Girl Master of Disguises (Lesbian Story, GirlxGirl)

Chapter Nineteen - Holy Victims, Batman!

Buggy can see many other people around the man. It shocks her that the victims are kept here for who knows how long after their beating. It's crossed her mind that she could probably find Malik here. She doubts that's the case, though; the kidnappers wouldn't keep their future murder victim here overnight.

     "I think that's the boss over there," Laina says, aiming her phone in a direction. Buggy squints, and sure enough, she recognizes the bloodied tie hanging limply around the boss's neck. He's leaning against the dirtied wall, and looks like he's a few minutes away from passing out. "You want to get him and I'll get this one?"

     "Um." Buggy briefly pauses. She looks around once again, focusing on the men in the room. (Not that there are that many females here, which Buggy finds odd.) There are men in their forties, and boys barely in their twenties. Some are Asian, others white, a couple are even Indian. Out of the few strapping black men Buggy can see, Malik isn't one of them. "Sure, I can do that."

     Passing her partner awkwardly, Buggy fumbles her way to the boss. The boss himself loses any trace of worry as she gets closer, in the hope of her freeing him from the dark room. She's barely in front of him when he says in one breath, "Please, miss. You gotta get me outta here. She might come back and do more dam--"

     "You're fine," Buggy assures him. "And so are the others." She hears a violent splashing sound, followed by someone moaning in pain. "I think," she adds.

     The boss leans forward, showing her his tied up hands. Whoever tied him up had a preference to copper wire, and a lot of it, too. Buggy has him scooting away from the wall so she can untie him. It takes her a while, but she manages to twist some of it around and slowly takes off the wire. Immediately the boss brings his hands in front of him to look at them. 

     "Thanks," he says, massaging the red wrists. 

     Buggy waits for him to finish tending before asking, "Have you been here before?"

     He shakes his head. "First time," he says. "My employee--the woman who brought me here--warned me to back off whenever I caught her breaking a rule in our workplace. I didn't think she'd do something like this," he adds, looking around the room with a different emotion--timid--etched in his face.

     "Do you know anything about Em besides what she's like at work?" she suggests. "Maybe where she lives?" 

     Another head shake. "I tend to stay in my office most of the time," he says. "I don't really know much about her, besides the fact that she has a temper, obviously." The boss lowers his eyelids halfway, and Buggy shakes him awake. 

     "He alright there?" Laina calls. Buggy turns her head to see the girl's already got the man up and standing. Shrugging in response, Buggy then notices the boss has slumped into the ragged woman sitting beside him. She doesn't bother jerking away. 

     Not knowing what to do, Buggy walks over to Laina. "The boss passed out," she reports quietly. "Before today he's never been here. He told me he never knew much about Em beside her temper that often flared up in their workplace."

     "Damn, that's not much to add to what my guy's told me," Laina says.

     "Why?" Buggy arches an eyebrow. "What did he tell you?"

     The man, looking dazed, bumps into both the girls. They carefully hold him up, and Laina rests him against the wall. Buggy can tell without looking that the others are anxious to leave their hell. She can't blame them. 

     "Why don't we get a few of these out," Laina suggests, "and we'll discuss this after."

     Without a word Buggy steps over a couple of splayed-out legs and reaches for a male mostly likely younger than her by a couple of years. She unties the hands he helpfully holds out in front of him, wondering who the hell would do this to a sixteen-year-old. Then again, some people have brought victims well over their sixties, so the elderly people aren't completely off the hook.