Buttons & Lace Read online

  “Maybe.” Or a jet ski. Those were manageable.

  He pulled me farther into the docking area, stepping away from the streetlamps that lit the pathway. We were completely cast in shadows, and I felt a shiver creep up my spine. It had nothing to do with the weather because it was humid as hell. “Jacob, I really think we should go back.”

  “Wow. Look at that military ship up ahead. Do you think that’s a US vessel?”

  “Uh...” Even when I squinted, I couldn’t tell. “Probably. Now let’s go.”

  “Come on.” He dragged me along. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. You have me.”

  “Yeah...” Would that be enough if some homeless man had a knife? “That doesn’t mean I should walk blindly into danger like I’m invincible.”

  “Chill, Pearl.” His hand remained tightly around mine, squeezing it until it was numb. We reached the large military ship and stared at it in awe. “Wow. This is so cool.”

  “You know, we could come back during the day when you could see it better.” I couldn’t appreciate what I was looking at because I was too paranoid. I glanced over my shoulder in fear that someone was lurking around. It was a ridiculous fear, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching us.

  “I wonder if this is an active ship or if it’s retired.”

  Something crunched behind me, like a heavy boot against plastic. I could have sworn I heard it. Perhaps my mind was playing tricks on me, my paranoia in charge of my thoughts. “Jacob, did you hear that?”

  “Hear what?” he asked.

  I looked over my shoulder but only saw blackness. “Let’s go. I don’t like—” A black sack covered my head and painfully tightened around my throat. I couldn’t see anything, and I immediately panicked. “Ahh!” I swung my arms around and tried to fight whoever attacked me. I felt a massive arm squeeze around my shoulders and hold me in place while the bag was tied around my throat. “Get off me!”

  “Pearl!” Jacob’s frantic voice came from a distance away. He moaned when someone struck him, and I heard the sound of a heavy body collapsing on the wooden floorboard of the dock.

  “Jacob!” Despite my own situation, I feared for his safety. “Jacob!”

  A terrifying and foreign voice entered my ear. “Shut that cunt up.”

  I kicked harder, slamming my heel onto the man’s shoe.

  “Fuck!” He shook me aggressively then threw me hard on the ground. “Stupid bitch.”

  I scrambled to my feet to run, but a heavy body slammed on top of me. “Let me go, asshole!” A needle suddenly slammed into my neck and something was injected.

  Instantly, I couldn’t think. I tried to move my arms, but they wouldn’t respond. My head rested on the dock, my eyes growing heavy inside the hood. My legs were unresponsive as my body prepared to enter a deep sleep. “No...Jacob.” I fought the fog as hard as I could, but it swept me away, taking me to a place I was forced to go.

  Chapter Three

  Pearl

  My body shifted back and forth from the constant motion. I swayed toward my stomach then swayed back, rocking to a rhythmic beat. The distant slap of water against a hard surface came into my ears.

  I was back at the hotel, listening to the waves crash onto the shore from my window. The sunlight was greeting me, telling me to rise and get ready for the glorious day. I could taste the margarita on my tongue without even taking a sip.

  But then harsh reality set in.

  The last thing I remembered was being facedown on the dock, Jacob’s limp body lying somewhere nearby. The hood was pulled over my head, and I was stuck in eternal darkness. Then the syringe was plunged into my neck, sedating me into a helpless mess on the floor.

  Please be a nightmare.

  I didn’t open my eyes because I wasn’t ready to accept the truth. If that’s what really happened, then my fate was worse than death. It had to be a nightmare, the result of too much sun and too much to drink.

  But I still didn’t open my eyes.

  What if I was wrong?

  Finally, I did. I opened my eyes to see a porthole in the steel wall of a ship. Water covered the hole, and when a wave emerged, I saw the sky. The sight of blue stretched on forever until it was submerged once again.

  What. The. Fuck.

  I sat up with a jolt and examined my surroundings. My body kicked into survival mode. I was on a ship out to sea, and there was no one coming for me. All I had was myself. And I would figure out a way off this damn ship.

