Page 17 of Fear and Desire

Laura ignored the admonishment. “Claire, who was the blond man who just came out?” Her voice was barely a whisper, and she had to work to keep it from trembling.

“Master 1,” came the almost silent reply.

Master 1 was Dan.

Dan washere. Why? How could he possibly be caught up in something like this? Oh, fuck, wasthiswhat he was doing that he wouldn’t talk about? Hehadbeen undercover! A flash of anger like a lightning bolt coursed through her. Maybe he wasn’t the bad guy, but he’d known—he’dallowed—all this abuse and pain to occur?

She must have been breathing fast because Claire whispered, “You okay?”

Laura took a deep breath and tried to focus. He could get her out of here, right? Once he knew she was here, he’d send her home! Hope bloomed where none had lain a moment before. Once she could get him alone, then she could… what?

Convince him to break his cover and leave the rest of the women behind so she could go home? Dread filled the pit of her stomach. The Dan she knew wouldn’t do that. If he was here, in charge of this, then he was committed to seeing it through. She wasn’t going home.

The hope that had swept through her a moment ago vanished, replaced by an almost unmanageable amount of frustration, anger, and despair. As her thighs moved from aching to burning, she examined her situation objectively.

He couldn’t have known she was here, because he would have contacted her, even if it was a momentary locking of eyes, to warn her not to blow his cover.

She was going to fall onto the damn mat soon, but she refused to give in.

What were the odds that she would end up here, in the middle ofhiscase? Astronomical. Beyond astronomical. In fact, the more she considered, the weirder it got. All the other women she’d met had few social or family connections, and lived by themselves. It made sense to pick them off, in a twisted kind of way. But she didn’t fit the mold. Though she lived by herself, she had a lot of family nearby who would notice if she disappeared, and a job where her absence would be noticed five minutes after she failed to show up for a shift.

There was only one conclusion—someone had chosen her on purpose, because Dan knew her. Whatever the reason, she was going to have to act like she was shocked that he was here and in charge. And he was probably going to have to act like a cold and uncaring sonofabitch who could enslave women. But if he saw her as he walked by, he’d likely blow his cover without meaning to.

He’d said he was close to the end of his case. He must have been talking about the auction Claire had mentioned. She just had to hold on until then, knowing he would get her out of here when it was over.

In the meantime, she had to let him know she was here. And what she was going to do was risky and stupid, and she was in for a world of hurt. She prayed this was the right decision. She glanced at Masters 2 and 3, talking to each other quietly about ten meters away, and hoped it was Master 2 who caught her, not 3.

After taking a deep breath, she sprang to her feet, stumbling and heading for the trees. She slowed only briefly to look directly into a camera before sprinting into the woods. There was the expected commotion behind her, but she kept running, and it was so quiet around her that for one wild moment, she thought she might have lost her pursuers. As she slowed to look behind, her body slammed into an invisible wall, and she collapsed on the ground. Every muscle contracted at the same time and she curled on her side, unable to breathe or scream.

It wasn’t long before a foot connected with her shoulder and flipped her onto her back. Master 3 stood over her with his fist poised to strike. Before the blow could land, though, his arm was wrenched backwards by someone else.

Her chest muscles relaxed their grip, and she took a deep, shuddering breath.

“Marco!” It was Master 2. “Dammit! Never in the face! We can’t sell women who have bruises on their face. What the hell are you thinking?” He shoved the man back, bent over Laura, and yanked her to unsteady feet. Her mind was stunned, the synapses still dancing around without connecting. She was dimly aware that he pulled her arms back to click her cuffs together and grip her arm.

His eyes blazed anger. “Girl, that was so stupid. Do you realize how bad you’re about to be punished?”

She didn’t have to fake her fear. “Master, please, don’t. I’m sorry; I won’t do it again.”

Ignoring her continuous litany of pleas, he yanked her over the rough ground back towards the buildings, as Master 3 muttered and trailed behind.

They entered the barn, where he re-cuffed her hands in front of her, and yanked her up on her toes as he clipped them to a hook that hung from a rafter. He slipped a blindfold over her eyes, and the world went dark.

Dan:

Dan clicked the ‘purchase’ button on the computer one last time and sat back, rubbing his eyes with weariness. It was amazing how much bureaucracy came with running a sex trafficking ring. The men had to be paid, and bedding, clothes, and towels had to be washed. The women may have been naked, but they still needed soap, shampoo, and toothpaste. Everyone had to be fed. And then, there were the tools of their trade: whips and floggers, collars and cuffs, rope, and more.

And the auction had another thousand details to pin down.

Josh knocked and came in, his face in a grim line. “We had a runner, boss.”

“Shit. Goddammit. Someone not watching?”

“The women were out in the cleared area in a squat and the new one bolted. She ran into the electric fence almost immediately.”

Dan brought up the camera feed on his computer, rewinding to a point before the woman had stood. The group was still and quiet, with their heads bowed. Josh and Marco stood right next to them. And then, one figure rose and set off running, looking directly into the camera as she passed.

The blood drained from Dan’s face.It couldn’t be.He backed up the footage and ran it again, stopping when the woman looked straight at the camera.

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