Baby Bitch (Bitches and Queens) (13 page)

Trevor had said that their new life was
waiting in Florida, in Miami specifically. Normally, the drive from Austin to
Miami took a little over twenty hours, but since he avoided the main
interstates, it took them three days to arrive. Along the way, he had made
several stops where he said his connections had left vehicles. McKenna never
encountered any such person, and she sincerely hoped that he wasn’t committing
grand-theft auto.

There was the grand romantic notion of
starting a new life and the actuality of doing so. She discovered by the end of
the second day that the two had little to do with each other. Trevor had
promised that he had saved enough money to get them by until he could figure
out something else, yet he refused to stop for basic necessities. Forty-eight
hours of wearing the same clothes, not showering, or brushing her teeth began
to make McKenna feel gross.

By nightfall of the second evening of
their adventure, she pleaded with him to stop at a motel so she could take a real
bath. Washing up in tiny truck stop bathrooms or hole-in-the-wall gas stations
just wasn’t doing the trick, but Trevor rebuffed her pleas and said they would
be home tomorrow afternoon.

Of course, McKenna realized they wouldn’t
be staying at a four-star resort, but she was hoping for a small seaside hotel,
perhaps with a pool. While Trevor figured out their next move, McKenna planned
to look into finishing her degree online. It seemed such a shame to go this far
and dropout with only a few months left before she finished. Maybe once she had
finished, she could start researching the colleges and universities nearby.
Secondary education had never been a part of her life plan before, but obviously,
she wouldn’t be modeling now.  The future was so wide open now it was baffling
to her. What did she want to do with the rest of her life?

Focusing on the future helped her not
dwell on what she left behind. She tried her best to fixate on her new life
with Trevor, but there were moments when she missed her family terribly. They
usually happened when he pulled off on the side of road to sleep for a few hours.
The second night while Trevor slept, McKenna tried to escape the warmth of the
car by rolling down the window but the hot, humid air was stifling. In the
distant, a band of fireflies began twinkling their nightly chorus. A slight
smile played on her lips as she thought of Tink. Knowing she couldn’t possibly
fall asleep, McKenna spent the midnight hours watching the glowing creatures,
and whenever she was overwhelmed with the urge to cry, she remembered the
ridiculous girl.

At dawn, as the sky was painted with
strokes of red and orange, Trevor resumed their journey. McKenna thought this
day would become of great significance—the first official day of their new life.
The first cracks of her grand illusion began to fester the next afternoon when
he pulled into what only the most generous soul would describe as a trailer
park. The graffiti-ridden, aluminum boxes all appeared as if one strong wind
could topple them. The roads into the park were cluttered with pea-gravel,
broken shards of glass, and several huge weeds that had been allowed to grow
into the size of small trees.

This was home?
Surely, there must be a mistake.
Please
God, let this only be another stop.
When he pulled over in front of grayish
white trailer that looked no different from any of the other ones that were
closely packed together, the cracks spread like spider webs until the glass
dome of her dream burst. It wasn’t the pungent air of poverty the cloaked the
air and stole all the magical hearts and rainbows from her mind. It was the cold,
calculating, soulless look in Trevor’s eyes when he smirked and said, “Welcome
home, doll face.”

He shut off the engine and stepped out of
the car. Adrenaline surged through her veins, causing a fight or flight
reaction, yet instead of doing either, McKenna was frozen, still in panic, hoping
against hope that this must be a mistake, a dream, a nightmare… If only she
could wake up back in own bed. Trevor pushed open her car door and then grabbed
her wrist. He started to drag her out of the car but she dug her feet into the
gravel.

“Stop! What’s going on? Where are we?”
she screamed wildly.

“You’re in hell. And the only way you are
leaving is with me. So how about you shut the fuck up and get your ass inside,”
Trevor growled.

“Watch it,” a new voice called out in
warning.

McKenna’s eyes flew towards the open door
and she saw Trevor’s Uncle Bobby waiting for them. 

“Just get the bitch inside,” Bobby spat.

McKenna had no idea what was happening,
but she did realize if she went inside that trailer, there was a very good
chance she wouldn’t be coming out alive. The terrifying realization was enough
to shatter through her panic and she started to fight. Scratching, screaming,
clawing, and kicking—McKenna was determined to survive.
Where were the other
people? They have to hear me. They have to see this and know something terrible
is happening. Why isn’t anyone helping me?

