She slept naked. Walked around naked too, with good reason. The temperature was scorching, even at night. There weren't any neighbors and you could only see the rooftop of the Luna Mesa, unless you walked to the edge of the cliff-face that ended the cottage's backyard.
Which was why Kristy was not pleased to find a girl sitting at the edge of her pool when she came outside for her morning smoke. Clad only in a pair of cotton shorts.
The girl was wearing a dirty off-white nightgown and looked to be about the same age as herself. She blinked a few times, wondering if her broken mind had succumbed to full blown hallucinations now. She watched as the girl swished her legs back and fourth in the water. She seemed to be talking to herself, lulling her head from side to side. Spaced out. 'Lovely, a fellow nutcase to keep me company.'
Kristy lit her cigarette hoping the clang of her lighter closing would snap miss space cadet out of it. No luck. She slowly approached the unstable girl who still hadn't noticed her.
"Nice morning for a dip huh?" she asked as she plopped down on the opposite ledge of the pool and stuck her legs in the pristine water.
The girl's sandy blond head snapped up, her eyes widening in fear for a moment before her head dropped back down to look at her feet in the water
"My brother Devon will be mad I ran away to play." she murmured in a childlike voice. "He doesn't like it when I go outside our room."
Kristy tilted her head and tried to decipher the girl's damage. She observed dark rings around her wrists that stood out against her pale skin. Rope scars. She'd been bound for a long period of time. She also had track marks on her inner arms. Judging by her current state she'd guess what filled those needles was heroine. 'Sex slave?'
"Maybe you should tell him to fuck off, every girl needs a little play time of her own." she suggested, playing into the girl's ramblings.
"Regina come out right now, I promise I wont be angry with you!" came a male voice echoing up from the direction of la Mesa.
The girl, Regina, let out a little giggle and jumped fully into the pool.
Kristy left her doing summersaults in the water as she padded inside to grab a tank top before walking to the cliff-side. The guy, Devon apparently, was still searching the parking lot that separated the bar from a small row of rundown motel rooms.
Sticking her thumb and pointer finger into her mouth Kristy produced an ear splitting whistle. Devon's head immediately snapped in her direction.
"She's up here!" she yelled to him, waving her arm in the general direction of the pool.
'Fuck, fuck, fuck!' He had let Regina roam the room free this morning while he walked over to pick up their breakfast from Walter. Now who knew what the hell she'd told that bitch up on the hill.
It wasn't like he could just make her disappear either if Regina had spilt the beans about them. Walter had confided in him last night that this girl may be his only daughter. Steps were being taken to find out for sure but the results would take nearly a month to return once they had a sample to send in.
'This bitch could fuck up a lot in a month.' Devon thought to himself as he rounded the rear corner of the cottage.
Regina was floating on her back in the pool, her arms pushing her in small circles. Her gown and hair spread out around her made his little half sister look like an angel. Snapping out of his twisted musings he realized he was being watched closely by Krystal. Like a predator sizing up a rival. Devon made his way over to where she was seated on a lounge smoking a cigarette. Time to put on the charm.
'He reminds me of a weasel.' Kristy thought, knowing she would have to play nice with this one.
If he was involved in the local crime syndicate she need to stay on his good side. Hopefully getting a way in to scope out exactly what was going on in her new town.
He smiled fakely as he extended his hand toward her. "Hello, I'm Devon. I see you've already met my girlfriend, Regina."
She didn't shake his offered hand and instead motioned to the chair next to her.
"Sit." she ordered, narrowing her near black eyes at him.
'She knows. Shit.' Devon sat reluctantly.
Though he was confident he could hold his own against a woman, this one had 'not to be fucked with' written all over her, quite literally.
"I apologize for Reggie's trespassing, she's not quite all there if you know what I mean." Devon explained with a tapping motion against his temple.
She didn't respond, only taking another drag off her cigarette. Continuing to scrutinize him under her cold gaze.
"Look at the pigs up in the sky." Regina shouted, pointing up into the clear blue expanse above her.
There weren't even any clouds in the sky to justify her statement.
"Yeah, they're really flying today aren't they?" Kristy replied to her nonsense. "The adults are going to have a little chat sweetheart, why don't you practice your cannon balls." she suggested to Regina's delight.
As Reggie hoisted herself out to bound back into the water Kristy turned back to Devon. "If she escapes often I suggest using Bio-Oil to fade the rope burn scars. Laying off the dope a little would do some good too, her brain seems plenty addled."
Devon kept his features composed but inside he was panicking. "I don't know what you're talking about."
