Chapter 40

After that spirit-breaking encounter with Mama J, Tiara sat with her head resting on the wall. Her body and mind were numb, and she just wanted to close her eyes and open them again and see that she’d been in a bad dream all along. But each time she closed her eyes and opened them again, she found herself still on the same spot with pain reverberating all over her body.

She asked herself what she could have done differently; maybe she shouldn’t have gone to lunch with Chichi. And speaking of Chichi, why did she choose that restaurant of all places for them to hang out? Why did she agree to drive from the Mainland to the Island just for lunch? What if Chichi had something to do with this? Did Mama J put her up to it? What if Chichi was Mama J’s spy, and she had been supplying the matron with information about her movement with Dare?

It all made sense! How would Mama J know so much about her if she didn’t have inside help alias Chichi? Why would Chichi betray me like this? Tiara wondered. What did I ever do to her to make her want to hurt me like this?

Tiara felt tears welling up in her eyes and she blinked them away. She wasn’t going to waste any more tears on this chaos that had become her life. Crying wouldn’t solve anything, so why bother?

The door to her prison swung open abruptly and one of the burly men marched in. As usual, he had a black ski mask on, and he was still dressed in black. Without saying a word, he knelt in front of Tiara and brought out a sharp-looking pen knife. Tiara shrank back in fear, but the man grabbed her by the ankles and cut off the rope binding her legs together, then he reached behind her and cut off the one tying her wrists together. Tiara gingerly moved her arms forward and whimpered when her joints protested with pain. Her hands had been tied behind her for several hours and she could barely feel them now.

The man pulled her up to her feet roughly and said, “Follow me.”

A flicker of hope sprung up in Tiara’s heart as she limped after the man. Perhaps they were going to set her free; maybe Mama J had a change of heart and asked the guys to let her go, or maybe the whole kidnap thing was just to scare her into doing what the matron wanted. She followed the kidnapper down a dark, long corridor with closed doors on either side. Tiara wondered if there were other hostages behind the closed doors, or if she was their only victim for tonight. They took a right turn at the end of the corridor and the door they passed through led outside. As she had suspected, the hideout was a one-story building situated in a forest. The black van was parked at the entrance with the engine running.

“Get in,” the man commanded her.

Tiara hobbled into the back without hesitation. She didn’t want to get the man angry because he might hit her again, and she didn’t want that. The kidnapper got in after her and closed the door. As the van began to move, he put the black bag over her head again. Tiara still held on to the hope that they were about to free her, although she was too afraid to ask.

The trip lasted nearly 45 minutes, and when the van finally stopped, Tiara heaved a silent sigh of relief. Maybe Dare had cut a deal with Mama J because that was the only way the greedy matron would agree to set her free. She heard the back door of the van open, then the kidnapper grabbed her by the arm roughly and dragged her out. Her feet landed on asphalt and for a moment, hope sprang up in her heart. They’re going to let me go, she thought dreamily. I’m finally going home.

She was led into a building that seemed to be bubbling with activity. She heard voices, both male and female, but she couldn’t quite make out the words they were saying. She was led further into the building, the thick black bag still on her head with her vision completely cut off. They finally entered into a room where two men appeared to be having a heated conversation.

“I don’t give a shit about what you were told,” a man with a very deep voice said. He sounded like a mean Barry White. “You are to follow my instructions to the letter!”

“Yes, boss,” the other man replied gruffly. “But they—"

“No buts!” Deep Voice shouted, and Tiara almost jumped out of her skin.

“I will not be so understanding next time,” Deep Voice continued. “Atenu didn’t even mess up this much before I shot him dead on that very chair that you’re sitting on now. Don’t mess with me again. Let this be the last time you try such bullshit with me.”

“I’m sorry boss,” the other man apologized. He sounded sober.

“Now get out of my sight!” Deep Voice barked.

Tiara heard the scraping of a chair against the concrete floor, and the sound of heavy boots marching out of the room. The door opened and closed, and the room was quiet.

“Who is this?” Deep Voice asked.

“New merchandise,” the kidnapper replied.

Merchandise? Tiara thought in despair. They’re not letting me go?

“Let me see,” said Deep Voice.

The black bag was pulled off her head suddenly, and Tiara had to squint at the sudden brightness that enveloped her. She first looked around the scantily furnished room, which was supposed to be an office of some sort, before her eyes landed on the mammoth of a man who sat behind a makeshift desk in front of a huge window.

“She’s a beauty,” the man with the deep voice behind the desk remarked casually. “Show me everything,” he drawled, his eyes dark and hooded.

Tiara has been around enough to recognize sexual desire when she saw it, and she could tell without a doubt that Mr. Deep Voice behind the desk wanted to fuck her.

Without a word, her masked kidnapper began to tear off her cloth as if it was a piece of tissue paper. Within a few seconds, her peach-colored Vera Wang silk blouse was gone, followed by her grey River Island slacks, until she was left standing there in her nude Victoria’s Secret matching undies and her peach Gucci sandals.

“I said everything,” Deep Voice repeated.

The kidnapper promptly unhooked her bra and tore off her panties. Tiara was now stark naked in a room with two strange men: one a violent kidnapper and the other a menacing killer. How much more unfortunate could she get?

“Turn around,” Deep Voice commanded her, and she did as she was told. “I like this one,” he said to the kidnapper. “Leave her with me.”

The kidnapper nodded once and left the room. Tiara knew she should be afraid, but she wasn’t because she sensed there might be an advantage for her here. What if she slept with this ginormous guy in exchange for her freedom? But then again, was it even possible to bargain with a guy like this? From the little she had heard since she entered his office, he seemed to be a brutal killer and people like that are difficult to negotiate with. How do you make a deal with someone who doesn't value human life?

“I can see the wheels turning in your head,” he said to her. He opened a drawer in his desk and brought out a rolled joint, then he picked up the portable lighter on his desk to ignite it. Within seconds, thick smoke filled the room as he took a drag of his joint and exhaled. “I like bold girls,” he continued. “The other ones they bring here, they’re always scared. Very annoying little mice. I kill some of them, send some to the market, fuck some and kill them, fuck some and sell them off, you know. The options are endless. But with you, I’m not sure. You’re not scared, and I like that, but I don’t know whether to fuck you and kill you or fuck you and send you to the market. Which would you prefer?”

“Fuck me and let me go,” she blurted out without hesitation.

The deep voice laughed. It was a loud booming sound that came from deep within his belly. Tiara reckoned he hadn’t laughed like that in a very long while.

“You see what I mean?” He said, grinning. “I don’t know what to do with you.”

Tiara wanted to beg him to set her free, but she knew that might be a wrong move. A man like this is turned on by power, not fear or cowardice. If she would leave this place in one piece and not to the market (whatever that meant), she would need to play her cards right. Impress the Puppet Master and earn a seat at the table, she thought. That’s the only way you can bargain for your freedom and win.

“You’re a very clever, girl, I’ll give you that,” he admitted. “And that’s why I will not bargain with you just yet until I’m sure you’re worth my time.”

“What do I have to do?” she asked boldly.

Deep Voice puffed out a huge ribbon of white smoke and continued to regard her pensively with his now sleepy eyes. He was enjoying this little cat and mouse game with the newcomer, and he wasn’t ready to end it just yet. It’s been ages since his body stirred to the nakedness of a woman, but he knew that it wasn’t just her superb body that was doing it for him—it was her fearlessness even in the face of grave danger. He loved confident women and this one standing in front of him with a chip on her shoulder was the queen of them all. Should he break her or groom her into becoming his own?

“Impress me,” he said simply and took another drag of his dwindling joint.