Hers to Take Read online

  Chapter 7

  “Are you ready?” Aaron asked as he placed his hand on the door knob. I didn’t think I’d ever be ready for this, so I nodded. As I followed Aaron into the hallway, I tried not to look at the armed guards and kept my eyes to the floor, although I could feel the guards’ gaze burn down my body. One part of me still expected Aaron to bring me into some room filled with men who would laugh at me for falling for Aaron’s lies, but even if that happened, it wouldn’t come as a surprise and I wouldn’t let them humiliate me further. As we passed through the long hallways with more guards, I was trying to memorize every hallway and door. An escape attempt seemed impossible right now, but you never knew.

  Various murmuring voices caught my attention as we neared a big brown double door. The room had to be huge, but I kept my head bowed as I trailed behind Aaron. He took a seat in a big brown chair at the end of a huge table and pointed at the red cushion on the ground. Oh, that was my seat. Wonderful.

  I knelt down on it, settling my hands in my lap. My hair shielded my face enough for me to dare to look up, but it was hard to see anything aside from the table and everyone’s legs. I counted six men, probably Roberto’s closest associates. The chatter suddenly died down and Aaron’s body tensed, so I assumed everyone was staring at him and me, at least those who could see me behind the mahogany table. I didn’t see any fancy pillows for other slave girls, and a sheen of sweat broke out on my forehead.

  “My son,” Roberto said, “don’t hide your pet down there. Everyone wants to see her.” A few other voices murmured in agreement. I swallowed bile at the excited undertone in Roberto’s voice. Sick bastard.

  “Ella, get up,” Aaron ordered in a cold voice, and I obeyed, finally getting a clear view of all the men at the table. Aaron had a gun tucked into his suit jacket, and as I stared at the table’s shiny surface, eyeing everyone from the corners of my eyes, I wondered how many I would be able to shoot. I could feel everyone’s gazes on me as if a fire were scorching me.

  “Come here,” Roberto said, and I glanced at Aaron over my shoulder.

  “Go,” Aaron said, and I made my way to the end of the table.

  “Very pretty.” Roberto placed his hand on my ass, and I fought the urge to elbow him in the face. “Get on the table.” He gave me a little slap, and I looked at Aaron, who simply nodded. Wonderful. I awkwardly climbed onto the table on all fours, aware that my dress wasn’t long enough to cover anything in this position. One of the men gasped, his dark eyes glazed. Even though my brother had shown me Roberto’s known associates, none of these men were familiar. I was really glad the table was huge, so when a bald man with a long mustache reached out for me, he couldn’t do it without getting up or leaning really hard across the table.

  “You have to lend her to me for an hour.” The mustached man sighed, his eyes imploring to Aaron. “Half an hour will do, too. That body...” He smacked his lips together.

  “No,” Aaron said. “She’s mine. She serves only me. Get yourself your own pet.”

  The mustached man’s brow furrowed and he turned toward Roberto, who only shrugged. “Don’t look at me, my friend. You heard my son.”

  “Can I have her after you’re done with her then?” the mustached man asked excitedly. “I’m sure you’ll get bored of her eventually.”

  “Maybe,” Aaron said, and the mustached man settled down, clearly satisfied with the answer.

  “Ella, come here.” Aaron made a gesture with his hand, and I advanced toward him. When I was right in front of him, he placed his hand on my cheek and ran his finger over my lips. The man with graying short hair who was closest to us watched us with fascination. Aaron spread his arms then, and I climbed down from the table and into his arms until I was sitting on his lap.

  “I have a surprise for you. True beauties to satisfy all of your needs,” Roberto announced, snapping his fingers at the guards at the door, who immediately opened it and let in a group of naked women. In front of the group was a trembling girl who was doing her best to smile, but her makeup was smeared with tears. A golden collar was clasped around her neck, her long curly dark brown hair splayed around her shoulders. The way she swayed as she made her way toward Roberto made it seem as if she was inebriated, and I assumed she had been drugged before being brought here.

  Aaron gripped my arm and pulled me closer toward him until his mouth brushed my ear. “Get down on your knees in front of me and keep your head down.”