She scoffed at him. "Spare me the bullshit. Sex slave. Play toy. Kidnap victim. All of the above, I don't care. I'm just telling you, one look at her wrists and the track marks in her arms, combined with her pale complexion and deteriorated muscle structure. It's easy to deduce that she's been tied to a bed for an extended period of time." She pointed out, raising a sharp brow at him.
Devon stammered trying to think up an explanation for all the things Krystal had just pointed out. She didn't seem outraged at the situation. In fact she was offering him advice on keeping his depraved secret hidden.
Finally he hung his head in defeat, thinking he should be thanking his lucky stars this twisted bitch found Regina instead of some righteous do-gooder. "Thanks, I'll be sure to get some of that oil."
"Letting her out more often would be good too, a suntan will help blend in what the oil doesn't fade." she suggested, inclining her head towards the pool.
"So. Brother, boyfriend. That's an...interesting situation. I take it that means there isn't an underground sex trade in town?" she inquired, tilting her head to the side.
Devon was shocked she bypassed the entire incest detail and wondered just what she was trying to get at. "No, not that I know of. Why? Are you looking for one?"
She let out a short sarcastic laugh. "No, but I know where there's girls being sold there's drugs to keep then compliant. That's what I'm looking for. Would you happen to know where I can find that in this small town?"
The track marks on his sis- er, girlfriend's arms told her he certainly would.
"Yeah I might know a guy." Devon admitted, taking out his phone. "What exactly do you need?" he asked, eyeing her skeptically.
He doubted she was an undercover but you could never be too careful.
"Oh I don't know, depends what I'm in to mood for at the time. What's he got to offer?" she countered as she stubbed the cherry to her smoke out in an ashtray.
Her vague answer didn't help reassure Devon any so he decided to keep it nondescript himself. "Pretty much anything you could want."
"Meth?" she asked, finally relenting with a raised brow in question.
She needed to know if someone was dealing locally or worse, cooking. It wouldn't do to have competition. She would have to take them out.
"He's got it." Devon affirmed as he pulled up Mac's number "Tell you what, why don't I give you his number and you can set up whatever you need with him."
"Great, let me go get my phone. He is local right? I don't want to be driving three towns over for a fix." she asked as she rose from her lounge to retrieve her phone from the house.
"Yeah, he's local." Devon replied while watching her ass as she walked away.
Damn if it weren't for Reggie letting the cat out of the bag he would have tried to get a crack at her. Even with all the scars she was pretty damn hot.
Speaking of Reggie, she was going to get the beating of a lifetime once they got back to the room. Next time he might not be so lucky if she escaped. He got up and walked over to the edge of the pool, grabbing a handful of Regina's wet hair to twist it painfully.
She cried in protest as Devin knelt low to whisper in her ear. "You were bad today Reggie, you're not supposed to leave the room without me."
Her hands flew up to her burning scalp, trying to relieve the pain as Devon all but yanked her out of the pool by it.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just wanted to see the water worms." she tried to explain.
Just as Devon was about to smack her for making excuses Krystal came back outside, phone in hand. Indifferent to Regina's pained expression due to Devon's unwavering hold on her hair. Reaching into his pocket with his dry unoccupied hand Devon recited Mac's number to her. After which he thanked her for keeping an eye on Regina and proceeded to lead her out of the backyard by her hair. Regina tugged on Devon's hand, twisting her head the best she could to look back at Krystal.
"Can I come back and play again?" she pleaded, making Devon stop to turn and stare at her in disbelief.
Kristy sighed, mulling it over in her head. Hopefully by the end of the day she would have a new lab location found and her equipment moved out of the house. She already had dirt on Devon so it wasn't like he would squeal on her if he did happen to see anything and Regina wasn't a risk, she was barely in this reality anyways.
"Have Devon call first to make sure it's okay." she replied, looking at Devon the whole time pointedly.
"Why don't you take my number down for the next time she's craving a little playtime." she told him.
After she rattled off the digits and they were walking down her driveway Kristy headed back inside to get ready for the day.
While in the shower she wondered why she had consented to let the girl come again. She wasn't a social person, didn't enjoy the company of others. She certainly didn't feel any sympathy towards the girl. She didn't know why she did it. It seemed this place was bringing things out in her that weren't the norm. She put it out of her mind as she finished packing everything she would need for cave hunting. The only thing worth focusing her mental energy on now was finding a place to cook.
Mac had just finished the last batch needed to catch up on their orders when his phone went off. He'd been busting his ass all night long and all morning too. Walter again. What the fuck now? "Yeah?"
"She's gone, get up to that house. And remember, the hairs have to have a follicle on the end." Walter instructed him quickly.
