Psychotic Love (a mafia love story)

Chapter 38

ECHO'S POV

The past few days have been gruesome. My eyes constantly feel heavy from a lack of sleep and my stomach lets off growls louder than a lion's roar. It does so mostly because I've been feeding off of a slice of bread a day.

My head feels to be in an endless state of pain. It's like someone's smashing a rock into my skull. I don't know how much longer I can do this. It's only been three days but my body is already deteriorating. I've never felt so weak, physically.

Ms. Krone walks through the door with a bunch of zip-lock bags in hand. She passes them out and the girls start pulling out lingerie. I end up getting a hot pink set.

"Get up ladies, today is a big day."

We all stand, and as I do, my head begins to float like a balloon. I have to keep my body from falling forward as a wave of nausea hits me harder than a train could ever.

"Get dressed. We have a long ride ahead of us." Krone's voice is blaring through my ears like a blow horn. Whenever she opens her mouth, I feel like ripping my hair from my scalp.

The women around me begin to undress. I pull my ragged and dingy dress off along with them. I hold up the underwear and the yellow stain on them is enough for me to drop them to the floor. Absolutely not. I figure my lighter pink underwear won't stand out too badly. They're lace, just like the bra.

I'm sure to slide Luca's knife into my bra when Krone's attention is focused on a clipboard in her hands. I turn to Liana. "Do my boobs look off?" I whisper.

"Mmm, no. They're fine. Why are you worried about your boobs?" Curiosity is etched into her expression.

"The knife," I mouth. I told her about it earlier.

"Ahh, okay."

"Be careful," she mouths.

I nod my head and take a breath. She's right. There's no telling what will happen if I get caught with it. Liana and I return to the floor.

•••••

I wear a pair of excruciatingly painful heels as I wait in a line with Liana right behind me. Every time a girl is forced onto the stage, my heart sinks hearing the catcalls and animal sounds. The men out there sound like a pack of hyenas waiting to rip us to pieces. It's predatory and terrifying. Sweat oozes from every pore in my body as I get closer to the front of the line.

It isn't until the girl in front of me is dragged onto stage that tears slip from my eyes. She screams and pulls back but the guy wrestling with her is just too strong. He throws her over his shoulder and carries her out there. "Please!" She shouts. "Please..."

That last cry is despairing. She doesn't even put up a fight anymore. It's as if she knows she's lost her battle.

"#97645, no previous owners, virgin, 17 years old."

17 years old. I could clearly see that many of the women here are young girls, but watching them be hauled away, watching their lives being stripped away is all too gut-wrenching. And virgin? How the fuck would they even know that? Why her? Why me? Why any of us? What did I do so wrong to deserve this?

The men start to throw out offers, and the girl ends up being sold for 200,000 dollars. Just like a piece of fucking furniture.

A rage builds up like never before. I don't know what to do with it. Letting it out will only lead to worse; I've learned that with Luca.

When the girl is carried off stage, a man harshly grabs my arm. His nails dig into my skin as if he's trying to rip it off my body. I struggle to balance as he yanks me up the stairs. I don't dare resist him.

As I stare into the crowd, I feel the need to wrap my arms around my body for comfort. I feel like an object being put on display. The man who dragged me rips my arms from my chest. "Don't cover yourself. They want to see what they're buying," he growls. I leave my hands at my side and burrow my nails deep within my flesh. I close my eyes to let the pain consume my thoughts. Anything to lead me out of this hellish abyss called life.

"Now this one, gentlemen, is special. This is Luca Caputo's fiancé." A man speaks through a microphone behind me.

The men in the crowd eat me alive with their eyes. Their cheers roar throughout the building. I'm like a rabbit to a pack of wolves. "She's 18 years old, no previous owners. Unfortunately, I'm sure she's used, but I'm also sure her belonging to Luca can make up for that. Who wants her?"

They yell and shout. One guy shouts about all of the things he'll do to me if he buys me. Tears well in my eyes. This is real. I'm going to be sold to some sick sadistic monster.

"Bidding will start at $850,000."

They immediately start throwing up their cards and shouting numbers. I keep my head down as it rises. 875k, 900k, 1m, 1.2m. It just keeps rising, and all because I have a connection to Luca.

"5.5 million," a voice shouts from the back. The roaring and howling stops. Voices come to a whisper. My hands shake uncontrollably as my tears hit the floor. I can't stomach looking at the monster who called out that number.

"Sold, to the gentleman in the back, card number 52. We've never had a girl sell for that price before, enjoy your purchase." There's a wicked kind of excitement in that man's voice. It's sickening.

I gather the courage to glance at my buyer. A dark, sinister smirk is plastered onto his face. My lips slightly part before a sob escapes them. There's no doubt in my heart that he has diabolical plans for me. My eyes stay glued to his as I'm pulled off stage.

Right as I approach the stairs, my gaze goes to scan the crowd. My heart jumps when I see him entering the building. Luca. He came for me.

"LUCA!" I shout as loud as my voice will allow. It doesn't carry; it might as well have been a whisper under the blaring crowd of men.

"LUC-" a hand places itself over my mouth and a gun is held to my head. My cries muffle into the hand. I don't dare take a chunk out of this guy. The last two times I did, there wasn't a gun to my head.

With a gun still at my temple, I'm pushed outside through a back door. The man who bought me approaches us pouring a liquid into a rag. I freeze and he grabs me, placing the rag over my face. A sweet aroma fills my nose, my knees fall weak, and my eyes grow heavy until there's nothing but darkness.