An hour later, David pulled into Terrance's much larger house. The twenty-room mansion stood at the poor edge of uptown. Everyone north of his house had blood money and lots of it. They also had houses with dozens of rooms. At the far end, in the heavily guarded fences, Victor's mansions stood at the pinnacle of the rich. Terrance could barely afford his mansion, but he desperately wanted to move in those circles and the house is a requirement.
David didn't care for Terrance's home. His car shuddered to a halt in front of it and he regarded a van parked in front of him.
“Hill's Meats.”
He wondered why a butcher truck sat idling in front and got out of his car. He turned to look at the fancy houses around him, then headed up the manicured lawn to the front door. Hands in his pockets, he knew he didn't look like much with a sloppy shirt and hat on, but he never really felt rich when he came to Terrance's.
The door opened before he got to it. A fat man with Italian features backed out while shaking Terrance's hand. Terrance looked cheerful but David noticed an edge to his laughter. David walked up as they spoke.
“And I appreciate your business,” said the butcher, “I'm sure they will make some fine stakes.”
Terrance waved to him, “Thank you for your money.”
David stopped next to them. Terrance gestured for him to wait, then called into the house.
A few minutes later, David needed to step back as four of Terrance's slaves walked out. Naked, like Terrance preferred them, they stood up straight. There were tears on their faces and their shoulders shaking with fear. Their wrists were bound with plastic cuffs, all tied to a leash held by the butcher.
David's lips pressed into a thin, unhappy line as he watched the butcher pull the girls toward the van.
In his world, he already knew the next time they saw sunlight, they would be on a meat counter.
Shuddering, he followed Terrance into his house.
His friend muttered and added some numbers on a piece of paper. “Shit, only 3.3. I needed 5 more, damn it.”
“Terrance?”
Terrance didn't respond. He swore a bit, then jammed the paper in his pocket. Turning around, he jumped at the sight of David. “Dude! When did you get in here?”
“You just saw me. What is going on?”
“Um, I'll explain later.”
David peered into the dining room and noticed the table, cabinets, and flatware missing. Turning to the side, he looked into an empty living room. “What is going on?”
Terrance looked at him helplessly, then shrugged. His mouth opened to say something, then closed with a snap. Then, the strength seemed to leave David's friend and he slumped to the stairs leading up. “I pissed off Victor.”
“Oh, crap. How?”
Tears sparkled in his eyes, but Terrance shook his head. “Not important now, but he put a bid on my life.”
“How, you're insured?”
Terrance gave a short, bitter bark of a laugh. “Apparently, spending a weregild to insure your own life is nothing. Anyone can put a bid on your life, it just means you have to have more weregild than the bid.”
David felt confused. “I didn't know that was possible. I thought it was one coin to buy your life and you were golden.”
“So did I,” wailed his friend, “at least until this morning. Victor even helpfully provided a lawyer to explain it.”
David sighed, “You confirmed it?”
“Of course I confirmed it! I spent an hour on the Internet3 looking for ways out of it. I only have one, to come up with 3.7 weregild in…” he paused.
The house computer chimed in, “Six hours, fifteen minutes, and twelve seconds.”
Terrance snarled at the computer, “Yeah, six hours until Terrance is going to shaft my ass with a knife.”
“He probably won't. Look, I'll see if I can talk to him—”
“Stop there.”
David froze in mid-sentence, then motioned for Terrance to explain himself.
Terrance sighed and rolled his eyes. “Look, if you go asking Victor, he's just going to double it.”
“How do you know—”
“He said so in the video mail this morning. If you get directly involved, there is no way I'm coming out of this.”
Terrance looked David, then burst into tears. “I don't want to get spitted!”
David shrugged, “You could make a run for it.”
“You know what they would do to me in prison!? I'd be someone's bitch for the rest of my life. Or worse, Victor will buy my ass anyways!”
A memory of their last prison visit almost brought a smile to his lips. David wondered how the guard would respond to Terrance, then he tore his thoughts away to avoid grinning. “Look, I got some weregild.”
“You can't give it to me, Victor will see that.”
David looked around, “Then, let me buy something worth two weregild.”
“It isn't enough,” pouted Terrance.
“It means you only have to come up with 1.7 lives in six hours instead of 3.7.”
“Fair enough. I don't have any girls left, otherwise I'd sell you them.”
“You know I don't want any slaves.”
“How about… I'm thinking… oh, my house!”
“What?”
