Cleaning up so thoroughly defeated the purpose to redress in their old clothes. Jorge immediately moved to fix that when Toki and Skwisgaar found him in the kitchen. The ten year old girl that Toki glimpsed the night before helped one of the adult women with the dirty cookware.
"Mm!" Jorge rushed to swallow his mouthful of egg. The young girl peered over with large, brown eyes when he addressed her in Spanish. "Follow María, she'll give you something fresh to wear."
At the base of the stairs, María handed them each a neatly folded pile of ironed clothes. They took turns changing in the bathroom; Toki buttoned the short-sleeved guayabera on his way out, then worked his feet into the provided pair of sandals. When Skwisgaar emerged in a white shirt to contrast Toki's pale blue, as well as matching khakis, Toki smiled. "You looks nice."
"I looks tired, am hows I look."
"Maybes, but still smart." Nimble fingers captivated Toki as they rapidly bound the shirt's front. "And you smells good, too."
"Pff." They wore the same deodorant and cologne, as was available in the bathroom, but in Toki's opinion it mingled so much better with Skwisgaar's natural pheromones. If they weren't in plain sight of the kitchen—and had the option to find a private nook—the younger man would happily bury his face into the crook of Skwisgaar's neck for an indefinite period of time.
"Go aheads and scoff, is true." Toki snuck a pat on the ass when their hips bumped. Back in the kitchen, María had already warmed their leftovers and set them out on the island table.
Jorge leaned against the other side. "We'll leave as soon as you're finished. Ghostqueen arrived home this morning, and is expecting us."
"Who ams dis lady?" Skwisgaar lazily compiled the various ingredients on his plate into a tortilla wrap. "Where does she live?"
"About half an hour away. Santos and I will drive you. María belongs to her, as well." Jorge tugged one of the girl's braids when she passed, eliciting a smile. "We watch her, when her Mama goes away."
"I didn'ts realize we was leavings," Toki said. "I thoughts this was her house."
"One of them."
How annoying, that all the information they accumulated about this location's weak spots was about to be thwarted. Toki didn't want to go somewhere else after making himself comfortable, either. Although they'd only been here a mere twelve hours, he had a decent understanding of the routine. The kids would return from school in the late afternoon, then the adults around dinner time. The evening was split between bathing and recreation, then rinse-repeat their experience thus far as everyone eventually found their cots. What awaited them with this woman? Toki couldn't see her as evil-spirited, since María grew steadily more anxious to get out the door. When their plates had been cleaned, she smiled widely as Jorge announced he'd round Santos up.
As soon as the car door closed behind Toki, he tried the handle. Just as he suspected, locked or unlocked, it didn't open from the inside. Damn. At risk of road burn, he was going to suggest he and Skwisgaar bail at a red light. If they exited the vehicle—especially in heavy traffic—how could their captors round them back up without garnering attention from the authorities?
Santos sat on Skwisgaar's other side again, Jorge took the wheel, and María buckled up in front of Toki. He caught glimpses of her head on either side of the rest as she took in the sights. Was she naturally excitable, or did she ever even get out? It struck Toki as odd that she didn't attend school with the rest of the children. She didn't seem to speak English either, judging by how her eyes glazed whenever they and Jorge had chatted in their collective second language.
They headed west through neighbourhoods Toki didn't recognize until they turned south onto Rainbow, at the very highway he and Skwisgaar first drove into Vegas on. Another quarter hour passed until the turning signals clicked for a right turn. More affluent neighbourhoods came up, like the one they'd left behind. However, these houses were grander, with larger yards and actual grass sprawling toward the sidewalks. Toki couldn't help but notice that Hispanics curbed the landscaping businesses; by any chance, would they see some of the same faces from that morning?
They pulled up to a beige house with red terracotta roofing, where the lawn boasted still-fresh lines from a mower. Even in its garage, where they pulled up beside a silver Escalade, Toki could smell the cut. María's flip-flops clapped against the smooth concrete as she hustled over to the door. Before Santos had the chance to fiddle with his heavy-laden key ring, the locks undid themselves. Toki only got the flash of someone as María launched herself for a hug. "Mama!"
"Hola, Mija." A well-dressed woman with a long, sleek ponytail kissed the young girl on top of the head. When she stood straight, she was barely a head taller. Compared to Santos and Jorge, who both about reached Toki's nose, she appeared to be another child. Toki's stomach dropped as, after saying her hellos to their escorts, she studied him and Skwisgaar from a healthy distance in the dim light. "So, these are the gift you were talking about? What would I do with them?"
"Look closer."
Toki noted green nail polish on her toes, as he averted his gaze. Though it was inevitable, Toki liked to think he could hide behind his and Skwisgaar's slightly faded disguises.
"María." The very air seemed to change, when the woman realized just whom had been presented to her. An order to go inside—Toki assumed, anyway—left only adults in the garage. To help her see, Santos flicked the lights. "I don't believe this. Where did you find them?"
