“You got cameras on the back lot?” Bobby asks.
She presses a button and an image of the back lot pops up. You can barely see Dani’s head at the bottom of the screen; the camera pointing toward the parking lot instead of her. Within seconds, I see Dani’s hands flailing around and a rusty blue, older style Maxima pull up into the view of the camera. I see a man with a mask on carrying Dani’s lifeless body toward the trunk. The thought makes me swell with anger. The man is having trouble putting Dani in the trunk; he seems familiar to me. Then I see a person getting out of the car to help the man.
“That's the junkie; my mother. I fucking knew it!” I yell. She threatened to take Dani, I just never thought she'd have the balls to do it. That bitch is as good as dead.
-------------------------------------
“What’s your name?” Cassie asks. I just look at her, her body completely taken by drugs long ago. I wasn’t telling her my name, screw her.
“Fine. I don’t need your name,” she says flatly. “Tell me about the club; they run guns? I know they have drugs being an MC, right? You being Adrian’s Ol' Lady, I’m sure you know.” She fires the questions rapidly, sitting on the stained mattress with me.
Why does she want to know this; telling her would make me a rat. Images of the articles on the computer I had found that night flicker through my head. The club takes care of rats in a way I didn’t want, they kill them. Even if I'm the president’s daughter, being a rat wouldn’t go unpunished; even I know that.
“She ain’t going to tell you shit,” Ricky rasps. Their voices are making my head hurt. The pain from my head, my busted lip, and sore ribs makes me see double. I just want to sleep, sleep in Shadow's arms; just one more time.
“Doesn’t look like Adrian is showing up with drugs or money. Now what?” Ricky asks, making me aware of Shadow's absence.
“We could call Poppy,” Cassie says, her smile so disgusting it rips at my skin.
“Ah, Poppy. I bet she would go for a pretty buck!” he says in astonishment, his smile mimicking hers.
“Who’s Poppy?” I ask, the name making my skin crawl as it slips from my lips.
“Now she wants to talk,” Cassie says, proud of herself.
“Poppy buys girls and sells them to men with lots of money. A girl like you, I bet, would go to a high bidder.” Ricky raises his eyebrows.
If I don't tell them what they want to know, they are going to sell me into sex trafficking, but if I talk, I am sealing my fate with the club. My heart thrums with alertness. I feel cornered; no way out. Why hasn’t Shadow come for me? He should have noticed I was gone by now. Sex trafficking means being abused, drugged, raped, and my soul branded into an object. I wouldn’t be a human; I would be owned. Shadow is not the beast he claims he is. This bitch he calls a mother is a beast. Men like Ricky and Poppy; they are beasts.
“I’ll give him a call,” Ricky says, leaving the room.
I jump to my feet, pain ripping through my body and making it hard to think clearly. “Wait!” I yell.
Ricky skids to a halt at the door frame.
“How is Shadow, er, I mean Adrian supposed to give you what you want if he doesn’t know who has me?” I reason, trying to think on my toes at where I am going with this. I am merely trying to stall them.
“What do you mean; he knows who has you. I told him what would happen if he didn't give me what I want. I've given him plenty of time,” Cassie says, as she lifts off the bed to join Ricky.
“He is in a Motorcycle Club. I have had plenty of threats of being taken, sweetheart. He has no clue who has me,” I say, my tone flat and shaky. As far I know only she has threatened to take me, but maybe if I play my cards right I can make contact with Shadow so he can pinpoint exactly where I am.
“What’s your point, bitch?” Ricky asks, irritated.
“Call him; tell him where I am? Take a picture of my face?” I say, pointing to my busted lip and my head. If it looks as bad as it feels, it will make Shadow blow his lid for sure. “Show him you’re not messing around,” I pronounce, matter-of-fact.
“And what happened to my head anyway?” I ask, as it throbs loudly.
“I couldn’t get you in the fucking trunk,” Ricky says, laughing. So glad my pain brings him pleasure.
They both look at each other, both wondering if I had a point.
“Go get her phone,” she orders Ricky. He rolls his eyes and mumbles off into the other room. He comes back with my phone and starts trying to figure out how to take a picture. I look around the room to see if something can help locate where I am, but even I don't know where I am.