"Fucks a follicle?" Mac asked as he grabbed his keys and headed for his truck.
He could hear Walter muttering to himself about Mac being an idiot on the other end. "A little white thing on the end of the hair you imbecile!"
"Keep it up an ya can get tha fuckin' follicles yer damn self!" Mac screamed into the phone, hanging it up before Walter could for once.
It wasn't his fault he didn't have an education. Walter had pulled him out of school in the seventh grade to work in the cave. It was bullshit. He always got the shitty end of the stick and was expected to be happy about it. He'd been doing his job in the cave that night Rick had spiked his beer. The night he got hooked on meth, rape, and blood. Look what doing his job had gotten him.
Many times Mac had thought of telling his father to go fuck himself and just leave town all together. But it wasn't like he had many options to support himself if he did leave. Deep down he was just a scared little boy who didn't know how to handle emotions and just wanted his dad to be proud of him. He knew he'd never be able to leave this place.
Mac parked his truck in the Luna Mesa's parking lot and began the trek up to the house, flipping his father off from where the old man was standing guard on the rooftop. Picking the lock was a piece of cake. Once inside he searched around the living room, nothing out of the ordinary there. He spotted a blue tarp in the kitchen that definitely looked like it was hiding something.
"Well god damn." he swore in surprise at what the blue plastic was hiding.
Sitting there in the corner of her kitchen was everything you needed to make meth. Plus a few ingredients and tools he didn't recognize. Everything was top of the line, none of that pop bottles and coffee filters bullshit like he had to use in the cave. This bitch was a cooker and a high class one at that. Snapping a quick photo of it all he sent it to Walter.
After he re-covered the cook set he moved to what looked like a study, rifling through the desk he found her high school diploma along with a birth certificate. "Krystal Eve Bradly. Yer a long way from home bitch."
Putting everything back in its place he made his way to the bathroom next and stuffed the entire wad of dark brown hair he pulled from her brush into a plastic zip-lock baggie.
Now for the best part. The bedroom. He went straight to the drawers, pulling each one open to inspect the clothing inside. Rich bitch had nice clothes, no surprise there. Then he hit the jackpot. Panty drawer. As Mac pawed through all her lacy undergarments he felt something hard underneath a pile of thongs and boy-shorts. Pushing them aside he found a Desert Eagle Mark XIX. Damn she was packing heat. Not only did this whore have good taste in lingerie she had good taste in guns too. Next he picked up a bra and inspected the size tag.
"Thirty two D, nice." Mac loved watching big tits bounce while he was ramming a cunt hard.
Making his way around the side of the bed he found clothes she'd worn the day before crumpled on the floor. Immediately he went for the dirty pair of pink underwear, snatching them up he smashed them against his face and inhaled a deep breath of her scent.
Ignoring the twitch in his pants he shoved them in the pocket of his coveralls. "Savin' them fer later."
After he made sure everything was back in its place he locked the front door behind him.
Walter watched as Mac made his way back down the winding driveway that connected the cottage to the main road. He was not pleased with what Mac had found in her house. Daughter or not. If she was looking to make trouble for his business she would have to die.
Kristy returned from a long day in the canyons covered in sweat, grime, and red dust. Every cave she had found so far was unsuitable. Either with running water inside or being too often explored by tourists. She would have to go out again tomorrow, deeper into the canyons.
When she stepped into the house something felt off, wrong. She did a sweep through the entire place, finding nothing out of the ordinary and everything exactly as she'd left it, forcing her to attribute it to baking in the sun too long today.
After jumping in the shower she decided a visit to see her favorite lying bartender was in order. Maybe if she showed a little leg and cleavage he would remember a bit more about her mother's activities. Come to think of it, she had never gotten to celebrate her twenty first birthday either. Why not dress up, go out, and have a few drinks. She'd give all the honkies something to drool over.
Curling her hair in loose waves she added a bit of eyeliner and some mascara to make her eyes pop. No use bothering with foundation and cover up, no amount of caked on makeup could cover those flaws. Moving to the closet she chose an off the shoulder V-neck form fitting black dress that hit about mid thigh and a black clutch to mach. To top it off she slipped on her favorite pair of skyhigh black Louboutins.
After slipping a few fifties into her clutch she added her smokes along with the small knife she kept velcroed to the underside of her bed. Never could be too careful with a bar full of drunk yokels, especially the way she was dressed.
As she pulled into la Mesa's parking lot it was difficult to find a spot since it was Saturday night and the entire meager population of Cainville was most likely packed inside the bar. She ended up parking in what would have been the grass if it weren't the desert.
While making her way through the lot on unsteady legs thanks to stray rocks here and there she stopped dead in her wobbly tracks when she spotted a red truck. The red truck.
