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CHASTITY/Five Years Ago

The limo stopped, the driver opened the door, and they all piled out. Chastity couldn’t believe her eyes. Tiny lights were spaced around the circular driveway with a fountain in the middle, and beyond that, brighter lights illuminated the biggest house she’d ever seen. Oh, yes, Tiffany was right. Tonight would be different than any other night.

“Come, come,” Manuel urged.

They climbed the stone steps and entered a foyer larger than the whole apartment she and Tiffany shared.

“Holy shit!” Even Tiffany couldn’t hide her amazement.

Manuel wasted no time grabbing a bottle of champagne from the full bar against the wall, then nudging a very willing Tiffany up the circular staircase.

Although Chastity encouraged Rafael in the limo, now she wasn’t sure she was ready to actually go through with sex. Again, it would’ve been another first, but Rafael didn’t push her. Instead, he gently took her hand and led her deeper into the house, then outside to a covered patio with a set of cushioned furniture and full kitchen. A freeform pool glistened in the moonlight, as the sound of the Pacific waves crashed in the distance.

“This is so beautiful. I can’t believe people really live like this.” The words tumbled out of her mouth before she realized how childish and inexperienced she sounded.

“Manuel and I have been very lucky.” Rafael didn’t mention her gushing. He really was a gentleman. “We each have our own wing in the house, and I have an apartment in Los Angeles.”

“I guess it’s true what they say about the richest people living in California. Are you a talent agent too?”

Rafael’s brow furrowed.

“Tiffany said Manuel is a talent agent for a big agency that represents all the A-list actors.”

“Right. Yes, he is.” Rafael’s phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket.

“And you’re an agent with the same company too?”

“Ahhh, no.” Rafael swiped at his phone, then tapped at the keyboard. “Stay here; I’ll be right back.”

Rafael returned to the house, and Chastity sat on one of the sofas scattered around the patio. She leaned her head against the cushion and listened to the sounds of the ocean. Coming from the Midwest, she thrilled at seeing the coastline for the first time last year and loved coming to the beach whenever she had a chance.

She closed her eyes and drifted off to the rhythmic sound of the waves. A few minutes later, she jolted awake and checked her phone. Thirty minutes had passed, not few minutes. She searched the patio area, trying to get her bearings, but there was no sign of Rafael.

She pushed off the sofa and entered the house. She looked around the spacious kitchen, a living room and ridiculously large dining room. No Rafael.

Were Tiffany and Manuel still upstairs? Her heart pounded hard at not knowing where anyone had gone. Her alcohol buzz had vanished and left her with a throbbing headache and a need to pee, but first she had to find Tiffany. It was four in the morning, and she wanted to go home.

She climbed the stairs to a wide hallway with many doors. All the doors were open, and the rooms were empty, so she continued down the corridor to the last room at the end. She stood outside the closed door and listened. Definitely people inside. Hopefully, it was Tiffany and Manuel. As much as she hated to barge in, exhaustion and a need to go home overwhelmed her.

She inched the door open, but the room was so large, she could only see the adjoining bathroom. She eased farther into the room then froze at the sight of Tiffany riding Manuel cowboy-style. They were too involved to see her, so she ducked into the bathroom. When she was done, she’d interrupt Tiffany and tell her she wanted to go home. Tiffany would be pissed, but Chastity was exhausted, and apparently Rafael had left her without a word. So much for worrying about having sex tonight.

She did her business and was about to flush the toilet when the sound of heavy footsteps filtered into the bathroom. Male voices shouting in Spanish, more footsteps, and Tiffany screaming.

Chastity cracked the bathroom door in time to see Rafael and another man shoot Manuel twice in the forehead, then turn to Tiffany and do the same. Their limp bodies collapsed against the mattress, and Rafael and the other man rushed to the bed and fired again.

Chastity gripped the doorknob as the bathroom spun out of control. A surreal sensation said maybe this was some erotic role play. Anything to explain what she witnessed, but her rational mind kicked in, telling her both Manuel and Tiffany were dead.

She eased the door shut and crept to the only hiding place in the room—a spa tub behind a half wall in the corner. She stayed huddled there, and when she heard them leave the bedroom, she forced herself to think.