"Downtown Vegas, in a bar. We thought you might be interested."
"This could be incredibly stupid," she snapped. "Is it worth risking everything, to bring me these? Do you really think something this valuable would just be walking around, fit for anyone to grab? What if the police or their klokateers followed you back to the house? What would you do then, before I skinned you alive?"
"Mama, they're on their own. We wouldn't bring them if we concluded they had bodyguards or escorts."
"Si, we monitored them for a full twenty-four hours before making the decision. They have no identification, and no one but us was watching their motel. We would've seen someone else following them around the Strip. No tracking devices in the vehicle they were driving, either."
"And where is that vehicle now?"
"Uh. . ."
Despite the situation, Toki bit back a smirk as Jorge and Santos' eyes widened from realization of their mistake. Their excitement to present their finding transformed to a hefty sulk as each earned a sharp slap to the face. "Well? Which one of you pendejos can answer?"
"The desert," Jorge mumbled.
"Are specifics too much for your tiny brain to handle?"
"Arizona, on the side of the road."
"Neither of you meatheads thought to drive it back with you? To be properly disposed of?"
"We kind of. . .shot the back tires out."
Ghostqueen sighed shortly, in irritation. "Is it any wonder, why I keep you around? I should have called it, when you fucked up in Mexicali. This is too much."
"But how will anyone know they're here?" Jorge gestured at Toki and Skwisgaar. "They spent the night up in North Las Vegas, with us. Don't you think, if their manager could find them, he would've shown up by now?"
"Did you examine them extensively?" The woman glanced back over her shoulder. "Strip search, check for metal? You never know, he may have implanted them with tracking devices. These are his bread and butter, after all."
"No. . ."
"So why are you still standing there, staring at me like a couple of fish? Do your job. Now!"
Jorge took Toki by the upper arm, while Santos handled Skwisgaar. Nothing killed Toki's amusement quicker than a dulled sparkle in the man's eye. Thanks to the reprimand, Toki lost whom he perceived as a hesitant ally through this entire mess. Jorge gestured at him when they stood behind a closed bathroom door. "Take off your clothes."
"I haves to?" However hesitant, Toki started at the top of his shirt buttons. He still wished to appeal to Jorge's human side. "Is she always that means to you guys?"
"Just. . .don't talk anymore, hombre. Let's get this over with."
"You aren'ts going to puts your finger in my butt or anythings, are you?"
"Squat-and-cough should do."
Toki laid his shirt over the counter and had his thumbs in his pants' waistline when an outburst elsewhere in the house startled him. It took a second to recognize Skwisgaar's voice, thanks to the panic attached to it. "No fuckings way, you amn'ts doing dat—gets away from me!"
Santos' reply came as a mumble comparatively, then he hollered for Jorge's assistance when Skwisgaar continued to resist. The order to stay put fell deaf on Toki's ears, but the bathroom door slammed in his face when he tried to follow. Just like the doors leading to the street, this one too locked from the outside. Toki rattled the knob anyway; the single thought to get to Skwisgaar, to protect him from whatever they did, made his brain go fuzzy.
More anxiety than relief came with a lapse of desperate pleas, for they merely turned into whimpering. Unable to escape his own holding, Toki pressed his ear to the door. He cringed when Santos spoke again. "There. Not so bad, was it?"
"What dids you do to him?" Toki demanded when Jorge returned. Skwisgaar didn't yield easily; blood dried on the man's upper lip, and he tenderly inspected his nose in the mirror. "What happened? Why was he yellings like that?"
"Didn't care for a cavity search. Why aren't you fully undressed yet?" Jorge snapped. "Hurry the fuck up, or we'll do the same to you."
When the hell would either he or Skwisgaar have the chance to stick something in their asses? Sure, maybe they were left alone for extended periods of time through all this, but what did they even have, to smuggle? Shoving something up there was Toki's last thought, when they were forced to a stop in the middle of the Mojave Desert.
It was humiliating enough to squat down, in order to prove that. The sense of violation would only increase tenfold, if touched. Considering Skwisgaar's past with such horrors, Toki teared up as a sense of utmost failure took him over. He'd promised nothing bad would happen to the man, and he still stood by the notion that he'd take it so that Skwisgaar didn't have to. The corners of Toki's mouth pulled downward as he redressed, when given permission.
A short knock came at the door, followed by Santos poking his head in. Like Jorge, he sustained some damage; his eye socket showed the beginning signs of a bruise. "Here, scan him over."
Jorge accepted the metal detector wand. "Clean?"
"Si, nothing."
Toki came up similarly. Tunnel vision ensured he remembered nothing of the house between the bathroom and a drawing room, where Skwisgaar curled into himself on one of the couches. Even from a distance, Toki could see him tremble. Jorge left them alone; before the door clicked shut, Toki already lowered onto the furniture. "Hey."
Skwisgaar used Toki to bear his weight, bringing an arm around him. Toki's eyes prickled again when a couple wracks of the older man's body preceded a stifled sob.