  And then I remembered Jacob.

  Fuck, please don’t let him be dead. Is he on this ship with me? Is he being held somewhere?

  What did these people want with me? I had some money but not a lot. They couldn’t hold me for ransom because I had no family who would fight for me. The only person who cared about me was Jacob. And I had no idea what had become of him.

  Just stay calm.

  You can get out of this.

  Use that brain of yours to find a solution.

  There was always a solution to any problem.

  The room was a dorm. It just had the bed in the corner with nothing else. The door was closed and probably locked. I walked to it, thankful I was still wearing the same clothes as the night before, and tried to get the door open.

  The handle wouldn’t budge. It was tightly locked in place. I tried to jiggle it, but it wouldn’t move a centimeter.

  Alright, I just have to find something to open the door.

  I searched the room but found nothing useful. My bed was just a mattress on the floor with a few blankets. There wasn’t a closet or even a bathroom. I was in a room with four walls.

  I eyed the porthole with disappointment. Even if I could bash it open, I wouldn’t be able to fit through it. All I could hope for was to drown. I had no idea what my future held, so that might be a good choice.

  Before I had a chance to think about it further, the door opened.

  A man in all black walked inside, a gun on his hip. He had a thick black beard and unforgiving eyes. One look at him told me everything I needed to know. He was ice-cold and relentless. Nothing could appeal to his good nature because he didn’t have one. He stared at me with a stoic expression, his thoughts a mystery.

  “Let me go before I smash your face in.” I wasn’t a martial arts master, but I knew a few things. I wouldn’t mind breaking his nose and making it bleed all over his clothes.

  A smile formed on his lips, but it looked like a sneer. “You’re a feisty one.” His voice contained an accent. I couldn’t make it out right away, but it sounded Italian. I didn’t have much experience with foreigners. It was embarrassing to admit that I’d never traveled overseas.

  “No. I’m a violent one.”

  He chuckled, like this conversation was amusing. “Oh, I’ll show you violent.” He walked farther into the room, his heavy boots thudding with every step.

  I held my ground until that moment. He terrified me, and my body automatically reacted. I stepped back until I was on the bed, my back against the wall.

  He grabbed me by the throat and threw me hard against the ground.

  I slammed into the steel, feeling the bones in my body cry out in pain. A train had just crashed into me, and I couldn’t recover. I saw stars even though his push wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

  Maybe I wasn’t as strong as I thought.

  He undid his belt then moved for his trousers.

  That was the best painkiller I’d ever received. The injuries felt negligent compared to the fight that erupted inside me. This asshole was going to rape me. Well, he was going to try to rape me.

  I eyed the buckle of his belt, which dangled freely now that it was undone.

  My captor watched me carefully, that sneer back in full force. “I’m gonna fuck you in the ass. Then I’m gonna fuck you in the cunt.”

  “Good luck with that.” I snatched the buckle and yanked it out of his trousers. His pants immediately fell to his thighs, and I rolled away with the belt in my g
rip. I tightened it around my hands then jumped on him, using all my strength to kill this bastard. I got the belt around his neck then fell behind him, pulling on it as hard as I could. I kicked his knees and made him buckle to the floor.

  He grabbed the leather and tried to pull it off, but it was no use. My grip was too tight, my hatred unstoppable. I yanked harder, having no guilt about killing this rapist.

  The door flew open, and two more guys filed in. They saw the pants around his ankles and the blue tint of his face.

  The one on the left pointed his gun at me. “Drop him.”

  I pulled harder. “Let me go or he dies.”

  He kept the gun fixated on me. “Now.”

  I tightened the belt and refused to let him go. “If you want your friend to live, I suggest you tell me where the nearest exit is located.”

  He shifted the gun to my captor and pulled the trigger.

  I heard the sound and felt his body go limp in my arms at the exact same time. My hands immediately dropped the belt, and I gasped, feeling the blood spray onto my face.

