Chapter 45

Earlier, at the Red Dog Saloon, Red Maran had given Steele paper and a pencil after he had explained his plan to Bella. Steele had jotted down a note and also got some duct tape from Red. Then Steele and Bella had driven in separate cars to the Mexican border, with Bella entering Mexico while Steele stayed on the United States side, pulling into the parking lot of the cinderblock building Bella knew all too well.

Sitting in her car on the side of the road, on the Mexican side of the border, the enormity of what Steele had told her sank in. Marco was dead. She was free. But what had happened to her haunted her every waking minute. She wanted to lash out at someone. Make them pay. Not able to get even with everyone who had abused her, Steele promised to settle one score.

Bella made a U-turn onto the road. She maneuvered through traffic until she made it to Lane 1 and inched along. It was later than she normally made the trip so she wasn’t sure who would be attending the booth.

Bella held back the smirk when she saw Officer Walker. He was arguing with the driver in the car in front of her. When Officer Walker spotted her, he stopped arguing, pounded on the roof of the vehicle, and waved the other car through. That driver sped off and Bella pulled up to the booth.

“Didn’t expect you here today,” Officer Walker said. He looked into the back seat and frowned. “Where’s the stuffed animals?”

Bella’s heart sank. How could she have forgotten the procedure? What now?

“It was a last-minute decision,” she said. “They were rushed and I guess they forgot to put it in the car. I didn’t even think to check.”

Officer Walker looked inside the open driver’s window at her legs. “No skirt? But what the hell, those shorts are sexy.”

He reached into the car and grabbed Bella between her legs and squeezed her crotch.

“Actually, the timing is perfect,” Walker said. “My shift is over. Maybe that’s why they rushed you. Someone will be relieving me any moment. Tell you what. Open your shorts while we wait.”

“Here? Now?”

“Yes, here.”

“What about the cars behind me?”

“Fuck them. They’ll have to wait.”

Bella popped the button open at her waistband and lowered the zipper. Just a wisp of her black panties showed. Officer Walker snickered.

“You have the sweetest pussy I’ve ever had the pleasure to stick my dick in,” he said.

Officer Walker reached into the car again and shoved his hand inside the front of Bella’s panties. He rubbed up and down. Then he stopped, but kept his hand inside the panties.

“Shit, you must have been in a rush. Those fucking stubbles are real scratchy.”

Bella blushed. “I’m sorry. I was in a hurry. They didn’t give me any time. I’ll make it up to you.”

Officer Walker stared at Bella’s face while he wormed his finger through her slit and into her hole. She had to turn her head. The man disgusted her. His breath on her cheek made her want to puke.

“Someone is coming,” Bella said.

Officer Walker’s head shot up. He yanked his hand out and stood next to the car sniffing his finger. Bella fixed her shorts and gulped her vomit down as it rose from her belly.

When the other CBP officer was at the front of the car, Walker said to Bella loud enough for him to hear, “Pull over to that building over there.”

“I’ll take over,” the other officer said. “What’s the problem?”

“Nothing I can’t handle.”

Walker leaned into the open window. “You know where. Now move.”

Bella gave the engine a little gas, but slammed on the brake. The other officer was still standing in front of the car. She stared at him, and then he stepped aside. Bella pulled away from the booth and drove into the parking lot and turned off the engine. She looked around for Steele but didn’t see him. What if things didn’t go as Steele had said? So much had already gone wrong. The stuffed animals. Her shaving. No skirt. She tried to remember what Steele had told her. She closed her eyes with her forehead resting on the steering wheel, going over everything he had said.

“Let’s go, honey,” Officer Walker said.

Bella’s head shot up. He was waiting with arms crossed. Bella got out of the car and followed him into the building, to the room he always took her to. He flipped the “Occupied” sign down and opened the door. Bella went inside and he followed her. She walked to the middle of the room as Steele had instructed and turned to face the door. Officer Walker stopped in front of her.

