22

The yellow two-story stucco house Rafael Zapata rented was built in 1936. At just under three thousand square feet, the six bedrooms were small, as were the other rooms in the house. The nondescript house sat on a busy street with old trees that offered protection from nosey neighbors and street traffic. The grass in the yard was brown.

The six bedrooms allowed one for Rafael, one for one of his men, and four for the girls who worked for him. The master was downstairs, along with two other bedrooms. Three bedrooms and two bathrooms were up. Typically, three or four girls would share each of the bedrooms, but his two missing girls still had not been found. On any given day, at least one girl would share his bed. After the girls were rearranged, one bedroom with an attached half bath upstairs was available for Jana. The small room contained a full-size bed, a small wardrobe, and an end table. There was no television or radio, and the window was nailed shut.

There was only one set of stairs from the main floor to access the room. A reinforced door with a digital lock stood at the top of the staircase. The electronic keypad on the inside of the door was designed to keep people in, not out.

Blindfolded, Jana immediately knew she was back at the same place she had been kept the last time. She recognized the smell as soon as she stepped in the front door. A combination of stale beer, pizza, and cheap perfume.

Rafael directed one of the men to remove the headband that had been pulled over Jana’s eyes. From a distance or at a glance, it would have looked like she was wearing a headband low on her head, not a blindfold. Rafael led Jana up the rickety stairs and into the cramped room.

“This is the same room,” she said. “Are you going to let me shower? God, I hope you washed the sheets. They look disgusting. Can’t I get a TV? You know what it’s like sitting in here for two weeks?”

“You think you’re a guest, Pussy? You want amenities? Maybe we can make a trade.”

“Go to hell!”

“Awe, Pussy, you shouldn’t be like that. You should play nice.”

“You told Rey you’d treat me better this time. He’s going to be pissed.”

“Like I care what he thinks.” Rafael laughed in Jana’s face. “I’m going to treat you better, starting tonight. I’m going to treat you extremely well. You should’ve made a deal, got something in exchange for it. I’m taking your fine ass tonight, one way or another. Maybe I’ll give you a little meth to put you in the mood. I’m sure you’d be a damn good fuck, but on meth, I’m not sure even I could satisfy you. I’d have to call in the other guys and let them bang on you a while. Planned to anyway, but not until I’ve had my fill.”

Jana had a feeling Rafael might do this. If he went through with it, she knew she wouldn’t live to tell Reymundo. She was terrified but kept her composure. She refused to let Rafael see her fear.

“What’s it going to be? You going to give it up and enjoy it, or will I have to take it? If I have to take it, you know it’ll be rough. Maybe you like it rough. You like it rough?”

Jana glanced around the room for a weapon or a way out. Her blood was boiling, but she didn’t let it show. She’d dealt with sleazeballs before, she’d deal with this one. “I’ll think about it. Would you let me shower afterward?”

“Of course. We’ll take one together. I’d love to bend you over in the shower.”

“I said I’d think about it. Can you leave now? I have to use the bathroom.”

“Maybe I’ll come in and watch. Get a sneak peek.”

“If you want to, but I think I’m going to vomit.” Jana ran into the bathroom.

As soon as she reached the bathroom, she heard the buttons on the electronic lock being pushed. The door opened and immediately closed. After rinsing and drying her face, she peeked out and made sure Rafael had left. She twisted the handle on the door to confirm it had locked. She then checked the window. It was as tight as the last time she was locked in the room. She lay on the bed and looked up at the ceiling and pounded her fist against the wall.

“Fuck! I knew this was going to happen. I should’ve never come back here. Think, damn it. I have to get out of this. How? Maybe give Rafael the best fuck of his life. He’ll keep me around for more. At least it will buy some time. Fuck! I don’t want that slimeball touching me.”

“Oh shit!” Jana said, remembering the money and the GPS tracker were still inside her. She leaped from the bed and ran into the bathroom, closing the door in case Rafael returned. She unbuttoned her white skinny jeans, wiggled them down below her knees, removed the unopen condoms, and slid her panties down. Using her fingers, Jana grabbed the knotted ends of the condoms and removed them. She placed the condoms in the sink, then pulled up and buttoned her pants. After checking for leaks, she rinsed and dried the condoms containing the GPS tracker and money.

Jana looked around for a hiding spot in the bedroom. They wouldn’t be looking for a tracking device, so it didn’t have to be well hidden, just out of sight. She decided under the mattress would be good enough. She hoped the GPS tracker could get a signal. Not that it mattered. Reymundo was at sea, a hundred miles away by now. No one was going to be looking for the tracker’s signal.

Jana collapsed on the bed to await the inevitable. She’d been with worse scumbags, her ex-husband for one. The chances of ever seeing Reymundo again were dimming. By giving in, she might get a chance to escape. If she could get out of the house, she could call a taxi. She didn’t know where she was, but the street sounded busy. Stores had to be close by. Getting a ride from a passing car would be easy too. Who wouldn’t pick up a beautiful blond waving at them?

“Fuck,” she shouted, burying her face in her hands.

It had only been a few minutes when the doorknob turned. Jana closed her eyes and exhaled. It was time.

“Hola,” an attractive young girl said as she entered the room. “Pizza?” She was carrying a paper plate with one large slice of pepperoni pizza on it. Jana hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she saw the food.

“Yes, thank you,” Jana said, reaching for the plate. “Do you speak English?”

The girl looked blankly at Jana and started to leave.

“Wait,” Jana said. “Um, gracias.”

“De nada.”

Jana stumbled for the words. “Habla inglés?”

The girl shook her head.

Using her hands, Jana held her pinky and index finger out and put her hand to her head, simulating the use of a phone. She pointed at the girl then back at her imaginary phone gesture. “You,” she pointed again, “teléfono?”

“No, no tengo teléfono.”

Jana understood the key words. No and telephone. She made an exaggerated sad face. “Gracias.”

The girl said something in Spanish and unlocked the door, being careful to block the keypad from Jana’s view. When the door clicked, the girl opened it and left. Jana immediately checked the door. It had fully closed and locked.

The only word Jana understood from the girl’s last sentence was ‘Rafael’. Jana assumed she said she could not help her because Rafael might hurt her. She hoped the girl hadn’t said she would tell Rafael that the girl in the room had asked for a cell phone.

Jana ate the slice of pizza. It was lukewarm but tasted good. With the pizza gone, she stretched out on the bed, wondering how long it would be before Rafael showed. She fell asleep thinking about Reymundo.