Protected

Earning Trust

            I wake up the next morning to the sound of Smalls hollering for us to climb up the ladder.
      "We're tied up and sore, how does expect us to that?" Carson grumbles.
      Through careful balance and coordination, that's how.
   I manage to climb the ladder, using my elbows for balance.
      When we are all safely at the top, Smalls reaches out and cuts our bonds. I look at him, surprised.
      "There's a loft with a locking door. You're going to stay shut in there and bag plants. One of you will be with me at all times, alright?" Smalls says.
     We nod and I volunteer to be first with Smalls. I follow him as he locks the boys in, and then we head for his office.
        "How long are we in this barn?" I ask.
        "We leave tomorrow." He says.
        "Where to after that?" I inquire.
        "I don't know! Gosh kid, this is stuff you ask the boss." Smalls snaps.
        "I don't want to ask the boss." I mutter.
      Smalls smiles slightly, "I totally get that."
   I pause, searching my mind for another question. "What's your name?"
          "I go by Smalls."
          "But that's not your legal name."
          "My word child you're curious!" He exclaims.
         My face gets hot, "Yes, I am rather curious aren't I?" I pause. "That's what got us into this mess."
     We're silent for a little while.
        "Gregory."
       "Beg your pardon?" I ask.
        "Gregory Marshall. It's my name." Smalls says softly. "I figure there's no harm in telling you, since..." He trails off.
        "We probably won't come out of this alive?" I supply.
        He doesn't answer and I ready myself for my next question.
         "You keep mentioning plants. That's marijuana right?" I say.
       Smalls nods, and we hear a car pull up outside. "That's the boss with the new vehicle. Come on girl, we check it out."
        "I'm Lexi. I figure there's no harm in telling you." I say.
       "Okay then, come on Lexi." He replies.
       I follow him outside and see Boss getting out of a grey diesel pickup truck with an enclosed trailer hitched behind.
       "Whaddaya think Smalls?" He asks. "Definitely an upgrade from that crappy work van!"
     Smalls says he agrees and Boss unhitches the trailer. "Have the little brats load the trailer, I gotta go get gas. Oh and make sure they leave space for themselves."
       Smalls nods and heads back inside. I follow him.
         "Where are we going next Smalls?" I ask again.
        He looks at the ceiling. "Utah for 4 weeks, Alabama for 5 weeks, California for 1 week, Mexico for 2 weeks. Those are the next 4 places."
        "You get enough business to do this job year round?"
      "We take time off to grow the plants, but yeah, we do. We're the biggest marijuana joint on the silent market, and we travel. Makes for a very good profit." He explains.
        "Silent market?"
        "Criminal shopping. Well, not necessarily criminal, but you can get meth, cocaine, booze, et cetera. We stay under the radar with this system." Smalls says.
        "That's actually pretty smart." I say. I open my mouth to ask another question but Smalls cuts me off.
       "Okay little lady! That's quite enough, time for you to go to work." He says curtly.
     I follow him to the workroom and enter, Smalls points to Carson. "Your turn pal."
     Carson tries to smile encouragingly but it doesn't work.
      I stand next to Syd at the table and tie bag after bag after bag of marijuana.

        "Girl are you stupid?" Boss shouts, "When you stack the bags in the trailer, always put the ties facing outward! It makes it easier to grab!" He cups his hand and boxes my ear, leaving me red and stinging. "Your boys don't seem to have an issue with being smart!" He claps Carson on the back, hard, and Carson winces. It would almost look like a proud father gesture, if not for what it actually was.
     I sigh and go about turning the bags around. "Speed it up, we do have a deadline!" Boss yells and slaps me across the face. I go through 2 more hours of this verbal and physical abuse before I can finally head down into our little cellar for the night.

         That evening as we are ushered back into the hole, I mention to Carson how grateful I was to not be tied up. He agrees whole heartedly. "Ropes would just make the pain from all the hitting worse." I groan.
    "Boss seems to really have it in for you. He hits me and Syd too, but not like he does to you." Carson says sympathetically.
      He asks what had happened to me while in the office with Smalls and I explain about grilling him with questions.
"So nothing happened?" Carson asked. What does he mean?
"Nothing other than I annoyed the crap out of him." I say.
     "But nothing happened?"
     "Carson! Nothing happened!" I emphasize, still not sure what he's getting at.
He blushes but manages to ask, "He didn't take advantage of you or anything?"
I'm sorry to say this, but at that point I laughed. I laughed and laughed. Something about that struck me funny and I haven't laughed in nearly a week from all the traveling cross-country and hard work and cruelty, so it just flowed out of me.
Carson looked deeply hurt. "Lexi I was just trying to watch out for you."
I settle down and take his hand. "No, nothing happened." I smile. "Thank you for caring though."
He smiles back at me. We sat there like that for a moment, holding hands and looking at each other.
Syd had watched this whole exchange with a look of amusement on his face. "I don't know about you two lovebirds but I'm going to bed."
I drop Carsons hand abruptly. I didn't even realize I was still holding his hand! Ew!
Syd plopped on the floor and curled up. "Still not very comfortable but way better than being tied up."
I said I agreed and sat with my back against the wall. Carson did the same, but we refuse to look at each other. I know I was blushing. I have to say something to Carson tomorrow about what had happened.
      I stare upward at the hole in ceiling, 20 feet above my head. Smalls had pulled out the ladder so we don't escape, but I'm happy he didn't cover the top. The light fades out as darkness comes over the barn, and through the few windows so high above me I can hear crickets. A peaceful night for the world, but not for three teens trapped in the bottom of a barn.