  I pressed my lips together into an angry line that only he could see and slid down to the floor in front of him. His fingers wound into my hair and he pressed my head against his thigh, spreading my hair so it hid my face.

  “Please...” a broken whisper reached my ears, followed by a loud smack.

  “What did I say about speaking when not spoken to, slave?” Roberto barked, and I flinched. Aaron had a strong grip on my head, not letting me move or try to see what was going on. My heart raced as the girl screamed and something crashed to the floor.

  “Look what you made me do. Come here,” Roberto said, and I heard muffled sobbing. The sickening sound of flesh hitting flesh made me want to get that gun and just shoot every man at this table. I moved my head slightly as the chairs scraped against the floor and I could only see one of the women on her knees as she sucked off the gray-haired guy. Aaron’s grip on me loosened, but he was idly playing with my hair, and I wondered if my presence was inconvenient for him because he couldn’t enjoy himself with one of the girls as everyone else.

  I lifted my head a little, expecting to see him turned on, but there was not even a trace of arousal. In fact, his body was completely rigid, and I dared to lift my eyes even more to make sure he was still breathing. His lips were uplifted into a smile, his eyes the coldest blue I had seen and focused somewhere across the table, but I was certain he wasn’t really seeing what was going on around him. It was as if he wasn’t here at all. That surprised the hell out of me. Surely, a Viteri wouldn’t be bothered by what was going on. He was raised to think having people as sex slaves was a wonderful idea, but... I pinched his leg, hard, just to prove my theory, and he gasped, his eyes snapping to me, and I was sure he was back to reality.

  “Come,” he said, getting to his feet and heading for the door, not even looking at anyone in the room. I got up too and followed him, keeping my head down, because I knew that if I looked, I’d want to paint this room red with blood. Once we were in the hallway, Aaron’s shoulders relaxed and he pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He went in the opposite direction of where we’d come from, and I ignored the guard who was watching me as I trailed after Aaron.

  Aaron tilted his head as we were passing a big black door with a keypad next to it and two guards on each side. I assumed that was his father’s office. With all the protection, it was no wonder Aaron needed special help to pull off his plan. We emerged onto a small terrace, and Aaron lit a cigarette, gazing at the night as he leaned on the railing. The cigarette was burning, but he didn’t even bring it to his lips. It must have all been a pretense so the guards wouldn’t be suspicious because we’d been going in the direction of Roberto’s office. I had no idea if Aaron actually smoked or not.

  I wrapped my arms around myself, but that did nothing to warm me up and protect me from the chilly night air. I squinted my eyes at the darkness, but all I could see were endless trees and fields. Where the hell were we? If I miraculously managed to get out of here, I’d never find my way back home. I couldn’t even tell in which direction the city was because the sky was incredibly dark. Unfortunately, there weren’t any stars that could offer me some guidance. I glanced down and saw multiple guards watching the perimeter with their dogs. An electrical fence was visible through the first line of the trees, behind a huge garden.

  Shit. It didn’t look like I would be getting out of here. And even if I found Katya, how would I get us safely anywhere? I bit down on my lip so hard that I tasted blood. If I found Katya, I’d have to come up with something. Maybe steal someone
’s phone and get a message to my brother. He’d find a way to track the signal and then my family would come save me... if they found a way to infiltrate this fort.

  My family was probably looking all over for me. Maybe they thought I was already dead or worse... being tortured somewhere for days and not allowed to die. Aaron’s cigarette had burned out without him taking a single smoke, so he just threw it to the floor. He took a deep breath, straightened his suit jacket, and turned toward me.

  “Shit.” His warm hand caught my arm, making me shiver, his face distraught for a fraction of a second. “Let’s get you inside.” His voice was so low that I barely heard him. “Sorry.”

  Was he actually upset that he’d let me stand there in the cold? I couldn’t quite believe that and yet... it was happening. As soon as we were in his room, Aaron double checked to make sure the door was firmly closed. I was about to sit down on the bed when I noticed a big blue bag next to it that hadn’t been there when we left.

  “What’s that?” I pointed at the bag.

