Little Doll (4 page)

Chapter
Five

Laila

Silence had once again descended on the room
so I deemed it time to find out what these bastards wanted from me. It was my constitutional right, despite what the two muscle-man assholes had warned earlier not to do.

I built
up enough courage and mentally demanded my lip to stop its trembling. The older man had his back to me pouring a glass of amber liquor for himself and his counterpart who watched me from the corner of his eye, a cocky smirk plastered on his face. He was clearly proud of his efforts in stumbling across me in the street.

The older man raised his glass to the other and they drank.

Do it! Just ask and be done with
it
.

“Who
are you and why did you bring me here?” I demanded with as much authority as I could muster, yet I knew my voice was weak.

The older man rounded on me
, his gaze a raging fire.

“You speak as if you are not afraid of me, my dear. Is
that true? Do I not send fear through that little body of yours?”

His
provocative tone incensed me. I loathed him.

“I’m not afraid,” I lied. “I j
ust want to know why I am here. You owe me that much.”

I watched
, albeit a little shaken as he cocked an eyebrow at my audacity.

He fell silent
but was careful not to break eye contact as he weighed his next words.

“
I owe you, do I? Hmm, interesting. Alright then. Do you like stories, my dear?”

I considered his question carefully before answering. I knew it was not a straightforward inquiry into my likes and dislikes. Everything I
said in this place could potentially land me in deeper.

“Depends what
they are,” I replied indifferently.

A smile played on his
lips, the balance of his expression cold and serious.

“Let me tell you a story
then,” the older man put his glass down and sat on the arm of the couch, his arms folded across his chest. The tone he took was mild, but I wasn’t fooled.

“
Not too long ago, there was a rat that lived within these walls…”

I watched as his dark
ened gaze swept across the room as if he was reliving the experience.

“You
could hear it scratching, gnawing through the walls at night, working its way through the house one room at a time. For months this went on. The vermin had made
my
house
its
home.”

He rose and
walked languidly over to the crystal decanter that held his amber liquor. I watched in uncomfortable silence as he slowly poured himself another drink.

“
I learned to live with it; after all, it was causing no harm to me and it clearly considered this his home too.”

H
e turned to face me again.

“
Then one day, after listening to his scratching within the walls, a thought came to me. You see, this rat sounded like a big fucker, as if it had been eating like a king its whole goddamn life… while under my roof.”

His tone
had taken a sinister turn, his menacing dark eyes boring holes through mine.

“
You see, I could handle the fact that the rat used my home as his home. We stayed out of each other’s way, never laying an eye on each other. But that didn’t mean that he wasn’t indulging in a little too much of my hospitality. You see, dear girl, the problem is this – I don't like being taken advantage of.”

He paused for effect, as if somehow his sudden silence should emphasize his message that so far eluded me.

“I had my people check through the kitchen. Can you guess what they found?”

He looked at me expectantly but waited not for a response.
Through his diatribe, I couldn’t help but wonder why his accent became thicker the more hostile he became.

“
The fucking rat had been eating through packaging and helping itself to the food. My food! Not only that, but it had been shitting in the cupboards right next to where it had been dining.” The man placed his glass on the coffee table, his eyes boring into mine. Slowly, he advanced toward me, a sardonic smile playing on his lips as he noticed me shift uncomfortably under his careful watch.

“Enough was enough
,” he continued. I could smell the alcohol on his breath as he looked down at me.

“
Do you know what I did next, girl?” Another rhetorical question.

“
I set a trap. It was a little cage that required the rat to crawl through it if it wanted the cheese I had left. What the stupid asshole didn’t realize was that once it was through the passage it would not be able to crawl back out. The next morning I woke to discover that my little friend was indeed a
big
fucker. Biggest fuck I had ever seen actually. Its eyes were big and round and when I got close to him I could almost hear it pleading for its fucking life.”

His face was now only an inch away from mine.
The slight smile he wore at first was now a wide, cruel grin. He chuckled to himself and took a few slow steps to stand behind me, his arm obnoxiously knocking my shoulder in the process.

The man’s voice was low as he breathed into
my ear. “I left the asshole in the sun for three days while it starved. No food, no water, barely any room for it to move an inch either way. Then I got tired of watching its beady eyes watching me hoping I would release it. So I emptied the bastard into a plastic bag, went to my garage and tied the bag around the exhaust of my Mercedes.”

A chill spread down my spine as the man
further lowered his voice, the words slow from his mouth as if he was wanting me to picture his every action.

“I only pumped the gas a few times to asphyxiate
him, but not to the point of death. I wasn’t finished with the fucker yet.”

His mouth was close to my ear, his lips grazing my skin. I felt sick to the core.

