Page 3 of Stolen

I tried not to roll my eyes.

“Have you ever been outside of the cage? Are there guards? How many have you seen? Are they armed? Do they have accents? What kind of security have you noticed? Faces that you’ve recognized? Shit like that.”

I wanted to know if there were any weak points. There might yet be a chance to escape, and I sure as hell wasn’t waiting around for it to fly past me.

“Oh,” she said, her brow pinching together in concentration. “There are guards, at least five that I’ve seen, and they are armed. They come in three times a day to bring us food and water. They’re all total assholes, by the way. All high and mighty. They have rules we’re supposed to follow, but I’m sure they’ll explain that during your orientation.”

I lifted a brow at her. “What in the hell is orientation?” I asked sharply.

She sighed. “Basically, an introduction to your new position of ‘slave,’” she said, using air quotes. “They explain the rules, expectations, and give a little rundown about the auction. I guess they have one once or twice a month.”

“Really…” So these fuckos were a functioning business, stealing people from their lives and selling them like pets. Fucking vile.

“Yeah. After your orientation, they’ll send you to see their doctor. He’s okay. He does some routine exam, and if you behave during it, you’re rewarded with one of these,” she said, gesturing down and plucking at the “dress” she wore. How nice of them to reward us with clothes for good behavior.

“Fabulous,” I said, turning my attention back to the bars of my cage and deciding to try something that was probably really fucking stupid.

Bringing my knee up, I slammed my heel into the door of the cage where the lock was located. Pain swarmed my foot, but I didn’t care. Over and over, I kicked the door with every ounce of power I had. I could feel it rattle under the pressure, but the lock never disengaged.

“Fuck!” I yelled in frustration as I rested my foot against my leg and rubbed my now pulsing heel.

“Won’t do any good. Most of us have already tried that.”

“Most of you probably don’t know how to kick properly,” I growled.

Kayla shied away after that. I didn’t mean to be an asshole and insult her, but I was pissed to be in this situation, and rightfully so.

Just then, the doors way down toward my right opened, and three men strode in. All the girls who were awake staggered back into their cages, whimpering and attempting to put as much distance between them and the guards as possible. Their heavy boots stomped against the linoleum tile and echoed through the hall as they stormed in, finally stopping in front of my cage. The lead guard leaned over and looked down at me.

He was a scraggly looking motherfucker. Scruffy brown beard, broad bony shoulders, and a long skinny face that told me that he’d probably smoked meth since the day he was born. But, for some nagging reason, he did seem kind of familiar to me.

“Hey there, hot stuff,” he taunted. “Remember me?”

I gave him an odd look, furrowing my brows in question as I sized him up.

“Should I?” Clearly, he knew who I was, and I waited for him to return the courtesy.

“Guess not.” He smirked. “Don’t worry. I’m sure it’ll come to you eventually.”

Goddammit, was this son of a bitch the reason I was here? If that was the case, then there would be some serious blood between us in the near future.

“So… here’s how this is going to go,” he said, his deep raspy voice pissing me off even more. At least he got right to the point. I fucking hated small talk. “I’m gonna open your cage, and you’re gonna crawl out like a good little whore and put your hands against the wall. Understand?”

I nodded, my bitch face coming up full throttle. Time to test the waters.

The guard then knelt while taking out a set of keys. He unlocked my cage, pulled open the door, then stepped aside and motioned for me to crawl out. I moved on stiff arms and legs, my body sore and heavy from the length of time it’d been in its cramped position. I struggled to stand but refused to let them see as I walked forward, placing my hands on the white-painted concrete wall.

“Good girl,” the lead guard praised.

I could practically feel their eyes on me as they scanned my naked body. I loathed my vulnerability, and I wanted nothing more than to shield myself from their burning lustful gazes, but I knew there was nothing I could do about it now. Lucky for me, I was really big on fitness and worked my body to be strong and dependable, so my confidence was usually pretty fucking fierce. And then, a slow, low whistle slipped from one of the guard’s lips.

“Damn, this girl is ripped,” the whistler commented.

I had to admit, my four-pack was visible from a mile away. My biceps, though small, were rock hard, my shoulders well defined, and my legs lean and powerful. I worked hard to keep my body in perfect condition, and now, I would find out if all my training had actually paid off.

“She should fetch a pretty good price with that body and red hair,” the third guard said, lightly tugging on my locks. “She’s got a real pretty face, too.”

“Yeah, a rarity always brings in the best dough,” the other guard commented.

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