Instantly anger flushed through her and she reveled in it. Determined to not let the emotion slip away so quickly this time. The devil himself shown through her eyes as a wicked smile slowly spread across her face. She checked quickly to make sure no one was watching as she slunk over to the truck and extracted her small switchblade.
Grasping the handle firmly she plunged the blade into the rear left tire. The satisfying hiss that followed made a malicious giggle slip from her lips. Next she moved to the rear right tire, stabbing it with glee.
On her way to the front right tire she spotted something on the passenger side dash that made her stop dead in her tracks. It was a packaging bag with the pink crystal symbol on it she'd designed herself for her own special brand of Meth. 'Looks like I've got a fan in town.'
Mac sat at the bar stewing, pissed beyond belief. Walter still wouldn't tell him what the deal was with this bitch. Why was he still hesitating to throw her to the wolves. I.e., himself. Especially after what he had found.
Mac glared in the direction of Walter's office door as Devon and the old bastard himself came out. Probably having just finished discussing what Mac was thinking about. The mystery cunt. Devon slid into the stool next to Mac, a smug self satisfied smile on his face.
"Met the new girl this morning." Devon boasted, motioning for his father to bring him a beer. "She's a real piece of work. Got an ass that just won't quit and a set of knockers to match."
'Wut tha fuck? Everyone but me seen this sneaky lil bitch?' he wondered, eyeing his brother with disdain and a twinge of envy.
"That ass'll be mine soon 'nough, keep yer mitts on yer sister." Mac hissed at him.
Devon hated Mac for what he'd done to Regina that night in the cave and for Mac's endless ridicule about the forced incestual relationship he carried on with Reggie. Devon laughed to himself. If it turned out Krystal was Walter's daughter then Mac would finally be no better than him.
"She'd never touch your grimy ass, she's way out of your league. Classy, refined." Devon taunted, taking his phone out to wave it in Mac's face. "Besides, I already got her number." he bragged while omitting the circumstance under which he obtained it, leaving Mac to make assumptions.
"Bullshit!" Mac growled, snatching for the phone.
But sure enough there it was, illuminated on the screen. 'Krystal'.
It drove him fucking crazy. That little prick got everything handed to him while Mac had to fight tooth and nail for it. "M' sure she jus gave ya a fake."
"Oh really? Why don't you ask her yourself, she's right over there." Devon challenged, motioning toward the door.
Mac turned to see a dark haired girl who looked like she'd just stepped right off the airbrushed pages of a magazine slowly scanning the bar. She really was stacked in all the right places. Clean and polished too, not like the whores from around there.
"Krystal!" Devon shouted over the din of the bar, attempting to wave her over.
Her head snapped in their direction and her expression turned into a sharp icy glare. As she approached Mac found himself staring at a woman's face instead of everything down south for the very first time. She definitely wasn't airbrushed. The healed gashes along her face made his dick jump right to attention. Proving just how sick and twisted he was.
Once he could get his eyes to move from those he found them darting to other scars and burn marks exposed to him. 'Jesus, she looks like she's been through a fuckin' meat grinder.'
"I don't recall giving you my name this morning, let alone my full name. You wouldn't be stalking me would you Devon?" she accused, narrowing her eyes at him.
The way Devon tensed up under her gaze didn't go unnoticed by Mac. 'Little prick is scared of 'er, aint that interestin'.' Mac thought as he observed her body language a little closer. She obviously thought she was boss bitch. He'd be teaching her otherwise real quick.
Devon gave a nervous laugh, 'Shit that's right she hadn't given her name.' "Word ah.. word travels fast around a small town." he stammered, nodding his head toward Walter.
Waving for Walter to come over she ordered a Budweiser and added "The next time you go giving out my name Walter be sure you use the right one." pursing her lips in annoyance.
Walter played along looking bashful for his son's sake. "Yes ma'am, Kristy."
Turning back to Devon she finally acknowledged the guy sitting next to him. He'd been staring at her scars far too long but now his crystal blue orbs were trained squarely on her dark brown ones. She found something in his baby blues that was mirrored in her own. A darkness and a demand for submission by everyone around them. A staring contest for dominance ensued to which she became the victor when Walter slammed a bottle of whiskey on the bar and barked out "Mac!".
She took his momentary distraction as a chance to let her eyes roam the rest of his body. A strong jaw and sharp cheekbones were noted as well as golden brown hair. Broad shoulders and a strong chest along with biceps to match. He was your average good ol' boy complete with coveralls, steel toe work boots, and dirt. Lots of dirt. Her interest peaked at the scabs along his inner forearms. 'Found my first possible customer.'