“I took him out to the yard, emptied the bag and watched as he gulped for fresh air, his tiny little lungs working overtime. There was little he could do. The greedy fuck was too tired to walk, too weak to even look me in the eyes, too fat to move. Probably for the best because he never saw what was coming next.” He paused for effect, not that he needed to, I was already struggling to keep the bile down.

“Open your eyes
, mamasita,” he said gently, but I knew it served as a warning. I hadn’t even realized they were closed. Juan was studying me curiously, while the other man remained in the shadows, his face down.

“I
took a spade and placed it over his neck.”

My breath faltered as the man
drew his forefinger across my neck. He was enjoying the storytelling far too much.

“
He struggled under the weight of the spade and as I pressed down I relished in the sound of his tiny bones snapping as I cut the fucker's head clean off.”

His finger slashed across my throat
, mimicking the story, and he laughed as if it had been the funniest experience of his life.

He was the
sickest most twisted man I had ever met.

“
Your issues have nothing to do with me,” I said through clenched teeth.

“I beg to differ
,” he said, looking me square on. “I don’t want you to dwell on the details – the moral of the story, however, should be food for thought.”

“What am I supposed to learn from that?” I asked, my words shaky. “That you’re a sick fuck
?”

The older
man squared his shoulders. Juan shook his head and smiled in disbelief at my boldness. I noted that the mystery man in the corner still hadn’t moved.

Instant r
egret threatened to crumble my composure. The air in the room thickened, becoming ice cold. I had been an idiot speaking like that to a man who clearly didn’t tolerate shit but, to my surprise, he simply stared at me as if in deep, contemplative thought.

After a few moments
, he retrieved his glass from the coffee table and swallowed a mouthful. Even the movement of swallowing was enunciated, his Adam's apple bobbing with the swallow. His eyes rose to meet mine with a mix of challenge and irritation. After witnessing his previously unruffled and slow demeanor, what happened next occurred so fast I no sooner blinked and had missed all threats of attack.

Unfortunately
, I felt the pain. His left hand rose at lightning speed and he backhanded me across the face with such force my feet actually left the ground. I landed painfully on my side, my hand shakily clutching at my stinging and inflamed cheek. My neck felt like it had whiplash and there was a definite tang of blood in my mouth.

I couldn’t move my body, I was simply too scared to do anything, even to breath
e.

The man m
oved to stand in front of me, where I stared at his polished shoes. Hands roughly grabbed a hold of my arms from behind and before I could fight it, my body was lifted off the ground so I was left facing my attacker.

The
cruel bastard grabbed at my face, tilting it slightly to the right to assess his damage. A ferocious storm raged across his face and I vowed never to challenge him again. Tears overflowed and ran steadily down my stinging cheek and over his fingers. He let go of my face, held up his wet finger and sucked it in his mouth. 

“Young lady,” he said, the velvety tone of his voice startling me, “if you are to survive here, I suggest you treat me with a little respect, do you understand?”

Clearly not content with his previous effort
, he raised his hand to hit me again. Squeezing my eyes closed, preparing for the pain, I heard the asshole laugh.

Nothing happened. Nervously I looked
at him. His expression was utter disdain. With a dismissive wave of his hand, he instructed the brutes to deal with me.

“Get up,” I heard one demand from behind. I hadn’t even the chance to respond before I was pulled to my feet and dragged naked back to my room.

Chapter Six

Laila

In a state of
incomprehensible shock, I stared numbly at the white paneled door as it locked from the outside. Only a dim glow from the light on the bedside table lit the space, leaving most of the room in muted darkness, a reflection of how my spirit was currently feeling.

How the
hell had this happened?
My friends and colleagues back home would have no idea where to begin searching for me. I had no idea how the older mans’ story was relevant to me or why he felt the need to divulge his hatred toward those who abused his generosity and trust.

Up until one hour ago
, I had never laid eyes on him so the connection between me and his metaphorical tale evaded me. My throat constricted as I tried in vain to even my breathing and calm myself but it was too late. The well of tears spilled down my cheeks and I finally relented to the grief that overwhelmed me.

This
place was a prison I feared I could never escape. The Latina had called this my new home. That very thought was enough to break my resolve. Alone and defeated, I stumbled to the ornate chair next to the bed. Sitting on the carpet I cried into the soft cushioning of the seat. My hope of ever getting out of here alive or unscathed had taken a severe blow during the ‘meet and greet’.

“Now
, now.” sounded a voice behind me. “We don’t want that beautiful white skin of yours all shades of red, do we?”

