A Kingpin Love Affair: The Complete series(6)

“I’m good…” I fidgeted with my hands, pulling on my sleeves to cover up the rope burn on my wrists. My skin was broken, bruised, and raw from where they had tied my hands too tightly. I wanted to make them disappear, to hide them so no one on the outside looking in would ever know I had been a victim.

What I had told him wasn’t a lie. In fact, it was the truth—I was okay. Finally. It had been months since I had last taken a shower or consumed a meal every day. They believed throwing freezing cold water on us was just as good as actually allowing us to wash ourselves. The only times we were allowed to clean ourselves properly was for meetings with potential buyers or when we were being used for personal pleasure for the men who guarded us. Yet I had been rescued less than forty-eight hours ago and had showered more than once and was offered food on numerous occasions already.

I had taken three showers, back to back, feeling as if one just wasn’t good enough. It was as if I could still feel the sweat that clung to my body and the dirt underneath my nails. It all disgusted me and somehow, still made me feel like a captive. Those feelings caused my stomach to roll with nausea as I shook my head, trying to shake the thoughts.

After being freed, I was put into an ambulance as they checked my vitals, rushing me to the nearest hospital. Three doctors came in and out of the hospital room they had put me in. The first two checked my mental state and conducted a full body exam to make sure I hadn’t suffered any internal injuries. The last doctor to see me was a gynecologist. She was nice and tried to reassure me everything would be okay. She performed what they called a rape kit on me, making sure I hadn’t been violated in any way. That was how I spent my first twenty-four hours free, being evaluated and having tests ran on me. Once everything came back good, the very next morning, I was released back under the FBI’s protection.

“Hey…” The agent kneeled down onto the tips of his toes in front of me. His face was youthful with a bit of ruggedness, his eyes holding a concern for me I hadn’t seen since I was a young child. Still, I could feel the edge, the slight darkness that surrounded him.

“I’m fine, really…” I reassured him with a small smile that felt completely foreign to my face. My lips were pulled tight against my teeth. It probably looked like I was making some funny expression due to the fact that my cheeks didn’t know how to adjust to the movement. There was no gentleness in it. It was completely forced, and I’m sure it looked more like a grimace or worse.

He smiled back at me, his far more genuine than mine. “You don’t have to lie to me. I’m not going to hurt you if you tell me you are, in fact, not okay. No one here is going to hurt you.”

I knew that. I wasn’t as broken as most of the girls they had found in that building. I had had been luckier than any of the others.

“I don’t think you’re going to hurt me.” I brushed some loose strands of my jet black hair behind my ear.

Agent King watched me carefully before coming back up to his full height. “Things are going to be a little crazy in the next couple of days. We’re going to be transporting you to a secure location where you will be safe. Everything you need and anything you want will be provided. There will be plenty of food and you can shower however often you want. You should know that your location is to be kept a secret, and you’re not to contact anyone, including your family at any point in time. Doing so could result in them discovering your location and putting you and my men back in danger. Do you understand?”

Everything he was saying to me made complete sense, not that I would have a reason to call my family. They were the reason I was in this situation, why I was to be sold to the highest bidder.

“I understand.” I didn’t really feel like talking, even if it was safe to do so. I was used to being inside of my head. Talking lead to things being said that didn’t necessarily need to be said.

“Do you truthfully? Because, honestly, you’re taking this better than most would.” He scratched the back of his head in curiosity as if he were attempting to figure me out. What he didn’t realize was there was nothing to figure out.

“I had it better than most of the others. They had made a deal with my family.” That was all I wanted to say about it. They may not have tried to engage in sex with me due to being promised to another, but it didn’t mean they didn’t make me touch them, and it definitely didn’t stop them from groping me.

He nodded his head as if he understood. “All right. Well, then, you should be able to move back into this a little better than the others who were rescued. I do want you to talk to the person you’re going to be staying with. Talking helps. If you let too much of the things that happened to you stay in your mind, it will eat you alive. I know I don’t look like I would know, but truthfully, I do.”

Something in the way he said it made me want to reach out and touch his words. Dive into them and find out what his story was, but like I said, talking was pointless to me. The things I would speak of would just bring misery and pain. I didn’t need any more of that in my life.

“Everyone has their own struggles. If I want to talk about my time in hell, then I will.” I built myself on being strong, on bottling up the pain. I wouldn’t be vulnerable to anyone.

“Whatever you say. I will be back in two hours to transport you to the safe house. Prepare yourself accordingly.” And just like that, he was dismissing me to walk away. I was grateful in so many ways, but anxiety still found its way into the pit of my soul. Who knew the type of person I would be handed over to?