Page 26 of Sold Blood
“I’ll be sure to do that and good, I hate being unsatisfied. For the price I'm paying, I expect my merchandise to be in the best condition it can be before taking it home. I rather not pay top dollar for something already partially broken. I could just go shopping at Peaches and probably get a much better deal too. As for this one, you can leave him where he is and I can handle it from here.”
"Very well. I'll let Mr. Castillo know you'll be joining us tonight. He will be very pleased to hear. You be good for Mr. Masters now or I'll make you be good," the man with the scars hisses at me before making his way back to the elevator.
Carlos waits until the doors are completely shut, and the hallway is clear before lifting me up and carrying me inside the room. I land gently on the soft comforter when Carlos sets me down on the king size bed. "What have they done to you?" He reaches for my cheek and I swat his hand away.
"I'm fine, just playing the part, remember. It's better to pretend to be weak than for them to try to do everything they can to make sure I am. I just need a minute for the drugs from earlier to wear off."
"Drugs?"
"Yeah, I may have put up a bit of a fight when they took me to the creep’s room earlier. I wasn't expecting to see him again and when I did, I was hoping for the encounter to be over with quickly, the way it was yesterday. That was not the case. I got to play rag doll today and there were only so many degrading, foul words I could take coming out of his mouth so I may have kicked him in the balls."
Carlos laughs. "They should be lucky that was all you did to him. We may not know each other well, Joey, but I know well enough to know better than to piss someone like you off."
"Someone like me? I'm not even sure who I am anymore. Whenever I'm with those men or in that van, I'm not Joey. I'm someone else. Someone weaker and small. I no longer recognize myself and worry everyday they may break me enough that I forget who I am."
"You know I won't let that happen. Only a few more days and we can set this whole place on fire if you want."
"I want to do more than set this place on fire. I want to burn down their whole fucking world."
"Then we will, but it won't happen in a day or maybe not even this week. We still have your friends to think about. I have a friend who knows a woman who can help offer the boys a safe place to stay after we get them free. A place where they can recover and get the help they need. A safe haven for teens who've been abused or forced into prostitution. It's a place in Texas. I managed to find your friend Trenton today and he was in pretty bad shape with a sprained ankle."
"What if we can't save the others? What if someone outbids you and they get sold?"
"Then we will worry about it then and find another way."
"I want every single one of these men to suffer in the worst ways. They don't deserve to continue walking the same earth as me and you."
"I want them dead as much as you do. I had to restrain myself more than once today. There were many times I nearly slipped and reached for my gun. I wanted to kill every man in the room, but I didn't get this far to end up being fish food on my second day here. We stick to the plan the best we can, and the rest can wait for later until we've gotten you and the boys safely out."
I nod, knowing he's right. I'm too tired and hungry to see straight. All it did is fuel my anger more and clog my brain from forming any rational thoughts.
“We should get those wounds cleaned. I don’t need you getting an infection.” Carlos disappears into the bathroom and I sit up on the bed with my knees to my chest. The metallic and sweet smell of blood is stronger when I place my head between my carpet burned knees.
The bed dips when Carlos takes a seat next to me, placing a first aid kit in his lap. It makes a snapping noise when he pops it open and I immediately shake my head when he pulls out an alcohol pad. "No way am I letting you put that on my cuts. Soap and water will do just fine without the awful unnecessary burn."
He grunts. "Since you're having a bad day, I'll allow you to be a little difficult. But I gotta draw the line somewhere," he says, standing up, before walking back into the bathroom. He comes back out with a small white towel. He folds it four ways and lightly dabs each cut. The wet, warm material softly slides over my skin, only leaving behind a slight sting. Rubbing anything over torn skin won't feel good, but when Carlos's soft, brown eyes land on mine, I forget for a few minutes I'm even hurt to begin with. Their warmth surrounds me like a large comforting hug.
He sets down the towel to pull out a few Band-Aids. Warm air glides over my skin when he lowers his face to blow over each damp knee. A shiver runs down my spine when he does it a second time. He gently places a bandage over each cut with his eyes never leaving mine. There's a glint in his eyes that tells me my responses didn't go unnoticed. I don't know what’s happening. Maybe I've been in this place for so long that it's fucking with my head.
“Are you hurt anywhere besides your knees?”
I stare down at my throbbing arm and shake my head. “I think he just pulled a muscle in my arm, but I don’t think anything is out of socket.” He lifts up my arm and the warmth of his fingers sends a bit of comfort through me. I’m not sure how I could feel so safe near a man I barely know. Maybe it’s because I know Isaiah wouldn’t trust just anyone and that alone seems to be enough for me. He moves my arm in circles and I wince, biting my bottom lip to keep from yelping.
“Can you lift your arm on your own?”
I stare at his fingers which are still tightly gripping onto my arm and smile “I probably could if you weren’t still holding onto me.”
His eyes blink and he quickly pulls his hand back. “So…sorry...try now.”
After all the encounters he’s had with numerous bad guys who would've killed him if he made them even just a little suspicious, it's being alone in a hotel room with me when he stutters on his words. I lift my arm still smiling and slowly lift it over my head. “Moves a lot easier when nothing's holding it down.”
He rolls his eyes. “I see your sense of humor has remained intact as well.”
“As Isaiah always says, it’s easier to get through all the bad days with a sense of humor.”
“I’m glad to see you still have it after everything you’ve been through.”
“What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, right?”