  “More clothes for you,” Aaron said calmly. “Pick something and go take a shower.”

  “You’re going to order me around again?” I arched an eyebrow at him.

  “Just do it.” He snapped his fingers. “You need to get warm, and I don’t want my father’s stench all over you. Throw that dress you’re wearing in the trash.”

  “Have a lighter so I can burn it, too?” I said jokingly, but Aaron’s face was serious, and he tapped his foot impatiently as he untied his tie. “If you didn’t want him to touch me, you could’ve told him no.”

  “Go!” he said, raising his voice.

  “Alright! It’s not like I liked this non-dress anyway.” I’d love to scrub my mind clean too, but I didn’t think that girl’s sobbing would ever leave my head completely. Focusing on the bag, I opened it and found a pair of comfy pants and a decent looking black shirt. As I kicked off my shoes and padded toward the bathroom, I glanced over my shoulder at Aaron, who was running his hand through his hair, and I wondered why exactly he hated his father so much.

  Was he bothered just because he couldn’t control everything or was there more to it? Maybe the Viteris weren’t all the same, and I was probably just being delusional. He was still a Viteri and his father’s son, he grew up with him and lived with him his whole life, and if he didn’t like it, he’d have left already. No, maybe he was just trying to get me to like him and was pretending to be better than he was so I’d drop my guard around him. But why? I wasn’t sure yet, so I just closed the door behind me and decided not to think about that for now.

  Chapter 8

  “Where are we going?” I asked as I straightened my dress. Although very short, the dress was entirely black and wasn’t see-through, and I actually got to keep my underwear on. Still, I didn’t want to walk out of the room without knowing what to expect.

  “Does it matter?” Aaron snapped. “Just come with me, stay in the background, and make sure you don’t catch anyone’s attention. Got it?”

  I pressed my lips into a tight line and made a grimace. “Fine, but why are you so secretive? I don’t know how you expect me to trust you if you won’t...”

  He sighed and ran his hand across his face, then pinned his blue eyes on me. “My father’s picking out a new slave for himself and he wants me there, too. It’s best if you keep your eyes on the ground and ignore what’s going on.”

  “Easy for you to say.” I cocked my head at him. “Why don’t you tell me your secret? You seem perfectly capable of ignoring everything around you and I wonder how you do that.”

  His shoulders tensed, but his face remained cold and collected. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Quit stalling and come with me. Whatever happens, don’t react. Unless you want me to give you something to help you relax.”

  My eyebrows shot upward. “No thanks. I’m fine.” Had Aaron taken some drug before so he could control himself? I doubted it, but he clearly wanted me to think that was what had been going on.

  Without another word, he opened the door and we walked out into the hallway. The guards were there, ready with their guns, and if I wasn’t wrong, there were even more of them than usual. I didn’t know how Roberto chose his new slaves, but I suspected he wasn’t standing over a pile of photos of unsuspecting girls. He must have had the girls brought here, hence more security.

  A lump formed in my throat. If the girls saw his face or anyone else’s and if they weren’t chosen, what happened to them? Were they shipped off to someone else or taken somewhere to be killed? My stomach did a little flip when we walked into an overly bright room. Squinting my eyes, I barely managed to see Aaron stopping next to Marco and whispering something to him. I lingered near one of the walls, as far as possible from the guards who might shoot me.

  When my eyes finally adjusted, a gasp got stuck in my throat. My chest constricted and my head started to swim. No, it wasn’t possible... except it was. Six naked girls were lined up in front of a wall, and among them was a face I recognized despite the bruises, messy hair, and glazed blue eyes. Katya. My cousin was here, barely standing on her feet, her back heavily leaned against the wall. She was staring in front of her, her skin thinly pale, dark circles surrounding her red-rimmed eyes.

  The other girls weren’t in any better condition. Drugged. They had all been drugged. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Katya. Roberto casually made his way up and down the room, his hands in the pockets of his pants as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He was eyeing the girls while the man who was probably the seller groped them, lifting their breasts and inspecting every inch of their bodies.

