The girls ate in silence, cowed by their circumstances, until Kit said, “Your bedrooms are over there. Get to bed and go to sleep. No talking, either.”
The sun was barely down, but Kelly led them to the room. They remained quiet through the night, but many of them slept fitfully. Kelly slept little and twice saw Carl come in the dark room and stand by her bed, fondling himself and breathing heavy for several minutes before leaving.
Everyone awoke at dawn, and Kit served them stale donuts and water. When they finished, the girls returned to the van and got inside.
Carl and the adults slid into the front seats and left the safe house.
The van drove back to the ranch in under an hour while receiving regular reports on where Hunter and Ike had been spotted. When Carl pulled to the barn, there was already a pickup and a huge wrecker there, and men working on the airplane. He pulled to the barn and he and Kit shoved the children inside, then he parked the van while Kit guarded them.
Kelly knew a terrible thing would happen to her and she searched for some way to escape, but Kit watched like a prison guard. Kit said to her, “Just take it, it won’t kill you. Carl is rough, but not mean.”
“I don’t want him to touch me.”
Kit barked a laugh, “You don’t get that choice. Here he comes.”
Carl leered at her as he grabbed her arm and took her to the small room in the rear of the barn. Anita tried to hold onto her, but Kit took her away, careful not to leave a mark on the younger child.
Kelly struggled to get away, digging her heels in and pushing back, actually jerking the large man off balance. He glared at her and said, “All right, your choice. I take you, or I take your friend there,” he pointed at Consuela, “and ream her out like I’m using a wood auger. Your choice.”
Consuela’s face blanched, and Kelly saw her friend’s fear. She stopped struggling.
“That’s better, now come on.” He led her into the room and closed the door as Anita cried.
The room consisted of the twin bed with the old mattress and squeaky springs, and a chair. A small pile of discarded clothing was in the corner. Carl said, “Take your clothes off, put them on the chair and get on the bed. Stay on top, you don’t need to get under the covers.”
Kelly’s cheeks burned, “Are you going to watch?”
> “You bet I am. I don’t want to miss the strip show. Now get them off or I’ll rip them off.”
Kelly removed her clothes, feeling his eyes on her skin every second, and she hoped this was only a terrible nightmare.
But it wasn’t.
Someone knocked on the door and Carl growled, “Go away.”
Paul, the pilot said, “Hey Carl, you gonna let me in for a look before you get all on that?”
Carl grinned, “Come on in.”
Paul’s eyes glistened with an ugly, wet look as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “Damn, that’s a nice one.”
“Go ahead, then you need to leave.”
Paul walked to Kelly and ran his hands down her, turning her on her side to run his hands over her lower back and buttocks, then down her thighs, doing it slow and massaging the flesh with his fingers. “This one’s gonna be tight.”
“I know. Now, get out of here, I got business to take care of.”
Paul high-fived Carl as he passed by, then closed the door behind him. Carl said, “That’s my bud right there. We been friends for a while.” He looked at Kelly and licked his lips, “Now it’s your turn.”
Outside, the children huddled together and whispered to each other, until the squeaking of the bedsprings started. They stopped talking. The girls watched the closed door with a nauseous sense of dread. The squeaking sound seemed to go on and on and on.
When it stopped, the children breathed again.
Inside the room, Carl lifted Kelly’s white socks from the chair and wiped himself with them, leaving pink, wet streaks on the white cotton, then he tossed them on the chair. He said, “Don’t take all day getting dressed.” He grinned, “I’ll visit you again tomorrow, so get ready for some more fun.”
Kelly watched him dress, his pale skin showing the prison tattoos and scars, and his now limp phallus hanging from the thatch of pubic hair at his groin. He pulled up his pants and zipped the fly, then slipped on the shirt, leaving the buttons undone. He sat on the small bed beside her and put on his socks and boots, making sure to touch her thigh, until she moved to the top of the bed, as far away as she could get. He laughed, rose, and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Kelly felt hot tears on her cheeks. Shame and anger almost consumed her thoughts, but she also thought about escape.