AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Let’s go.”
“Z, it might be a total dead end.”
“He said something about a cabin. Or his friend did. I overheard them.”
He spoke into his phone again. “Can you send me the address?”
“Text it to me.” I was already heading out the door.
“Z, wait up,” Garrett called, jogging to catch up with me.
“You coming?”
“You’re sure as hell not going alone.”
I opened the driver’s side door of my truck. “Then get in.”
CHAPTER 36
Marigold
As soon as Preston left, I’d checked the doors and windows. Unsurprisingly, the doors were locked from the outside and none of the windows opened. I’d already considered smashing through the glass, but the windows on the ground floor were paned and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to break the structure between the panes of glass. The one window in the loft was so high off the ground, I didn’t know how we’d make it down even if we broke it open.
Bedsheets, maybe? Was that a trick that actually worked?
I also had to consider whether Brielle would try to stop me.
Could I convince her I’d help her escape too? Or was she too afraid of Preston to try? So far, she’d just watched me. But her eyes seemed to be clearing, making me wonder if he’d drugged her too. That might have accounted for her glassy expression and her compliance.
Other than doors that locked from the outside, the cabin was disturbingly ordinary. It had a couch and TV, a few books and games on a shelf nearby, as well as a collection of old DVDs. The kitchen had clearly been in use. The garbage was half full and there were a few dishes in the sink. A decorative sign on the wall read Cabin Life is the Best Life, and soft throw pillows and blankets gave it a cozy vibe.
“So, Brielle,” I said, hoping to get her talking. I needed to figure out if she was going to help or hinder. “You said John brought you here? And you’ve been living here since then?”
“Mostly,” she said. “We had to leave for a while but for the most part, I’ve been here.”
“Was he living here with you?” I asked. I was still confused as to why she was calling him John, but maybe it was the name he’d given her. For all I knew, it was his real name. Preston could have been made up.
“No, he never stayed here. He came and went a lot.”
“Did he lock you in like this? Or did you want to stay?”
She glanced away. “Both, I guess. I think I was locked in at first, even though he said the door just stuck. I got out once, but I don’t know if he forgot to lock it or if he was testing me.” She paused. “I thought he was going to take care of me.”
“Is that what he told you?”
“I’m so stupid.” Her voice went quiet. “He told me he had a sister who ran away and that was why he wanted to help me. I don’t know if he even has a sister. Do you know?”
“No, I don’t.”
“It doesn’t matter. I should have figured it out, but I kept telling myself he was just a really cool guy. Even when he brought a friend here. He gave me something, so I was pretty high, but I know what he made me do. John just watched.”
She didn’t have to give me the details. I understood what she was getting at and it broke my heart. “Oh, Brielle. That’s so wrong.”
“He didn’t want to help me, he just wanted me to become one of his girls.”
A chill ran down my spine. “What does that mean, exactly? One of his girls?”
“I met one of them when we had to leave for a while. They’re prostitutes. She said they don’t like that word. They say luxury companions. But it’s the same thing. Doesn’t matter how rich the clients are, you’re still selling your body.”
