Taken

26

Marisol was in the kitchen when Krista arrived with Miguel. The skinny guard Krista called the Praying Mantis was slouched against the counter, but he slinked into the living room as soon as Miguel arrived.

Miguel toed a cardboard box filled with canned goods and plastic bags on the floor by the fridge.

“Beans and rice. Make the red kidneys. Got two five-pound bags in there. I got bay leaves and chili peppers. See in there? That’ll make’m good.”

Marisol looked in the box, but Krista didn’t care. She took their largest pot from the stove to the sink, and turned on the tap to fill it.

Marisol brought the bags of beans and rice to the counter, then got their second pot and utensils, and waited her turn at the tap. One big pot for the beans, the other to cook the rice.

Miguel went into the entry, plopped into his chair, and unfolded a car magazine.

Krista glanced at him to make sure he wasn’t watching. Krista wasn’t tall, but she looked down at her small friend as she whispered.

“I didn’t think he could read.”

“He can’t. He sees only the pictures.”

They shared a brief smile, then concentrated on filling the pots. Krista liked Marisol. She was a tiny girl from Ecuador, with cousins who lived in Anaheim. She had traveled almost two months up through the length of Mexico to reach the United States. Her dream was to work as a maid for a rich lady in Beverly Hills, and walk the lady’s white poodles every day.

Marisol nudged her.

“How you doing on your side?”

Marisol lived in the other room with the other group of prisoners, many of whom were from Central America. Krista checked on Miguel again before she answered.

“Not so good. They’re hurting people.”

“Our side, too. If they don’t get the money, they make people cry. This girl from Chile-”

Marisol glanced at Miguel, and lowered her voice even more.

“The one with the teeth touched her down there. Her mama was on the phone, and he did these things with his fingers. He told her mama what he was doing.”

Krista didn’t speak again until they had carried the first pot to the stove, and were filling the second pot. The beans had to be washed, so she dumped the beans into the pot and raked her fingers through the water to wash them.

The information Marisol shared made Krista’s hair prickle, and she flashed on the pliers and the way Medina had looked at her, and wanted to scream. Instead, she tried to offer something encouraging.

“A man on our side went home today. They made him scream. We all heard him, but his family must have paid. They sent him home.”

Marisol’s eyes widened to saucers.

“They let him go?”

“A few minutes ago. He’s on his way now.”

Marisol slowly shook her head.

“No, Krista. No. They don’t let us go.”

“He’s gone. Rojas told us.”

Marisol faced her, and the girl’s voice was urgent.

“They don’t let us go. They just keep taking the money. There is never enough money. If our families don’t find us, we must escape. Do you not know this?”

Krista was wondering how to respond when the door in the utility room opened. Miguel immediately jumped to his feet as Medina came in from the garage. His hands and forearms were smeared with something greasy, and his shirt was blotchy and stained.

Miguel simpered like a Chihuahua.

“You need me to do anything?”

Medina ignored him, and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. He looked Marisol up and down, then raked his gaze over Krista. He peeled out of his shirt like a snake sheds a skin, and dropped it to the floor.

He stared at Krista, but spoke to Marisol.

“Wash this. Make the water hot, and use bleach.”

Marisol scurried to pick up the shirt, and took it into the utility room.

Krista heard faint voices, a car door, and an engine starting in the garage. Then the garage door rattled as it lifted.

Miguel tried again, like a simpering fool.

“I guess everything’s okay, then, huh? You want me to take care of anything?”

Krista turned back to the pot because she hated the weight of Medina’s eyes. His body was broad and hairless. He rippled with muscles, but he was not young and wasn’t clean. Loose skin stretched and folded in pale ways she found obscene.

Medina finally gave Miguel an order.

“Check the garage. Make sure Orlato didn’t drop something on the floor. Use the bleach.”

Miguel hurried past Marisol into the garage.

Krista stared into the pot as it filled, and felt Medina approach. She felt his body heat. He stopped directly behind her.

“Move.”

