Trafficked -- Beaten -- Trapped
When eighteen-year-old Stacy Degray sets off to visit Felipe, a charming guy she met on the internet, she has no idea that she is being lured to his home country Malaguay to be auctioned off as a soldier's bride. All...
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Luckily, for the rest of the afternoon, there's no more patrolling. Instead, the other girls and I head over to the training center, where Bettina and Raine usually hang out all day. Bettina is excited to introduce me to her boyfriend while Raine is distracted. She's busy scoping out the new arrivals. I'm amazed by their easy chitchat; neither of them seem disturbed at all by what happened this morning.
We meet up with Bettina's boyfriend in the combat center. He's standing next to the boxing ring; when she joins him, his face lights up. I immediately like him.
"Stacy, this is Ramon."
He pulls Bettina into a hug, giving me a friendly wink over her shoulder. "You're Felipe's friend, right? He talks about you all the time."
My heart soars. I miss Felipe and wish he were here. I'm about to answer, but Ramon was only being nice. His full attention has shifted to Bettina, leaving a tinge of rejection in my mouth. He sways her gently in his arms like they are dancing, his whispers making her grin.
"Those two should get a room," Raine mumbles under her breath, though envy colors the words green. "They make me sick."
I frown at her; she's such a backstabber. To Bettina's face, she always pretends how happy she is for her friend.
After that, Raine ignores me and watches the fighters in the ring. The shorter soldier is one of the young boys who just arrived yesterday. He's sweating like crazy but stands his ground while a giant tries to break through his defenses. I don't know a lot about boxing, but the boy seems to have really quick reflexes.
A sudden voice from behind startles me. "Hola, corazoncito, qué tal?"
I spin around, accidentally stepping on someone's foot. The guy is standing way too close for my liking.
"Mano, no." Ramon's glare is full of warning. "Es Stacy."
The dude takes a step back and throws up his hands. "Hey, I didn't know." His accent is so thick, I can barely understand him. "Pensé que es par quién la quiera."
Raine snorts. "Of course you did." The look she gives him is murderous. "Cabrón."
With her nose stuck up in the air, she storms off, leaving the guy and Ramon to chuckle. A rapid exchange in Spanish is next. I have no clue what's going on.
Bettina pulls me aside for some privacy. "That's Raine's ex-boyfriend, Alejandro. He's a real dog and pretty much hits on any new arrival. He even tried with me once, but Ramon convinced him that it wasn't a good idea."
"Is that why they broke up?" I lower my gaze; I shouldn't be nosy.
"That and he got a little rough at times. When Raine had had enough, she went to Miguel and complained. Luckily, he agreed that they could split. Otherwise, she would be stuck with that jerk."
