Trail of Silver Skulls Ch. 12

Over the next few days, Eric mostly left her alone in her cell which Anna was thankful for. After the punishment she had just been through, she needed the rest more than anything else in the world. Rachael however wasn't as lucky. At least once a day Eric would call her into the training room for hours or sometimes even up half a day at a time. When Rachael returned, she would walk back with her arms wrapped around herself and her legs pressed together, tears on her face as she tried to hide the wetness on the inside of her thighs. Still Sitting in her cell, Anna always tried her best to pretend nothing had happened. The awkward silence between them afterwards however only served to remind her even more of her own chastity belt around her waist. Neither of them wanted to be the first to bring it up but the more they held their silence, the harder it was to start.

Carlos appeared every now and then to bring them their meals but after the incident where she tried to escape, it seemed that Mark was now in charge of accompanying them if they were needed elsewhere. Unlike Carlos, he was a thin man who didn't say much when he wasn't telling them what to do. Being so used to the normal banter she had with Carlos from before, it almost made Anna regret having tried to escape. Though she was still a captive of the cartels at that time, a part of her wanted to return to that place in her head. Perhaps it was because she wasn't as aware back then but it was a comforting thought to not have to think about the future.

Listening to Rachael as she tried not to cry now, Anna could only feel despair at the situation they were in. She wanted to reach out and comfort Rachael, to tell her that everything was going to be alright but somehow she could never find the courage to get the words out. In her head, she wasn't even sure if she could find the right words for herself.

"Rough day?" said Anna.

"Yeah," said Rachael.

"I'm sorry," said Anna, "You get used to it in time"

With nothing else to do but to wait, Anna thought over her plan to escape. The first time she had tried, it had been a rash decision made in the heat of the moment. No wonder it had gone so wrong the moment she began. This time, she would be more careful and wait for the right opportunity. Digging through her memories of the day the device was inserted into her womb, she recalled now that there had been a small string attached to the end as well. There was no way for her to check of course with her chastity belt still on but she could almost feel it inside her every time she tried to clench down. Perhaps if she could grab the end of it somehow she could remove the device herself. If she couldn't steal the remote in time, it would be a nice backup plan provided she could find a way to get out of the belt first. Anna looked over to where Rachael was now curled up on her cot, her chest slowly rising and falling as she slept. The poor girl must have cried herself out at some point while she was lost in her thoughts. Deciding that the plan could wait, Anna let her sleep.

At the end of the week, Tom paid the warehouse another visit. This time, he wore the plain clothes of a civilian and drove his personal car.

"Good evening, Eric," said Tom.

"Fuck you too, Tom," said Eric.

A week had gone by now since the last time they met and tensions seemed to have cooled a little between them. To Anna though, she could still sense the tension in the air. At least Eric was calm enough to keep his gun holstered this time around. The two men talked together a little ways apart from the cages and Anna pressed herself up against the bars of her cell trying to listen in. Besides her, she saw Rachael do the same. Catching her eye, Anna brought a finger up over her lips and Rachael nodded in agreement.

"You'll be happy to hear now that I'm unemployed," said Tom.

"And?" said Eric.

"I managed to snag you a little present before I left," said Tom.

There was the sound of a stack of papers being passed over and Eric let out a low whistle of surprise.

"Names, addresses, and historical records of all the officers still on the force," said Tom, "I've gone ahead and marked out the ones I think might be interested. Since I'm gone now, I figured you guys might need another foot inside the door"

"And what's in it for you?" asked Eric.

Even with a crate in the way blocking her sight, Anna could almost imagine Tom's smile from across the room.

"Thought you'd never ask," said Tom, "Fifty thousand and a ride down with you guys down to Mexico when you leave. In return, you'll have another pair of hands by your side for the rest of the job"

"What if I say no?" said Eric.

"Then you keep the list and I'll find another way to disappear," said Tom, "Classified government records for not killing me today. Still not a bad deal, don't you think?"

There was no reply from Eric and Anna felt her heart beat in her chest as she strained her ears to the max. No matter how bad the situation was, information was still power and she needed every last bit of it if she wanted her plan to survive. Finally, Eric cleared his throat and spoke again.

"Why Mexico?" said Eric, "Why not the Bahamas or someplace else"

"You sell slaves, right?", said Tom.

"Yeah, what about it," said Eric.

"Figured with all the money you already paid me, I might as well pick one up myself," said Tom, "Retirement for an old man like me can get pretty lonely you know"

For a moment, Anna imagined herself with Tom as her Master. She had no idea how much a slave was worth but while half a million dollars sounded like a lot, she knew it wasn't that much in the long run especially for a retired man. Scenes of a rundown apartment across the border filled her head, unwashed dishes in the sink as she scrubbed away at them with a collar around her neck. The front door opened and she jumped up, hurrying to greet her master while drying her hands on the apron she wore. Shaking her head, Anna forced the images out of her head and listened in on the conversation once more.

"Alright, fine," said Eric, "But only thirty thousand, no more. There's an empty room in the back you can take. Touch the merchandise without permission though and I'll personally come by to put a bullet into your head"

Tom laughed as he waved the threat aside.

"You drive a hard bargain my friend," said Tom, "I'll take it though. The way the department is gearing up for a war, they're not leaving me with much of a choice"

Walking back to his car, he pulled a duffel bag out of the trunk and carried it back inside. Setting it on the ground, he pulled back the zipper and took something out before tossing it over to Eric. For the second time that day, Eric whistled in surprise. Turning the sleek black gun around in his hand, Eric inserted a magazine into the magwell before slamming the bolt home with a resounding click.

"Took the opportunity to pilfer the armory on my way out," said Tom, "5.56 rifles, good enough to go through the level III armor we usually wear. We might be outnumbered but we certainly won't be outgunned. If the feds show up with plates though, we're straight out of luck"

"For a scoundrel and a thief, you're pretty well prepared," said Eric.

"Anything to stay alive," said Tom, "I'll pass the rest of the guns to the others on my way in"

Zipping the bag back up, he disappeared into the depths of the warehouse and Eric followed after him. Anna jerked back away from the bars as he passed by her cell. A smile appeared on his face as he leaned in across the bars.

"Having a fun time listening in?" he grinned.

Instinctively, Anna felt her hands move between her legs to cover up the shield of her chastity belt and she prepared herself for the punishment she knew was coming. To her surprise however, Eric didn't reach for the remote choosing only to stand there instead.

"Juan, our mule, just called in," he said, "I hope you like road trips because soon we'll be headed on a little trip together down south"

"When?" Anna found herself asking.

"Ten days, give or take," said Eric, "Though I don't know why you're so keen on finding out. In the meantime, you're training schedule has been doubled. Can't have you acting out while you're up on the auction block or I might lose my license as a slave trader you know"

He laughed at his own joke as he walked away. In the silence that followed afterwards, Anna looked over to Rachael as she sat there besides her. There was a look of horror on her face.

"Don't worry about it," said Anna, "We'll be fine"

"We're going to die," whispered Rachael, "I can't take it anymore, we're going to die"

"Don't talk like that," said Anna, "We'll find a way out"

For whatever reason however, Anna had trouble believing in her own words herself.