The Bursting Heat (Book 2) ✓

02 - Unexpected meeting

Alice

Everyone knew something was happening. All the noises coming from the floor above us were not common ones, but at the same time, no one was hoping that it would mean someone found us. No one could find us. The men that kidnapped us were professionals with capital "P". They had a solid plan how to kidnap young girls, how to transport them, how to hide them...how to break their spirit and make them a living, breathing toys for grown men, letting them do whatever they wanted with us.

If you had some kind of rebellious strike in you, it was quickly shut down in a painful way. If you tried to run away, you'll bear the consequences on your skin for your life. Every slash of the knives is a reminder not to try it again. If you disobey – it could mean new cuts on you or a beating, depending on how severe it was. If you show any kind of emotion, different from enjoyment and pleasure, and the client was not happy about it – you could even end up with a broken bone or two. No one from the rich bastards that were buying our bodies for their own pleasure really cared how we looked...or should I say how our body looked. They cared that we had pretty faces and lean bodies that they could toss around however they want. The cuts on our arms, legs, or backs – not a problem, some of them even enjoyed them, knowing that the more scars you have – the feistier you are.

Well, I guess you could say I am the feistiest of our bunch...or at least I was in the beginning. With the years, the fight in me gradually died. It happens with everyone here, just for me, it took a little bit more time than the other girls. One of the many positive things from growing up with three boys that don't pull up their punches just because of what's between your legs. Thanks to them, I manage to survive in this hellhole a lot longer than the others. I've been here for more than 5 years... or I thought it was 5. It's hard to count the time when it means nothing in here.

I was the only one who've been here for so long. I didn't know why, to be honest. It's not like I was very compliant... I think most of my time I spent catering my wounds from my disobedience than with... a client. So, the girls come and go and I stay...where they are going – I had no idea, some of them were bought, some of them relocated and some of them – their lives ended in one way or another. It was I vicious cycle that I couldn't get away from.

That was why when I heard some loud bangs from the first floor, I didn't know what to think. My first tough was that someone messed up with something. The men here had weapons, but not many of them knew how to use them properly... I thought that someone used something not knowing what it was. But then there were some light steps moving methodically from room to room, the voices stopped and something inside of me started to hope.

Minutes passed, and all the noises stopped... the steps too...right in front of our locked door. All the girls moved in the opposite direction, not knowing what or who was staying behind the metal. There were some hushed voices, some movements, and then three little bangs echoed in the room. In the next moment the door was opened and five big figures stood there. They were all dressed from head to toe in black. Black helmets on their heads, black balaclava on their faces, showing just the eyes, black vest, black pants, and boots. The only color on them was the big white SWAT letters on their chest.

I didn't know what to think of them. Their uniform was saying that they are the good guys, part of the Police Force all of us stopped hoping to see a long time ago. But at the same time... we couldn't be sure that they are the real ones. How does it look, the real uniform? Looking at them, it won't be hard to dress like that, all in black, and just put big white letters on their chest. There was nothing that could make us believe they were the real shit. Luckily, they didn't come in the room. They just stood there looking around and saying something to one another, but nothing to us. Like they were waiting for something to happen. What it was – I had no idea.

I was getting nervous with each second that passed. If they were the real ones, shouldn't they try to talk with us by now, to get us out of here, to get us to a safe place? I was starting to panic when I looked at the eyes of one of the big men. It was like my whole body was electrocuted. My heart skipped a beat, and my breath locked inside my lungs. My mind was shambles of thoughts.

"It can't be..."My voice was hushed, barely a whisper. I couldn't believe my eyes. My mind was playing games with me, showing me the person that I've dreamed of every day. But looking at him...it must be real, I hoped it was real. These eyes... I could recognize them everywhere. There was not a chance that I'll mess this up, I've been looking at them my whole life. They were my favorite thing about their owner. Like the universe couldn't decide on what color his eyes should be, so it picked two. His right one was green and if looked close enough, you'll see it has some yellow specks in there, too. The left one was blue like the sky with little dots in darker blue. It was mesmerizing to look at him, to have his full attention on you, I was always like hypnotized when I was around him. And now he was here, in my hell, staying I few steps away from me. I couldn't stand the distance. I jumped from my hiding sport and started running to him.

"Rafi!" His attention immediately changed from one of his colleagues to me. His eyes showed shock and disbelieve, then confusion that morphed into a hope. I jumped into his arms, slamming into him with full force, making him take a few steps back. My legs locked around his hips and my arms around his neck. His gear was bulky and I couldn't feel him as good as I wanted, but the moment I buried my face to his neck and I took my first deep breath of all that Rafi was, filling my lungs with his so unique aroma, I knew that it was real. He was real.

"Ali?" The disbelief was etched into his voice when he said my name. Just like me, he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Mhm." The sound was barely audible, so I follow it with a little nod of my head, still buried in his neck. But he heard me, I know he did. His hands wrapped around my body, keeping me closer to him, making it hard to breathe from the strength in his hold, but oh, it was like I was in heaven. After all these years, I was finally where I was supposed to be.

"Fuck." He tried to loosen my hold on his neck to look at my face and I reluctantly let him. And here I was once again hypnotized by his amazing eyes that were looking everywhere around my face, trying to recognize the person in front of him, making sure that I wasn't lying. "It really is you, isn't it?" I nod again, trying to hold the tears that were gathering in my eyes. "You are here..." I nod again. "This is real." Another nod. "You are alive." I stopped for I second, not sure that this was I word that I would use to describe my current state, but in the end I nod. "Oh, Ali..." The pause didn't go unnoticed. In the next moment I was been hold tight to his body again, one of his arms around my torso, the other buried in my short hair. This time I couldn't hold the tears. They were pouring from my eyes like rivers, trying to cleanse my tortured soul.

"You know her?" One of the men closer to us quietly asked Rafi.

"Yeah, I do..." was all he answered.

"Get her out of here, we'll wait for Harriet." Wait, who was Harriet? But I couldn't ask the question. My whole body was like it knew that I was finally safe and it was allowed to rest...it was shutting down even though I didn't want to. But my eyes were getting heavier, my body relaxed in Rafi's arms and my thoughts were getting muddier by the second. Only one was staying crystal clear: Rafi was here. 

                   ***After all these years their paths are connected again, but there is a lot of work to be done before their lives are closer to the way they imagine it a long time ago. Can Ali get some votes of encouragements?