My
sobs caught in my throat with instant fear. I knew who it was. Along with the face, his voice was one I would never forget. Reluctantly, I turned to see
Dark and Dangerous
sitting on the edge of the bed, his legs open with his hands together hanging casually between them. He had taken his suit jacket off and placed it on the bed next to him
.

Amidst all my
crying, I hadn’t heard him coming into the room or even knew how long he had been watching me. Although he had already seen me in my bare state, I became panicky about my nakedness. My vain attempts to cover myself were futile.

The corners of his mouth twitched
as he watched me twist and turn. Slowly sinking off the bed to his knees and inching closer to me, his daring eyes locked on mine, the air instantly thickening with sinister intent. I pulled myself in tighter, not knowing what his next move would be. There was nowhere to run or hide, I would have to deal with whatever he dished out as it happened.

“I bet
you're wondering why you are here, mamasita,” he said softly, cajoling.

I licked my lips that
had gathered a puddle of tears and noted he was now looking at me with pure lust. Like a hawk hungry for its next meal, he watched my every movement, no matter how small.

“
See, the thing is, we are after someone who has betrayed my father.”

H
e paused, watching my face, waiting for some form of acknowledgment but the truth was I had no idea what he was saying to me. Not a word he or the older man said rang a bell at all.

“This man,”
he continued, his tone nothing more than deceptively friendly, “he owes us a lot of money that was not his to take. As you heard, my father doesn’t take kindly to people deceiving him.”

He moved closer so now I could feel his
warm breath on my face. I swallowed hard.

“We were about to cut our
losses. After much searching, he has proven to be more elusive than we gave him credit for despite our comprehensive and extremely reliable resources. That was until you came along and now, as if by divine intervention, we have what we needed all along to catch the rat.”

Jua
n’s eyes lit up at this revelation and a malevolent laugh twisted his whole face. I felt like vomiting.

“Wha
t does this have to do with me?” I asked so quietly I was surprised he heard.

“Well
, bonita. You have become the leading lady in this fine performance. You see, now that we have you, our traitor is sure to return and when he does, he will fall back into our hands. We get what we want; he gets what he wants, although… he will not walk out alive.”

“What makes you think
this man will come for me?”

“I am sure your brother loves you enough to want to save you, don’t you think?” he laughed at me.

“What?”

“You are all he has left, am I right?”

“Ethan,” I breathed.

A
shiver ran through my body as the weight of my situation bore down on me. Ethan was involved in this crime mob and I had no idea. Now it appeared he had deceived them and they were out for retribution.

He
was the rat!

“
You’re mistaken!” I stammered. Surely what he was saying was wrong. It had to be!

“No
, mamasita. For your sake, I wish it was,” he said, though I doubted the sincerity of his words. Finding me was like winning the lottery as far as he was concerned.

“
I don’t even understand what you do. How would Ethan even have been involved with all of this? Are you some kind of drug cartel?”

He smirked at my words. “Some would say
that but I prefer to think we are simply running a business catering to people's indulgent habits and, how you say… carnal desires.”

He seemed
particularly proud of his career choices but I was well and truly confused.

“Carnal desires?”

“We sell girls and drugs, bonita.”

W
hat the fuck?
I would kill Ethan myself if he were a part of this. I didn’t know what to say. What could I say? I was well and truly out of my depth.

“You look a little pale.” Juan’s fingers gently brushed my cheek. “Are you ok?”

No, I wasn’t! How could I possibly be ok?

“How much does he owe you?”

“Well, that depends really. How much is your life worth?” His tone made me nervous.

“What?”

“Times that by two!”

“
Two… what? I – I don’t understand. Look, Ethan wouldn’t be involved in this type of thing, whatever it is you have going on. You have to be mistaken.”

He wagg
ed his finger at me while tutting. “Oh no! No mistake is made. That day you graced us with your presence at the café holding a photo of Ethan, I knew there was no mistake. See, you are what we like to call a happy accident.”

He smirked knowingly
, clearly enjoying the pain etching across my face.

“
I can assure you, your brother is most certainly involved and he is now our number one most wanted. In the likelihood your brother does not return, my father will offer you for sale. He has taken a liking to you and judging by how beautiful you are he has decided you have the potential to earn our losses back. Granted, you are slightly older than the girls we normally trade, but your beauty is exceptional and is bound to capture the right type of attention.”

“You can
’t sell me!” I responded furiously. “This is America and that bullshit–”

“No
, bonita,” he laughed, taunting me. “This is Mexico. You are no longer in the land of the free. In fact, you are now in the land of the scared and the corrupt.”

As he said the final words, he pointed to me and then at himself, indicating which we were.

I didn’t know much
about the place, but I knew enough. And now here I was – a very long way from home in a place where the human rights had been laughed out of government.

