Page 107 of Hidden Trial

Inside, girls were chained to the wall. None of them looked up at the open door. The smell was almost unbearable. Antonio lifted his hand to his nose.

“How can anyone do this to another human being?” she said. “These are people.” She looked at Carlos. “You’re disgusting.”

He slapped her, and a flash of light burst behind her eyes, momentarily blinding her. She held her face as Carlos spat on the ground at her feet.

“And you’re anidiotawho needs to be properly trained.”

Antonio tsked. “I thought we discussed this. You promised to mind your manners.”

“I could say the same about you.” Charlotte took her hand from her cheek even though the pain still pulsed in her teeth.

“You disagree with how Carlos runs this place, fine. But don’t complain. You can keep your opinions to yourself.”

“And if I don’t?”

He leaned toward her. “Do you believe in a higher power, Charlie?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then think of men such as Carlos and myself like gods.”

Carlos laughed. “I am liking this story,mi amigo.”

“You’re nothing like God,” Charlotte said.

“Oh no? You don’t believe that God created humans to play around with? You’ve been around long enough to know he toys with his children, haven’t you?”

“No.”

“What kind of a god do you believe in, then?”

“One who created people because He loves them.”

“I can’t believe you actually said that. You sound like a little girl. It’s nonsense. If a god like that were real, do you think he’d let me do what I do?”

“You’ll stand before Him one day.”

“Will I? Are you sure about that? Because it looks to me like he’s not too worried about what I get up to.”

“I find comfort knowing that, one day, you’ll answer for what you’ve done.”

“If that gives you comfort, I suppose I can’t steal that away from you. But it won’t stop me doing what I want.”

“Mistreating women and girls, you mean? Treating us like trash? Like something less than human?”

“If it gets me what I want, yes.”

“It’s not very good business practice.”

“How so? You have a lot of experience in the trade?”

“This place is filthy, and so are those girls. Carlos might find he has better business if he didn’t mistreat everyone.”

“That depends on your clientele. I happen to agree with you, but then I ran a more expensive operation that catered to the wealthy. You may not believe it growing up in a cozy little town with everything you’ve ever wanted, but there are those who don’t care about the filth. It’s cheaper for upkeep. Besides, I don’t tell Carlos how to run his business, and he doesn’t tell me how to run mine. Now, if you’d like to take a seat in there against the wall, we can move things along. There is a space in the corner. I’ll make sure you’re settled in, and then I may or may not come see you later. It all depends on my mood, really.”

“So you have no interest in watching me suffer? Or you don’t have the stomach for it?”

“It’s simply a matter of hours in the day. I’m a busy man. I’ve got a lot to attend to, but if there is time before I leave, I’ll revisit our arrangement. See if your perspective has changed.”

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