The People Traders Read Online Free PDF

a lot of money for us to deliver you to a people trader. This trader will offer you at auction. You'll go to the highest bidder. That could be a brothel, or perhaps to some man who's after a young girl. Either way, kid, life as you've known it is finished. Perhaps if you're lucky you'll last a year or two, after that," he shrugged indifferently, "who knows?"
    She looked at him, her eyes pleading. "Don't you have a family, a daughter? Could you really send me into a life like you describe? You've been paid. I'm positive my daddy would double anything you'd expect to get from this trader. You've only got to call him."
    He smiled softly. "Don't try that route, kid, I've heard it all before. Besides, when push comes to shove, parents get police involved and rarely pay. We've a reputation to uphold; ten years on this ship and we've moved all sorts of cargo across the world. You're cargo for us and that's all. I don't want to know the reason why Whittle hates you so much. Perhaps you threw over his son for some other lad? Killed his dog or goldfish? It's of no interest to me. But he's paid for you to be delivered and delivered you'll be. So I'd forget about trying to play on my feelings, I'm not interested. Mind you while we're on that subject, try talking this way to any member of the crew and believe me you will go to a brothel. But it'll be a brothel that couldn't care less what you looked like; the client can always turn you over. I tell you this for your own good. Assam's a past master at cutting pretty faces into grotesque ones."
    Watching him as he talked, she realised nothing she said would dissuade him from their own plans for her, so she averted her eyes away from him, staring down at the floor.
    "Food, sleep, in that order," then he was gone.
    Karen sat for some time, chewing at the huge sandwich filled with cheese, in-between sipping the strong coffee. Resigned to the fact that no white knight was coming to her rescue, she sat there defiant. She'd no intention of being sold, no intention of living the life this Frank seemed to have sent her to. She needed to study the lie of the land, form a plan and keep as fit as she could. She'd skills like swimming, self-defence and had done lots of weekends with her dad in mock combat exercises using paint guns. If she chose her time well, she could possibly escape and use these skills. Before climbing into bed she knelt down, clasping her hands, praying silently.
    Frank had stood at the top of the path, watching the ship move slowly into the blackness. At last it was all over. At last his wife and daughter were avenged. He turned and climbed into the car, removing a telephone from the glove box. Dialling a number, he waited until someone answered.
     

CHAPTER 3
     
     
    When Karen's father arrived home, three police cars were already outside the house. He ran in to see his wife and older daughter sitting quietly on the settee. Both were crying, but his wife on seeing him, stood quickly and threw her arms round his neck.
    "What is it, love?" he asked gently.
    She could say nothing, just sobbed her heart out on his shoulder. A policeman, who seemed in charge, asked a policewoman to look after her, before explaining what had happened.
    He frowned. "You say she was abducted, but why? We've not enough money to pay a ransom; I work in the city as a banking adviser, so what reason would anybody have?"
    The policeman pulled a cigarette out, offering one to Karen's father, who declined.
    "Mr. Marshall, at this point we believe it's a case of mistaken identity. In the school there's another Karen; she's one year younger and is the daughter of a diplomat. Currently this man's working at a very high level on behalf of the U.N. towards peace in the Baltics. We're working on this assumption and believe when they find their mistake, Karen will be released."
    He looked for a moment at the policeman, their eyes locking. "Or killed, officer, or killed."
    The policeman shook his head. "We don't