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I turn my attention to him, as he folds his arms over his chest, glaring Lya down. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he expected her to tell me something else. Based on his cold glare and clenched jaw, this wasn’t what they were arguing about earlier. I look over to Zep, who’s now scowling at Thiago. Shifting my attention to Rian, he's just looking at me with soft eyes that are begging me to hear Lya out.
“I’m not sure I can help. I don’t know if I can do it. I’m sorry, Lya. I’m just... It’s hard for me.” Looking down at my lap, I twist my hands together, unsure if I can even look at her right now. If I do, my overwhelming emotions might cause me to break completely.
When I was in there, I pretended to be this strong, thick-skinned, confident girl for all the other girls, but every night when I went to bed, the monsters would creep up on me, reminding me I was still the fragile, weak girl who got taken in the first place.
When we were younger, I always pretended to be brave, just for Lya. She was the soft, sweet one out of the two of us, even though it doesn’t seem that way now. I felt like I needed to be the strong one so that she never got hurt. I always wanted to protect her. I used that same facade when I was taken, to get through it. Harvey eventually broke me down and ruined me. He washed away my confidence and showed me what I really was—weak.
Now every time I think about it, it hurts me too much inside. It’s easier to pretend it never happened than to face the demons that lie underneath my skin.
I want to stop Harvey from hurting the other girls, but every time I think about that place, I feel myself suffocating. I can smell the lingering sweat of the men on my body, their hands aggressively groping my breasts, taking what’s not theirs. It consumes my soul, shifting me into the darkness. One of these times I’m going to fall into that deep abyss, and I won't be able to escape.
My hands are boundby rope, as I lie in the back of a van with four other girls. They all look around my age, maybe a couple of years older, but I’m not sure. All I can hear are their terrified cries.
The moment the vehicle stops, my heart rate picks up. I’m not sure what’s about to happen to me, but whatever it is, I know it’s not good.
The back door flies open and a big, burly man crawls in. He’s wearing a black zip-up hoodie, black pants, and has tattoos covering his hands and knuckles. He smells like the cigarettes my mom smokes, mixed with whiskey.
Approaching the girl next to me, he aggressively grabs her by the upper arm. “Get up bitch, we’re here,” he orders, causing a whimper to escape her throat and tears to stream down her face.
“You’re hurting her!” The words fly out of my mouth before I can stop them. I know this man isn’t the type to mess with, but I can’t help it. Since being taken off the street a few months ago, I have endured the worst of the worst. I have been thrown around, beaten, and betrayed, but I’m still fighting. If I let them break me, then I’ll never recover.
“Looks like we’ve got a fighter here. Let’s see how much you fight when you're choking on my fat cock, you stupid slut.” His words slice through me, but they’re nothing compared to the punch that connects with my temple, knocking me back. A strangled cry leaves my lips as pain courses through my head. That punch hurt, though it’s nothing compared to the pain Omega inflicted on me day after day.
Deciding not to say anything back, I just glare at him, letting him know nothing he could do would ever hurt me more than what I’ve already been through. He grabs my bound wrists with his strong hands, hauling me forward until I’m tumbling out of the van, landing on my side. The gravel scrapes across my skin as my head smacks against the ground with a loud thud.
Another man, who is equally as intimidating as the first, grabs my arm and pulls me to my feet. His eyes are steel grey and his jet black hair covers his eyes. “Move, go stand by the others and don’t say a word,” he commands.
Moving my feet, I go stand by the other three girls, as the jerk who punched me gets the fourth girl out. Taking in my surroundings, I see a large, white house with nothing but trees surrounding it. There are no other houses that I can see. This place looks charming—like something you’d see in the movies—but I have a feeling it’s anything but.
As soon as I look over my shoulder to take in the rest of the property, a man walks out of the house. He’s tall, with sandy blond hair, and a creepy smile spread across his face. He’s wearing a tight grey suit with a navy blue tie. If I had to guess, I would say he’s in his thirties, but I’ve never really been good with ages. I once thought my mom was in her sixties, but it turns out I was way off.
This guy is going to ruin us and take pleasure in it, I know it. His evil-looking grin tells me that much. He seems like the type to take, take, take, and never give. Like some of the boyfriends that my mom has had come over to our house. He’s the type of person who lures you in and then leaves you with nightmares that will never escape you. I might only be twelve, but what I’ve endured over the last several months has made me feel like I’m an adult. I’m cold, I’m distant, and I’m hardened.
He reminds me of Omega, who was the devil in human flesh. I can still feel Omega’s presence lingering around me. It’s the same feeling I’m getting from this man in front of me.
“Ah, hello girls. My name is Harvey. Welcome to my home. This will be your home now for as long as I please. If you obey me, we won’t have any problems. Understood?” His voice is distant and demanding. All the other girls silently nod, but I just stand there, not moving a muscle.
Harvey’s eyes narrow on me, but I don’t back down. I hold his gaze as he approaches me. He brings his hand up, twisting his fingers through my dark brown hair. They move to my neck, sliding to my temple where the other guy punched me. He presses his thumb on the tender spot, causing me to wince. “I asked, do you understand?” he whispers in my ear as he leans forward. His voice is laced with malice, promising to punish me for any wrongdoing. I’ve only been here for two minutes and this guy is already giving me scary vibes, like he’ll do anything and feel no remorse.
He pulls back and meets my stare. I just stand there in place, refusing to acknowledge his existence. Aggressively gripping my jaw, he squeezes tighter and tighter, causing me to flinch in pain. “You would be wise to remember who owns you, girl.” He turns away, clearly expecting us to follow. His men surround our bodies, shuffling us through the door.
I feel someone crowd behind me. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” a girl whispers as we walk into the foyer. “You need to learn to listen, otherwise you’re going to get us all in trouble. Keep your head down, obey, and just deal with whatever happens. It’ll be best for all of us.” Her tone is angry, but I can feel the same pain I have radiating off of her.
“I can’t sit back and be controlled like that. I won’t.” My voice is raspy, as I try to whisper back. I can’t give up my bravado now. I have to try, for Lya and my mom.
“Fine, bitch, but don’t come crying to me when it backfires on you. You won’t survive if you keep that attitude up,” she scoffs, probably thinking I’m the dumbest girl in the world.
“Lainey? Did you hear what I said?”
Blinking, I shake my head. “No, I... uh... I zoned out.”
Thinking about Sasha brings tears to my eyes. She’s still in that house suffering, while I’m out here. She’s all alone without me, while I’m being selfish thinking how bad my life is because my sister is overprotective.Fuck, I’m such a terrible person.
Sasha is my best friend. We arrived on the same day, and she was the only one who truly understood me. She was hard, cold, and always angry, but not to me. She grew up surrounded by the gangs in the West Side. Sash was close with her mother, but her abusive stepfather controlled her mother’s every move. So even if her mom was missing her, it’s likely she couldn’t do anything about it because of her stepdad.
Sash hated me at first and let me know it, but eventually I grew on her. Once I started dishing the sass back to her, I gained her respect. She was fifteen—one of the older girls to come in with us that day, so she’d already had more time to be jaded by the world.
Damn it.I have to help them with this plan. After six months of them trying to get me to talk, I finally need to agree. It’s time I stopped feeling sorry for myself, and do something about it. Moping around and being scared isn’t going to save the other girls. Even though it physically hurts me to talk about that place, I need to do it for them.
