Elena
“Just pull off here,” I ordered Dmitri. I had had him drive a large van out to the border where we to meet Juan and the women we were purchasing. I had wads of cash sitting in a backpack in the backseat, ready to hand over to Juan in trade for the three girls he would be handing over to me. I had not been given any details other than that they matched my exact specifications.
It was about an hour and a half before dawn as we pulled to the side of a dirt road outside of El Paso. The road had a large dip in it that would hide them inside of a shallow ditch as the trade was made. Not that there were many cars driving by apart from some sleepy truck drivers.
The large van would hold the three girls, myself, Dmitri, Seamus, and Jenna who had volunteered to come along and help me keep the girls calm. We had no idea what they were expecting and what trauma they had been through. We needed to be certain two women were available to make them feel as safe as possible. Hopefully, they would believe me when I told them we wanted to help them instead of abusing them.
A shiny, black SUV soon came down the hill and parked across from us. Its headlights were off, allowing it to blend into the dusty, early morning darkness. I nodded for Seamus to get out of the van with me just as I saw Juan and another man exit the SUV. I grabbed my bag of cash and dropped it at Juan’s feet. “I’ll think you’ll find that the right amount is in there,” I announced, nodding to the bag and keeping a couple of yards between us. I couldn’t help but notice that the other man with Juan was easily half his age. Was life so bad for him that he ended up helping a Mexican cartel sell the bodies of young women at such a young age? That sort of business was full of victims, even if they weren’t being raped every night.
“You are a friend of a good client. We want to show good faith here. No need to count the money, Miguel.” Juan looked over at the younger man when he said this, revealing his name. It was another bit of information in my back pocket, though I hoped the young person would get off easy when everything was said and done. He didn’t look like a fearsome killer and rapist to me; just a young man in an unpleasant situation.
“Let the record show that Vipers MC appreciates that,” I nodded, glancing back at the vehicle. Surely the girls were scared and bound behind those tinted windows. It took all my willpower to stay still, waiting to get those women in my grasp and away from Juan.
“Miguel!” Juan barked at the boy, making him jump out of his skin. “Take the money to the car and get the girls. I’m sure that the Vipers are anxious to see what they have received.” Miguel nodded and ran to the SUV, practically throwing in the back and reaching in to grab an arm and yank her out.
I could see that the woman was African American, curvy, and older, maybe 28 or 29. She had probably been a slave for the cartel for quite some time, cooking and cleaning for them. They trusted her enough that she had minimal bonds and nothing to cover her face. “This one is great for service. She had been broken by many of my amigos for the last several years. I hope she serves you just as well.” Miguel walked the woman over and handed her to Seamus who held her tightly. She looked tired more than anything.
Miguel went back into the vehicle and pulled out the next woman. This one had a bag over her head, and her hands were tied with a rope. She was a good head shorter than the other woman and clearly younger. They had her dressed in a revealing skirt and top that allowed for her breasts to spill over. If I had to guess, this one was of Hispanic descent and under the legal drinking age or at least close to it.
“This one is a newer catch of ours from an enemy’s home. She is very complaint but a little timid at first,” Juan explained as this one was also handed off to Seamus.
I was getting impatient as Miguel finally went back for the last girl. As soon as Miguel reached in, I could hear her blood-curdling screams before she was slapped several times into submission. I tried my best not to cry or react when she was brought out as I realized what that the hefty sum of money had bought me.
The girl was young; too young, and bound at the feet and wrists. There was also a bag over her head. From the way her screams were now muffled; I could only guess that she probably had a gag as well. She was thin and pale with red hair spilling down her back. Worst of all, they had her dressed in lingerie that barely covered her body.
“Rafael handpicked this girl himself,” Juan said with pride as the girl was handed over into my arms. She squirmed and tried to break free so that Seamus had to help me set her on the ground, and I held her arms tightly. I hated the fear and the torture I was putting this young girl through, but it was the only way to keep a hold of her for now. “She has not been trained, but she is beautiful. If she gives you trouble, we can always take her back.”
“I like the feisty ones,” I told him with a seductive growl, wanting to make sure I didn’t let this one slip back into their filthy fingers. I knew more than ever that I was doing the right thing. I couldn’t let young girls be treated this way. I knew I had my work cut out for me with this scared little girl, though.
“I see,” Juan said, nodding as if he was picturing the whole scenario in his head with this girl and me. But the good news was that this encounter had given me two more names and three women that would never have to face predatory men like that again. I couldn’t wait to reveal it to them. “When you or the Skulls are ready for the next shipment, you know where to find me. It was a pleasure.” He winked at us before getting into his SUV and driving back onto the road. I waited until his taillights were far in the distance before I turned my back to the road and began helping Seamus load the girls into the van.
The red head in my arms was still fighting and screaming as Jenna helped me get her buckled into the middle between Jenna and the Hispanic woman. I sat in the middle row with the African American woman, as the men filled up the front.
“Are we ready to roll?” Dmitri asked as I finally got to buckle my seatbelt and slide the door shut. I nodded in confirmation, and we pulled out onto the road with the deafening screams of the young girl ringing in our ears. I waited until we were a good mile out before I tried to speak to them. I had hoped calmness would come over them, but the screams had just turned into desperate tears.
“I need you all to listen to me!” I yelled with authority. I hated to be harsh, but it was all they were going to respond to right now. “I need you to shut your fuckin’ mouth so I can tell you what’s going to happen when I take you home with me.”
The women were quiet; the African American woman was training her tired eyes on me. “What does a woman want with us, anyway?” she dared to ask. “Are you a lesbian or something?”