  The man lowered his gun and entered the room. “Up.”

  The other guy grabbed the dead body and dragged it out of my cell.

  I stared at the corpse as it slid across the floor, oozing blood everywhere. I’d never seen anyone die. I’d never seen anyone shot. I was in shock, hardly able to breathe.

  “Up.” He slapped me hard across the face, bringing me back to reality.

  I got to my feet, suddenly feeling weak. My fearsome stunt accomplished nothing.

  “He means nothing. You mean nothing. We all mean nothing.” He gripped me by the elbow and forced me out of my cage. He pulled me along a narrow hallway then made a few turns.

  I didn’t pay attention because I was still in shock.

  We entered an open shower room. Shower heads hung from the ceiling as water sprinkled the tile. Other women were already there, stripped naked for everyone to see. They were marked with bruises from their treatment. Some had dried cuts on their faces.

  What was this?

  “Strip.” He pointed the gun between my shoulder blades. “Now.”

  The shock wore off at his command. I wasn’t getting naked for anyone. I’d rather be caked in a criminal’s blood than obey him. “Fuck you.” I spit on his face, hitting him right in the eye.

  A full second stretched, and he left the saliva on his face. It slowly slid down his cheek. His jaw clenched, and his lip turned up in a growl. With lightning speed, he slammed the gun into the side of my head.

  It hurt so bad I actually screamed. I fell to the floor, feeling the worst migraine of my life. The gun was solid and heavy, and it nearly crushed my skull. If that wasn’t bad enough, the man placed his shoe against my stomach and pressed down heavily.

  I coughed and tried to breathe.

  “Strip.” He pulled his leg back and kicked me hard in the ribs. “Now.”

  I rolled over and dry heaved onto the ground. My arms protected my stomach, but the damage had already been done.

  He grabbed me by the hair and yanked me to my feet.

  That hurt even more after the gun collided with my head. “Okay.” I pushed his arm away. I didn’t want to obey his command, but I didn’t want to be beaten to death either. I slowly pulled my clothes off, feeling my dress fall to the floor.

  He stared at me the entire time, the lust burning in his eyes. With every drop of clothing, he grew more intense, like he hadn’t seen a naked woman in years. There were tons of other naked women in the shower, but he was fixated on me.

  I took my bra and underwear off, repulsed that I actually did as he commanded. I should have fought harder, but my head already screamed in agony. I wasn’t sure if I could take more than that.

  “Clean yourself.” He nodded toward the shower.

  I turned around even though I knew he would look at my ass. I got under the water and tried to find comfort in the warmth. The other women didn’t look at me, keeping to themselves and remaining quiet.

  I could feel the man’s eyes on my body. He was staring at me hard, his intentions as clear as a billboard. I’d always been shy about my naked body. Having a stranger stare at me like this just made it a million times worse.

  I cleared my thoughts and focused on the water and the soap. I washed my body clean, knowing there was a chance I wouldn’t shower again for a long time. Might as well take advantage of the privilege.

  When I washed the conditioner from my hair, I heard one of the women sob. She was standing in the corner, her arms wrapped around her chest. She was heaving, her chest convulsing. All her fear was heavy in the sounds she made.

  I listened to it and felt despair wash over me.

  There was no escape.

  Except death.

  ***

  I had dinner with the other girls in a small room with two tables. There were twenty of us, but we weren’t allowed to speak to one another. We weren’t allowed to eat with utensils. Three guards stood there and watched us, carrying rifles and handguns.

  I wasn’t hungry, but I forced myself to eat anyway. I may need my strength to fight someone off, and I needed nutrition in order to do that. The man who watched me shower was there. His eyes were trained on me the entire time. The same lust still burned in his eyes. He eye-fucked me while I ate dinner, thinking of the monstrous things he could do to me.

  I felt sick.

  I tried to make eye contact with one of the other girls. Maybe they knew where we were going. Maybe they knew of an escape route. Maybe they knew what these men wanted us for.