“Fuck you and f
uck your father.” I said evenly through clenched teeth, my body shaking with rage. To hell with his threats! I wasn’t for sale.

Juan’s
hand flew to my throat. He was clearly unimpressed with my insubordinate behavior. His grip squeezed tighter as he hauled me away from the chair and threw me back onto the carpet, straddling my waist. He laughed cruelly when I clawed frantically at his hand and only after I was fully restrained did he loosen his grip. I coughed and gasped while mentally suppressing the pain from my winded side and burning neck.

“You guessed right
, mamasita. You will fuck me.” he snarled. “The problem is though - I just don’t think I can share.”

Pressing
his hips in between my legs, I could feel Juan’s hardness and my stomach lurched. His lips lowered to meet mine and he kissed me with such force my skull ached from being driven back into the floor.

It wasn’t an intimate kiss, it was a show of possession
before Juan lifted himself off slightly only to leer down at my breasts, his carnivorous expression causing me to break out in a nervous sweat.

“I
will devour you over and over again.”

H
is voice was lost in a world of lust. Determined and feeling a sickening sense of urgency, I pushed against his shoulders with the little strength that remained, but to no avail. He wasn’t going to budge. He was savoring my discomfort.

“I recommen
d you do as I say,” he said, his eyes darkening to a storm. “Put your arms on the ground above your head.” I ignored his order and continued in my fruitless efforts of defiance.

“
Do as you have been told!” he growled, pressing his groin into me, his grip on my throat tightening. Juan smiled in victory as he watched me raise my arms above my head.

Was he doing all this as punishment for what Ethan had done? Was I the one to suffer the consequences of something that had nothing to do with me?

“I don’t know where Ethan is…”

“Shh
,” Juan said, placing a finger to my lips. “I don’t want to hear it. Suck. And don’t bite,” he raised as eyebrow as a warning. “Open up.”

Reluctantly,
I did as I was told even though I was utterly repulsed by his instruction. He slid his finger into my mouth and waited for me to suck before pulling it back out. Feeling belittled and degraded, I endured the asshole rubbing his finger over my lips, moistening them with my own saliva before lifting his torso off mine.

“I wanted to do this to you as soon as you walked into that café. Fucking teasing me with
your white shirt hugging your breasts, that pale cleavage just asking to be licked. I have to have you.”

His
free hand slid up my inner thigh while the other remained tight around my neck. He wasn’t planning on releasing his hold and with each struggle the pressure only increased.

Juan
’s greedy, invasive hand rubbed over my sex, his fingers threatening entry. My body froze with terror as I began to sob, my lungs struggling to get air. His lips gently touched mine, this time in a deceiving intimate gesture as he lingered and caressed.

Moving
his way over my cheek, across my jawline and under my ear, a groan reverberated from his throat. I could hear him sharply inhale and felt his warm breath against my skin as he exhaled. My chest rose and fell in shallow breaths as I struggled for air. The more turned on he was the tighter his grip around my neck became.

His eyes narrowed and the corners of his mouth twitched into an evil
smile before he slowly inserted his finger halfway inside me. Squeezing my eyes closed against the humiliation, I could sense him smiling, taunting me with each second of discomfort that passed.

“
So fucking beautifully tight, just as I imagined. Open your eyes, mamasita. Enjoy our special moment.”

“Juan, get off her.”

My eyes flew open a
t the sound of an unfamiliar and annoyed male voice. I didn’t know who it was but I was thankful for the interruption.

Juan’s
hand once again tightened around my throat until I could no longer scrape any air through. I scratched furiously at his offending hand, but he never once flinched.

“Fuck off
, Aiden!”

Juan didn’t even turn to face his intruder.
Instead, his eyes bored holes into mine. With a snarl on his lips, he was truly a frightening man.

“Get
. The. Fuck. Off. Her!” the voice said with more power. “Hector would cut your balls off if he saw you right now, so fuck off out of this room.”

Juan
released a loud grunt of frustration mixed with a malevolent laugh. In one motion, he pulled his finger out of me and released my throat. I choked and swallowed urgently for air, allowing my lungs to fill to their capacity. He rolled aside and I rose, clutching my neck.  I staggered back toward the wooden dresser and watched as Juan got to his feet, his erection clearly visible for all to see beneath his pants.

Taking a step to retrieve his jacket,
he no longer blocked the other man from my line of sight. I recognized him immediately as the statue from the library.

Juan eyed
the man he called Aiden for what seemed like forever, not either of them breaking their deathly stare. Taking a step back, Juan turned and placed his face level with mine, inching closer to whisper in my ear. I recoiled away from him but he only closed the gap, his body a looming presence.