Page 129 of Depraved Desires

Footsteps sounded from further down, but the area was clouded in darkness, making it impossible to make out who it was. My legs were weak, and I had to lean most of my weight on the bars.

“Hello?” I choked out, razor blades clawing at the inside of my throat. I winced from the sudden pain, keeping my eyes focused on the spot I’d heard movement from moments ago.

A guard appeared through the cloud of darkness, his expression void of any emotion. He watched me with calculating eyes before he finally approached. I didn’t recognize him, so he couldn’t have worked at the club. The stench of alcohol waftedfrom him, bleeding through his pores and poisoning the air around us.

“Foster,” I forced out, through the pain in my throat.

The man’s lips curled into a sinister grin, revealing a row of yellow-stained teeth. My stomach twisted with disgust, and for a moment, I wondered what it would be like to gauge out a person’s eyeballs.

“I’ll tell you everything you want to know about your little boyfriend if you do something for me in return.” His voice was rough and deep, having the same effect on my mind as nails on a chalkboard would. He grabbed his crotch to emphasize his point, and I stumbled backwards, trying to put as much distance between as possible.

Talissa’s voice rang out. “Stop toying with her, Lance. You’ll get to have your fun in due time.” Her heels clacked against the hard floor seconds before she stepped into the dim glow of the lighting.

“Where’s Foster?” I asked again. “Is he alive?”

The thought of him being dead was an option I didn’t even want to consider. He might have pissed me the hell off on a number of occasions, but that didn’t mean I wanted him dead. A chill swept through the air, burrowing into my skin and eliciting a series of goosebumps. I shivered while simultaneously rubbing my arms up and down in an attempt to stay warm.

Talissa turned her attention to me, her lips curling in disgust. But there was a malicious glimmer in her eyes that let me know she was pleased that I was at her mercy.

“The bullet punctured his shoulder,” she said at last. “It was a clean shot. He’ll live. But if you want him to stay that way, then you must comply.” Relief spiraled through me at that revelation, and I could barely hold myself upright. For all I knew, she could be lying to make me more willing. I didn’t trust her one bit.

“Can I see him?” I asked. “At least for a moment?”

She hesitated, but then nodded. “Unlock the door, Lance. And make sure she doesn’t try anything stupid.”

Lance obeyed, pulling out a key ring before shuffling through them. When he found the one he was looking for, he inserted it into the lock and twisted. The cage door creaked open, and I hesitantly stumbled out on shaky legs. The sound of screams echoed through the air, puncturing my ears. My head whipped in the opposite direction as the sound of slapping followed after. My heart was pounding in my chest, wondering what the hell was going on here.

Talissa smiled in return. “I’ll give you a tour and then you can see Foster once you’ve had some water and food.”

My stomach grumbled in response, but food was the last thing I wanted. I wanted to see if he was okay for myself. She led me toward the screams, and they steadily got louder and louder as we approached a door. It was taking every bit of energy I had left just to walk. Once we reached the door, she turned to me.

“This is where you’ll go if you piss me off, or if the guards decide they want to have a little bit of fun with you.”

She opened the door and ushered me inside. My eyes darted around the room, acid clawing up my throat as the stench of decomposition and sex clung to the air.

A girl with long blonde hair was chained to some kind of contraption. Her arms were pulled over her head while some man pounded into her from behind. Sweat and dirt clung to her body as she screamed and cried out. When she raised her head, her eyes widened, tears streaming down her face.

Star.

On the floor near her feet was a dead girl, stained with what looked like cum. Her eyes were open and unseeing, and her throat was bruised. It looked like she’d been choked to death.

What was this place?

I glanced around again, taking note of the several machines hooked up around the large space. I didn’t know what any of them did, or what any of this meant.

A gargled moan fell from Star’s lips as the man slammed into her again and stilled, jerking her body down onto his cock with unrestrained force. Her head lulled to the side as her body shook with sobs and humiliation. I wanted to do something. To help her in some way. But that would just get me in more shit, and Talissa’s warning was clear. If Foster wasn’t already dead, she’d kill him if I didn’t obey.

“Next, I’ll show you the dining room.” She smiled over at me, like we were best pals.

Mother. She claimed to be my fucking mother. And this was what she planned on doing to me? Trafficking me, or whatever the hell this was? In my younger years, I’d longed to meet the woman who birthed me. Now, I realize that I hadn’t missed out on anything. She was a monster.

She ushered me into a dining room on the opposite end of the long hallway where cages were set up on either side. When we reached the room, tables were positioned all over the place, with a kitchen on the other side of the room.

Girls were dressed in bland colors. Some wearing red night gowns, others wearing black, and some were in blue. A few girls glanced up when we entered, pity shining in their gazes when they took me in.

As if sensing my confusion, Talissa placed a hand on the small of my back, making me flinch involuntarily. Her mouth twisted into an evil grin at my reaction, getting off on my fear. “The girls wearing red are the newbies—the ones we consider to be fresh blood. The ones in blue can be trusted. They’re the ones who fuck guys in seedy hotels for cash, go to house parties, and do as they’re told. If they wrong us, they’ll pay for it. The ones in black are the ones with potential buyers.”

Horror swept through me, wrapping around my lungs like a noose. “Why are you doing this?” I whispered, glancing around the room.

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