  Aaron stepped into my view, almost imperceptibly shaking his head at me. I looked down at my hands and realized I’d clenched them into fists. Taking a deep breath, I tried to block out what Roberto and the man were saying, but it didn’t quite work. I’d found Katya, and I had to do something. I couldn’t just let them do this to her.

  “Aaron, what do you think?” Roberto asked, and I forced myself to lower my gaze. “This one’s pretty tight.”

  “Choose whichever you like, Father,” Aaron said in a detached and cold voice.

  “Hmm.” Roberto sounded amused. “Eeny, meeny, miney, mo...”

  My nails cut into my skin, but I couldn’t keep my head down any longer. If Roberto chose Katya, I didn’t even want to imagine what would happen to her, and if he didn’t... There was just no way out of this, except... I quickly glanced around the room. One guard, Marco, Aaron, Roberto, and the seller... Marco was standing not too far from me, shielding me from the guard’s view, and his gun was attached to his belt. If I got the gun, I could take out the guard and Marco, and hope everyone else would be too slow and surprised to get their guns out. It would be impossible to get out of this building alive, but... maybe I could take Aaron as a hostage. I had to try something. Anything.

  “This one has gorgeous breasts...” This time Roberto reached out to stroke Katya’s nipples, and I couldn’t just stand there anymore. My mind was like mush, making it impossible to think about anything except reaching for Marco’s gun. Maybe death was a better option than being touched by that piece of shit. In one swift move, I stepped forward and snatched the gun, but as I wanted to raise my arm, Aaron’s hand closed over my wrist, squeezing so hard I gasped. He pulled me toward him, trapping me into his embrace and extracting the gun from my fingers with ease. Shit. I let out a frustrated groan as Aaron held me in a tight grip.

  “Are you out of your fucking mind?” he hissed into my ear. “Do you want everyone in this room to die, including you?” He slid the gun into his suit jacket.

  “Aaron, what’s going on?” Roberto asked with curiosity in his voice.

  “I thought you were busy picking out your new pet,” Aaron said calmly, letting go of me. “Or do you want a detailed report about what I do with mine?” There was a hint of annoyance in his voice.

  “I already picked mine.” Roberto caught one of the girls by the
arm and she stumbled toward him. “Are you sure you don’t want one for yourself?”

  “Actually, on second thought...” Aaron motioned to Marco, who took a hold of me, and Aaron made his way toward the girls, carefully eying them or at least pretending to. My heart skipped a beat when he stopped in front of Katya. “I’ll take this one, but as a gift for a friend. She’s exactly his type.”

  “As you wish.” Roberto didn’t look too happy about it, but then he just shrugged and clapped the seller on the shoulder. “We’ll take these two. Get the others out of my sight.” He shoved the girl he’d chosen toward the seller. “Get her ready and deliver her to my room after lunch.” He eyed the girl for a moment. “Her name will be Roxy.”

  “Of course. What about...?” He gave Aaron an expectant look.

  “No need to do anything else. I’ll take care of my purchase. Thank you.” Aaron inclined his head, taking a hold of Katya’s arm, whose legs gave way, and Aaron picked her up into his arms as if she weighed nothing. I wanted to rush over to her to check if she was fine, but Marco’s grip on my arm was like steel.

  “Having trouble with your pet?” Roberto asked, his gaze fixed on Marco’s hand on me.

  “Not at all,” Aaron said, cradling Katya. “I forgot to feed her, so she’s a little faint. She’ll be fine.”

  “Ah yes, they always need something,” Roberto mumbled. “If you put her with the others, I’m sure someone can take care of that for you.”

  “What would the fun in that be?”

  “Fine, fine.” Roberto put his hands up. “I won’t say anything else. She’s yours anyway.”

  “Take her. You know what to do,” Aaron said to Marco, who had to let go of me as Aaron gently placed unconscious Katya into his arms. Marco nodded, his eyes flashing with worry as he gazed upon her, and a part of me wondered what would happen now. The fact that Aaron had chosen exactly Katya hadn’t been an accident. He must have watched me and seen me looking at her, so he’d decided to pick her. The only question was why he’d done it.