Trevor fought back. One of his punches
landed square in the middle of her gut and another against her jaw. Although in
reality the altercation could have only lasted less than a minute, it felt like
lifetime to McKenna. Bobby came up from behind and reached for wrists. Trevor
reached for her feet and they carried her up the stairs, while she twisted
every which way and bellowed.

“Jesus fucking Christ, how many times
have I warned you about damaging the goods?” Bobby grunted as they dropped her
on an old, plaid-covered sofa that reeked of animal urine.

The front door of freedom was still open
and McKenna was just about to vault towards it when Bobby pulled out a gun and
cocked the trigger. “Probably not a good idea,” he slowly drawled.

Trevor hunched down in front of her.
“What’s your fucking problem?” he growled. His eyes then turned gentle as he
reached for her hands. “I thought you loved me. You said you would do anything
for us to be together.”

His abrupt personality change sent her
mind reeling so she didn’t notice the pair of handcuffs he pulled out of his
pocket until he snapped one around her wrist.

“What are you doing?” McKenna cried.

Trevor laughed cruelly as he locked the
other cuff onto a wall brace. “There’s been a slight change of plans. Normally,
I don’t go to this much trouble, but when you admitted that your brother or
father or whatever the fuck you want to call him is a billionaire, I realized I
found myself a goddamn gold mine.”

He quickly stood up and glanced over at
Bobby. “Any news yet?”

Bobby shook his head in denial and said
gruffly, “Nope.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,”
Trevor gritted through his teeth. “We’ve been gone three fucking days. Jesus
Christ,” he groaned. “You weren’t fucking teasing when you said your family
didn’t want you, McKenna. Those fucking queer ass shits haven’t even filed a
missing person report.”

“What are you talking about?” McKenna
howled. “What do you want with me?”

Trevor sat down beside her on the sofa.
“Remember all those nights you begged me to
make love
to you? Well, you’re
going to get fucked all right—it just isn’t going to be by me.”

“Everything you ever said to me has been
a lie,” McKenna whimpered as her heart shattered into a million pieces.

“Not everything,” Trevor corrected. “My
old man was a snitch, and he did sell me out. That kind of thing makes a man
grow cold. Several years ago, I decided to branch out. All that peddly-ass drug
running bullshit wasn’t getting me anywhere. Too many birds on that tree. I
discovered there is a market for girls like you—pretty-faced virgins. You’d be
surprised what some men are willing to pay to pop cherries,” he said as he ran a
hand up her thigh.

McKenna tried to pull out of reach and
Trevor laughed in her face.

“Don’t worry, doll face. You’re virginity
is safe from me. Ain’t no pussy in the world worth a million dollars. That was
my top bid,” Trevor boasted. “But I suspect you’ll go for higher. I would
probably get even more if your family wasn’t a bunch of cheap bastards.”

“They’ll find me,” McKenna whimpered.

Trevor suddenly stood and waved his arms
angrily. “Who are you fucking kidding? They aren’t even looking for you. They
fucking hate you because you are nothing but a waste-of-air, whiny-ass cunt.
Hell, I probably even did them a favor.”

“That’s not true,” McKenna cried.

“Go on and keep telling yourself that,”
Trevor smirked. Turning away, he looked over at Bobby and then asked, “Any
prospects?”

“I dunno, maybe,” Bobby said warily.

“What the hell does that mean?” Trevor
snapped.

“It means we caught a fish, but I’m a
little concerned with the terms.”

“How much? And what are the terms?”

“Five million,” Bobby stated flatly.

“Five fucking million. Jesus Christ,”
Trevor declared as he spun around to look at her. “Can you believe that? Some
sorry-ass motherfucker is willing to pay five-fucking-million dollars to get
inside your panties. He would shit himself if he knew you wanted to give it to
me for free. You had best be the greatest fuck of his life or he is bound to be
disappointed.”

“Oh God,” McKenna sobbed. “What happens
then?”

“If he’s disappointed?” Trevor
questioned. “Hell, I don’t know, but if it were me and I just threw away that
amount of money and you didn’t send me straight to the fucking moon, I would
slit your goddamn throat. Fuck, for all we know, that may be what he wants to
do anyway.”

“There’s always a chance her family will
pay more. Maybe we should contact them,” Bobby said.

“They haven’t even filed a fucking police
report,” Trevor hissed. “Hell, I was stuck in a fucking car with that bitch for
three days, and I can see why they wouldn’t want her back. I don’t want to risk
it for nothing—not when we have a solid bid.”

