The Cunning

5

Downstairs, Jase lit another cigarette, unflinching at the sounds above him of Madison's raw screaming or the loud banging from the full weight of her body hitting the door repeatedly. He knew all he needed to know about Madison from that one meeting. She was smart. If the others discovered he'd let her go before, there would be hell to pay, and she had figured that out. If he didn't play his cards right, she was liable to open her mouth. She'd retained that information which meant she intended to use it to her advantage. It was just his luck they had been paid a hefty sum to bring Madison in, and she happened to be the only girl he'd ever let slip.

He would soon see that she knew it was in her best interests not to mention anything about their previous encounter. However, when she pleaded for them to let her go, promising that she wouldn't say a word, he wanted to believe her. After all, she'd been stupid enough not to report him the first time.

"How old is she? Did you find out?" he asked.

"Seventeen," Benny replied. Jase could hear the grin in his voice and thought about Madison's age squeezing through the tobacco-stained teeth that lined his inner jaw.

She was younger than they had been told.

Adam handed over the bag that Madison had been carrying. Jase emptied it onto the coffee table. Body spray, chewing gum, house keys, sanitary products, a pair of earphones, an iPhone, a diary and a purse.

"Get rid of that," he said, pointing to the iPhone. "Burn that," he passed him the diary, "and put those in the bathroom." Sam took the body spray and sanitary products, leaving Jase with the purse. It was patchwork leather, no brand name and inside were several cards: a library card, a Starbucks points card, two debit cards and a provisional driver's license.

Madison Quinn. Born October 24th, 2000.

Usually, Jase would have all the cards cut up but for some reason, unbeknownst to him, he tossed them in one of the lock boxes under his chair.

The banging above them continued. Jase decided to leave her alone until she was over the hysterics. They were always worse at the beginning when they couldn't wrap their head around what was happening because it was happening to them. They all watched true-crime documentaries, but they never thought it could be them.

They begged, screamed and cried. Some fought but were swiftly, and often violently, deterred. It took a few weeks, but all of them rolled over eventually. What other choice did they have? They were all just nameless faces to Jase. Girls came and went like the seasons. A majority of them were already girls on the street. All he did was replace their pimp. It was rare they were asked to go out for someone specific because of the price. It was always more of a risk to abduct someone that might be missed or girls under eighteen, but it was a significant sum of money when they did. Besides, girls they were paid to bring in never stayed for long. They were sold on to cover traces and get lost in the system. The girls they weren't requested to be brought in were whittled down until they were hooked on heroin or started to cooperate to avoid conflict. Their conversations and contact with others were kept at a minimum unless it concerned business. It never took long for the girls to cave, and if they needed a push, Benny had a box of tools that helped nudge them in the right direction.

Jase had made a mistake the night he let her go. Madison thought she had something on him, and he didn't like it. He would ensure there were no more mistakes made on his part.

After a solid two hours, the noise above him stopped.

*

What do we think of the men? Do you think Madison has what it takes to survive the house? Do you have any theories on why he kept the cards? Let me know in the comments and don't forget to leave a cheeky vote!