He used his body to nudge her aside, then rinsed his hands and forearms under the running water, depositing his filth into the beans.

“Gimme the soap.”

He squeezed a blue ribbon up and down his forearms and over his hands, and worked up a thick lather. He rinsed the suds into the beans, shut the tap, and faced her. Water dripped from his arms onto the floor.

“Dry me.”

She glanced up for Marisol or the Mantis or Miguel, but they were alone.

“Dry me. You don’t see I’m wet?”

He came closer, so she moved farther away, but still couldn’t meet his eyes.

“You should be nice to me, girl.”

She stepped away, but he grabbed her by the neck so fast she fell into him, and looked up to see his jagged teeth. She slapped at him, and tried to twist free, but he laughed. Then he stopped laughing, and punched her hard in the face.

Krista fell without knowing it. She bounced off the counter, hit the floor, and looked up at him through a sparkling haze. He seemed very tall, with long legs and longer arms, and his voice echoed from far away.

“It’s gonna be good, little puta.”

He reached from the ceiling with a rubber arm, Krista threw up her hands to ward him off, and Jack came out of nowhere. He flew over her and slammed into Medina like a mongrel dog.

Jack’s impact knocked Medina backward. They spun through the kitchen, wrapped together, all arms and legs. Jack made grunting sounds, and found her eyes briefly as he spiraled past.

“Garage.”

Krista struggled to her feet, but did not run for the garage. She grabbed the pot from the stove and swung at Medina, but the Mantis rushed in, and lifted her off her feet. Then Miguel and the other guards poured in, and crowded the kitchen to watch.

Medina wrestled Jack to the floor and punched him over and over, his fist rising and falling like a piston.

Krista fought to break away, but the Mantis held tight.

“Stop it! You’re killing him-!”

She pleaded, and tried to help, but the beating went on.

“Stop!”

Then the garage door opened, and the man with the ponytail entered.

Miguel and the Mantis immediately pulled Medina to his feet. He fought them until he saw the new man, then immediately stopped struggling.

Krista pleaded.

“He’s hurt! He needs help! Look at him, please!”

Jack was belly down on the floor. Blood trickled from both ears down the sides of his face.

“He needs a doctor! Can’t you see? Please!”

The new man gazed at Jack, then frowned at Medina.

“You are costing me money.”

“Discipline problem. You have to keep them in line.”

The tall man looked at each guard in turn, then considered Krista. His expression was so thoughtful she felt encouraged he would help, but then he turned to Medina.

“The dead are worth nothing. Do you see? Get rid of him before the others see him, and clean up this mess.”

Krista didn’t realize what the tall man’s order meant until he and Rojas started away. Jack was hurt, they had no doctor, so they were going to kill him and get rid of his body.

Krista blurted out the one thing she prayed would save his life.

“He’s rich! They are rich! This is how his mother is away so long!”

The tall man glanced at Rojas, who offered what he knew.

“This is the one whose mother is in China. There is no one to call until she returns.”

Krista kept pushing.

“She takes these trips always. My mama says they have much money. If he dies, you will get nothing.”

The tall man thought for a moment, then nodded at Medina.

“We shall see. Do what you can for him.”

The tall man and Rojas disappeared down the hall as Miguel and another guard bent over Jack. The Mantis took Krista’s arm, but Medina leaned close with his jack-o’-lantern face.

“As soon as he’s gone, you will make the first call. You gonna call Mama. I’m gonna make you scream real good.”

He leered even wider, then told the Mantis to take her to her room.

Krista was scared, but relieved. She had told them one secret about Jack, and it had saved him. But she had come dangerously close to telling them who Jack was related to, and about the army of people who were looking for him. Jack and Krista had agreed on the night they were taken they couldn’t tell the bajadores who Jack was related to. If these men found out, they would kill him. Jack and Krista could only pray she found them quickly.

The Mantis returned Krista to her room.

The tall man with the ponytail left one hour later.

Medina was good at his word.

Krista made the first call.

He used the terrible teeth, and made her scream.