Still gripping her phone, she called 911 as a debilitating adrenaline raced through her blood. She had to somehow get out of this house without Rafael seeing her.

“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”

“I need help,” she whispered into the phone. “I have to get out of here.”

“What’s your emergency?”

“I . . . I’ve witnessed a murder. Two murders.” Chastity’s voice caught at the thought of Tiffany’s dead body.

“Calm down and tell me where you are.” The operator’s gentle voice forced her to focus.

“I’m in the bathroom hiding in the tub.”

“Do you have an address where I can send help?”

“I don’t know the address. I’m still inside the house.”

“Where you saw the murders?”

“Yes, if they find me, they’ll kill me too.”

“Can you give me any idea where you are? Something you might’ve seen before you entered the house?”

“There was a fountain in the driveway. A circular driveway.”

“Okay, very good,” the operator prodded. “Do you know what town or city you’re in?”

“Yes. Yes. I’m in Marina del Rey.”

“Great, I’m tracking the area. Keep your phone on. We’ll use the signal from your phone to find you.”

“Please hurry.” Chastity gulped in gasps of air. She honestly didn’t think her heart could beat any faster without bursting.

“Are you safe for now, or are you hurt?”

“No, I’m not hurt.”

“Then stay where you are. Help is on the way.”

“Can you keep talking to me?”

“Yes, I’ll keep this line open until help arrives.” The operator paused, and Chastity heard the tapping of a keyboard. “What’s your name?”

“Chastity Parker.”

“Okay, Chastity, try to stay calm. Help is coming.”

Chastity wasn’t sure how much longer she stayed crouched in the tub while the 911 operator asked her mundane questions about where she worked and what her hobbies were. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she heard voices downstairs.

“I think they’re here.” She cracked the bathroom door again and eased out into bedroom avoiding the bed and what must’ve been a bloody scene.

The hallway overlooked the first floor, and a shaky relief swept over her when she saw two uniformed police standing in the foyer.

Chastity gripped the phone harder. “They’re here.”

“Good, you’re safe now.”

Chastity flew down the hallway and then the staircase, skidding to a halt in front of the cops as they talked to Rafael and another man.

“I’m so glad you’re here.” Chastity pointed to Rafael. “He shot my friend, Tiffany, and another man, Manuel.”

“What?” Rafael’s lips twisted to a smile. His handsome face had taken on the look of a reptile.

“Did you call in a 9-1-1 about a double murder?” the shorter cop asked her.

“Yes, upstairs, I can show you.”

The men exchanged a glance like she was crazy, but when they saw the bedroom, they’d change their opinion. Taking the stairs two at a time, Chastity raced down the hall and flung open the door, followed by the police, Rafael and the older man.

She bolted into the room and froze for the second time in twelve hours. She slowly inched forward. The bed was completely stripped down to the mattress with no trace of the massacre that occurred.

“You know, miss, it’s a felony to call in a false report.”

“It’s not a false report. I saw it with my own eyes.” Chastity blinked a few times as her mind short-circuited with doubt and confusion, then she pointed to the bed. “They were right here. That’s probably why the bed is stripped. If you find those sheets, you’ll see they’re covered with blood. My friend’s blood.”

“The cleaning staff is here today. The beds are stripped and cleaned weekly.” Rafael led them out of the bedroom and down the stairs. “I’ll take you to the laundry room; you can see for yourself.”

“That won’t be necessary.” They returned to the foyer, and the cop turned to Chastity. “I’ll let this go, miss, but calling us here under false pretenses is very serious.”

“How many times have I told you not to bring these young girls to the house?” the older man scolded Rafael then turned to the police. “My son likes pretty ladies, and, unfortunately, sometimes they indulge in drugs stronger than marijuana.”

“I wasn’t smoking marijuana or doing any other drug. I know what I saw and I know who did it.” She pleaded with the other cop. “You have to believe me.”

Both cops drew in deep, frustrated breaths, then turned to the older man. “In the future, please keep tabs on who your son brings to the house and what they get up to.”

“We didn’t get up to anything. He killed two people. Why won’t you believe me?”