“This is a rush delivery,” Bella said. “Marco said people are waiting so we don’t have a lot of time. Let me get you hard.”

Bella dropped to her knees and fumbled with Officer Walker’s pants. Soon they were at his ankles along with his boxers. She stuffed his cock into her mouth and sucked.

“You turned into a real slut,” Officer Walker said. “I think I liked it better when you were innocent.”

Officer Walker humped his hips. His now hard cock clogged Bella’s throat. She gagged. He laughed.

“Don’t want you to enjoy it too much, cunt.”

Bella saw the door to the interrogation room open and Steele enter. He closed the door without a sound and pulled a knife out from behind him. She bit down on Officer Walker’s dick. He howled and shoved her head away. The metallic taste of blood was on her tongue.

“You fucking bitch,” Officer Walker screamed.

Steele rushed up to him and clamped a hand over his mouth from behind and pointed the knife at Walker’s eye. The man stood still.

Steele looked at Bella. “Why did he scream?”

She lowered her eyes and sheepishly said, “I bit him.”

Steele stuck the knife’s point under Officer Walker’s chin as he leaned around the man to look down. “Well, you didn’t bite it off. Doesn’t look like too much damage was done. Get the duct tape. It’s in my waistband under my shirt.”

Bella gave Officer Walker a wide berth as she sidled past him. She lifted the front of Steele’s shirt and took out the roll of duct tape from his pants, and then stepped back. Steele moved to the front of Officer Walker with the point of his knife sinking into the flesh under his chin without breaking the skin.

“Put your hands behind your back,” Steele said. When Officer Walker did, Steele said to Bella, “Tie his wrists with the duct tape and then tear off a strip around a foot long.”

Bella wrapped the duct tape around Officer Walker’s wrists three times. She bent at the waist and used her teeth to rip it from the roll. She tore off another strip and held it out to Steele.

With the tip of the knife pressed into Officer Walker’s flesh, Steele said, “Bella, now put that strip of tape over his mouth.”

Bella stepped in front of the man who had abused her. She stretched the tape over his mouth with shaking hands. His eyes were locked on her face. Threatening eyes. She quickly stuck the tape on and jumped back. Steele smoothed the tape against the officer’s mouth and cheeks to make sure it was secure. And then, with a leg behind the back of Officer Walker’s calves and his hand on the tape-covered mouth, Steele shoved him backward.

Officer Walker’s feet flew out from under him and he landed on his arms tied behind his back with an, “Oomph.” And then, before he knew what was happening, Steele snatched the roll from Bella, unraveled a length of tape without tearing it off, and lifted the man’s feet. Walker’s pants and boxers were tangled around his ankles. Steele whipped the duct tape around his bare calves like a rodeo cowboy restraining a calf in the calf roping event.

Steele stood up and laid a hand on Bella’s shoulder. “I want you to do something for me.”

“What?”

“Go over to the door and stand there with your back to us. Don’t look back. No matter what you hear.”

“Why?”

“Just do it. Trust me.”

Bella nodded and walked to the door. She stood there facing it.

“Bella,” Steele said.

Bella turned around.

“What did I tell you?” Steele said.

“But you called me.”

“It was a test. Whatever you hear, don’t turn around. Please do this for me.”

Bella turned and stared at the door again.

“Oh shit!” Steele shouted.

Bella flinched and started to turn around but didn’t.

“That’s better,” Steele said. “Keep your back to us no matter what you hear.”

Steele retrieved the note he had written at the Red Dog Saloon from his back pocket and held it up for Officer Walker to read. It stated that CBP Officer Walker worked for Marco Perez and helped him get drugs across the border. It also said that he raped the women transporting the drugs. Officer Walker read it with a poker face.

Steele knelt at the man’s side and whispered in his ear, “You have to pay for what you did. You preyed on innocent women like Bella. You ruined families.”