“You haven’t even heard the terms,” Bobby
shouted.

“Fuck the goddamn terms. I’ll march the
bitch up and down the goddamn street collared and leashed if that is what the
motherfucker wants. It’s five-million dollars.”

“He wants the transport done over
international waters,” Bobby said.

“Then arrange the goddamn transport. What
is your fucking deal? Have you turned pussy or what?”

“I’ve just got a bad feeling about this,”
Bobby admitted. “Her picture was only on the site for less than an hour when he
made his bid. It was like he was looking for her or something. And then there
was all this shit about precise nautical miles. What the fuck is that about?”

Trevor shrugged indifferently. “Sounds to
me like he is just some lonely, desperate fucker that wants to cover his ass.
Just arrange the goddamn transport or get your ass out.”

Bound and gagged, the wind whipped
McKenna long, platinum locks of hair in her face as the speedboat flew across
the midnight sea. Only a little over a week ago, she ran away from everyone she
loved and was now on the way to her death—unless some reclusive guardian angel
planned on a last-minute rescue mission. Certainly, her family wasn’t looking
for her, as Trevor reminded her every day.

Perhaps once this stranger was finished
stealing her virginity, he would take pity on her and let her leave? It was her
only hope, but McKenna had serious doubts. The very worst of Trevor’s many
abuses was that he had stolen her faith and hope so completely.

The past five days had been pure torture.
Trevor had felt the handcuffs weren’t enough to detain her so either he or
Bobby watched over her constantly with the ever-present pistol within arm’s
reach. She wasn’t even allowed to use the toilet in private. And showers were
nonexistent until this afternoon when Trevor threatened to bash in her skull if
she didn’t doll herself up after he tossed a discount-department store version
of a prom dress at her.

As she stared down at the sequined
nightmare laying in her lap, McKenna finally realized this was really
happening. In her heart of hearts, she desperately clung to the belief that her
family would find her. Surely, they had to be looking for her, despite his
cruel taunts.
They did love her. They did want her to come home. She wasn’t
just a piece of trash better off gone.

In the distance, she spotted a flickering
light upon the water. As they approached, the outline of decent-sized yacht
came into view. Whoever had bought her was a wealthy man, a powerful man—then
again, he had to be to spend five-million dollars for a single night of
pleasure.

The driver of the boat looped around the
yacht. When McKenna spotted the stranger, her heart pounded with terror.
Wearing a designer suit, he held onto the railing and stared down impatiently
as they tethered the line. The man was as massive as a mountain. Although not
precisely handsome, had they met under different circumstances, McKenna was
certain he wouldn’t frighten her so until she saw his eyes—pale-colored, void,
and lifeless. She knew beyond a shadow of doubt that her pleas for life would
fall on deaf ears.

“Why is she restrained?” he yelled out
with a thick accent that she didn’t recognize. Eastern European, Russian,
maybe?

“Untie her,” he growled.

Trevor pulled out a switchblade from his
pocket and quickly cut the thick ropes from her wrist, clearly just as unnerved
by the strange man as she was. Maybe not exactly as unnerved, as he wasn’t the
one who was about to be fucked and then dumped into the ocean.

When her hands were released, the man
leaned over railing and waved his hand forward. “Come,” he demanded.

McKenna looked back one last time at
Trevor. If there was ever a time for him to remember his soul, now would be it,
but instead, he shoved her towards the ladder. Tears blurred her vision and
burnt the back of her throat. She started to whimper but gagged instead because
of the cloth that had been stuffed into her mouth. She had only climbed the
first two steps when she felt a pair of strong hands wrap around her waist and
hoist her aboard.

For several long moments, he stood silently,
staring down at her, until he finally reached down to wipe her tears. His touch
was so surprisingly gentle that it only made McKenna cry more. After spending
the last several days being pinched, poked, and shoved every which way, she
almost forgot how a real human felt. He made quick work of the rope, pulled the
cloth out of her mouth, and then tenderly massaged her stiff jaw. Watching her
intently the entire time, McKenna saw a flash of something in his eyes, but it
was gone as soon as it had come. Then he suddenly roared, “Do you have any idea
who you brought me tonight? This child is royalty. Her mother is a queen. How
dare you treat her so disrespectfully?”

What? He knew Mommy?
McKenna was almost afraid to believe, to
hope, that this man with the strange, soulless eyes would be her salvation.

“Come aboard and have a drink with me,”
he demanded.

“That isn’t how this is going to work. I
gave you the girl—now hand over the fucking money,” Trevor answered.

