Click Bait Ch. 04

Chapter Four -- Buckwheats

The rendezvous with Vlad Volkov took place in a car park at the head of a hiking trail that was seldom used at this time of the year. All Jennifer remembered of the journey was waking occasionally and seeing trees, clouds and sky passing by the car window. She was in a drug induced sleep for most of the journey and was only starting to feel herself when Katya pulled into the gravelled lot.

The lot was deserted except for a large black van parked near a grassy swale at the entrance to the hiking trail. Leaning against it was a tall thin man with long stringy hair and a short balding fat man. They were both dressed in denim jeans, flannel shirts and Carhartt coats. They were both smoking.

Katya pulled up next to the van and got out leaving Jennifer locked in the back seat.

"You have the tranny?" Vlad peered over Katya's shoulder trying to look in her car.

"Yes I have the tranny," Katya handed over Jennifer's social security card, driver's licence, student ID and Bank of America credit card.

Vlad inspected the documents briefly and handed them to the fat man who still leaned against the van with a permanent scowl on his face. The fat man put the documents in his pocket.

"Her suitcase is in the trunk. I packed all of the clothes I used for her photo shoots," Katya activated the key fob and the trunk popped open.

Vlad waved at the fat man and he went and collected the suitcase, peering into the window to look at Jennifer who was curled up on the back seat.

It was imperative that Vlad take Jennifer's suitcase because the GPS tracker was secreted inside it. Sometimes the people smugglers ditched the girl's luggage but because of the quality of the garments that Jennifer had been photographed in, it was more likely they would keep them.

The fat man dropped Jennifer's suitcase next to the back door of the van but didn't open it.

"You took this one yourself. Usually you just scout out the targets and leave it to us to abduct the girl," Vlad lit another cigarette.

"This one is a special order and I wanted to make sure we got her. She's a college kid alert to stranger danger. You and fatso would stick out like dog's balls anywhere near that campus, whereas a nicely dressed matronly lady like me sipping coffee with a pretty university student would not attract attention. Besides, I've taken girls before," Katya snatched Vlad's cigarettes and lighter from his hand and helped herself.

"You run the cards?" Katya had sent pictures of the driver's licence, student ID and credit cards to Vlad.

"The cards check out. Where is her mobile phone?" Vlad asked.

Uri and Katya knew that Vlad would want to check the recent call list on Jennifer's phone as another means to establish her validity and find out who may be looking for her.

"Don't be stupid! Law enforcement agencies can track a cell phone. I threw it in the trash right after I picked her up," Katya sneered at Vlad.

"I didn't see any appeals in the media for a missing girl and our scanners didn't pick up any BOLOs," Vlad sneered back at her.

"A twenty-year-old transgender college student who is pretty much orphaned and lives alone who has an uncle who likes to fuck her occasionally but hasn't any real feelings for her? Who is going to report her missing and who the fuck cares?" Katya sniped back.

Vlad just shrugged his shoulders and grinned at Katya.

"You want the merchandise or not?" Katya put her hands on her hips.

"Twenty years old? Couldn't you get something younger?" Vlad whined.

"Wait until you see her. She could pass for a schoolgirl. She's had the top surgery and some other improvements. Girls like her are hard to find," Katya countered.

She was used to going back and forth with Vlad who always tried to lower the agreed price at the last minute.

"She looks good in the pictures you posted but pictures can be shopped. Trannies aren't my thing anyway?" Vlad turned down his mouth.

"Well you don't have to fuck her. Just sell her," Katya studied the end of her cigarette.

"Dmitriy wants to see her. You know this?" Vlad grinned at Katya.

Vlad knew Katya's history. How she had once been one of Dmitriy's favourites and how she had become Dmitriy's personal assistant before being cast aside for a younger girl. Vlad knew that Dmitriy took a special interest in select girls.

"I know that. That's why I sent you all the information I have on her along with the pictures. Why don't you come and check her out and we can conclude our business and get out of this fucking cold," Katya dropped her cigarette butt in the gravel and ground it out with her high heel.

Katya popped the doors on her car and reached in and grabbed Jennifer and pulled her out of the car. She was still a little unsteady on her feet and she leaned against the car for support.

