Trafficked -- Beaten -- Trapped
When eighteen-year-old Stacy Degray sets off to visit Felipe, a charming guy she met on the internet, she has no idea that she is being lured to his home country Malaguay to be auctioned off as a soldier's bride. All...
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A siren tears me from my sleep at six in the morning. Rubbing my eyes, I fight the fog surrounding my mind; I hardly slept after tossing and turning most of the night while listening to Raine's even breath. When Felipe picks me up to take me to the mess hall for breakfast, my stomach is still upset, the nausea sitting like a fat lump in my throat. A dry cough bothers me on top of that. I'm definitely coming down with a cold.
When I returned from my date, Bettina wasn't around. According to Raine, her boyfriend had picked her up, and Raine gave me some suggestive eyebrow wiggling. The thought that they have premarital sex doesn't sit well with me; they haven't even set a date for their wedding yet. Maybe it's that loose European behavior my mom told me about.
Felipe and I stroll hand in hand across the yard and I get lost in the serenity of the morning's peace. Despite the early hours, the sun already warms my skin, yet the air is crisp and fresh. Usually, I would prefer the beach and the sea, but the protectiveness of the majestic mountains towering all around us brings a certain comfort. It's like sitting on a large cupped palm that shelters me from harm, able to fold defensive fingers around Malaguay if something bad ever happens.
As we enter the mess hall, Felipe moves his hand to my lower back and most conversations fall quiet just the way they did last night. Everyone stares at us as he maneuvers me toward a table in the back. Though my cheeks sting a little, I keep my chin up high this time, ready to stake my claim. We kissed, so he's kind of my boyfriend now, even if it's not official yet. When I notice the envy in Raine's eyes, my lips twitch; for the first time in my life, I'm the girl others admire.
The gleeful moment passes the second my gaze falls on the couple already seated atour table. Shauna's eyes are red and puffy and her stare is fixed on the platein front of her. The guy she is with is drop-dead gorgeous. Full lips with a goatee beard and dark blue eyes the shade of a deep ocean. His fine facial features give him a certain elegance. Yet when he looks at me, the coldness emitting from him turns my insides to ice. I can't hold his gaze and lean into Felipe.
"Stacy, this is my best friend, Tomás, and you've already met his wife, Shauna."
"Good morning," I mumble, afraid to glance at Tomás.
"It's nice to meet you, Stacy." Tomás's voice is as cold as his eyes. "Shauna said you arrived only yesterday?"
My voice fails me and I clear my throat. "Yes." I remember my manners. "And it's nice to meet you, too."
Felipe pulls the chair out for me, and I lower myself down, my feet firmly planted on the floor. With Tomás around, I want to be ready to bolt if I have to. He keeps glaring at me, which sends a shiver through my body; I've never met a person more unlikable than him. When I finally dare to look up, something in his gaze keeps me trapped.
Felipe's sudden hand on my shoulder startles me. "I'll get us some breakfast. What would you like?"
The little bit of appetite I had when I entered the mess hall has vanished. "Some toast and coffee. I'm not really that hungry."
