Taken by E.M. Leya

CHAPTER FOUR

Ben glanced up as they brought two more men through the door and headed toward the main cage. Both men were drugged, moving sluggishly as they were led toward the chain-link fenced area where the men were held.

Rushing to get the key out, Ben made his way to the gate and opened the lock, taking a moment to scan the area to make sure the others inside the fenced area weren't close enough to rush the gate as he opened it. He didn't expect to see anyone close. They kept the men drugged enough that even if one had the idea of trying to escape, he'd be easily overpowered.

"Two more." Jacob grinned as he pushed one of the men through the opening and then released him with enough force the young man went crashing to the cement floor.

Art held the second man. Ben glanced at him, meeting the man's sluggish gaze for a moment. He was probably in his late twenties, with messed up, light brown hair, green eyes, and a thin but healthy body. Sadly, with his good looks, he'd probably be popular with the men who came to live out their perverse fantasies.

Art tossed the man into the cage and Ben quickly shut the gate and locked it. He'd have to deal with the two new guys later, but for now, they were drugged enough that they wouldn't cause any problems. He turned to Art and Jacob. "That all of them?"

"There's another in holding, but he might not make it. Stan told us to wait to bring him over." Jacob shrugged. "The guy tried to rush the door earlier and Stan might have gotten a bit too rough with him.

Ben frowned. "Isaac won't like that." He thought about their boss who stressed the value of every human they brought through the doors. Not the value of their life, but the value of the money each one could bring them once they were ready to present for purchase.

"Not my problem. Isaac can deal with Stan. We had nothing to do with it." Jacob turned and headed for the large table where everyone sat when they weren't working. He poured himself a cup of coffee. "Any issues in here today?"

Ben looked around the room, taking in the three large chain-link areas that held the people they'd kidnapped. The farthest cell held the children. A mix of young boys and girls, most under the age of puberty. Once they reached puberty, they were held in the adult cells. There were fifteen kids being held at the moment. The next cage held the women, the most in-demand for the services they offered. There were thirty-two women at the moment, but that changed daily as some were sold into personal slavery and others sent to Mexico through several of the networks Isaac worked with. There were only twelve men, but men weren't as in demand as the others were. "No problems. One of the girls started her period. I put in a call to Dr. Frank to come in and take care of her." The doctor made sure that all the merchandise was disease-free, and all women and girls of age were given a shot to make sure they didn't get pregnant for the next six months. If the buyer wanted them to have babies, they would have to wait. Isaac said he didn't want to deal with babies. He never dealt with the buyers who were into infant rape or sacrifice. They could get their adrenochrome from preteen kids they held if they wanted it.

"Have Frank check out the new guys when he comes." Jacob slumped down in his chair. "Isaac said we're holding off on anyone new for a week or two unless something happens. He's got a dealer coming in from Canada who is looking to buy. Once that's done, he'll need to restock."

Ben would never get used to talking about humans as if they were a product. He did it because it was how things were done around here, but it left him feeling sick to his stomach. "I'll make notes of everything the doctor needs to take care of. Do you need him to look at the guy Stan's got over there?"

"Maybe. I don't think he's going to live, but you never know. Give Stan a call when the doctor gets here and see what the status is." Jacob glanced over at the cell where the women were being held. "How's that brunette holding up?"

"The bleeding's stopped, but I'll have Doc look at her as well. I think it was just some anal tearing. Nothing a few days won't heal." He didn't want to think of the condition she'd been in when she'd been returned to the cell. Ben had seen a lot, stuff that haunted his dreams, but it never got easy to see. Whoever had paid for that woman for the night had worked her over.

"She's been around a while. It's time to send her off to some other country and bring in younger stock." Art lit a cigarette. "I don't know what Isaac is thinking keeping some of these around so long."

"The Senator's favorite." Jacob laughed. "Isaac's keeping his high-rollers happy."

Ben believed it. He didn't deal with anything that went on upstairs, but he heard enough about it to know that some very important people made use of the merchandise Isaac offered.

He glanced at his watch, glad the day was almost over. He needed a hot shower and a cold beer before he fell into bed and forgot about all of this for a few hours. Some nights, not even sleep was enough to make him forget the vile things he'd seen.

He had his demons that was for sure.

As much as he wanted out of this place, he was stuck. He had a job to do. He'd seen things, knew things that could destroy a lot of lives and cost a lot of people money. Isaac wasn't about to let him out of here. He'd seen others try to leave. They were either dead or sold. He could end up inside one of these cages as easily as he could sit outside one. It only took pissing off Isaac once. For some reason, Isaac was patient with him, but he wasn't about to do anything to upset him. Isaac wouldn't hesitate to take all of them out. He'd just recruit some of his other thugs to work for him. The only way out would be to leave town without a trace or finish the undercover job he was hired to do and wait for the team to take the whole enterprise down.

It wasn't a very big operation when it came to some trafficking rings. Five women worked in the kitchens and did the cleaning, several of them the wives of other employees. There were three men who ran the upstairs area where very select customers were welcomed to come stay for a few hours or even a few nights. Then there was the basement where Ben worked. He worked with Art, Stan, Jacob, and two others who worked the night shift in making sure the people held in the cells were clean and ready to be escorted upstairs if someone desired them. They kept them drugged just enough they couldn't fight back. People rotated through the cells every few months, unless they were in high demand, then Isaac would keep them around longer. Security was tight, and was where most the staff was, guarding the mansion and areas around it to protect the rich who came, some nightly, to purchase whatever they desired for the night.

Ben rolled his shoulders, wondering how much more he could of this. "The senator is going to have to find a new favorite if she keeps getting smacked around like she has been." He was aware Isaac would just charge the senator more if he injured or killed the woman. Isaac had customers who came to the mansion just to live out sick snuff fantasies.

The sound of someone vomiting in the men's cells made him cringe. He hated cleaning up vomit off the cement floors, but it was part of his job. He only had to hose the mess down the drain, but it left the cells wet and cold for the people in them, and honestly, the scent of vomit took hours to fade. It was normal for someone to get sick. The heroin caused all kinds of reactions. It would take time for the new arrivals to get used to the drug, then he'd have to listen to them beg for more of it once the addiction set in.

Jacob nodded to the cell where the vomiting had come from. "If you want to spray down the cell, you can get out of here after."

Ben wasn't going to turn down the chance to get out of here early. He nodded. "Thanks. I'll take you up on that." He didn't bother waiting around. With the other guys watching in case anyone attacked him inside the cage, he quickly took care of business, trying hard as he sprayed the mess down the drain not to think about the new guys they'd brought in and wonder about the lives they'd left behind.