Chapter 9 - Chapter 9

A few weeks later, they still hadn't found enough evidence to charge Detective Jones, the man in charge of the human smuggling in the area. The human trafficking had been going on for so long, and so many girls had been taken. It was frustrating for everyone involved, especially Caylee and Holly, whose lives were on hold until the bastard was caught.It shocked both he and Jonah when she and Holly pointed out that the detective they met with in Jonah's condo was the man who hurt them. They understood now how the human trafficking ring had been so successful. There'd been an investigation against the cop, but they hadn't known how deep his involvement went. The detective was in charge of every aspect of the crime and investigations. Although the man was evil to his core, he had been successful in hurting women for years because of his job and connections.Nolan and the others spent time finding everything they could against the man and his organization. It took so long because they didn't want to tip the man off and lose him if he fled. They took it day by day because there was nothing else they could do.****Caylee looked at the clock on the microwave and saw that it was time for Nolan to get home, so she started mashing the potatoes she'd made to go with the fried chicken."Oh, dang," she said when she spilled the melted butter down the front of her t-shirt. She set the pan aside and raced down the hallway to quickly change her shirt.She heard the elevator open and looked into the mirror one more time to make sure she looked nice.When she got back to the kitchen, she looked around. "Nolan?""No, bitch," a man said from behind her as he grabbed a chunk of her hair on the back of her head to hold her still.She still struggled and then gasped when the man slammed the butt of a gun against the side of her head.She cried out and touched her head to find it very sticky. When she looked at her fingers and saw blood, she freaked out even more."Listen, bitch," the man said against the side of her head. "They want you alive because they think they can get a lot of money for a redhead, but they also said I could just kill you if you gave me trouble.""Why are you doing this?"The man chuckled. "Because I make a ton of money, and I get to sample the merchandise as long as I don't hurt them too badly. I'm definitely going to want to get a piece of your ass. Let's go before the boyfriend comes home."He dragged her toward the elevator. She struggled to stay on her feet because she couldn't focus with the blood running down her face and the pain in her head. Vomit climbed her throat, and black dots appeared in her eyesight."Please…" She begged.The man laughed and yanked her head, making her cry in pain. "You fucking whore. If your boyfriend finds us, I will use this gun. Do you want his death on your hands?"She sobbed. "No. Please. Leave him alone."The door to the elevator opened for them, and he shoved her into it, then slammed her against the side a few times.She struggled to swallow and brace her arms to prevent her body from hitting the wall. It seemed to take forever to get to the bottom floor, and he wouldn't stop abusing her, violently cupping her breast and crotch while biting down on her shoulder, sinking his teeth in, and breaking the skin.Her crying and fighting didn't deter him in the least. It only made him laugh harder.The elevator slowed to a stop, and she quickly decided that she'd rather be dead than be touched by men like him."You're a sick fucker, aren't you?" she said. "Did your mama not love you?"She flinched when he screamed in fury and hit her wherever he could reach. "You fucking bitch, you'll pay for that."She tried to fight him with every bit of strength, and when that failed, she tried to protect herself the best she could, but she knew it wouldn't take too much more before he killed her.The doors slid open, and she was shocked to see a few men standing with their guns drawn and pointing at the man behind her.He tightened his grip on her with an arm around her neck and the gun pointed at her temple. "Fuckers, get the fuck back, or she's dead."The men didn't move.She flinched when he tapped the gun's barrel against what felt like her broken skull.Blood had covered her face and was in her eyes, making it impossible to see, but she silently called out for Nolan.The man behind her shook."You motherfucker," she said. "The men are going to love you in prison." She smiled at his shout of fury, and she suddenly sagged in his arms. It happened so fast that he lost his grip on her. She covered her head as a few shots rang out.The man dropped onto her and writhed against her, so she assumed he was hurt but not dead. She hoped they kept him alive because she wanted him in prison where he could get even a smidgen of what he'd done to women he'd abused and raped.The man was pulled off of her, and then arms were lifting her in their arms."Hey, sweetheart, it's Dustin."She exhaled and relaxed against him. "Where's my daddy?" Oh, God, she needed Nolan worse than anything she'd ever felt."He's coming. Right now, we need to get you to the hospital.""I want Nolan," she cried out."I know. I'll stay with you until he can get to you. We need to take care of you. You've lost a lot of blood."She felt him gently set her down on a gurney. Then a few other people asked her questions, cut off her clothing, and pressed something to her head to stop the bleeding. She tried to answer some but could already feel herself passing out, and she didn't have the energy to fight it any longer.The last thing she heard was Dustin yelling for someone to get Nolan.She roused a few times when they got to the ER, looked around, and asked for Nolan every time. No one could tell her where he was and just said for her to relax and that he'd be there.The next time she woke up, she was in a cubicle with monitors all around her.Caylee cleared her throat and swallowed a few times until she could talk. "What's happening?" she asked the nurse standing beside her.The nurse looked down at her and smiled. "Hey, honey. I'm glad you're awake. You're in the ICU.""Why am I here?""You have a concussion. We're just watching you carefully for the first twenty-four hours. You must be watched every minute, and it's best to do that here in the ICU.""Has a man named Nolan come to see me?"The nurse smiled. "Yes, he's been in here as much as we'll let him. The rest of the time, he's in the waiting room.""Can I see him?""Yes. I'll go get him for you."Caylee closed her eyes until she felt a warm hand on her arm. Her eyes slid open, and she tried to smile. He looked awful. "Hey.""Hi, sweetheart." He leaned over, pressed a soft kiss to her lips, and then raised her hand and kissed the back of it."I'm going to be okay," she said.She saw a pained look cross his face before he blanketed it. "That's what they're telling me. How do you feel?""Like I've been run over by a truck." She smiled. She hated to see him so worried and wanted to make him feel better.