Free The People Traders by Keith Hoare Page A

she'd done. It had always been her secret. Now, with her family knowing, the papers probably splashing it across the front pages, what for her, began as love, a willingness to please her man, would be seen as some sordid sex act between a young girl and a married man. That she couldn't take, she wanted to crawl under a stone and die.

CHAPTER 6
     
     
    While Karen worked in the kitchen she heard the crew talking about two other girls who were on the ship, but she'd seen no sign of them. Once Barry, who'd she seen on the first day in the kitchen, was sitting having his breakfast, when cook slipped out to go to the toilet. She'd taken that opportunity to ask Barry if he'd come and talk to her in the hold some time; he'd promised he would, but he'd never turned up. Karen was disappointed, she'd hoped he'd at least come and talk to her.
    It had been days since her meeting with Assam. Garrett had taken it on to escort her back to the hold from the kitchen, after allowing her to take a shower each night. She'd sit for hours alone, depression setting in at the hopelessness of her situation. The practising had been simple; the other girls, in Karen's view, were pathetic. Soon she had the routine perfected and it gave her the confidence to be able to face Assam without fear. As for him threatening to screw her when she'd finished, even that she wasn't bothered about, confident anything Assam demanded of her she'd be able to cope with, just so long as he didn't disfigure her. After Garrett slammed the hatch shut and she'd lain down on the bed as usual, Karen sensed someone else was in the hold with her.
    She sat up alert. "Who's there?" she called.
    Barry appeared from behind a crate. "Shush, keep the noise down, someone might hear," he said quietly.
    Karen smiled, relief written all over her face. "Thanks for coming. You won't get into trouble, will you?"
    He shrugged. "No, I can get in this hold from the other one through a watertight door. It's empty so it's not locked and the watertight door can only be opened from the other side. Anyway, I've pulled it closed just off the catches. They'll never know I've been here. So what do you want?"
    She looked him in the eyes, tears forming slowly. "I just want to go home. Will you help me?"
    He shrugged. "What can I do?" he asked.
    "You could call the police, if not them, your family and ask them to call for you, anything, so long as the police know I'm still alive and where I am. It's not a lot to ask."
    He walked over to the bed and sat down at her side. "I could I suppose, but it's a hell of a risk. If Assam knew, he'd kill me."
    She took his hand, gripping it hard. "Nobody would know, Barry. Ask them to tell Customs that the ship's full of drugs. They could then just do a general search and find me. Please, Barry, say you'll do it."
    She waited, holding her breath for his response.
    "I'll think about it, Karen, but I've a couple of hours to kill, how about us talking for a while?"
    "What do you want to talk about?" she asked.
    He kept hold of her hand, not letting her pull away. "There's a rumour that you're some girl. It seems you do posing in the nude and other things."
    She snatched her hand away and glared at him. "I don't do anything of the sort. I'm seventeen for God's sake. A schoolgirl!"
    Barry looked at her. "That maybe, Karen, but you're also a very attractive schoolgirl and I bet you've had a string of boyfriends."
    Karen shrugged. "I did have a boyfriend but we've split up. Anyway are you going to help or not?"
    He grinned. "More to the point, Karen, what are you going to do for me? After all, you want freedom, I want a woman."
    She tried to look indignant. "You've got it all wrong, Barry. I've never posed nude or even made love and I've no intention of doing either," she lied.
    He stood up, shrugging. "Okay, have it your way. I came to help; the risks are enormous, but if you're just on the take and giving nothing in return, so to speak, I'm out of here."
    As he moved away