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In the dark of the night, a helicopter flies over us, and Fylox doesn’t even bother checking it out. I stand there, gawking up at it. The palace team is accustomed to surveillance. I should be, too. After all, I’ve been under surveillance all my life.
“You need to pick your priorities,” I tell him, intoxicated by the lights of Katantia from above. Below us, traffic is buzzing.
“I don’t have the same issue as Jordan,” Fylox claims, taking another pull from his joint. He takes his time with the smoke, the exhale following a moment of silence. “I can focus on a lot of things. I’ve been conditioned that way, haven’t I?”
The palace’s rooftop isn’t decorated with lights and spectacular flags, only red blinking dots on the roof railings. I can’t see Fylox clearly. The rooftop is drenched in the night sky with the moon hiding behind clouds tonight, but I can hear the bleakness in his statement.
“Jordan’s used to being everyone’s dad. It’s time the next generation took over,” Fylox says. “He’ll keep the title, but he’ll work part-time. I’ve studied our employees, and I’ve made a decision to give five men a raise.”
“Five men for half of Jordan’s workload?” My jaw drops.
“I’m being stringy with five. We could use more, but then we’d have to hire more men, and that takes six months… It’s complicated, and I can’t say much more than that. What you need to know is that he’ll be home more often, and that’s going to take the pressure off him. The best of the best will replace him, and that should suffice,” Fylox explains. The cold wind caresses my skin, making me hug Jordan’s jacket tighter.
“How’s Ignas doing?” Fylox asks.
I’m taken aback. “Ignas? You know about him?”
“Yeah, of course. The attempted murder at COCKed&screwed from the other week? Is he doing better?” Fylox inquires. He asks because he feels like it would be the kind thing to do, but I’m confused.
“Ignas fractured his knee. He… I wasn’t aware of a murder attempt,” I confess.
Fylox chuckles, the sound so foreign coming from a man like him. “No need to blame Jordan. Police were still investigating when we kicked Jordan out. We found out a couple of days ago. Yes, I’m hereby officially telling you that your friend almost got murdered.”
“But… Why? He’s never harmed anyone,” I say. I sway where I stand, searching my pockets for my phone. Right. I threw my phone out in front of the palace, and with Jordan in my home, I haven’t felt the need to replace it. My friends call the office or my landline at home whenever they need me.
“Would it help if I told you that more people have tried to come after me ever since I moved to Katantia than ever before? It’s like the wild west down here. Anything goes,” Fylox explains. He gazes at the ladder that leads into the palace from above.
“Wait. They’re coming after the victims?”
“The Katantian chapter of the organization that was responsible for the sale and distribution of child slaves to wealthy clients hasn’t been dismantled. Kamila tries, but they’re like the hydra. You send one of them to a punishment sex house, ten others pop up. They’re still here, and the children that have managed to escape their hold by sheer luck are in danger,” Fylox reveals. His stare is blank. I can’t feel his pain because I never went through his ordeal, but I can imagine that speaking of the trafficking ring takes him back to a dark place, a place I wish nobody had to ever endure.
“Fylox, why are you telling me this? I’m a civilian,” I remind him.
He clears his throat. “It’s been difficult to keep this from Jordan, but I’ve managed. If anyone knows how to keep a secret, it’s me. I don’t know how to tell you without hurting your feelings… It’s not something people want to hear.”
I fumble with Jordan’s jacket. “I don’t understand.”
“Hugh Abbott bought you.”
“He adopted me,” I insist, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
“You were bought. Hugh Abbott bought you as a baby on the black market. With his connections in the government and beyond, he managed to make it look like a legitimate adoption,” Fylox reveals. I shuffle backward, and I almost trip against the rail. “The good thing is that you were removed from their system when you were a baby. I don’t know what happened to you in their custody, but you didn’t participate in any further sales.”
“I… I wasn’t raped if that’s what you mean.” My mouth goes dry. “You’ve got it wrong, Fylox. Why? I don’t believe this. I was adopted. Lots of couples adopt. It’s not unusual.”
“Jordan’s been snooping around, and he’s suspicious, but I hid it from him. I found a random couple in Taiwan to pose as your parents. I couldn’t find your origins. I searched, but I can’t make any sense of it. Hugh Abbott’s friends are regulars in the organization. Faces I identify from my time in their system. The money trail is obvious, and you’re at the center of it. You got lucky, Ivy,” Fylox explains. His gaze wanders toward the bright and busy border in the far-end. “I know what this feels like, so it’s your choice whether you want to tell him or not.”
“There must be a mistake.” The jacket ceases to warm me, my body temperature dropping. I’m cold, shaking all over. “I’m not like you. Hugh… He didn’t dothat. He never paid any attention to me when I was a child. The people that worked you and Ignas… They’re into kids. Hugh is an awful human being, but… I was of age. I fell into his trap. I—”
“You preach to me about trauma and how it works in mysterious ways,” Fylox comments like he learned the line from a script. “Hugh might have done things to you that you’ve closed yourself off to.”
“Hugh wants me back because he’s a sick fuck. I know he’s sick and twisted. But notthattwisted. He doesn’t intend to endanger me. He wants me to be his again. He’s obsessed with me,” I say. My throat dries. “Not kids.”
“Jordan’s coming back. I can’t say much more. You can decide whether he should know or not. Be careful with whom you trust.” Fylox turns away, stretching while Jordan climbs up the ladder.
A ghostly expression covers Jordan’s face, a paleness that makes me shudder.
Jordan closes the distance between us, and he embraces me. “Little doe, I need you to stay calm.”