The stranger moved with such
lightning-quick speed that McKenna heard the thundering blast of the pistol
before she saw him pull it out from the holster that was concealed underneath
his suit jacket. His aim proved to be both lethal and precise as he fired
between where Trevor and Bobby where standing. With horror, she gasped as she
saw the now-lifeless body of the speedboat driver slumped over the steering
wheel.

“I insist,” he retorted blandly as he
tucked his gun back in place.

Neither Trevor nor Bobby appeared to be
comfortable with this turn of events, but both of them seemed to realize that
if they didn’t do as they were asked, they would share a similar fate with the
dead man. Although they were both carrying guns and knives, the man they faced
was faster, stronger, and more fearless.

The man led McKenna with his hand on her
back into an elongated room that had been tastefully decorated with a long sofa
couch and several stuffed chairs. Music was softly playing from the sound
system. It was a classical piece that she did not recognize, yet it wasn’t a relaxing
number. It was more of a mad frenzy that played havoc on her already-shot
nerves.

“Sit,” he said quietly as he motioned
towards the sofa. Then he walked over to the bar and proceeded to pour three
shot glasses full of a clear, alcohol drink.

“You as well,” he said absentmindedly as
he waved at Trevor and Bobby. “Make yourselves comfortable.”

He handed them their drinks but remained
standing as he and the two other men threw back the shots.

“Damn,” Bobby muttered harshly.

The man chuckled quietly. “That is some
of the finest Russian vodka on this planet. Would you care for another?”

“Look, we had our fucking drink. Now just
give us the money,” Trevor snapped.

“Did you have other plans for the
evening?”

“What?” Trevor growled.

“You seem to be in a hurry. I thought
maybe you had something to rush off to,” the stranger replied as he took off
his jacket and draped it carefully over a chair. Next, he unbuckled his holster
and placed it on the empty chair beside Trevor. Finally, he slowly began to
unbutton his shirt.

McKenna watched with dismay. She had no
idea what he was thinking but assumed he was planning to do the deed right
there in front of them. Perhaps once he was finished, he planned to kill them
all. Strangely, the thought that they would die right alongside her brought her
some measure of comfort.

“I am an artist by trade,” the stranger
finally explained as he stripped away his shirt.

McKenna’s eyes grew as wide as saucers.
He was standing with his back to her and the broad, muscular expanse was
covered with hundreds of inked markings. They trailed over his shoulders and
down both arms.

“I become quite attached to work. Each
one becomes a piece of my soul, and so I leave a mark to remind me of the
beauty,” he explained as he turned to the side.

McKenna discovered that his front side
was just as decorated, except for oval section of skin on his left breast that
was bare.

“This,” he explained as he touched the
unadorned piece of flesh, “is reserved for the queen of my heart. She is here
now. Would you like to meet her?”

McKenna quickly looked around the room until
her eyes settled on Trevor and Bobby. She noticed that they were sitting with
an odd posture and that Trevor’s left hand was twitching.

“Come out, my queen. I assure you it is
safe,” the stranger called out.

The moment Hannah strolled through the doorway,
McKenna jumped up and flew into her arms. She began sobbing hysterically.

“Shh,” Hannah softly cooed as she stroked
her hair. “Everything is all right, baby. We’re going home.”

“How does my queen wish for them to die?”

Hannah glanced over McKenna’s shoulder.
Her eyes narrowed to lethal slits. “Slowly,” she pronounced.

McKenna dared to look up one last time.
She saw the man standing with his hand covering his mouth and then heard him
say, “You move me as no other ever has or ever will again.”

He turned back towards Trevor and Bobby
and explained, “I must show my guests out…
No, no,
no, don’t try to fight it. It will only make it worse. I gave you a purified
neuromuscular inhibitor. Fortunately, I’ve built up a tolerance for it, but you
won’t be going anywhere, ever again. It is a great honor I bestow upon you—to
become one of my masterpieces. In time, I hope you will cherish it as much as I
do.”

McKenna left with Hannah without a second
glance and discovered that another speedboat had arrived to take them back to
shore. The man stood at the railing, watching their every move.

After they were settled, he said, “You
stole my heart long ago. Do not force me to take it back.”

Hannah kept her features blank. “I will
be in New York in a week.”

Once the yacht was no longer in sight,
McKenna whispered, “Who was that man, Mommy?”

“He’s a very tortured soul, but don’t
worry about him. You will never have to see him again.”