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My father laughs. It’s sinister and full of mirth. “Oh, Jessica, don’t be so naive. Your brother knew, why do you think I had to let him go. As I said, I may not have planned to end your brother, but it was a welcome mistake. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get rid of your mother so easily. Besides, she still has her uses.”
I feel sick. Sick in a way that can never be washed clean. The blood that runs through my veins is tainted, touched by the devil. This man before me has no shame and not an ounce of remorse for the things he has done, and I just can’t get my head round it.
“I’m going to put you in the fucking ground,Father! I’m good at getting my own revenge, my own justice; I’ve had to be. It seems the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree after all, but I’m not as rotten as you. I haven’t sold myself to the devil yet, but I’m more than happy to meet you in Hell.”
My father gets up, rounding the desk and striking my face with the back of his hand. I don’t feel the pain, not even when he grips my face. It does nothing but fan the spark of disgust, hatred and an unimaginable thirst to see his blood spilt. A spark that ignited the night he betrayed me, allowed three men to violate me and turned a blind eye just to keep his good name from being tarnished.
“Shut your fucking mouth before I have Alonso here show you just a taste of what that poor girl you were meant to be protecting went through. Trust me, it will be nothing like what you suffered before.”
This time I can’t keep my shock from flashing like a beacon on my face, and a grin so dark and full of satisfaction kicks up the corner of Archie’s face.
“I want Rick Sullivan out the way, and you’re going to help me with that.”
“And what makes you think I would do that?” I mumble, unable to do more with the tight grip he has on my face. We both know I’m just posturing, feigning indifference at this point.
“Because if you don’t, that lovely little boy of his will leave this house in a box, Jessica. And I don’t think you’d want that on your conscience.”
He’s right, I don’t. And I’m more than prepared to sacrifice my heart, my happiness and even my life to ensure that never happens.
Thirty-Nine
Rick
When I reach the small safe house on the outskirts of London, it’s almost dark, and I’ve not heard anything from anyone, which is worrying.
After I got off the phone to Roxy, I realised that I was still wearing my wet jeans from where we… I shake the thought away feeling a spike of anger and an even bigger one of fear at what’s happening to my son and Jess right now.
I carry my stuff to the bedroom and have a quick shower before making some calls.
I already checked in with my dad, but I didn’t tell him about Max not wanting to worry him while my mum is still recovering.
Scott is with them at the hospital, and he told me Jay is on his way here. Apparently, he has some information on Rendezvous that might be helpful.
Roxy, Ryder and Seb aren’t answering their phones, so when Jay arrives, I’m sitting in the dark with my head in my hands, anxiety and agitation running amok through me.
“Hey, man. I brought you some food,” Jay announces as he strolls in, switching the lights on as he goes.
“I’m not hungry.”
“Yeah, well, you’re going to eat while I talk, Rick. That’s the deal, take it or leave it.” I hear the clang of plates and cutlery as he dishes up the food.
When he comes back out, he’s carrying a plate and two beers. He passes the plate to me and puts the beers down as he sits across from me.
The smell of the food makes my stomach growl, but I’m not sure I can eat without vomiting everywhere.
“Eat.” And he waits for me to pick up the plate and take a mouthful before he starts talking. “You said Jess mentioned a girl named Alicia Masters working at Rendezvous, right?” I nod, and he continues, “Well, when I was having a look on the website for her, I noticed a small insignia at the top of her profile page. I remember seeing it on several other profiles but not all of them. It’s not your standard run of the mill insignia, Rick. It’s a link to the dark web.”
I stop eating. “Let me guess, auctions.”
“Yes, just like the ones at Tempest, but on a much grander scale. That insignia ear-marks all the girls as a lot in an upcoming auction and allows bids to be made early or at the very least to declare your interest.”
“Fucking hell. Can anyone access this back door?”
“No, you need the Tor browser and an account to login. If you click the insignia and you don’t have the browser, it just takes you to their home page. I spent most of the day trying to hack into the damn thing, and I even spoke to Natalia, but she couldn’t help.”
I run to the bedroom and grab Jess’ folder. “Tell me more about how the back door is created,” I call, flicking through the pages of the folder until I find Jess’ note on Adam Masters and his sister.
Jay reels off a barrage of information about how it works, and I listen carefully as I return to the lounge.