“Officers, I apologize for the inconvenience. I know you take your jobs very seriously, and I can assure you nothing like this will ever happen again.” The older man spread his arms wide. “Perhaps I’ve indulged my son in too many luxuries.”

“I get it. I have kids of my own,” the shorter cop agreed, then turned to Chastity. “We’ll let you off with a warning, miss, but don’t let this happen again.”

The cops turned toward the entrance.

Chastity rushed forward. “No, please, don’t go.” When they reached the door, she pulled on the cop’s arm. “Don’t leave me here. Please take me with you.”

“Miss, please don’t make this any worse.”

“But I’m not . . .” Her words faded with the slamming of the thick wooden door, and the police were gone.

Chastity lunged for the door, but Rafael easily grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back with his hand over her mouth. He spun her around to face him as she heard the patrol car pull away from the mansion.

“Don’t bother screaming,” Rafael warned. “Because there is no one else in the house, and the neighbors are too far away to hear.” He slowly removed his hand but kept a tight hold on her.

“Please don’t hurt me,” she pleaded. “I promise if you let me go I won’t tell a soul what happened. I’ll leave California, and you’ll never see or hear from me again.”

“This is what happens when you’re not paying attention,” the older man said. “Or when you’re too concerned with getting your dick wet.”

“I needed the woman to distract Manuel, and she wouldn’t leave without her friend,” Rafael countered. “I had it all planned out. I drugged her drink in the club and?—”

“You drugged my drink?” Chastity tried to twist out of his hold.

“I figured she’d sleep long enough on the patio for me to get rid of all of them, but when I went back outside, she was gone.”

“And instead of doing a thorough search, you acted without thinking. It’s this kind of sloppy work that trips you up every time.”

“Manuel is dead, and that’s what you wanted.”

“Yes, but now the cops have seen her.” The older man flicked his hand at her like she was an annoying gnat.

“So, we have enough LAPD on the payroll to make them forget what they saw.”

“Again, your arrogance gets in the way.” The father shook his head in disgust. “Since it was a random 9-1-1 call, they sent cops we don’t own. They were honest cops who will certainly remember a young girl if she turns up dead in some deserted lot a few days from now. A young girl who can be traced back to this house and to us.”

Chastity’s knees weakened and then threatened to buckle under her. “Please, please, don’t shoot me.”

They reverted to heated Spanish, and Chastity guessed by their inflections the future wasn’t good for Rafael or her.

“I can make her disappear in a way they will never find her,” Rafael offered in English.

The two men talked about her like she wasn’t in the room. Like a piece of damaged furniture to be disposed of out of inconvenience.

“I can’t depend on you to do the job right.” The older man frowned. “And since I can’t afford to take that chance, I will have to take care of it myself.”

Chastity gathered up all her strength in a last effort to save her life. “I’ll do anything you ask. Anything you say. Just don’t kill me.” Chastity’s eyes darted between the two men.

They exchanged a look, then the older man walked around Chastity, appraising her. “She might be useful in another way.”

The two men shared a deadly smile. “Exactly what I was thinking.”

“We could ship her down to Rosarito tonight with the others,” Rafael said. They reverted back to Spanish, and as they babbled on, Chastity’s mind spun, trying to make sense of what would happen to her. Then Rafael tightened his grip on her arm and forced her to the back of the house. He stopped by a door, punched in some numbers on a keypad, released the latch and pushed her into a small square room.

“From now on, you’ll be Hector Rodriquez’s problem.” Rafael threw her a look she couldn’t determine, then turned and left.

As the door slammed behind him, Chastity found herself locked in a room measuring eight by eight. A hysterical bubble of laughter threatened. Once again, she was helpless and locked in a closet, but instead of the usual fear, she experienced anger. An anger so fierce, so potent, it buoyed her up and gave her strength. She was no longer a child without power. She was a grown woman, and if she made it to Rosarito alive, she vowed someday she would get her revenge.

Her oath energized her. If nothing else, she’d fight back for Tiffany. Her heart stuttered at the thought of her murdered friend, but in the end, Tiffany was right—both their lives changed tonight, making two revelations drastically clear:

Life as Chastity knew it was over and?—

From this day forward, she became the property of Hector Rodriquez.