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“Typical.” He laughs. “We’re fake dating. She’s not my real girlfriend.” And then he walks away. Shoulders slumped as a small smile touches my lips.
My Doll Face.
* * *
I was not goingto come for Christmas, but my mom insisted. She’s been really hard on herself since the arrest of her soon-to-be ex-husband. So here I am. Sitting in a room filled with people who would all rather be asleep in bed. Not even a simple Christmas tree or decoration in sight. Rebecca and Richard look as if they have aged by five years, neither of them dressed in holiday cheer. Baggy dark circles under their eyes. The boys don’t look much better.
“When the hell are you going to find her?” Heath snaps, startling us all.
Richard looks up from his untouched coffee. “I have a man on the inside and—”
“So go get her,” Clint says, his knuckles turning white around his mug.
“It’s not that simple. One tiny tip-off and they’ll send that place up in flames.” Richard sighs.
“So, what do we do?” Noah asks.
“We wait,” Richard whispers.
The thing is, I am so fucking tired of waiting.
“Wait for what?” Clint asks.
“For her to be bought,” I say, taking a sip of my coffee.
“Christmas breakfast is ready,” my mom says quietly.
No one even eats a thing.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Journal entry: I wish I was the girl who saves herself.
“Get up.”The voice rattles behind the bars, causing my eyes to jerk open. They never talk to us, just toss the bread on the dirty ground. Which means… “You’ve been bought. Both of you.”
Elizabeth rises on unstable legs, walking to the barred door. She stops, looking over her shoulder. I’m sure I look as terrified as I feel. After her stories, I think death would be more peaceful than the life I’m about to begin. “Callum.” Elizabeth holds out her hand to me.
With shaky fingers, I grab hold of it. She gives me a reassuring smile, squeezing my hand gently. I follow her to the door. The guard puts a collar on both of us. I was stripped of my necklace when I got here. They used reckless force to get it off of me. Calling me a rich bitch and discussing how much they could sell my pedigree for. He wraps rope around each of our wrists, tossing a bag over our heads.
I’m led by a leash, the pull harsh on my neck. I hear a door open, and step into the crisp air. My body is pushed into scratchy carpet, a body landing harshly beside mine. “Elizabeth?” I whisper as a car door slams, the force causing air to smack into the soles of my feet.
“I’m here, Callum.” I feel her dirt-caked foot bump into mine.
The car ride is silent, almost as if the vehicle is driving itself. I have no clue how long we drive before the car comes to an abrupt stop. The door is yanked open. A sharp tug on my leash has me falling to the ground, scraping my knees on the asphalt. The bag is ripped from my head, and I quickly look around. It seems to be an abandoned airport. The runway is still intact, only weeds have grown their way through the unforgiving asphalt. And for some reason that visual gives me strength. A small airplane sits in front of us. I watch as black heels come into my view and instead of looking up, I look over to Elizabeth. She keeps her head down, so I copy her.
“This them?” a sultry voice asks.
“The purebred and the mutt.”
I grit my teeth to keep from saying something that will no doubt get me beaten. Elizabeth is not a mutt, more like a fucking goddess who’s been through hell and back and, somehow, she still fights.
I feel my leash being tugged on, so I get to my feet slowly. “Ugh, you couldn’t even make them presentable?” The lady sneers.
“That costs extra,” the man says, cocky arrogance dripping from his voice.
“Fucking pig,” she grumbles before she tugs on our leashes. “Come on, girls. We have a long flight ahead of us.” I look up slightly, taking in the long black hair that has been neatly groomed, her skin clean of any dirt. Pantsuit wrinkle-free. I envy her.
Elizabeth and I follow her up the steps, taking in all the cream and beige. It screams wealth and it’s almost comforting. She leads us to two seats, chaining our leashes to two hooks. As if that’s exactly what they are made for. The lady buckles us in, sighing. “I wish I could say it will get better, but unfortunately, ladies, it only gets worse from here.” I hear her heels clack, moving away from us.
