Pink Shades of Words: Walk 2016 (10 page)

Goosebumps broke out all over my skin as I imagined what he was going to do to me. But he was right.  I needed to get my shit together. Spinning around, I puffed out a long breath when I realized I was next in line.

The platter I picked up had tiny shrimp puffs, so I figured it would be cleared off in no time and I’d be able to escape back to the kitchen fairly soon.

“I got this,” I whispered to myself as the door swung open and I caught my first glimpse of the function. It wasn’t at all what I had expected. It was just a bunch of pompous assholes sitting around sipping alcohol from their tumblers and smoking cigars. To the left, a few girls danced around stripper poles on what looked like a portable stage, but nobody seemed to even be paying attention to them.

Strolling into the room, I confidently made my way toward the guests, offering appetizers to the men. Their obnoxious eyes roamed up and down my body, making me feel just as dirty as I had in the past.

I tried to tune out Marcus’ irritated grunts.  Through the hidden camera feed, he no doubt was picking up how they were gawking at me. It was to be expected, I guess. This outfit left little to the imagination.

The other waitresses were scattered throughout the area.  Each with the same practiced, blank look on their faces. I’m sure their skin was crawling as much as mine was.

Scanning the room a few times, I saw the stairs that led to the second floor. A man adjusting his jacket strolled down while two others seemed ecstatic as they prowled up. Senator Kendall was nowhere to be seen. For a split second, I wondered if we were at the wrong party. That was, until I approached what looked like the dining room.

I heard what was happening before I saw anything.

Someone had left one of the sliding doors open, wide enough for me to see the four girls splayed out across the long mahogany dining table, bound and gagged, completely exposed. It was the same table I imagined Senator Kendall’s family ate their meals at.

A shiver of disgust ran down my spine.

Naked men surrounded the table, stroking their erections, and their greedy stares made my stomach twist.

I heard Marcus growl, a noise that started in his chest as it rolled up and ended in his throat. “Make sure you capture every one of those motherfucker’s faces.  We’ll blur out the girls before we broadcast it.”

Just hearing him on the other end calmed my nerves.  He may not have been with me physically, but just like so many other times, he was here to back me up emotionally.

A man stepped between one of the girl’s spread legs, and my heart stopped. I was frozen in my spot when she turned away and peered directly at me. I shook my head, placing a trembling hand to my mouth.

No, no, no, please don’t let this happen
.

Tears rolled down the sides of her face as she attempted to control her cry while she stared at me with pleading eyes. I knew from experience, the more tears you shed the harder they were on you. 

Sweat broke out all over my body. I had to do something, but what? Panicked, I could practically feel my heartbeat in my throat when a bulky, fully clothed man narrowed his eyes at me. Pushing away from the wall, he lumbered in my direction.

“Get away from there, Alexa,” Marcus said in the authoritative tone he usually reserved for emergencies. “
Now
.”

The clothed man suddenly towered above me, blocking my view from what was going on. But it didn’t matter. I knew what was happening. I could hear the primal male grunting and stifled female cries. 

The Hulk-sized man gave me a menacing look. “Unless you want to join in, you best be moving the fuck on.”

I gulped. Of course I wanted to leave. I wanted to be anywhere but here, but how could I just walk away after seeing that? Those weren’t their fucking fantasies. They were being raped.

Dammit
!

“We’ll get those bastards, baby.  I promise. We’ll save the girls, just get the fuck away from there. Please.” Marcus sounded desperate, worried, and it reminded me that I could blow this whole thing and those girls wouldn’t be any closer to freedom.

I ducked my head, letting my hair cover my face as I turned to walk away. I swallowed hard, fighting the sobs burning in my chest.

Oh my god. 
I was just as guilty as every single person who’d done nothing while I was led off to private a room. My heart clenched tight as I peeked over my shoulder and saw that the door to that room was now shut.

Suddenly, a man’s strong fingers wrapped around my hips as he pulled me toward his body. He said something in a language I didn’t understand, but I sure as fuck caught the universal crude gestures he made with his mouth and tongue. I pulled away from his grip while shaking my head no and raced toward the kitchen, clinging onto my platter.