"This is the guy I was telling you about earlier." Devon told her, nodding his head toward Mac.
"Oh, really?" There went that first customer. If he was the dealer that meant he had to go.
"Tha fuck are yew talkin' 'bout?" Mac demanded, glaring at Devon.
"She wanted to know where she could find some stuff." Devon hinted, making an exaggerated face at the word 'stuff'.
He nodded his head, turning back to her. "I got whatever ya need baby." Mac leered with a grin and a suggestive jerk of his chin.
If the scabs hadn't tipped her off the teeth definitely did. He had meth mouth like a motherfucker. Hiring a user as a dealer was a rookie mistake on the management's part. One she would soon eradicate.
"I'll call when I need something. Just make sure you come running when I do." she sneered, her voice dripping with superiority and her expression holding a look of disdain at his double entendre.
He may have had a pretty face when he didn't open his mouth but she was not about to take him up on that offer.
Mac couldn't believe the balls on this bitch. He didn't come running to nobody, except maybe Walter. He ground his teeth as she turned away from him after her comment and finished her beer, dismissing him. When she leaned over the bar and gave Mac a spectacular view of her ass, he couldn't resist.
Finishing off her beer she leaned over the bar to try and get Walter's attention. As soon as she did she felt a hand firmly attach itself to the globe of her right ass cheek.
Abruptly straightening Kristy swung her right elbow around to connect with the jaw of whatever sorry asshole dared lay his hand on her. Turning around she came face to face with Mac. Who was working his jaw back and fourth with hellfire blazing in his eyes. She was a bit disappointed in herself for not putting enough force into the blow to make him spit out a few rotten teeth.
"You keep your filthy god damn hands off me!" she roared, adding a shove to his chest to push her point home.
Mac's hand shot out and wrapped around her neck, squeezing off her air supply.
"Yew stuck up lil slut, I'll put ma filthy fuckin' hands on ya whenever I god damn well please!" Mac yelled in her face close enough for her to smell his rancid breath and feel spit land on her skin.
She felt her heart rate pick up and something tighten deliciously low in her stomach. Just as a bat came crashing down on the bar top she brought her knee up swiftly to his surprisingly hard member.
Mac let out any breath he had in his lungs with a wheeze and dropped to his knees cradling his family jewels. Wrapping her fingers in his greasy hair Kristy yanked his head upward, making him look up at her. His eyes were watering. Bonus.
"Next time you lay a hand on me you're going to lose it." she ground through her clenched teeth.
With that she threw his head backwards and released his hair, sending him into a heap on the floor.
Turning her back on him she faced Walter. "Well fuck me, I need a shot after that!" she exclaimed with a playful grin.
The patrons of the bar who'd been dead silent up until then erupted with laughter. After knocking back the shot of whiskey Walter slid her way she turned back to Mac who was beginning to get back up onto his knees. Kristy lifted a pump onto his shoulder, making sure to dig the heel into his flesh, pushing him back so he was sitting on his feet
"Now are you sure you can behave yourself?" she asked mockingly, arching a brow at him.
She knew he could see up her dress to the red lace panties she was wearing, judging by the lust that mingled with rage in his features. 'Good, let him look, he'll never get to touch.'
"Because if not you might as well just stay down there. I can guarantee you'll be knocked on your ass again." she promised him as she shoved his shoulder back before planting her foot back on the floor.
Mac got up, not bothering to answer her question. Never had a bitch talked to or manhandled him like that. He was so horny and pissed off he didn't know whether to fuck her or kill her. Both. He just couldn't figure out which first. He was raising this hand to smack her across the bar when Walter brought the bat down with another crack.
"Mac go on home, you've had enough fun for one night!" Walter hollered, waving the bat in his direction.
He spared one look of hatred for his father before looking back to the girl who had just humiliated him in front of half the town. Slamming her up against the bar he caged her in with his arms on either side of her, pressing his entire body against her. Grinding his still miraculously hard erection against her he grabbed the back of her head and brought his face close to hers.
"I'll be seein' you." he promised threateningly in a low menacing rumble.
With that Mac pulled away abruptly and never took his eyes off hers as he backed out of the bar.
Kristy's heart was thudding wildly in her chest, adrenaline rushing through her system. A bolt of pleasure rushed up her spine and caused her shudder. She hadn't felt a rush like this even on meth, let alone in the cook room. She had to have more of him. She was hooked.
"Sonofabitch! All mother fuckin' four of em'?" Followed by a scream of rage and the sound of shattering glass from the parking lot came through the Mesa's open windows. A full blown smile ripped across her face.