Page 8 of Acceptance
One of the guys, likely the guy who waited at the car, carried her over his shoulder, and all she focused on was the way his shoulder dug into her stomach and ribs with every flight of stairs. There will no doubt be a bruise.
It felt like an apartment building, and she just prayed her cell phone didn’t slip out of her jeans or get detected as she bumpedagainst the man’s body. It’s the only hope she has right now to get out of this.
When they finally reached the destination, they were tossed onto what felt like a worn-out mattress, and a spring poked Hailey in the back. The zip ties and blindfold stayed firmly in place as they were left alone. All night.
Hailey knew having a roommate in college was a dumb idea, but she didn’t get approval for a single. Lindsey seemed sweet and innocent, if not a little too eager to experience her sexual liberation. And now that she succeeded in that, she chose a guy who was grooming her to be sold. Along with her roommate who will serve as a two-for-one deal, it seems.
Gary, if that’s even his real name, gave Hailey the creeps the moment she met him. At least twenty-five, he picked Lindsey, no doubt, because she looks underage as it is. Then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, he bought her clothes to make her look like a slutty-yet-younger version of herself. Like a preteen dressing up as a slutty Britney Spears for Halloween. Lindsey’s innocence is undeniable, and it was obvious from the beginning that Gary believed he could easily manipulate her.
With her family in Oregon without a significant amount of money, and Lindsey telling Gary that Hailey’s an orphan, they quickly became perfect targets. At the end of the day, who would be looking for them?
“Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey,” Gary’s voice sings out.
Growing up the way Hailey did, her stepmom marrying an alcoholic abuser, she learned early on how to spot a sketchy dude a mile away. And everything about this psycho screams red flag. Fondling Lindsey while he stared at Hailey was also a glaring sign that this had no other option but to go badly.
His boss, Mel, turned out to be even creepier than Gary when he showed up in the room. Hailey knows she and Lindsey aren’t the only ones in this place, and she had the sinking feeling settlelast night that the chances of escape were minimal. As in, not a chance at all.
The blindfold whips off Hailey’s head, and she strains to see in the dim light. Window coverings block out almost all of the natural light from the outside, assuming it’s daytime. The only light comes from the barely visible lighting in the hallway that Gary blocks with his tall body.
“Gary, what are you doing?” Lindsey asks, her eyes red and swollen from crying most of the night. “I thought you liked me.”
“Oh, sweet girl, I do. I like you a whole hell of a lot. And popping that cherry was phenomenal. Really, you’ve been great, but the truth is, you’ll make me more money than you’ll ever please me.”
So, they are going to sell us. Maybe that’ll allow a chance to get away.
Hailey almost pities the fair-haired woman on the bed next to her. Her freckled face makes her look like a young girl who spent just a little too much time outside to bring out the adorable spots on her skin. If there was a picture in the dictionary next to innocent, she’d be pictured right along with the definition. And again with naïve.
“I want to go home,” she whispers as the tears fall.
The tears seem to excite Gary more than anything, and it irks Hailey. “Baby, if you do that with our customers, they’ll pay us double, so keep it up. Crying will only make defiling you that much more realistic.”
“Leave her alone,” Hailey says. “She’s not used to being betrayed and having a general distrust of people.”
Gary saunters over to grab Hailey’s chin roughly between his thumb and index finger. “Like us?”
“I’m only going to tell you this once. Let us go, and you’ll live.”
“Ooh! I’m so scared,” he says with a laugh before dropping her face and shaking his hands. “What are you going to do, Hailey? Miss orphan with no family… I’d love to see what you’ll do.”
Snorting, she leans back, thankful the phone has yet to be discovered even as it sits along her hip in her jeans. “It’s not what I’m going to do. My parents may be dead, but I know people. People who will break your neck for doing this.”
“Yeah? Well, I’ll believe that when I see it. Now, the rules here are simple. This is your home now. Accept it. Trust me when I say it’ll make it a lot easier for you.”
Lindsey lets out a sob, but Hailey just glares. If she can get in touch with Colt, she knows he’ll come for her. She hopes. Unless she’s pushed him too far away to care enough.
“We want you to feel as comfortable as, well, you can be. I’m going to cut the zip ties because you probably have to take a piss. This is your room, and you’re able to wander around this floor and the one below.”
Okay, get out and test the boundaries. See where they screwed up, and maybe I can get out to get far, far away before I call Colt. Then I’ll come back for Lindsey.
“The doors below the fourth floor are locked, and there’s no way out without a key. All the windows have bars, so you can dream about jumping to your death all you want, but it’s no use. There is no way out, so don’t even attempt it like I can see you considering right now, Hailey.”
Fuck.
“Oh, and if you feel like you need something to help calm your nerves, we have a small pharmacy filled with all sorts of drugs to help you out.”
A pair of shears appear from the back of his jeans, which seems overly excessive considering he’s cutting zip ties.
Scare tactic. Keep in line, or we’ll do something terrible. Fuck off, dude.