  Based on the other captives, I could only draw one conclusion.

  They were traffickers.

  They would sell us to the highest bidder, putting us in unspeakable places to do unspeakable things.

  I’d rather die a million times.

  After dinner, we were returned to our cells. I wasn’t sure if I was the only one who had a private room. Some might think it was a privilege. But I saw it as a weakness. There was always power in numbers. Right then, I was totally alone.

  And I knew that man would come for me.

  He would try to rape me just like the other one.

  But he wouldn’t succeed.

  ***

  A week came and went, and the ship still moved at full speed. I felt the ship rock with the waves. Sometimes we encountered tough terrain, and the ship would shake violently. Aggressive dips would happen out of nowhere, and our food would slide across the table during meals. Sometimes it was so bad I couldn’t sleep despite how exhausted and injured I was.

  During my alone time, I thought about Jacob. I felt sorry for him, despite the fact my fate was probably worse than his. He was probably dead somewhere, floating in the ocean. Or he escaped and was worried sick about me. He was in a foreign country and didn’t know the exact protocol for contacting the authorities. He could call home, but how would that help?

  Not knowing what happened to me must be the worst thing of all. He probably didn’t know I was on a ship. And even if he did know, he had no idea what it looked like or how to identify it. And how would the police chase it down?

  Jacob wouldn’t come to my rescue.

  By the eighth day, I was restless. I was tired of being stuck inside the ship. The motion sickness was getting to me, and I threw up a few times. No one gave me information no matter how many times I asked.

  That night, I couldn’t sleep. The panic was starting to get to me. I was trapped, far away from home, and I had no plan of escape. All the men on board had guns, and the women were too afraid to fight. If I could communicate with them, I might be able to organize a coup. We outnumbered them, so it was possible. And I would rather die in the attempt than face whatever would happen when we docked.

  I would rather die than become a sex slave.

  My eyes moved to the porthole just above me. Watching the water lap against it as the ship rocked gave me a small amount of comfort. It was my form of music, the gentle splash of th
e waves against the hull of the ship. When I stared, it helped me relax. It stopped my thoughts, and I entered into a tranquil state. Nothing existed at all.

  The door creaked open behind me. The sound was so slight no one else would have noticed it but me. Ever since I’d been captured, I relied on my senses more than ever before. Sound was my most critical one. I could anticipate events before they actually happened. I could pick up voices when they were drawing near. I could detect danger with enough time to prepare for it.

  I knew exactly who came to visit me in the middle of the night. I’d been waiting for him. He thought I was asleep, ignorant to the hunter who came for me. He thought I was so stupid, blissful in my naiveté.

  He quickly undid his trousers and dropped them to the floor. His boxers came off too.

  I waited for the right moment.

  His knees gently hit the mattress, and he placed his hands on either side of me, prepared to snatch me.

  My eyes opened slightly, just to watch him.

  And that’s when I noticed the syringe in his hand.

  That fucker was going to drug me.

  I snatched his wrist and twisted it painfully, forcing the syringe to fly off the mattress and onto the floor. I head-butted him and made him snap back, shocked by how quickly I moved.

  His dick was still hard, sticking out proudly with lubrication already applied to it.

  I made a fist and punched him as hard as I could.

  “Ahh!” He fell back and immediately cupped his dick, cringing through clenched teeth. “You fucking—”

  I slammed my foot onto his face, breaking his nose with a loud crack.

  His hand flew to his face, freeing his dick.

  I kicked him as hard as I could, hitting both his length and his balls.

  “Bitch!” He snatched one of my legs and pulled it from underneath me.

  I didn’t stop. I was just egged on by his profanities. I loved causing this asshole pain. I was just getting revenge. I was getting revenge for all the women who couldn’t escape him.

  I grabbed him by the hair and slammed his head against the floor—over and over. I hit him just the way he collided that gun with my temple. “You like that, asshole? How about this?” I slammed his head down again then kicked him in the balls at the same time.