Vlad stepped in to examine her.

He studied her face: her pixie-cut haircut with swept bangs coloured deep red with darker and lighter red highlights, her perfect alabaster skin and deep emerald eyes enhanced by her winged eyeliner, deep plum and vibrant copper eyeshadow, and her full lips finished with bright red lipstick. She looked pretty and young and vulnerable. Perfect.

Vlad took off Jennifer's coat leaving her shivering dressed in her little black skirt and red satin blouse. She was tiny, weighing in at just over ninety pounds standing five foot tall with narrow shoulders and hips. Her high heels gave her a couple of extra inches and Vlad noted that her legs were long and shapely swathed in glossy flesh-toned pantyhose.

Jennifer tried to stop him when Vlad put his hand under her skirt but she was too weak. Vlad found Jennifer's penis and scrotum tucked along her perineum held in place by her pantyhose and panties. He gave it a quick squeeze and removed his hand.

"Was that necessary?" Katya asked.

"I always feel I need to wash my hands after I check out a tranny. I'm glad we don't deal with them much but trade in them is expanding. Some of our more refined customers like to have one of every kind of girl in their harem, even ones with dicks. If it was me, I'd pass on the ladyboys," Vlad joked.

Katya took Jennifer's jacket from Vlad and helped her put it back on.

Vlad nodded at the fat man who opened the door to the cab and took out a tablet computer. He fiddled with it a little and Katya's phone pinged. She took it out and looked at it. The agreed amount had been transferred into her account.

"Check out the site when you get back. Got a customer looking for a Chink virgin. Wants the whole Jap schoolgirl fantasy," Vlad took Jennifer by the arm and headed over to where his fat friend was standing at the back of the van.

Katya took one last look at Jennifer and said a silent prayer and got in her car and drove out of the car park. She punched up Uri's number on her hands-free and it was immediately answered.

"Exchange successful," she said and immediately hung up.

In the old colonial style house just outside of Cockeysville Uri and Donald Chase were bent over Uri's cell phone which was on speaker. They gave each other a high-five when Katya told them that the exchange had been accomplished.

Back in the car park the fat man opened the back of the van. The cargo compartment was caged off from the driver's cabin and at the rear by floor to ceiling reinforced steel mesh with a heavy-duty lock set into the rear door. The cargo was effectively caged inside the van with the steel mesh door and the van's double doors providing security and privacy. There were no side or rear windows, but there was overhead lighting and the compartment was heated.

Five young women sat on the padded seating running down the sides of the van; four blondes and one brunette. They were all pretty despite the forlorn looks on their faces. The young women were all dressed in skirts, hose and heels and were wearing makeup, although three of the girls mascara had run because they had been crying.

The day before Vlad had instructed the girls to present themselves that way. When one of the girls complained he taken her aside and given the girls a public demonstration of what would happen if they didn't do as he ordered or if they caused him any grief as they got closer to their destination. The bruises on the girl would not show because Vlad had beaten her on the torso using oranges inside a stocking which caused damage to her internal organs but left no topical evidence. The initial impact was absorbed by the soft matter in the oranges causing few broken surface vessels but produced muscle and organ trauma and intense pain.

The girl had screamed and passed out and when she came too she was hunched over and in severe pain for hours after the beating. The fat man had given her ibuprofen and sleeping tablets but the lesson was well learned by the other girls, some of who had been in the van for four days. After the beating the girls dressed as they were told to dress, remained respectful and never complained.

Three of the girls, including the one Vlad had beaten were virgins which meant that they were saved from the repeated raping inflicted on the other two whenever Vlad or the fat man decided to relieve their sexual tension. Driving five pretty girls cross-country caused them to be almost constantly horny.

"You, you get out! Bring blankets," the fat man pointed to the two non-virgins.

They knew what was coming and one of them, the brunette, began to cry while the other girl shook the hair out of her face defiantly.

"What about I just give you a blowjob; you know I'm good," the defiant blonde girl asked as she climbed out of the van.

"Nah. You give good blowjobs but I like your tight pussy," the fat man smirked.

"Well use some fucking lube this time; that thing is like a fucking cucumber," she said haughtily.

The other girl just stood there looking at her feet silently crying, holding her blanket tightly.

