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“Merry Christmas, but I called her MC for short. She was a parakeet.”
“What happened to her?”
“Grandfather made me kill her. Said that if I didn’t, he would kill Ri.” His gaze meets mine. “I was scared, too.”
“Maurice…”
“Don’t be sorry for me, birdie. I was glad to save Ri, just like I’m glad to save you.”
He turns his attention back to the road and is silent as we drive into Chicago. I’ve missed the hustle and bustle of the city. Holiday decorations line the light poles and storefronts, meaning I’ve been gone for around two months now. Am I crazy for falling for Luca and Henri in such a short amount of time? I just don’t know anymore, which could be a form of Stockholm Syndrome.
The SUV comes to a stop in front of a trendy restaurant, which usually has lines out the door.
“Why are we here?”
Maurice doesn’t answer, but says, “I’ll be waiting out here when you’re ready to go home.”
Two months ago, home would have been a tiny apartment. Now I’m not sure… Is Luca’s house my home? It feels like it, even inside the cage. Shaking my head, I exit the SUV. Time to see what kind of surprise Luca has in store for me.
16
Dove
The restaurant is empty, except for three women who sit around a round table. The dark headed one with grey eyes stands, smiling.
“You must be Dove. I’m Amelia Hook. This is Winter Phrygia and Goldie Behr.”
I’m shocked. These women are married to the most powerful men in the city. I’ve read all about them in the paper. And, if memory serves me, Amelia made national news when her uncle-by-marriage kidnapped her. What on earth are they doing here?
“Please, sit.”
I take the chair between her and Winter.
Winter smiles. “It’s nice to meet you. We all wondered when Luca would let you out of your cage.”
The others laugh, but my breath hitches in my throat. Does everyone know how I’ve been living, or was it just an expression that’s oddly specific in my case?
Goldie meets my gaze across the table. “Are you okay, Dove? You look pale.”
The others turn my way, staring at me. I feel sick. My mouth opens, but no words come out. Where do I even start?
Goldie says, “I know meeting everyone can be a lot, but I promise we’re harmless.” Her lips lift in a small smile. “Unless we’re dealing with human traffickers, that is.”
“Traffickers?” I echo.
She nods, her blonde curls bouncing. “Yeah. We recently discovered that some women working at my husbands’ brothel were purchased at a human auction. Since then, we’ve been working with a woman down in Georgia to end trafficking in the states. Or, at least, shut down the bigger operations.”
“Did you say husbands?”
Everyone around the table giggles.
“Yeah. I’m legally married to Atticus, but his foster brothers and I are also together.” She rubs her rounded stomach. “There’s a bet right now on who the father is. Honestly, I plan to give each of them a kid, so it doesn’t matter.”
She doesn’t act like it’s odd that she has more than one partner. My mind goes from Luca to Henri to Maurice, and I pause. I guess it might not be that strange.
Amelia says, “You’ll find that each of us has more than one partner. I’m married to Hook, but I’m also with Smee and Ronan…”
There’s something sad in her gaze that makes my heart ache, and I’m not sure why.
