Page 49 of Paco
“You have to. It’s important you trust me.”
“Why?” She blinked rapidly then stared at him.
“Because I like you. A lot.” And he did. He didn’t understand it since they hadn’t known each other very long, and he still wasn’t sure if he could trust her, but he couldn’t ignore the feelings building inside him. Denying it to his brothers was one thing, but he couldn’t disregard the pull he felt toward her. They had a connection that was real.
“You do?”
“Yeah.”
“I like you too,” she said softly.
“That’s good. We need to work on trusting each other.” He leaned back against the headboard and watched her.
“I was kidnapped.” She pulled her hand away from his and covered her face.
Gently, he tugged her to him and eased her head on his chest. “Tell me what happened. I’m not gonna judge you or say anything to hurt you. It’s something you need to do.”
She sat still in his arms for several minutes. The sunlight streaked into the room, casting thin gold stripes across the floor. In the distance, he could hear the drone of traffic on the old highway, and the low whirr of the club’s heater as it kicked on.
“I grew up in Findlay, Ohio. My dad died when I was seven years old. He had a brain tumor and he was gone. It was my mom, my sister Kate, and me for a long time, and then my mom married Peter. I was about twelve when they got married, and I hated her for it. Peter and I didn’t get along, and it just got worse as I got older. He was always telling me what to do, always mad if I went out with a boy, and always giving me weird looks. My mom usually sided with him, so I didn’t feel like I had anyone I could turn to in the house.”
Another pause. Paco didn’t rush her, just held her and allowed her to let him into her past at her own pace.
“I was a sophomore at Roosevelt High when I first saw Tyler. He was the star quarterback on the team, and I was a cheerleader. I had the biggest crush on him and was so surprised when he asked me out. I mean, he was a senior and I was only a sophomore. We dated for about a month when he asked me to the homecoming dance. I was so happy.” Bitterness crept into her voice.
“Did your mom like him?” he asked.
“Yeah, but my stepdad had a problem with any guy I dated. The plan was that Tyler would pick me up for the dance. When his dad picked me up, I was confused. He said that the coach had told the football players they had to be on some stupid float. I asked why Tyler hadn’t called and told me that, and his dad said it was a last-minute deal. He said he’d take me to the dance and Tyler would be there. I got in and noticed another guy in the back seat who Mr. Tarleton said was Tyler’s cousin. I got a weird feeling about it, but thought it was just nerves due to the dance. My mom and stepdad weren’t home that night, or I would’ve had my mom take me.”
She pulled away from him. “I need some water.” She went over to the mini fridge and took out a bottle, then stared out the window.
“You doing okay?” he asked.
She shook her head and took another gulp. “When his dad turned in the opposite direction of the school, fear took over. I knew something was off. When I asked where we were going, he laughed, but his face and eyes were so damn mean and cold. I started to freak, and then all of a sudden, the cousin put a rag in front of my nose and mouth. Mr. Tarleton pulled over and pinned my arms down as I tried to fight. Then everything went black. That’s the night I was sold.”
Paco got up and stood behind her, snaking his arms around her waist and drawing her back against him. Bending down, he kissed the top of her head. “We can take a break if you need to.”
She placed her hands on his, her body shaking as she took a deep breath. “When I woke up, I had no idea where I was except that I was in a small apartment. The man who said he was Tyler’s cousin came into the room.” She tilted her head back until it rested against him. “He beat me straight away, and then he… raped me.”
Paco’s jaw clenched and he breathed heavily.
“Afterward he blindfolded and gagged me, put a gun to my head and said he was going to kill me. He pulled the trigger but nothing came out. He kept doing that for hours. For weeks he beat and raped me. Sometimes he’d bring in friends and they’d… do a lot of nasty and… horrible things to me. It was awful.” The words came haltingly, punctuated by a ragged sigh and cracking voice as she confided in him.
“Oh, baby.” He kissed the top of her head and tightened his arms around her. Leading her to the recliner, he sat down with her curled in his lap, her head tucked under his chin.
“I heard other women in the next room. They were crying, screaming, and I knew he was doing the same thing to them as he was to me. I’ve always wondered why no one called the police. The neighbors must’ve heard all the crying. I later found out that the guy who held me wasn’t Tyler’s cousin. He’d bought me from Tyler’s dad. His name was Erik, and he kept me for four years. He took pictures of me and placed ads online. I had sex with ten to fifteen men a day, every day. When I wasn’t servicing the men who paid to have sex with me, I was handcuffed to the bed, or kept under lock and key in the bedroom. That small space became my prison. Erik also threatened to kill my mom and kidnap my little sister to sell her on the international auction block. He’d tell me young virgins were a hot commodity. Of course I believed him—I mean, he kidnapped me, after all. I couldn’t have let my eleven-year old sister suffer the same fate as me, so I stopped thinking about escaping. I accepted that this would be my life. I couldn’t let any harm come to my mom and sister because of me. I loved them so much.” She wiped her cheeks.
“How’d you end up with Bobby?”
“After four years, Erik sold me to him. He said I was too old for his clients, that the money was in younger girls and my value had been dropping. Bobby beat me up just like Erik, and he was a master at playing mind games. Like Erik, he kept threatening to kill my mom and steal my sister, and I believed him. Even though he wasn’t as cold as Erik, he was almost as controlling. He’d tell me what to wear, what color nail polish to put on, what to eat. He weighed me three times a week, and if I gained an ounce he’d beat me. For some reason, he picked me out as his favorite among his women. His other women loved Bobby and weren’t slaves. I was the only one. He kept a close watch on me. He made me stay in the same bed with him, and sometimes he’d make me sleep at the foot of the bed like a dog just for the hell of it. If he wanted to screw Amber Jade or Crystal or some other woman, he’d lock me in the closet for the night. Bobby heard there was good money to be made at truck stops, so that’s how I ended up there.”
She moved her head away and tipped it back, her gaze locking on his. “You’re probably wondering why I didn’t tell someone or try to get some help. The truth is that I didn’t trust anyone. Bobby was friends with the security guards at the lots, and he’d slip them money to keep the cops away. One time I went into a convenience store at a truck stop. An older woman who looked like she could be my grandmother got talking with me. She was so nice, so I told her that I was being held against my will and for her to call the police. She said she would, but she lied. The old bitch told Bobby, and he almost killed me that night. It seemed that each time I tried to get someone to help me, they didn’t, and Bobby always found out and punished me severely, so I stopped trying. I just shut down. The night I met you, I couldn’t believe how good you were being to me. I figured Bobby had planted you to check up on me. And when you let me sleep without fucking me, I thought you were too good to be true. I thought you had an angle, but you didn’t. I felt something that night.”
“Me too. I wish you would’ve told me what was going on. I would’ve killed the fucking bastard and taken you away, but I understand why you didn’t. Your trust was gone, and when that happens, it’s hard as hell to get it back. Why did the fucker take you to Silverado?”
“He said he got a good gig for us at a strip bar, but I found out that he took me there so Victor could see if he wanted to buy me. And he—”
“What the fuck? Victor Bustos from Los Malos?” The anger he’d been holding in abeyance shot through him like a wildfire.