I left the empty tray on the kitchen island, propping my hands against the counter as I struggled to keep my gag reflex in check. Holding up a finger, I told one of a kitchen staff member, “I’ll be back for that. I just need some fresh air.”

His eyebrows furrowed perceptively. He knew what went on here. Of course he did. Everyone did. I couldn’t let that sink in, though. I had to get out. Turning on my heel, I darted out of the room and headed for the servants’ entry where I’d come in.

“Can you talk to me?” Marcus asked with a strained voice.

As soon as the cold night air hit my overheated skin, I leaned against the handrail, trying to catch my breath. “Give me...a minute,” I rasped before I bent over and puked out the little bit in my stomach.

My grip tightened on the edge of the jagged concrete banister, and I welcomed the sharp bite to my palms. The sting gave me something else to concentrate on while I slowed my breaths now visible in the chilly air. Tears ran down my cheeks as a sob finally escaped my throat.

The background noise on Marcus’ side suddenly became louder, reminding me that he wasn’t alone. He had a whole gang of vigilantes just waiting for me to give the go ahead.

“If I didn’t know how badly you wanted this guy, I’d pull you out of there right now,” he said.

I kept my voice down so I wouldn’t be noticed. “No.  You promised.  I need to save them. I can’t unsee that and it’ll haunt me for the rest of my life.”

Even after everything I’d gone through, this was a first for me. Whether I was the senator’s plaything for the weekend, or a fun time for a group of diplomats at a function, my abuse had always taken place in private rooms, away from the other girls. And I’d never witnessed firsthand what had happened to them, either.

Marcus’ serious tone forced me to pay attention. “I know, but
you are
my priority. We can still go in, get those assholes, and save the girls, but you will not get your justice and we won’t have anything on the senator. He will continue to do this.”

“But those men probably have political immunity,” I pointed out sadly. “The law can’t touch them.” As much as I’d love to see guys like that rot in prison, vengeance toward anyone involved in human trafficking had festered in my gut for too long to just walk away. I wanted all of them to suffer, but I especially needed
him
to pay. 

“Sweetheart, you and I both know that’s not an issue. Most of what we do doesn’t involve the law.” I heard the pride in his voice.

My shoulders relaxed at his reaffirming words.

He puffed out a frustrated breath.  “Tell me what your gut is saying right now.”

I knew his irritation wasn’t directed at me, and I didn’t hesitate with my answer. “I want him to know what it feels like to be completely humiliated. To have absolutely no control and be in utter fear of what’s going to happen to him.” Just verbalizing my feelings gave me the drive to keep going.

“Then take a few more minutes to refocus, get back inside, and nail that asshole.” His tone suddenly changed. I could practically hear the smile in his voice. “And remind me to never piss you off, spitfire.”

Hearing his nickname for me made my insides melt, but I plucked anxiously on my bottom lip. “Is this your ‘put my big girl panties on’ speech?”

His genuine chuckle was just what I needed to hear. “Hell, no. Put those little frilly panties on that I love so much,” he teased, helping me shake off my uneasiness.

Standing straighter, I regained my confidence and walked back inside. I wasn’t shocked to find Genevieve waiting for me with her arms across her chest.  I just hoped she hadn’t heard me talking outside.

Her glare burned a hole clear through to my soul as she barked through gritted teeth, “Did I say you could have a fucking break?”

After Marcus’s pep talk, I didn’t let her get to me this time. But I had to act the part. “I’m sorry.  I must’ve eaten the same thing Claudine did.” I wiped my forehead with my arm and blew my vomit-laced breath into her face. She grimaced, and I had to stifle a vindicated smile. “But none of the guests saw me.  I’m okay to keep working.  If I feel sick again, I’ll make sure to duck into the bathroom.”

Her nostrils flared as she angrily exhaled. “Eat a fucking mint or something before you go back out there.” Then she turned, still scowling, and stepped out of the room.

My eyes popped up to find the same guy who’d given me my first tray of hors d’oeuvres. He passed me a couple fresh mint leaves. “Here, chew on these.  They’ll help with your stomach and your, um...breath.”

