Page 549 of Coal Hearts

The stench of terror and dismay.

All naked.

Clapping his hands again, Victor waited until the sounds of appreciation and wolf whistles had silenced before beckoning the guards to march the new jewels onto the stage.

“Aren’t they precious?” Victor ran his fingers through the blonde hair of the closest girl. “So pretty. So young.”

“Where did you find them, Vic?” asked the brown-bearded guy currently running his fingers over Peter’s hunched shoulder.

“Oh, I’ve been all over, mon ami,” Victor replied, eyeing up each new jewel as the guards ushered them into a trembly line. “I do hope you like them.”

“Pass one here, and I’ll tell you if I like them or not.” An untoned, dark-skinned man laughed.

The cold in my bones turned glacial.

My heart riddled with frostbite.

He’ll die.

And him.

And him.

And him.

All of them.

“Yes, yes, you’re all at liberty to play, of course. But first.” Victor grinned. “Allow me to introduce you to our newest members of my Jewelry Box. I do hope you will make them feel welcome.”

A few men chuckled. “Hell yeah, we’ll make them feel welcome. Very welcome.”

Victor gave the man a tight smile, then prowled along the line and planted his hands on the smallest girl’s shoulders. Looming over her from behind, he looked like the worst kind of predator. “First up, this is...what was your name again, my sweetling?” He squeezed her until she winced and dropped her eyes. With black hair and a gaunt frame, she didn’t look old enough to graduate high-school, let alone be trafficked into this place.

Horror filled me.

Despair followed.

Henri shifted on his chair as my insides crawled.

“Are you squirmin’ because you want a piece, or are you uncomfortable, Henri?”

My eyes shot to the table next to ours.

Henri grunted and swallowed hard. “What?”

An older red-headed man who’d lurked around since the beginning smirked. Patting Nancy on her head where she kneeled next to him, he grinned. “I’ve seen you around. I watched you fuck your little tidbit the night of the storm. Despite the minor misunderstanding of your profession as a cop, I thought you’d slotted right in.”

Henri gave him a tight smile. “Then what’s your problem?”

The man leaned closer, his eyes mean. “My point is you’re very tightly wound. I would’ve expected the opposite, seeing as you were the only one allowed to stay. You’re not the one who had to tame himself back in society. You’ve been here the whole time, fucking your jewel, being who you truly are.” He waved a limp wrist in Henri’s direction. “So why are you so...jumpy?”

Henri stiffened. “Forgive me if I still have a shred of empathy. They’re new. This will be overwhelming. I remember how my first day felt, and I was on the opposite side of the collar.”

“Could always shackle one around your neck too, hey? Let you feel firsthand what they’re going through?” He snickered. “Perhaps you’re a cop after all, and that’s why you’re curling your lip at the new merchandise.”

“Can’t help it if they’re not my type.”

“No.” The man narrowed his eyes on me. “Turns out she’s your type, and you’re not the sharing kind.”