The effects of the sedative had nearly fully receded and Jennifer realised what was about to happen and she felt her anger building. With her training she could probably take out Vlad using the element of surprise and then the fat man would be easy to deal with unless of course they were armed but she didn't see any guns or knives.

She knew that even if she could take the men down, she couldn't, because the mission would be over. Jennifer knew what was at stake and she had been thoroughly briefed what to expect but seeing it happen in front of her eyes was such a shock. She felt so sorry for the forlorn girl dangling her blanket in the dust. Well she did for a while.

"What about her - the new girl! She's prettier than all of us. Fuck her and let me go back in the van," the forlorn brunette had lifted her head and was defiantly pointing an accusatory finger at Jennifer.

"Yeah! You can both fuck the pretty redhead. That little thing would have a sweet pussy I bet," the defiant blonde joined in.

"No! We don't fuck that. We fuck you," the fat man pushed the defiant girl towards the tree line.

"She a virgin like the others?" the defiant blonde spat.

The fat man chuckled and kept driving the blonde towards the grassy glade at the edge of the woods.

"She loses her virginity every time she shits," Vlad laughed caustically and pushed Jennifer towards the back of the van.

Jennifer ignored the insult and climbed into the back of the van as instructed. Vlad threw her suitcase in after her and slammed the cage door shut and locked it. He dragged the brunette over to the grassy swale where the fat man had made the blonde lie down on her blanket.

Vlad and the fat man had taken off their Carhartt coats and hung them on convenient branches and pulled down their jeans and underpants. It was cold so the two men and the two girls kept the rest of their clothes on.

"They leave the door open so we can watch. They either get a kick out of it or it's another means or terrorising us," one of the pretty blondes spoke up.

Jennifer sat down beside her and turned to look out the back of the van.

Vlad had the brunette down on the blanket and was lying between her legs humping her. The girl just lay there non responsive. The blonde on the other hand had her legs wrapped around the fat man and was encouraging him as he vigorously fucked her.

Jennifer turned away.

"Jackie says that if she goes along with it, he takes it easy on her. I think she secretly likes it as much as she bitches. I'm Wendy by the way," the pretty blonde sitting beside Jennifer said by way of introduction.

"Jennifer Edwards," Jennifer held out her hand.

"Surely she doesn't like it?" Jennifer was aghast.

"She does what she has to do to minimise the pain and suffering. She's from the streets so..." Wendy left the sentence hanging.

"The other girl?" Jennifer asked.

"Oh Gabriele. She's sweet. Gave up her virginity to the starting high school quarterback but I bet she wished her hymen was still intact now. Vlad is sweet on her and rides her hard every chance he gets. I just wish she'd stop fucking crying," Wendy sighed.

Jennifer understood the syndrome that the hostages were going through. They had subconsciously adopted survival skills to minimise their physiological pain and suffering, hardening themselves, grateful when it was someone else being hurt rather than them.

"They don't abuse the virgins?" Jennifer played dumb.

"They treat us ok. They told us that virgins bring them more money and that we are going to better places than the non-virgins. Like we hadn't been abducted to be sold as sex slaves and instead were going on vacation," Wendy laughed bitterly.

"Other than Michelle, who they put a beating on to demonstrate to us what would happen if we didn't do as we were told or tried to escape, they have been pretty good to us... well except for Jackie and Gabriele who they fuck a couple of times a day," Wendy smiled sourly.

"So far we have stopped every night in houses in remote locations. The doors are bolted and are steel reinforced as are the windows. They keep us all together in one room. There are other girls at the houses but we never get to talk to them. They look like they're ok. They are well dressed and unblemished but we can hear fuck noises coming from the other rooms. I think the houses are brothels and the girls are forced to work there," Wendy said.

What Wendy said tied in with what Jennifer had been briefed. Dmitriy's lieutenants had safe houses scattered across the country where their henchmen could store their ill-gotten gains, smuggle people and use as whore houses and drug distribution centres. It was a business model that worked well for the Russian mafia and as soon as they suspected a location had been compromised they shut it down and opened another one nearby. They had their own underground railway for transporting contraband and people across the USA.

"So what's your story Jennifer?" Wendy asked.