"I'm sorries." Toki rocked him. What else could he even say? Sure, he tried to help, but what good did that do, when it'd already happened?
"Gets me out of here."
"I wish I coulds. I'm sorry, Skwis. . .believes me, I don'ts want to do anything more than thats, right now."
"I woulds rather die dan deals wit' dis for one more minute."
Unsure what else to do or say, Toki kept him close. His grip tightened when the drawing room door opened again. The woman dubbed Ghostqueen entered first, followed closely by the two men. They hung close to the door while she pushed an ottoman to sit before Toki and Skwisgaar. Although Toki could do nothing but hate her guts, he forced himself to look at her. He needed to know who they dealt with. Just like with the house, he needed to start finding weaknesses.
An impassive mask much like Skwisgaar's default expression peered back. Blue shadow coloured her eyelids, while red darkened her lips. At first Toki thought she was younger than them; she concealed bags under her eyes and lines impressed along her cheekbones, though. Despite holding onto youth by way of skin, she wore some scars indicative of her lifestyle. Her right earlobe had a chunk missing, and jagged scars marred her neck and left arm. Toki recognized the pit-like pockmark near her elbow as one left from a bullet.
"No one knows where you are, do they?"
No point answering. She already knew, judging by a new, unfriendly smile.
"So let me tell you what's going to happen." Leaned over her knees, Ghostqueen looked between them. "You belong to me, now. You won't be leaving. You won't go by your birth names anymore either, so from now on you will be referred to as Alejandro—" she pointed at Skwisgaar, then Toki, "—and Sebastian."
"We aren'ts pets," Toki shot at her. "We's human beings."
"Of course, mijo. No one said otherwise."
"You've treateds us like chattel since we gots here. You talks about us likes we's things your cronies found downtown, you violates our bodies, and now you says we belongs to you. Tries again."
"Hm." Ghostqueen's eyes narrowed. "I can tell that you and I aren't going to get along, very well."
"You're damn rights! You can'ts do these kind of things and expects eithers of us to be happy."
Disregarding him, the woman looked back at her compatriots. "Where's María at, in getting those rooms ready?"
"I'll go find out," Santos volunteered. With one less in their company, she turned back.
"One thing you'll learn about me, is that I can be very reasonable. You behave, I will reward you. You act like a little shit, I'll do all in my power to make sure you're as unhappy as possible. You won't be treated as pets, but as sons." Toki didn't at all trust the seemingly genuine smile that graced her face. "Now that I'm certain your being here doesn't jeopardize anything I've worked incredibly hard to build, we'll start over. I apologize for how I had my other boys treat you, upon arrival. It's rather standard, actually. You must understand, I've dealt with some nefarious characters in past. I cannot help but be a little. . .paranoid."
"Doesn'ts give you any right for someone to puts their fingers in him, when he don'ts want you to."
"It's an uncomfortable experience, one of which we've all encountered. You were warned, Alejandro, that it would happen if you did not cooperate."
"Don'ts you dare blame him, for feelings violated."
"Does he not speak for himself?" Her eyes narrowed again. "No matter, my apology is still up for acceptance. I don't expect you two to trust me right away, since you're only newcomers. I'll give you time to get cozy. Once María's finished making your beds, you'll be shown to your rooms. I cannot offer you anything as grandiose and lavish as Mordhaus, but you'll each have private bathrooms and access to anywhere with an unlocked door. If you aren't satisfied with the food, let me know what you'd prefer and I will prepare that instead."
Unwilling to speak, Toki shrugged.
"So you concentrate on that. I assume my boys introduced me as Ghostqueen, which is my business sobriquet. My name is Raina, but everyone refers to me as Mama. You will, too."
"Mama." Proving that, María entered the room with Santos not far behind. With the apparent announcement that the girl had completed her most recent chore, Raina stood. "María will take you to your rooms, now."
With little other choice, Toki helped Skwisgaar stand. They were going to be separated? Before that could happen, he kept Skwisgaar as close as possible. María hummed a tune as she led them to the second floor, pointing at one door. Mention of Skwisgaar's new nickname forced the older man to peel himself away from Toki's side.
"It'll be okays, elskling," Toki assured him, despite not really having any idea. "Just stay strongs, all right?"
His blotchy face haunted Toki when he and María came to the next room. Immediately, Toki pushed the queen-sized bed against the wall separating him and Skwisgaar. When he quietly knocked, one came back.
"Skwis, cans you hear me?"
"Ja."
"Sits with me. We's lucky to still be pretties close."
"It doesn'ts even matter. You mights as well be a millions miles away." When Skwisgaar spoke again, his previous upset had returned. "I wish you were ins here."
"Me too, elskling. Me too." Especially when quiet sniffles permeated the wall. Toki rested his temple against it, fingertips roaming in need to offer comfort. He wished he'd braced for something like this to happen, but even when expecting and already having experienced the worst, nothing prepared him for something as simple as physical barrier.