Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
Caitlin’s thoughts spiraled, conjuring up the worst possible scenarios. Leila’s previous words echoed in her mind, the promise of support now ringing hollow. Had Leila deceived her? Were all those kind words just empty promises?
Caitlin shook her head, dispelling the doubts that crept into her mind. She couldn’t bring herself to believe that Leila was that kind of person, nor could she accept that her judgment had failed her once again.
Caitlin abandoned the idea of calling for help. Even the police, she knew, would be of little use in this situation. The best-case scenario was that these debt collectors would be reprimanded and perhaps even jailed. But their ruthless boss would simply send another group to harass her.
Caitlin took a deep breath, her gaze fixed on the doorframe, which was groaning under the relentless assault. Her mind was made up. She wouldn’t sit passively and wait for rescue. She would take matters into her own hands. It was only the second floor, after all. The fall wouldn’t be fatal. It was a risky move, but it was her only viable option.
Thankfully, she had chosen her apartment with safety in mind. Knowing the risks of living alone as a young woman, she had opted for a bustling, well-populated area. There was a plaza and a busy shopping street just a short distance away. If she could make the jump and disappear into the crowd, these debt collectors wouldn’t dare follow her.
With a plan forming in her mind, Caitlin crept toward the window. Though she had convinced herself that the drop wasn’t that significant, the view from the window was intimidating.
Caitlin had never been one for reckless behavior, and her legs trembled at the thought of what she was about to do.
But time was running out. The door wouldn’t withstand their relentless pounding for much longer.
With a deep breath and a silent prayer, Caitlin steeled her nerves and jumped. She had hoped for a clean escape, but fate, it seemed, had other plans in store for her.
As Caitlin landed, a sharp pain shot through her ankle. She’d sprained it. The pain was so intense that she broke out in a cold sweat. Forget running-walking was excruciating. She trembled, her body wracked with pain.
Biting back tears, Caitlin dragged herself forward, her cries for help echoing through the empty street.
But the bustling crowds were still a good hundred meters away.
A distance that normally took seconds to cover now seemed like an eternity.
At that moment, Caitlin felt utterly hopeless.
Just then, the group of debt collectors burst out of Caitlin’s house. They hadn’t found her inside, so they were searching for her outside.
It wasn’t long before one of them spotted Caitlin. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she heard their footsteps pounding down the stairs.
Caitlin’s blood ran cold. She was so terrified that she couldn’t even scream.
She tried to crawl away, desperate to escape. But it was no use. They grabbed her before she could get away. One of them slapped her hard across the face, over and over.
Caitlin’s head spun, and she could barely sit up.
“She’s a slippery one,” one of them sneered.
“Let’s get her out of here. I want to see her try to run away now.”
They clamped a hand over her mouth and dragged her toward a van.
Inside the van, several men leered at her. The malicious intent in their gazes made her shiver uncontrollably.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her thigh. The man caressed her, laughing nastily.
“Boss, this one’s a looker. We could get a good price for her. How about we have some fun with her first…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, but his meaning was all too clear.
Caitlin froze, her heart pounding in her chest.
“Don’t touch her!” the leader snarled.
“She’s more valuable untouched.”
Caitlin felt a surge of relief, but then a wave of despair washed over her. They were going to sell her. If that happened, she would be trapped forever. Her only hope was that Leila would see her missed call. Even if Leila didn’t want to save her, calling back was an option, after which Caitlin could use Leila’s identity to scare these men away.
But even when they took Caitlin to a crowded bar, Leila didn’t call.
As they hauled Caitlin out of the car, one of them snatched her phone.
“Thought you might try to call for help. But it seems no one gives a damn about you. No point in keeping this, then, is there?” He casually tossed her phone into a nearby bin.
Despair washed over Caitlin. She closed her eyes, her body going limp, all resistance fading away.
The leader noticed her surrender and chuckled cruelly.
“Finally giving up, are we?” he taunted.
“Should’ve done that earlier. You’ve been a real pain in the ass.”
“Damn right,” one man chimed in.
“Break her leg, and she’ll finally learn her lesson.”
“Don’t worry. Some rich bastard will ‘take care’ of her soon enough. Our job’s practically done,” a third man sneered.
Caitlin felt a wave of nausea, but she was powerless to resist. The spark of defiance in her eyes died out, replaced by a chilling emptiness.
They dragged her into a secluded room, their movements rough, their callous disregard for her injured leg evident.
A sharp cry escaped Caitlin’s lips as pain shot through her leg. But her agony meant nothing to her captors. Confident that she was in no condition to escape, they didn’t bother with precautions like covering her head.
Inside the room, Caitlin realized she wasn’t alone. Several other young women were huddled together, their faces etched with fear. Most of the women had black hoods covering their heads, obscuring their faces and preventing them from seeing their surroundings.
But a few, like Caitlin, were left uncovered. Unlike Caitlin, those women seemed strangely calm, almost resigned to their fate.
“This is illegal!” Caitlin blurted out, her voice trembling with indignation.
“Aren’t you afraid of getting caught?”
The man standing nearby burst into laughter at her naive question.
“Illegal? So what? Go ahead and report us. See if we give a damn. Oh, wait. I forgot. You’re in no position to do that, are you? You should be grateful if you even get out of here alive. Frankly, I doubt you’ll even make it to the police station.”
He deliberately raised his voice at the end, his words dripping with menace, clearly intending to instill fear in the other women.
His tactic worked. The other women fell silent, their trembling growing more pronounced. None dared to make a sound.
The man leaned closer to Caitlin, his breath hot against her skin.
“Let me give you a little insider information,” he whispered.
“We have powerful connections, people even the cops can’t touch. Why else do you think we snatched you the moment you left Leila’s protection? You’re an idiot. If I were you, I’d have stayed tucked away in Leila’s house forever. But no, you just had to come out and play.”
Despair washed over Caitlin. She had no desire to engage with this vile man any longer and simply closed her eyes, shutting him out.
At that moment, the door to the private room burst open, and a group of men strode in.
Caitlin recognized her kidnappers among them, but there were also unfamiliar faces-potential buyers, she realized with a sickening lurch.
As Caitlin had feared, one of the men, his belly straining against his shirt, took an immediate liking to her. His eyes gleamed with predatory hunger.
“Not a bad selection this time,” he murmured, his gaze lingering on Caitlin.
“Especially that one, second from the end. Her face is quite captivating. I like her.”
The leader flashed a servile grin.
“I’m delighted she pleases you. But as always, she’ll be auctioned off. Wouldn’t want any accusations of impropriety, now, would we?”
The man with the large beer belly nodded, his tone indicating a familiarity with the proceedings.