Page 36 of Secrets of the Six

"Ines, this is Victor Ollivander Ovidius," Cassius motions to the stranger on his left.

Victor smiles, showing off a straight set of pearly white teeth, before he extends his hand to shake mine. "Call me Olli."

I oblige and take his hand. "I would say it's nice to meet you, Olli, but I'd be lying."

Olli's mouth drops, words clearly failing him to dig up a response. His eyes dart around the table as he releases my grip and reclines in his seat, flicking his freckled nose.

"I'm not exactly sure how to respond," Olli chuckles nervously.

"Don't mind her," Remus chimes in, snark lacing his voice. "She's got the manners of a sailor."

"And the bite of a snake, so watch your back, Remus Kane." I grind my teeth.

Cassius bursts into laughter. "I'll say a prayer for you, Remus. It seems your days are numbered."

"They were numbered before this evening," he shrugs, not disturbed by my threats. "And after tonight, I deserve her wrath."

Before I can respond, Carmen clears her throat and slides a cup of hot tea across the table for me to grab, but I don't touch it.

"You look like you have a lot of questions." Her eyes flick up to meet mine.

"Wouldn't you have a lot of questions if you saw a ghost?"

Shaw tenses in his seat, restraining himself from swooping in to defend my childhood friend. Without missing a beat, Carmen claims the chair across from me and dunks her tea bag in her mug.

"Ask your questions, Ines. No question is off limits."

Shaw clenches his jaw, but still, he says nothing. A dutiful watchdog, indeed.

I mull over the dozens of questions zipping through my mind but there's only one that's most pressing. "What happened to you?"

The room once again falls silent as her fingers dance around her mug, and for the first time tonight, she dodges my gaze. "I was on my way back to our alley. I remember being so excited because I'd managed to lift freshly baked rolls but as I turned down the street, three men appeared and surrounded me. I thought at first they wanted what I'd stolen but when I offered it to them, they just laughed, smashing it from my hands. I tried to run, so they wouldn't be led to our home, ultimately being led to you, but they overpowered me. I didn't have a chance to scream for help I knew would never come. They bound and gagged me. I fought to get away, but that served futile because one of them struck me so hard on the head I didn't wake for three days. And when I had, I wished I never did."

I swallow hard and clench my back teeth. I don't want to ask her the next question, but I have to. I need to know whose throats I'll be slitting in the very near future. "Did they hurt you?"

At first, she says nothing. She won't even lift her eyes from staring into the abyss that is her cup of tea. Shaw slowly slides his hand toward her, wrapping his fingers around her wrist. A reassurance that she's not alone, or maybe the permission to not answer my question. Despite the physical contact, Carmen doesn't abandon the sight of her mug. But she finally admits, "Yes, they hurt me. Many men have had their turn in harming me. Using me. Leaving their mark."

Her eyes dart upward and connect with mine. "I tried three times to escape. All three times, I was caught and beaten within an inch of my life. I was no longer a human being. I was property and belonged to the Casa de Placer." House of Pleasure.

My heart lurches inside my chest. All this time, all these years, she's been a slave in the Casa de Placer. Although brothels are legal in Orlencia, they are only permitted in the Night and Entertainment Districts and the men and women who work there are paid handsomely and choose their clientele. Anyone who lifts a harmful finger against one of these workers is punished. But in the Brogratto, there are no rules or regulations, only pain and misery. Carmen wouldn't be granted pay for the services forcefully provided, but worse, she wouldn't be given a choice in being there.

I'm going to burn it to the fucking ground.

Suddenly, I sense five sets of eyes on me. It's only then I feel tears slipping down my cheeks. "How did you escape?" I manage to whisper, wiping the evidence of my sorrow with the back of my hand.

"Against all rhyme or reason, and having just recovered from my third escape attempt, I was determined the fourth time would be my last. Whether I lived or died, I would be no one's property." Carmen continues, finally taking a sip of her tea. "I ran as fast as my feet could carry me, but it wasn't long before I knew I was being chased. I was hungry, sore, and malnourished. I knew they were closing in and found my way to the canal. Just as I was about to jump in, determined to let the water claim me, I felt a hand on my shoulder and when I turned around, I saw Remus. He was the first kind and sympathetic face I'd seen in years; the first man to touch me who didn't want something from me."

I glance over Carmen's shoulder at Remus still perched on the kitchen counter. He's staring into the distance, as if he's remembering that night vividly. There's no wicked smirk, no political agenda, no scheming written on his face; only sadness. And for the first time since I've known him, he appears human.

"He asked me if I needed help," Carmen's voice carries on. "I didn't have a chance to answer before my masters found us. They were armed with rope and a whip, and I knew what would happen next would be life ending. But as they approached, Remus told them I was none of their concern anymore. They argued, of course, but what I hadn't realized is I'd actually escaped the Brogratto District and had stepped foot into the Bronze District. If they crossed over the canal, they'd be trespassing and could be jailed. Remus tossed them a bag of coins. The gold pieces scattered across the street, and I knew he was buying my freedom. He told them I no longer belonged to them and that he would be taking over my career. When they saw who he was, they gathered up the coins as fast as they could and flitted into the darkness.

"I was free of them," she sighs in relief, as if she was reliving all those emotions. "Before I could thank Remus or offer my services, he bent in front of me and wiped the tears from my face and whispered I would be no one's slave again. He offered me a job and a place to stay. For the first year, he kept a close watch over me until Shaw" – she smiles at him and slips her hand in his – "and I fell in love. I've been here six years now."

Her eyes find mine. "This is my family. And I will do everything in my power to bring this government to its knees so they, too, can be free."

There's an ache in my chest and an overwhelming sadness stewing in my heart. Had I known she was still alive in the Brogratto, I never would have given up my search for her. I would have fought for her freedom. Although the guilt of her circumstances should not be mine to bear, I can't shake the notion I could have done more.

"A lot of things need to happen for our plan to work." Cassius breaks the silence. "That's where you come in."