Terrance crawled on the floor to kneel at David's feet. “Buy my house for two, please?”
David winced at the thought and looked around at the massive space he didn't need. “I…”
“Oh come on, I'm desperate! I'll pay you back, I swear!”
David hesitated as he struggled to spend money he never wanted to spend for a house he never liked. The doorbell saved him from answering right away, but he knew he could do nothing but help Terrance.
Terrance stared at the door like a frightened rabbit.
David looked at it, then back to his friend. “Going to get it?”
“It-it might be Victor.”
“Oh, for god's sake,” muttered David. He walked to the door. Cracking it open, he noticed the flashing lights on the squad car first. Then, the trooper who stood in front of the door, his hand held up to knock again.
“Can I help you?”
“Are you Terrance Jasik?”
“No.”
“Could I speak to Mr. Jasik?”
David wondered if Terrance really had six hours. He hesitated before answering, unsure if he should be covering for his friend.
The trooper spoke up sharply, his voice cutting through David's thoughts impatiently. “Is he here or not? I have two runaways registered to him and I need to get back to work.”
Terrance shoved David aside and flung open the door. “You got them!?”
“Are you Terrance Jasik?”
Terrance almost screamed out, “Yes!”
The state trooper held out his hand and Terrance took it. The computer beeped and David saw a flash of light reflected from the inside of the man's sunglasses; no doubt a computer projecting on the glass.
The trooper grunted with approval. “Do you wish to have them returned or destroyed? Destroying will net you one half—”
“Return them!” Terrance jumped, then spoke a little calmer, “Please return them.”
“Follow me, they are in binders now.”
David and Terrance followed the officer back to his car. When David looked into the back seat, he felt his heart stopping. A familiar blonde, Christina, sat in the seat closest to the door, a bruise on her face and tears drying on her cheeks. Naomi sat on the other side, with a black eye and red lines across her naked breasts and stomach. The shreds of some outfit hung on both of their hips, which did nothing but enhance their slender forms and curves. Their arms were also bound behind them, forcing their breasts up as they tried to get comfortable in the back seat of the squad car.
“Terrance…” he started to ask.
His friend muttered as he grabbed at Christina. “I was going to sell them to the last guy, but they ran off last night. About an hour after Victor's notice came in. Stupid bitch!”
Christina screamed out as Terrance yanked her out. He spun her around and slapped her with all his strength, adding another bruise. Christina slumped to the ground, slamming her head on the sidewalk before rolling over and blinking in a daze.
Terrance growled as he reached into grab Naomi.
She fought as he dragged her out and threw her to the ground. David noticed that she had a black plastic zip-tie binding her wrists but none around her ankles. Her legs scissored violently and he got a flash of her pussy and a thin line of pubic hair before she scrambled back to her feet.
Next to her, Christina crawled to her knees, then up on her feet.
“I'm going to die because you bitches!” Terrance's scream echoed in the hall.
David peered down the street to see a few other people looking out windows and he sighed unhappily. Terrance's image would be ruined by today's actions.
Terrance fumbled for his phone. “Hold on, let me call Hill's. Maybe they'll buy you two still.”
Christina's eyes widened in fear and she made a run for it. Sobbing, she stumbled before sprinting away from Terrance.
At the same time, Naomi ran in the other direction.
Terrance froze, fingers over his phone.
The police officer seemed to be ready for it and he stepped in front of Christina. His fist swung from a low string and he slammed it hard into her gut.
The blonde folded over his punch and she vomited on the ground before collapsing.
David spun on his heels and raced after Naomi.
Hampered by her bounds, the brunette ran almost drunkenly. She crashed into the side of a car, then a tree as she tried to retain her balance while racing. Her slender legs flashed and her breasts swayed as she sprinted away from David.
David cut her off, sliding across the hood of the car and slamming into her side.
She let out a loud grunt as they both dropped to the ground. David panted while he crawled over her, pinning her down on her back. She kicked out but he scooted up until his hips rested right above her own, his ass spreading her legs.
He grabbed her shoulders and jammed them on the ground. “Stop!”
Naomi froze, her bright blue eyes staring at him.
David's lip pulled back in a snarl, but he realized his actions. Taking a deep breath, he spoke in a calm voice. “Look, Terrance is a friend of mine. And if he doesn't sell you, he's going to die. He needs the money, just accept it, please?”
His eyes flickered down to her chest. He felt a strange warmth in his chest and he ran his fingers along the smooth mounds to her breasts, but stopped inches from her nipple. He shook his head and stood up.