I shot her a look, so she knew I meant business. I wasn’t going to beat the shit out of her like those men probably had, but I wasn’t going to let anyone’s attitude get in the way of accomplishing this. “No, I am not a fuckin’ lesbian. Now, I don’t expect you to believe me with whatever it is you’ve been through, but I am not going to hurt you or make you my slave. I’m not going to let anyone do that to you anymore if you listen and let me help you. I’m going to have my friend, Jenna here, remove the sheets off your heads, but I need to know you won’t fight or scream. Can you promise me that?”
The Hispanic woman was the first to nod, and Jenna reached over and lifted her sheet off. I was hoping that the young one would allow us to do it too, but she shook her head and continued crying.
I turned around in my seat as Jenna began to coax the woman into talking. She apparently had been crying silent tears for a while, the stains from them streaked across her tan face. “How old are you, sweetheart?” Jenna asked calmly. “How did you end up here?”
The woman glanced back and forth between Jenna and I a few times before opening her mouth. “I’m 19.” I took a deep breath, knowing that I should have expected this when I asked for someone young. “My father makes drugs for Senor Rafael, and he didn’t deliver enough a couple of months back. So, I was taken as payment. Along with my sister. She was taken for Senor Rafael himself.”
I shook my head at the idea of a father getting into drug trade when he had a daughter at home. She was probably used to harsh conditions at this point. “How old was your sister?” I dared to ask. I probably didn’t want to hear it.
“She is 17, Miss. I haven’t seen her in two months.” I looked at her with sympathy, and Jenna picked up her hand and patted it.
“What about you, hun, what’s your story?” I asked, looking at the older woman who sat beside me.
“I’m about to be 30, I think. It’s easy to lose track of your birthday. They found my one night about six or seven years ago coming out of a strip club and took me. I’ve been their slave for a very long time now. They haven’t treated me too badly in the last few years because they trust me, and I’m too old to be in any of those men’s beds.” I nodded, listening to her. If they trusted her so much, she might have heard things. She could easily come in handy later.
I looked at the young girl who has since quit sobbing. I nodded to Jenna to take off her sheet and remove her gag while I worked at the ties on the other girls’ hands. I didn’t think they would run now. They both seemed to be calm.
I tried not to focus on the red and swollen face of the young teenager in the back seat. She had cute little freckles all over her face and long orange-red hair. “It’s okay baby. You can tell us what happened,” Jenna coaxed, pulling the shivering girl into her arms. I could see bruises on her body both fresh and old and could tell she was deathly afraid. “We want to help you. We won’t let those bad men get to you again, okay?” The girl nodded and rocked back in forth in Jenna’s arms as her hoarse voice began to explain where she came from. It instantly broke my heart. This girl was not the kind to normally be at any risk for such a horrible thing to happen. She had a family out there somewhere looking for her.
“My name is Kimberley,” she told us. “I just turned 15.” She squeaked that part out as tears began to stream down her face again. I couldn’t fuckin’ wait for the day that Rafael and Juan were going to be locked away for good and tried for their horrible crimes. They were going to rot in there. “My family and I were having a vacation in Cabo when they took me. It was horrible. Are you guys serious about helping me? I really want to find my parents and my little brother.” Jenna pulled Kimberley into her chest and cradled her like she was her own child.
“We’ll do everything we can,” I told her confidently. “I’m sure your family must be out there looking for you, which means they’ll be loud and easy to find. For now, we’re going to get you all some clothes and get your birth certificates and everything you need before we talk about the next step. If you’re up for it, you’ll have the chance to join an MC and earn some cash and have a place to live. We can also try and get you set up with a real job if you’d like.”
The women looked hopeful despite their scars and the obvious beatings they’d taken. I felt like all my hard work on this crazy case was not going to be in vain.
***
I sat down at the bar, feeling the exhaustion taking over me as I ordered a drink from Daisy. The older woman, I had left in Dmitri’s hands. She had been ready and willing to join the ranks of the Vipers immediately. She was going to be a strong asset, I could already tell. The two younger girls opted to come back to Tennessee with me and were sharing a room with Jenna, whom they had bonded with on the way over. It was a side of Jenna I hadn’t seen before, but apparently, she had a real motherly instinct in her. She had been able to make both the girls comfortable and sang them to sleep.
“You know, I just really admire what’ch’yer doin’ with these girls,” Daisy leaned over the counter and told me with a warm smile. She seemed to be more of herself than the last time we had spoken, so I hoped that meant Kyle had straightened his shit out as she told him to. “It’s amazing to see them escape and turn into beautiful young women.”
“I agree with that,” Seamus said, suddenly lifting his drink in a toast. Michelle and I both noticed the fact that he was making clear goo-goo eyes at Daisy and started to snicker.
“Seamus, I can smell your BS from here!” Michelle belted out with a laugh. “You have a crush on Daisy.” Seamus put his head down and walked away with several of the women heckling him along the way. I caught a slight blush in Daisy’s cheeks as she turned around and went back to work, wiping down the bar and getting everyone else their drink orders. What was that all about?
I didn’t have much time to think about it as I felt warm arms embrace me from behind. I turned around in my seat to see Reed, my number one man standing there with a smile on his face. The first thing he did was give me a kiss that would have made me fall to my knees had I been standing. It had only been a few days that we had spent apart, but it felt like a century. Who knew a bad ass FBI chick like me would fall so hard for a man again so soon after being played by my asshole fiancé? It felt like I had won a contest to get Reed, though.
“I’m so proud of you, babe,’ he whispered in my ear before ordering a round of drinks for everyone. “I want you all to raise your fuckin’ glasses for my bad ass Ol’ Lady here!” he called out, raising his beer high in the air so that it splashed out a little onto his hand and jacket.
Everyone raised their glasses and cheered before downing their drinks. Then, Reed hauled me over his shoulder and took me into the bedroom, throwing me down and locking the door behind us.