I didn’t know what to make of it.
Gemma bit at her nail, eyeing me apprehensively. “I’m not sure if I’m allowed to tell you this… Hell, I’ve never told anyone about it.” Her eyes darted between me and the floor. “I know a thing or two about Grayson swooping in for the rescue.”
She didn’t say anything further, just watched her hands. It was obvious that this was difficult for her to speak about.
“What do you mean?” I prompted gently.
She gave a bitter snort. “He bought me. That’s how we first met.”
What? “Heboughtyou?” I questioned, shock prickling my skin.
Gemma nodded. “I’d been trafficked, Ava. My own father had sold me to traffickers for drug money.” Her voice was thick with emotion, but she sat perfectly still. I, on the other hand, recoiled at her words. Gods, what kind of sick world did we live in? These poor people. I realised how much of a safe bubble I grew up in. I vowed that if I ever saw my parents again, that I would thank them for sheltering me from this cruel world.
I took Gemma’s hands like she had taken mine. “That’s…” I couldn’t find the words to comfort her, or to express how I felt.
“I was high as a kite, pumped full of drugs to keep me… compliant, when they auctioned me off. But I will never forget that day. I will never forget that feeling of watching Grayson and Thompson go into a bidding war for me. I was no better than an animal.” She took a deep breath and smiled sadly. “Lucky for me, Grayson won.”
I waited for her to continue. There surely had to be more to the story. What the hell was Grayson doing in a place like that? Did hebuywomen often?
“I expected the worst from him, of course. And you know how he is. He can be such an unfeeling brute sometimes.” She smiled and shook her head affectionately.
Her demeanour confused me. He hadboughther.
“Long story short, he was there that night… It’s complicated. But he saw what was happening and decided to take me. Then I helped him bring down the whole thing. We did it anonymously, of course, but we saved so many girls.” Her voice cracked. “And all those trafficking bastards are all behind bars. Some are dead.” Her eyes flashed to mine for a moment.
I swallowed hard at the lump in my throat. “You’re so strong, Gemma.” My mind was reeling. This had happened to her, and she still had the courage, the will, to smile.
She cleared her throat. “Thompson,” she spat the name, “the other guy that bid on me, it was his gold we took at the bank. They were illegally safeguarding it for him, so he wouldn’t have to pay taxes on his money. So technically, the gold was never there, and we didn’t steal anything from the bank.” She gave a small smile.
Mr. Greene. Did he really do that? “Thompson didn’t go to prison?”
She shook her head, her lips pursed. “No. Gray, he… he likes to punish people his own way. He takes the time to get to know someone first. To figure out where it will hurt most. For Thompson, it wasn’t prison or even death. It’s his money and status. So we took all of it from him. The gold was the last of it.”
Her breath came out in a woosh, her features softening. “Grayson helped me get my revenge, and now I can move on with my life.”
We studied each other’s faces for a while. Gemma was the first to talk.
“I hope you understand him better now. He does bad things, but he’s good too, you know? He took me under his wing and gave me a family.” She snickered. “A weird one, but a family, nonetheless. One that would do anything for me, instead of sell me for a fix.” Her lips thinned at the memory.
I squeezed her hands. “Well, I’m glad I was of use stealing that gold,” I joked, trying to lift her mood.
She gave a strangled laugh and stood from the bed. “Well, Grayson is downstairs in the living room. If you want to avoid him some more, you can help me hang these?” She winked at me conspiratorially. “And while we’re busy with that, we can think up other activities to dodge him.”
I laughed gratefully. “I’m taking some of this stuffing for my crow.” I was thankful to Gemma. She was being a real lifesaver. I needed time to process. Plus, I enjoyed her company. She was funny and bubbly and went out of her way to make sure I was comfortable and taken care of. And gods, her strength was inspiring.
By the end of the week, I was sure that under normal circumstances, we would’ve been fast friends. Gemma and Rachel would have gotten along splendidly. We spent most of our time hiding from Grayson at a stream near the cabin and chatting about everything under the sun. Gemma was studying the comings and goings of a newt, which I had to admit, also grabbed my interest. But I spent most of the time there foraging close by, taking samples of plants I didn’t recognise, so I could look them up later when I was free again. I was even lucky enough to see a rare mushroom release its spores, something most people would never experience. Not that most people were into that kind of thing.
My crow friend also came along on our trips. Gemma had given me some cereal that I used to play with him—throwing it up in the air for him to catch mid-flight. On the second day, he brought me a gift. A beautiful flower. He nodded his head, very chuffed, when I placed the flower behind my ear. From then on, he brought me a flower or bundle of berries each time he came along with us.
Sometimes, I would just sit quietly and listen to the chatter of the trees. It was hard to hear and required immense focus, but I loved to listen to them. They were patient and wise and kind. They recognised me too—or the stories of my visits to the forest over the years, carried over, deep within the ground, from root to root.“The Curious One,”they called me.“The daughter of Gaia that can eavesdrop,” they liked to tease too.
On our way back to the cabin, after another lovely day at the stream, Gemma, with her sixth sense, found a nest of the cutest pink baby mice. But there was also the carcass of what we presumed to be their mother, and they looked a little lethargic. So, Gemma of course, brought them with her to the cabin.
We were sitting at the dining table, trying to feed the three babies with milk in a syringe when Grayson and Hunter came laughing through the door. Hunter was punching at Grayson’s side, trying to get free from the headlock he was in. They looked every bit like brothers and almost…normal.
“Oh, Gem. Again?” Hunter sighed in a loving tone. He came to kiss her on the cheek and inspected the mice. He completely ignored my existence, which I was used to by now. I still hadn’t had the nerve to ask Gemma about it. I just pretended not to notice his cold demeanour towards me.
Gemma stuck her tongue out at him.
