around my forearm as he stopped at a solid blue door. Looking up, the small square sign blinked in red letters. Exit.

Throwing open the door, I was hit with air that was salty and sweet. It splashed over my face, causing my chest to hiccup from the sudden chill.

We're outside. He's taking me away, he's bringing me. . . Home.

Thinking that word should have made me fill with joy and excitement. Home was where my life was and it was waiting for me to come back.

But we weren't going to my home. . . We were going to his.

'Meet your new master.' The announcer's voice bombarded my skull, layering my thoughts in new questions and filling my head with images no one should ever have to imagine.

Stumbling over the ground, sharp burs cut my heels as I walked barefoot over a parking lot made of crushed shells and sea glass. The man walked briskly to a silver sedan and yanked the back door open.

“Get in.” Guiding me inside, he leaned over before closing door. “Lay on the floor and don't come up until I tell you to.”

I listened. I didn't question or argue with him about putting me on the floor like the family pet. Machi had been very clear, survival came from listening, it came from swallowing orders and just doing what I was asked to do.

This man was uncharted territory. Was he mild-mannered and calm? Did he have a short fuse that could burst in a flash?

I had no clue if he had compassion inside or if he was filled with anger he couldn't wait to unleash on me. I did what he said, lowering myself onto the itchy carpet and curling up behind the passenger's seat.

The waves crashed on the rocks, spitting water onto the window. Looking up, I watched the stars twinkle overhead and the clouds slowly crawl around the moon.

It was the first time I had been outside in two weeks. I wasn't sure why, but the moon seemed brighter, the air cleaner, and the sky—it was the ocean for the stars.

Staring into the night had never been more beautiful, so I let it embrace me, making a mental snapshot of the picture overhead.

Because I had no idea if I'd ever get the chance to see it again.

Pop!

Perching my head up, I angled my ear towards the window. What the hell was that?

“Stay down,” the man barked as he rustled the keys from his pocket and picked through them for the one he needed.

Tucking my head under my arms, I tried to make sense of the noise I heard. It could have been anything; a car backfiring, a firework.

Only it wasn't.

Pop!

A second shot rang out as the engine turned over and the man laid into the pedal. Grains of sand sprayed up, kicking back and pinging off the cars parked around us.

The car  pounced into motion, causing me to jerk forward and slam into the hard bottom of the seat. “Ahh!” I yelled, cradling my head in my hands to protect it.

“Stay down!” Screaming, I heard his hands whip around the wheel as the car took a hard right.

The motor revved high, each gear shifted into place with a violent grind. Peeking, I watched his eyes dart between the mirrors, watching all around us as we left the dark hotel in a heap of shadows.

He looks nervous, or maybe he's anxious. He didn't look like the other men I had seen at the auction. This man was on edge, frantically rubbing his forehead. His eyes were huge, gaping open, unable to blink.

Holding the wheel in one hand, he rummaged around in the center console and pulled out a small hand held radio. “This is Officer Bentley Roberts, I need officers to respond to Three seventy-seven Gordon Road. Shots have been fired! You hear me? Shots fired!”

Officer?

Shots fired?

Everything around me began to surge and expand. My chest heaved, my pores opened like trenches as sweat drenched my neck and face.

Gun shots—

Oh my God, is Machi okay?

Shooting up onto my knees, I yelled at the cop. “We have to go back! We need to go back! He might be hurt, we have to help him!”

“Get down!” Digging his fingers into my shoulder, he pushed me back beneath the seat. “My guys are on the way, they'll be there soon. There's no way in hell I'm bringing you back there.”

“But what if he's been shot? What if he needs me? I have to go help him!” Tears sprung to life as the severity of the situation set in.

Machi had been my captor. . . But he was also my freedom.

If he had risked everything to get me out, if they knew who Bentley was, they'd kill Machi in a fucking second.

“Please!” I yelled, reaching for his arm. “Take me back!”

“No!”

“You have to!”

“I'm sorry, we can't go back.” His eyes softened as he pulled his gaze off the road to look at me. “Imperial, are you okay?”

I wasn't sure what to say. I wanted to jump over the seat and hug him for what he did. I wanted to punch him and kick him and force him to take me back to Machi. I needed to know if he was okay, I had to know if he was still alive.

“I'm okay, but I need to know if someone else is too.”

“Right now I need you to stay down, don't come up until I tell you it's safe.”

“What's happening? How do you know who I am?”

Officer Roberts looked back out the windshield, squeezing the steering wheel in both hands. “Let's just say you have a guardian angel, and he led me right to you.”

“Machi? Machi did this?”

Smiling, Bentley kept his eyes on the road. “Feels good to have someone looking out for you, doesn't it?”

Pushing up on my elbow, I scratched at my arm. “I had no idea he was doing this.”

“That makes two of us.”

“What happens now?”

“Well, you'll go into protective custody for a little bit, until we know for sure you're absolutely safe. And then you go home, Imperial, you go home.”

“What about Machi?”

Pursing his lips, his eyes lowered to mine. “I don't have an answer for you.”

The air in my lungs suddenly felt hot, searing my chest like sparks off a fire.

I was safe now, Machi had held his promise, he sent me home.

I owed him everything, I owed him my life.