Sold To Mr. Milano - Daniella Wright Page 0,3
everything once again.
Alberto
8 years later….
The aisles of the black market were a lot like the underbelly of a livestock auction. The long dark, dingy building with concrete floors dripped from hoses that sprayed away bile and mess, but the odor still hung heavy in the air. Seedy looking, revolting toothless men gathered at roughly built wooden tables to make their deals. I could barely stand to look at them. We may have had some things in common with our business dealings, but at least I kept myself clean and took care to wear nice clothes. But that was what separated respected and feared men like myself from trash like them.
I had come here to track down a young man who knew too much. He witnessed a violent crime by one of the men who worked for me, and he was a bold rebel who threatened to testify against us. All the power I had obtained didn’t come without consequences. There were long lists of people constantly waiting to pounce on any chance to bring me down.
Thankfully, this man may have been taken care of for us. We heard rumors that he had gotten wrapped up with the wrong company and had been swindled off into an underground slave trade. Probably not by accident as I doubted I was the only man he had threatened. But I needed to see it for myself to be sure. I was never one for leaving loose ends untied. That’s the kind of mistake that ruined greater men than myself.
But the difference between the livestock sales and the black market were clear as you made your way through the aisles of dingy, rusted cages. Staring back at you from inside were different kinds of animals...they were human beings. It was not a sight that hit me as hard as it might some. That’s why I was even allowed in places like this, to begin with. You had to have a cold heart and a strong stomach for cruelty to be able to walk through here.
The smell of vomit and excrement was almost enough to make you forget you felt sorry for the poor souls trapped behind the bars. It was easier to shield your mouth and nose with a handkerchief and keep moving through on your business, trying to get in and out as quickly as possible. I was happy enough to do just that. I didn’t have time to waste. I was here for one reason and one reason only.
Once I saw that this young lad had been swallowed up into this dark underworld, I’d know we had nothing to worry about and could move onto other things. Whatever fate awaited him outside these walls wouldn’t be good, and it’d be short-lived, which I was inclined to say he deserved for threatening me and my men. I could be an understanding man, but not when it came to someone who tried to intimidate us or prevent us from doing our work.
I made my way to the portion of cages where I knew the younger, healthier men were held. They’d likely be sold off into slave labor until they died of exhaustion or their bodies gave out. I looked through the faces of the dirty, scared men who scowled back at me, trying to spot the guy who fit the description Pablo and Felix gave me.
But as I scoured through their features, a screaming sound pulled my attention to the cage at the end of the line. I stopped cold at the sight of a woman being tossed around by the guards. It was not an uncommon thing to see here, but I could see the rounded pregnant belly poking out from her stained and ripped shirt, which was the only thing she was wearing aside from a pair of panties. The curves of her muscular exposed legs were shining with sweat and dirt as she struggled to break free from the guards who were tormenting her.
They were grabbing at her through the bars, attempting to rip away what was left of her already shredded clothing. You could see she had a considerable amount of spunk, even in her condition, she spit and bit and clawed back at them, doing her best to keep their hands off. I was pulled into the scene by force, finding my legs gravitating towards them beyond my control.
It wasn’t an uncommon thing to see around here by any means. It was one of many horrific sights I had been