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My father pulls the car to a stop in front of an old-looking building. The white metal on the outside is rusted and crumbling, especially near the huge doors, which look like the ones on our garage. He didn’t tell me where we’re going; he just said to get in the car and not ask questions.
“Since you’ve been handling your tests in the woods like a man lately, it’s about time I showed you something,” he says as he gets out of the car. I hesitantly follow him to the rusty metal doors. The thought of his “tests” cause my stomach to lurch, but I keep my face blank, not letting him see how it affects me.
“What are you showing me?” I ask hesitantly, my heart almost beating out of my chest. It’s no secret to me what he does to make money. I knew that he’d want me to take part in it one day, but I never thought it’d be this soon. Why would he want a thirteen-year-old helping him?
He pushes through the door into a dark room. There are metal dog pens lined up against the wall, like the ones you would see at an animal shelter. They have chains and locks around the poles, preventing the door from opening.
The pens are filled with girls. They’re all different ages—some of them younger than me. My stomach clenches, and I feel like I’m going to be sick at the sight. I don’t want to be here, but he’ll punish me more if I fight back.
Why does it have to be me?
“This is one of the places we keep the merchandise.” The word merchandise rolls off his tongue, like he’s talking about toilet paper on a shelf at the grocery store rather than living, breathing girls.
The girls’ whimpers and cries grow louder as we make our way into the room. The sounds ring in my ears, causing me to flinch the closer we get. I don’t blame them—my father is the devil. The sick feeling I had now mixes with anger.
“So you only have girls?” I ask, curious as to why there are no boys. Not that I want there to be any more people here than there already are.
“There are some other businesses around here that have boys too, but I see it as too much of a hassle. Females are much easier to train than boys. You’ve definitely proven that.”
My brows scrunch in anger. Nothing I ever do is good enough for him, but now that I see his operation firsthand, I’m not sure I want to make him proud. There’s no telling what I’d have to do.
Ignoring his jab at me, I look around at the girls. There are only a couple of low-hanging lights in here, so it’s hard to see clearly. I can see that in the cages there are only tiny mattresses on the floor, a bucket, and a cup. A few of the girls are curled up sobbing on their mattresses, but one in particular catches my eye. She’s not crying like the others—honestly, she doesn’t even look scared. She looks furious.
“We hold them here and break them in until they’re ready to be sold to the highest bidder. Our buyers expect well-behaved girls, Greyson. We have to make sure they learn their place.” Just the thought of that makes me cringe. It seems so wrong. Don’t they have families?
I mean, maybe they don’t. Maybe they’re like me, and the only person they ever truly loved left them in hell with the devil. I thought my mom was sweet and loving, but I was wrong. She left me with him. He was already bad when she was around, but things got worse once I was the only target for his anger.
The angry girl catches my attention again when she moves her long, ratty brown hair to one shoulder. She’s glaring at me through the holes of the cage. Her eyes sparkle, even though it’s too dim in here to tell what color they are. I can’t stop fucking staring at her.
I’m captivated by her. She’s dirty and a mess, but still beautiful at the same time. I can tell she’s strong. She’s not crying like the others—she’s just staring at me with rage-filled eyes. My dad might have made a mistake choosing this one.
She moves her hand to grab the cage, pulling herself closer to me, her little fingers gripping the metal in front of her. I can see her more clearly now. Her eyes are a golden hazel color. Beautiful is what they are, what she is.
I wonder what her story is. Where she came from. If there’s anyone out there that loves her. I wonder where the fire that swirls in her eyes comes from.
“Come with me, Greyson. This is where you will start out. I’ll introduce you to my best guy, Clint—he handles the girls in this warehouse. Let’s go find him so he can show you the ropes.” My father’s voice jolts me from the depths of the girl’s ruthless stare.
“Okay,” I murmur, following him toward a door across the room. I’m moving forward, but I can’t stop looking back at the girl with the fury inside. There’s something that draws me to her. Maybe it’s the emotion I feel radiating from her, because I feel the exact same way.
I need to know the girl with the angry, golden eyes.
Snapping my eyes open, all I see is one bright light shining down on me. The intensity causes me to quickly squeeze them shut, as blue and purple spots bounce around my vision. My head feels foggy, with a headache pounding through my skull. It’s like someone’s drilling into my brain over and over again. Exhaustion consumes my limbs.
What the fuck happened to me?Attempting to push the hair out of my eyes so I can see what the hell is going on, I realize I can’t move because I’m bound to a chair.
Fuck. Lainey. I mean... Lya. It’s all coming back to me now. Those motherfuckers left me here.
Shot me and fucking left.
Damn it! How long have I been out?
I need to get out of here, but I feel so lightheaded. Every part of my body aches in pain. Sweat mixes with blood as it runs down my body, dripping into a puddle by my feet.
Zep Cunningham will regret the day he crossed me. Fucker couldn’t even stand up to me like a man and take me out with his hands. He played it scared by shooting me when no one was expecting it.
He made a mistake though, they all did. They should’ve just killed me when they had the chance. Now they’ve left me scorned and aching for Lainey more than I already was. If they thought I’d stop trying to be reunited with my girl, they’re clearly wrong.
My beautiful Lainey will be mine and I won’t make any mistakes this time. Our love has been stopped from blossoming over and over again. She’s been kept away from me for too long, and now it’s time she knows I never stopped loving her.
