Chapter 5: The Trailer Park Trap

I tailed Harold back to his place, planning to find a dark corner to let out my anger for Natalie’s sake.

He led me to a rundown trailer park at the city’s edge. The gravel crunched under my sneakers, and somewhere nearby, a dog barked behind a chain-link fence. A faded American flag fluttered on a pole, and the only light came from a flickering bulb near the manager’s office. The air reeked of cheap weed and old fryer grease drifting from a nearby diner.

I clenched my fists, ready to confront him.

But before I could move, two guys stepped out of the shadows—one with bleached hair, the other with thick, tattooed arms. Both looked like trouble.

Harold’s face drained of color. He tried to run, but he was too old, too slow. Bleached Hair sprinted up and kicked Harold to the ground. Tattoo Arms yanked him up and slapped him hard, twice, until he went limp.

From their threats, I learned they were loan sharks from the casino. Harold owed them three grand and had only paid some interest last week.

They cursed and threatened him, making him promise to pay next week. Then Bleached Hair jabbed a finger in Harold’s face. "I know you got a daughter. If you don’t pay, I’ll sell her to a brothel!"

Hearing Natalie’s name, my stomach twisted. I wanted to puke. My fists clenched so tight my knuckles cracked.

But Harold just nodded, desperate. "Yeah, yeah, I got a daughter."

He started pitching them on Natalie—how she was pretty, how she was still a virgin. He even offered to drug her and bring her to them to wipe out his debt.

The loan sharks scoffed. "Three grand for one night? What, is she made of gold?"

Harold kept pushing. "If she’s not a virgin, you get her for free."

Eventually, they walked away, still threatening him. The whole thing made my blood boil. Natalie’s innocence—what I craved—was just a bargaining chip to her father. It made me sick.

But as rage surged, an idea took hold. If Harold was going to sell Natalie, why couldn’t I be the buyer?