“Thanks.” I popped the leaves in my mouth. At least
someone
here was willing to help.

With my appetizers balanced on one hand, I rejoined the party. I was determined to let tonight’s host know exactly what I thought about his party.

Senator Kendall had no idea what I was capable of now, but he sure as hell was about to find out.

––––––––

M
ARCUS

––––––––

K
eeping my eyes on the screen, I moved the headset off one ear and muted my microphone. “Did you clean up that video yet?”

“Still working on it, boss.” Chad stared at his monitor, maneuvering his computer mouse.

Chad was a quick, precise motherfucker, and I sure as hell was glad he was on my team.  I knew he could handle this job better than anyone else.

“Okay, make sure none of the girls can be recognized, but clear up anything that looks grainy on the guys.” I put the headphone back in place, closely scanning everything on the monitor. Taking in the hungry faces on the assholes around Alexa as they devoured her with their eyes.

She was a tough girl and could handle a lot of shit, but damn, I hoped this didn’t set her back.  From what she’d told me, it had taken years of therapy for her to stomach being in the same room with a group of men.

The majority of my team was already in place, acting as valets while they kept a close eye on things from inside the mansion gates. The rest of us were packed in the back of a large, mock utility company van, where we’d set up our surveillance just outside those same gates.

Most days, I loved my fucking job. Today, however, having Alexa in the middle of this shit-storm had me on edge. I’d been doing mercenary work like this since I left the military a few years ago, but had only been working with my buddy, Dante, and his family’s organization these last six months, after we’d nailed a mutual enemy together.

He and his family had their own reasons for taking scumbags like these down. And their organization specialized in doing so, completely off the grid, all while keeping their records clean. While their reasons were personal, mine had always been professional, until today.

Alexa and I had already met up with Dante this morning, and he’d given his usual ‘whatever it takes’ stamp of approval.

My palms were sweating now. I couldn’t stand her being away from me like this. All I wanted to do was get her out of there. Instead, I let the battle continue to rage inside of me while I watched men reach out to touch her. 

God, I still remembered the first time I saw that woman. She was kicking one of the gym trainer’s asses, who was supposed to be giving instructions on how to bring an attacker down. The poor bastard had no idea how advanced she was until her tiny taped up fist landed on his jaw. Damn, was that hot.  I couldn’t rip my eyes away.

I never saw the frail, broken girl she’d been after her rescue. Since there was no family to return to, Dante’s family’s organization took her in. They rehabilitated and developed her into the strong woman I quickly fell in love with.  And for that, I’m forever grateful.

Just knowing that this group was responsible for turning my girl’s life around convinced me to quit my security consulting jobs and join the team fulltime.

Even though I’d seen Alexa kick some serious ass, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to handle putting her safety in jeopardy again. As far as I was concerned, this was her first and last mission.  I’d only agreed to let her in on this one because it was personal.

I had a feeling, however, I wasn’t going to get my way on this one.  She didn’t mind me going all alpha on her every so often, but once she got a taste of bringing these sons of bitches down, she was going to want in on every operation I was involved in. She didn’t take no for an answer, even from me, so I’d have to figure out a compromise to keep the peace.

I’d worry about that another day.

I kept the microphone muted so she could concentrate on the job at hand—plus the guys had already given me enough shit about flirting with her. Fuck them. I knew what she needed and didn’t care who was around to hear, as long as it helped her.

“When should we surround the house, boss?” Tim, one of my guys leading the combat team, asked over the walkie-talkie.

I pressed talk on my handheld. “Get ready.  The second she sees him, I want you guys waiting to close in.  Every exit needs to be covered.”

My oldest friend, Abel, raised his eyebrow. “Not our first rodeo,” he said sarcastically.

In the forces, he and I undertook many covert operations together. For three solid years, we’d taken two tours to Afghanistan and one to Iraq.  During that time, we’d seen lots of wild shit, met some incredible people, as well as plenty of crazy motherfuckers. We’d become as close as brothers. He’d stayed with me when I opened my private security business, then stuck around when I joined forces with Dante.