"How did you start working for Frank?"
"Are we on a fucking date, man?" He rolled his eyes. "We don't need to know each other's life story."
"Sorry. Just trying to make small talk while we wait."
He turned in his seat. "Look, I don't know your story, but Frank trusts you, so let's leave it at that. Understand?"
"Sure."
Headlights reflected in the cabin of the Jeep. "He's here," Marcus stated and opened his door. He pulled the seat forward and tugged the guy out. I followed. The limo pulled to a stop behind the Jeep, and we waited a few minutes before Frank came out.
"Let's make this quick. My wife and son are waiting to go home."
Out of habit, I looked at the black limo, but of course, I couldn't see inside. I knew Frank had a child—eight years old, if I remembered from my interview—and my heart instantly hurt. How could someone be so ruthless as to have his son witness what he was about to do? It didn't matter that it was nighttime, and the only lights were from the headlights of the limo and the moon above.
The boy would still hear.
The boy would still see.
The boy would be changed forever.
Unless this wasn't the first time the boy had witnessed his father kill a man?
Chapter Four
Erin
The steel warehouse was stuffy, not only from the number of women held imprisoned in the cages but also because of the humidity from outside and the lack of air conditioning. I feltalmostfortunatethat I was in my short, black dress and not jeans or pants like some of the other women were. My brown hair was still pulled up, though I had changed it from a ponytail to a messy bun.
I'd been locked up for two days. Some women had been there longer than me, and some were new, but we didn't talk much. I didn't knowwhywe were there. I had my suspicions, but none of the men guarding us would tell us what they wanted.
Once a day we were given a bottle of water and a few slices of stale white bread. They had just given us our daily allotment when the main door opened. I thought I was hallucinating as I watched the bouncer from Lock walk in. I wouldn't be surprised if I was seeing things because I was starving, tired, and hot. Except, in my reality, Ricardo didn't come in guns blazing to rescue me. He didn't even look my way as he walked up a set of wood stairs that overlooked the cages and disappeared.
I thought he was a door guy at the club. I thought he was a sweet guy. How could he be a kidnapper? How was he involved in this? He hadn't flagged my taxi down—I did that on my own. But did he know the moment I slid into the cab that I wasn't going home to my boyfriend?
I started to shake as I drank my water and ate the hard bread. Since I'd been taken, I'd repeatedly thought about how normal things would be if I hadn’t gone out to the club. Or if Steven had gone to the club with me. Or if I would have taken Ember up on her offer to share a taxi with me. When I didn't come home that night or go to the school on Monday for my classroom check, did my friends and Steven call the police? Were they looking for me?
The last person to see me was involved, so he wouldn't be my savior, but I still had hope that someone, somewhere, would find me. I hoped it would be soon. If not, would I be sold? Pimped out? Tortured? Killed? All of the above?
A woman walked in when I was almost done with my meal. She had black hair, was wearing a red silk blouse, a long black skirt, and black heels. She didn't steal a glance in our direction, and I knew seeing forty or so women locked up wasn't a shock to her. She was involved too.
She went up the stairs Ricardo had walked up, and after some time, she, Ricardo, and another man I'd seen every day since I’d been taken walked down the stairs. They went cage to cage, looking over each of the captives, and then they got to me. I narrowed my eyes at Ricardo. I didn't want him to know I was scared and praying multiple times a day to be rescued. I wanted him to know I wasn't going down without a fight.
His eyes met mine, his eyes widening at the sight of me. He stared at me as though I was a ghost. Based on his expression, I no longer thought he knew that I was here before that moment.
He went to speak but then stopped.
I went to yell at him but then stopped.
They moved on to the next cage.
When they had scrutinized everyone, the three of them made their way back. The woman spoke as she pointed. "Her, her, her, and …" I waited with bated breath, and then she pointed at me. "Her."
My stomach fell to the floor. My destiny—whatever that might be—was about to come to fruition.
Ricardo opened my cage, while two other guys opened the other ones. Ricardo grabbed my arm and pulled me out. He wasn't hurting me, but I knew the other guys were hurting the other women because they yelled and tried to struggle against their grasp. I walked out almost willingly.
"Am I being sold?" I asked in a whisper.