She laid on the ground, staring up at him while shooting daggers with his eyes.
“Come on,” he said a little sadly and helped her to her feet. She seemed surprised when he gently cupped her ass to pull her up instead of yanking her to her feet. Once standing, he slipped a hand between her arms to hold the plastic zip-tie. Slowly, they walked back to the flashing car. “At least it will end quickly for you. With the recent laws, they can't hold you for more than a few hours.”
It sounded lame, despite the truth, and he fumbled with the words. “I can't do anything and he is out of choices.”
Naomi looked quickly at him, then she spoke so softly he wasn't sure he imagined it. “You're both rich, fucking pussies.”
He frowned before asking, “What?”
Naomi didn't answer.
They reached Terrance who knelt over Christina slapping her with all his strength.
David felt Naomi's body tensing and he quickly moved over, grabbing Terrance's hand. “Dude! Don't do that!”
Tears burned on Terrance's cheek, “It's all her fault!”
Terrance fumbled to his feet and he grabbed his phone again, “I need to call Hill's back, maybe they'll take both for one.”
“I recommend you destroy both,” declared the officer.
“I won't get as much then. I need weregild now,” cried Terrance.
The officer grunted, “We have to report all escape attempts on their records. Hill's, any butcher worth their salt, will look for that. You'd be lucky to get half a life for both of them.”
“Crap. How much to get them destroyed?”
“You'll get a half weregild for both if you donate them to the city. I'd probably give you a full weregild for both, but I'd have to break both of their legs before I leave here,” said the officer.
Christina looked up with a sob, one eye closed shut from the bruising. She crawled over to Naomi and wrapped herself around the brunette's leg.
Naomi knelt down, stroking the back of Christina's hand as she looked up accusingly at David.
Feeling guilty, David knelt down next to her.
Christina jerked away from him, but he just used a hem of his shirt to blot up the blood welling from a cut on her face.
Terrance muttered for a moment, “Crap. I don't have time for this. Okay, give me—”
The world seemed to slow down for David. He looked into Naomi's face and saw the same, bitter expression from when she sat in a cell. Memories flooded into him, reminding him of that last meaningful look at the prison guard gave him. He raised his look to Terrance, seeing his friend in a much different light. David spoke without thinking, interrupting Terrance. “I'll buy her.”
He clamped his mouth shut as soon as he spoke, shocked at his own actions.
Terrance and the officer stared at him, just as shocked.
David looked everywhere but their questioning eyes.
Then, Terrance answered with a wavering voice. “Seriously?”
“Yes, I'll give you everything I got.”
Terrance peered down at David, not believing him. “Really?”
“Yes, I'll buy these two. For everything I got, 2.104, right?”
“Deal!” screamed Terrance.
The police officer shrugged, obviously not approving.
The world spun around David as he stared back down to the two naked women. He felt wrong, buying a life like that, but something about Naomi's gaze he couldn't put in a finger on. He could almost imagine her telling him something and now… now he could find out her puzzle.
Terrance noticed the officer leave and ran over. “Dude!”
The officer spoke more formally, “Yes, sir?”
“Want a house?”
The stunned look on his face brought a smile to David. The officer shook his head, “What?”
“The house? I need two more weregild in a few hours. Interested?”
“I don't know—”
“It has twenty rooms, two pools, and this really huge basement with cells. I bet you could do something great with it.”
The man looked tempted.
David stood up and caught Terrance's attention. “I'm going to take these girls to the hospital and go home.”
Terrance just waved him away.
David held out his hand for Naomi, then realized her wrists were bound.
She stared at him, but Christina wouldn't unwrap from the brunette's feet. Her small breasts ground into the ankles of her friend.
David reached over, but she flinched at his touch.
“I don't want to die,” she wailed.
He found his eyes roaming over he body, focusing on the tiny nipples and the way her slender waist folded when she curled so tightly around Naomi's leg. Her belly button had a tiny fold that he found interesting and he resisted the edge to touch it.
Then realized he could do whatever he wanted to her.
He owned her.
David stroked her hair and realized he needed to say something.
“You won't die… well, I won't kill you.”
Christina peeked up with a frightened expression. “I-I won't?”
“Well, I need to get you to a hospital first, but I won't kill you. I won't ever do that.”
She sniffed and wiped her tears from her face.
“W-What will you do to us?”
David sighed unhappily, “I have no clue.”