"I am... or I was attending the University of Maryland and working part-time at a Market and Deli to help pay my way. This hot-looking older woman dressed like a fashion queen came into the store, saw me, and told me I could be a model. I know I'm good looking but I thought I was too short but you know how it is? Every girl's dream right?" Jennifer rolled out her story.

"This Katya woman told me to meet her at the Starbucks just down the block. I did and then I blanked out. She must have drugged my coffee. I woke up in this house and was forced to strip and then to model in all these sexy get-ups while some creepo took pictures of me. They drugged me for most of the time I was there," Jennifer pulled up her sleeves and showed Wendy the punctures and bruises in the crook of her elbow.

"They did the same with us virgins at the houses we stopped at. Made us put on makeup and dress up and took pictures of us. Some creep put his finger in our cooches to confirm our virginity," Wendy shook her head in disgust.

"Anyway here I am," Jennifer opened her hands.

"How old are you, you look really young," Wendy asked.

"I'm just small and have a young face under this heavy makeup. I actually turned twenty not that long ago," Jennifer said.

"Fuck! You look like a kid playing dressup," Wendy chuckled.

"And there's something else... I'm a transgender woman," Jennifer studied Wendy's face for her reaction.

"We had two transgender kids in our high school: one femme the other male. They were treated pretty good but some of the kids wouldn't talk to them," Wendy said in a matter-of-fact way.

"That's pretty much how it goes," Jennifer acknowledged, recalling her own high school days.

"You still got a dick?" Wendy asked brazenly and they both started laughing.

"How can you two laugh while our sisters are being raped just outside this van!" the girl that Wendy had identified as Michelle screeched at them.

The van went quiet.

Jackie and Gabriele returned to the van and climbed inside and the fat man closed and locked the cage and then the van's double doors. The van immediately became a little warmer.

Jackie slouched in a corner and took a roll of paper towel from a cardboard box, tore off some strips and shoved them down her panties and wiped her vagina. Gabriele slouched in the opposite corner and two of the other girls went over and comforted her.

"Better them than me," Wendy whispered in Jennifer's ear.

Jennifer soon came to realise that there was little camaraderie amongst the five young women. Resigned to their fate it was every woman for herself. They shared the snacks from the cardboard box and the drinks from the cooler and told each other stories but they knew that there was no escape and eventually they each would have to fend for themselves.

It was part of the people trafficking business model. Make sure the subjects felt isolated and alone even when crowded together, making only alliances that benefitted themselves, selling out the others if necessary. It prevented the subjects from working together to formulate escape plans or demonstrating group solidarity and resolve.

The van began to lurch and the girls gripped the seats as it made its way across the gravel car park. The ride smoothed out when the van hit the blacktop.

The girls, except for Gabriele, were keen to hear Jennifer's story so she repeated it. Her story was similar to the other girls: Gabriele and Jackie had been roofied in a bar where they were drinking using fake IDs. Two others had simply been snatched in broad daylight, one in a park, the other off a quiet street. Wendy had gone to meet a guy she met online who promised her he would take glamour shots of her and put together a portfolio and send it around the modelling agencies. As soon as she entered the warehouse where the shoot was supposed to take place she was abducted.

They ate snacks and drank the sodas and in the afternoon they stopped for a toilet break at an abandoned camping ground. The fat man took Jackie into one of decrepit cottages and made her blow him which she preferred to having to fuck him she said.

That night they stopped at a house where they were allowed to wash in a communal sink and given a hot meal. Gabriele and Jackie were taken away by Vlad and the fat man while the remainder were locked in a single room with mattresses on the floor with a stack of blankets to share. Gabriele and Jackie returned a while later, Gabriele was crying but she got no sympathy. The other girls told her to shut up so they could sleep.

The next morning Jennifer was separated from the other girls. Vlad simply roused her and told her to follow him out into the walled courtyard where a town car with heavily tinted windows awaited. She never did say goodbye to her short-term travelling companions.

The besuited driver was stoic and said very little after he'd put her suitcase in the trunk and opened the rear door for her. The door locks clicked shut ominously and the privacy screen went up as soon as the driver pulled away. Jennifer was cocooned in her own little world.