Operation: Austin

Chapter Three Part One

Traffickers

“Paige?” he began, as they again cruised eastbound on Highway 84. “I hate to bring this up, and I promise after this, I won’t ask again because it’s in the past now, but I could help you better if I knew what happened. Can you take a minute and tell me about Vegas?”

This wasn’t easy for her to talk about. She looked at him with apprehension, then swallowed slowly and began. “I grew up in McCall, Idaho. I never really knew my dad and my mom had problems; she wasn’t around much and took off for good when I was eight, so my grandma raised me. Grams had a hard life and had my mom late. She tried to do her best with me, I guess, but she wasn’t planning on raising another kid. I think she was worn out from raising my mom. She got cancer and died when I was seventeen, almost eighteen. There wasn’t anyone else, so I stayed with my friend Cassie’s family for a while. It was fine at first, but her dad ended up being an asshole who couldn’t keep his hands to himself. I tried to avoid him, but Cassie saw it once, and she was mad at me. Like it was my fault that the guy was a creep.”

She paused, looking out the window. “I’d been talking to a girl online from Las Vegas. We met in a f*******: group about modeling. I sent her some of my pictures, and she encouraged me to visit her. I was working at a restaurant in McCall; she said there were lots of opportunities to work in casinos and restaurants, jobs that could lead to modeling. I had a little money, some I got from Grams, and more I saved up, so I took a bus to meet Jenny. It was a last-minute decision; things just got bad at Cassie’s, so I grabbed my stuff and left.”

Gary nodded his head, following along. This story is too common. He thought as he looked at her, listening but not wanting to comment yet. She needs to just get through this and get it out; it’s part of her healing.

She took a deep breath, as if beginning something painful. “I got into town last Friday afternoon and went to Jenny’s apartment. I thought I could stay with her, but she had roommates, so she took me to a cheap motel. Saturday morning, she said we were going to a party on the other side of town that night. She said the party house belonged to a friend of hers, someone with modeling connections, and it would be a great opportunity for me to meet him.”

“A car picked us up at my motel, and we got there about seven o’clock. The event was amazing, like something from a movie. I’ve never seen anything like it in McCall, that’s for sure. There were people everywhere, drinking and swimming in the pool. We mingled for a while. Jenny knew everybody there, and she introduced me around. Most of the guests were men, older, and there were a lot of girls in bikinis. I figured they were models. It should have been a warning to me that I didn’t see any wives. I thought about it afterward, but I was just excited and followed Jenny around as I met the people there.”

“Jenny got me a drink, and after a few minutes, I started feeling strange; she helped me to a bedroom and suggested I rest for a minute. I didn’t drink enough to be drunk, but I must have passed out because I don’t remember anything until I woke up Sunday. There was a guy there. He scared me, so I tried to get out. He grabbed me and tore my dress. I fought with him, then he hit me in the eye. He just kept hitting and kicking me; he said I needed to “learn this lesson right now.”

She took a breath. Gary’s jaw was tight. His anger was cold and surgical. He could feel it, and it would be so easy to let it out, but that would terrify her. She needs him to just listen. Sometime in the future, he will use it when he finds whoever is left of the traffickers.

She continued. “At some point, I must have blacked out.” There were tears in her eyes. Gary held out his hand, and she cautiously took it in hers. Their hands rested in her lap, by her hip. She swallowed and continued, “I woke up sometime later, tied up. Every part of me hurt, and I couldn’t see out of my eye. God, it hurt so much. I was afraid he blinded me. I was so afraid, Gary. I knew they were some kind of trafficking ring; he had made that clear. I was going to the Middle East with another girl; sold to someone who was picking us up soon. He said they got a lot for me.” She paused and cried with her head down. “He said virgins are worth more. He laughed at me. He was so disgusting. Jenny must have told them all about me; I thought she was my friend, but she wasn’t. When he said that, I knew this was all planned from the start; they just didn’t know I was coming to town that weekend.”

She sat there holding his hand, crying softly. His heart was torn for her, his anger seething, yet on some animal level, he was pleased to know she was a virgin. He was aware of his desire for her. He knew it made him a horrible person, but it was a reflex he could not control. He did not even know her, and she was so vulnerable, and he wanted her. All of her. He wanted to be the man she needed, to protect her and give her a sense of security. He knew it was primal and irrational, but a raw desire was there.

She activated that part of him the minute he saw her walk out of the gate at the airport with her perfect body and the stunning face that had been bruised and beaten. She was not aware of his anger or what it would eventually lead to. It would probably scare the s**t out of her if she did. The hero in him wanted to protect her, let her heal, take her home, and show her the beautiful parts of his world. His inner barbarian wanted to possess her. That day, the hero would win.

She looked out the window as she finished her story, “They mostly left me alone, other than bringing something to eat. On Monday evening, I heard a lot of noise. Yelling, sharp sounds which I guess were gunshots. After a couple of minutes, the door flew open, and John came in with his gun out; it scared the hell out of me. He looked like a military guy, like in the movies. He took one look around the room and said, ‘I found another girl.’ I had been tied to the bed; he cut me loose and said, ‘I’m here to get you out, but we need to move fast. Follow me.’ I was frightened. I didn’t know him, but I was going to take any opportunity I could to escape. I grabbed my shoes from the floor, and as we left, there were dead guys in the outer rooms. I don’t know how many, but as we left the house, there was blood everywhere, and bodies were strewn about. I saw the guy who owned the place; he and another guy were dead in the living room. As we ran through the room, I saw my purse and grabbed it from a table. My wallet and passport were sitting there, too, so I grabbed them. John had a guy with him who was helping another girl. The minute we got outside, a car pulled up, and the other girl and I jumped in. The driver was huge, and he asked if we were okay. They did not tell us his name, but he called the other girl, Christie; she looked to be about my age. Tall, with short red hair. John and the other guy. I don’t know his name either, but he was the one who helped the other girl. He opened the trunk, and they quickly changed their clothes and threw the military stuff in.”