interview. Now get your ass inside.”
He pushed her towards a bungalow style house that had seen better days. Its dark blue paint was peeling, the windows were covered in plastic, and the roof had been patched with shingles in several different colors. Tarpaper tacked to a section of the outside wall had come loose and flapped forlornly in the cold breeze. Brook looked for a house number but saw none. The yard was mainly fallen pine needles and dirt, ringed by thick woods. Several vehicles sat around, some on blocks. The driveway disappeared into trees; there was no sound of traffic and no sign of a road.
Brook stumbled to the house, eyes raking the surrounding forest, looking for a chance to get away, knowing what awaited her inside was not going to be good.
Pete shoved her through the doorway and Brook heard Benny chuckle from behind. She caught herself on the first thing at hand, another man. This one had a dark complexion, possibly Latino, or Cuban. His black hair hung straight to the center of his back. He wore a small mustache and beard. His shades were pushed back on the top of his head. Muscular arms and chest were showcased by his skin-tight black t-shirt. Tattoos ran down both arms and the up side of his neck.
“What the hell is this?” The man held her away from him and looked her up and down as if she were a piece of meat he was inspecting.
Brook tried to shake the man’s hand off but he only tightened his grip, bruising the soft flesh of her upper arm.
“She came with the car, Jase,” Benny boasted.
“With the car? What the fuck are you talking about, with the car? What car?”
“The Spider. She was in it and there were too many people around to dump her,” Benny explained.
“She was driving the Spider?” Jase’s voice was cold. “Well now, isn’t that fucking great? What do you propose we do with her?”
“I’m sure we can think of something.” Benny winked and raised his eyebrows.
“You better just leave the thinking to me, Benny,” Jase warned. “You’re not good at it.”
Pete laughed.
“Shut up, Pete,” Benny snapped.
“Both of you shut up. Give a man a minute or two to think,” Jase said.
As he spoke, Brook eased her arm loose and looked around for an escape. They were in a small living room. A stained couch was shoved against the wall and a couple of recliners leaned crazily to one side. A coffee table covered in beer cans, overflowing ashtrays, and magazines stood in front of the sofa. An end table with a shade- less lamp sat next to the chair. There was a stale stuffy air about the place, as if it had been shut up for a while. Through one door, Brook could see part of the kitchen, but it was dim. It was impossible to see if there was a back door. She scanned the other side of the living area.
A young twenty-something girl stood in the hallway door; lank brown hair hung to her waist, a small jewel glinted dully from the side of her nose, and her eyes were clouded with drugs or booze. She seemed indifferent to the drama unfolding before her.
Brook decided on a brave approach. Trembling inside, she stood straight, squared her shoulders, and moved towards the door. “I’m going,” she said, striving for a polite tone. “I won’t mention anything about any of you, but I have to get out of here. My husband will be looking for me.”
“What’d ya want us to do, Jase?” Pete asked as he moved to block the door.
“Shit, Pete! You done more than enough already. Both you and Benny.” Jase took three steps and grabbed Brook by the arm, pulling her to him, her back to his front. He smelled strongly of patchouli. She sucked in a lung full of the overpowering scent and struggled to free herself, but he held her tight. “You ain’t goin’ nowhere, babe. I think we’ll keep you around as a toy for now.” He reached around and grabbed one of her breasts as he ground his pelvis roughly against her tender bottom.
Brook squirmed and cried out, her false bravado abandoning her . As she realized this was only exciting him more, she went limp. “Please don’t hurt me,” she sobbed. “My husband has money. He’ll pay you. Just don’t do anything to me.”
“Speaking of money, she had a purse. Hold on, I’ll get it.” Pete’s eager tone told Brook that he had a habit of trying to ingratiate himself to Jase. Jase was no doubt the alpha male in this little group. Pete stepped from the house and returned in a minute with her bag. He sat on the couch and began rifling through the contents. Seeing his hands in her purse made Brook seethe, but fear kept her anger at bay.
Pete pulled her wallet out and flipped it open. “Let’s see what we can see. Hey, our new friend’s name is Brooklyn!”
“What’s her last name? Bridge?” Benny said, chortling at his own wit. All but Jase and Brook joined in the merriment.
“That’s a good one,” Pete snickered. Jase rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, you’re a regular fuckin’ comedian, Benny.” Jase wasn’t smiling.
“Brook. My name is Brook,” Brook blurted. Her full name was reserved for people she cared deeply for and she hated hearing it come from the mouths of these creeps.
“Whatever, chicky,” Jase laughed. “Your name don’t mean shit to me. I think you’ll just be ‘the bitch’ from now on.”
“Well, well, well,” Pete drawled. “We got us some credit cards!” He continued his search. “And some cash.”
“Give them over,
“What else does she got?” Jase asked.
“Just crap,” Pete said, still digging through Brook’s purse. “Address book, makeup, nail file, checkbook, cell phone.” He pulled out a panty liner and waved it around. “And a Kotex …” He snickered again.
“Just put it all back for now. I’ll go through it later,” Jase instructed. Pete stuffed the items back inside the bag and tossed it onto the cluttered end table. Brook, heart accelerating and sweat beading on her forehead, tried to squirm away from Jase, but he pulled her tighter against his body.
“Please,” she whimpered, voice wavering. “Let me go. I know my husband will pay to get me back.”
“Ummm,” Jase breathed into her neck as he continued to grind her from behind, pressing hard against her, his breath quickening. “We’ll see about that.” He brushed her hair away from her neck and his glance fell on her earrings. “Take off your jewelry,” he said, voice husky.
Brook gasped. “No! You can’t take them, they’re mine.”
“Lady,” Jase said, irritated. “I’ll take
Brook cried softly as she slipped off her earrings, necklace, and bracelet. They had been gifts from Beth, her only true friend, her best friend from childhood. She handed them to Jase. Rage burned through her and forced helpless tears from her eyes as he slipped them into his pocket.
Benny and Pete watched this exchange with obvious amusement. Brook glanced at them and shivered at the look of naked excitement in their eyes.
“Dude, look at the rock on her hand,” Benny said to Jase. “I bet that’s worth a fucking fortune.”
Jase took her left wrist in a tight grip and examined her hand. He whistled softly, impressed. “Damn! Bet you had to put out big time to get these.”
This brought laughter from the other two men.
“Take them off,” he demanded.
“No, no, no,” Brook moaned. “Not my wedding rings.” Knowing they would take them one way or another, she slid them off her finger. But, instead of handing them to Jase, she threw them angrily across the room. “You want them, you go get them.”
Jase’s response was swift and brutal.
“Bitch.” He spun her around and slapped her hard across the face. Her head snapped sharply to the side. “You have a death wish or something?” Quick as a rattler’s strike, he seized a handful of hair at the back of her head and frog-marched her over to the fallen rings. He shoved her head down low to the floor, giving her no choice
