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“Where are my grandkids?” She stretches out her hand, and he brings it to his lips.
“Where is your husband?” he counters, beaming at her.
“Saying goodbye to Mark.” Her eyes glaze over, but her smile remains as wide as before while she speaks with him. “The funds have been transferred.”
Instead of watching their exchange, I look at the dark spot where my twins are swallowed by the shadows. Hoping to get a glimpse of them, to tell them how much I love them both. All the things I won’t be able to do or to say once they leave, I want to pack into that one goodbye.
My chest vibrates with sadness, running down my cheeks in rivulets as my heartbeats count seconds before we part. But they remain hidden in the dark. The two little lights that saved me from the fate worse than death. Their baby cries as they demanded to be fed, or laughs echoing around the house as they played. First steps and first words, a delight that filled me up every day.
I squint my eyes as the light blasts the spot I am in. A gasp filters through the space as I crane my neck to look at my mother-in-law. This time her perfect mask cracks at the seams, and I see the person I once met before Christmas, before life broke us, before sorrow drowned us.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Lester whispers into her ear, watching me over his shoulder. “I promise she’ll get what she deserves. For all the sorrow she caused, she’ll pay with her body and soul,” he promises her, as the conversation in the cafeteria we met a few weeks ago seeps into my mind.
If you want to protect your beloved children, you will do as I say.
Her heels click on the dark hardwood floor as she closes the distance between us. Helen kneels next to me, and I sit back on my heels, locking my gaze with hers.
“Take care of them,” I whisper, and she nods. “Don’t punish my children for my mistakes.”
She gently strokes my cheek, brushing away a curl like a mother would to her daughter. My chest vibrates with injustice, but I have no choice but to hope this woman has enough love left to protect my babies from these monsters.
“Wipe away your tears, Cassandra, you are a Cade. We don’t show the world our weaknesses. Don’t embarrass me,” she harshly barks, passing a tissue from the pocket of her crispy white pants. I take it, looking for a slither of humanity I could reach and tug to the surface. But she stands and leaves me kneeling in the spotlight surrounded by the monsters.
Then the lights dim again, leaving me in the shadows and the spotlight exposes my children huddled together.
“Hey, little kittens, come to your grandma.” And they jump into her arms, seeking someone familiar.
“Where’s Mommy?” Leon asks, trying to find me over her shoulder, but I’m hidden from them.
“Mommy, where are you?” Liane shouts out, hiding in Grandma’s embrace as Lester’s presence intimidates her.
“Let’s go, the helicopter’s waiting for us. We’re going home,” she promises them.
My chest draws in a shaky breath as someone unlocks their collars and frees them. Helen pulls my children out of the room and away from this nightmare. They dig their feet into the floor, looking over their shoulders and calling for me. But I don’t answer. I keep my lips sealed, afraid Lester might change his mind.
Relief floods me as I watch them leave. I love you more than you’ll ever know. Doors shut and then I sit on my heels, waiting for the auction to begin. The soft lighting illuminates the room, revealing every single player dressed in black in this theatre room. They don’t even bother to conceal their faces. And I realize it’s because I won’t be getting out of here alive.
“Gentlemen, let’s bring our extra treat for this evening’s indulgence. A slave who though he won’t be penalized for disobedience and escaping his master all those years ago.”
My blood chills as he speaks about the man I love like he’s some sort of animal he owns.
“It’s time for his master to serve punishment and for you to win a chance to break Mrs. Cade into this world of decadence.”
The bile rises up my throat as I see the bulge in his pants while he speaks about raping me. But what really astounds me are these men sitting in this room. Anticipation’s buzzing in the air as their eyes caress my curves with depraved hunger. There are so many of them. My skin crawls from their attention as my eyes stray to look at those who will break me or watch me break.
This is their safe island for their degrading tastes. There is no law or consequences for what they indulge in. We are the stock, expendable when depleted and quickly restocked. But what makes me choke on the bile is that my children will be around these people, who can afford such indulgences. They will grow up around the monsters.
The doors bang open, and Mark strolls into the room with guards shadowing him, pointing their guns at his back. Mark keeps his frame straight, defiance and scorn written all over his handsome features like an armor of steel. His whiskey eyes fixed beyond this reality look empty, defeated.
His muscles ripple as he walks like menace filled with testosterone and vengeance. And my heart skips a beat as the guards shove him toward the Saint Andrew’s Cross someone just pushed in the center of the room just a few feet away from where I kneel.
Once he turns around, his gaze snaps to me and focus returns. I stare at his face, losing all the color and shadows, consuming the flicker of light. My chest starts to vibrate as it finally hits me what is about to happen to us both.
“Ladies and gentlemen, let’s begin the bidding.”
My teeth start to clatter.
“Five men will get to break in the feisty Mrs. Cade in front of the rest and then the highest bidder will claim the prize.”
