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I want my new family.
How could God let the carrot of elation be dangled in my face, only to rip it away? I have to believe there’s a reason I’ve gone through this, a lesson I needed to learn, otherwise, it means I was only put on this earth to atone for a past life of transgressions, mistakes, and evilness. I refuse to accept that. No, I think this ordeal came about to teach me how to be tough, find my thicker skin, and speak my mind. It’s the only way I’ll successfully be the woman Luca deserves at his side.
Fine. If that’s the lesson being taught to me, I’ll consider myself schooled. I’ll go onto that stage and show no fear. Even if I’m carted out of here, I know that Luca, Julius, and the boys will stop at nothing to find me. And when they do, I won’t be the one crying, no, I’ll be the one cheering and leading the charge. They may be able to break my body, but they’ll never break my spirit.
Whomever the lucky winner is, will eventually become the biggest loser.
* * *
My earlier bravado tries to sink and swim away as I stand next to a dozen or so women as we’re one by one shown to the spectators in the auditorium. The emcee announces our names, ages, and states whether or not we’re untouched and innocent. It’s embarrassing. My eyes continuously scan the crowd observing and looking for familiar-to-me faces, but either they’re hiding and being incognito, or they aren’t here. That thought has my chest deflating before my memory resurfaces and I recall the vow I made to myself and it reinflates.
They won’t crack me—my foundation has been fortified and is unfailing. I won’t beg for them to find their human decency and let me go, people like these have no compassion, they were born without the empathy gene. My resolve is strong, I’ve reinforced it. I will make it through this, I will be with Luca again. And when he and I reunite, we’re going to get our vengeance and rid the biggest threat to Shayne—her brothers.
When the rope they’d bound us with upon entry is untied from our hands, I begin to believe that I can fight back, or at least maim my captors. But once it’s unraveled, a dog collar and lead are placed around my neck. It acts like a barbiturate—suddenly, I can’t force myself to move nor speak. I’m catatonic. This isn’t something I’ve ever experienced before, and I’m not sure how to break myself from this state.
The man who was charged with me, leans over and says, “If you try to escape, if you try to speak, I’ll taser you with this.” A wand catches my attention, and when he snaps his wrist, sparks alight from the tip. “Now, be a good girl, obey, and I won’t have to use this on you.”
My voice still isn’t working, so all I’m capable of is nodding my head. Shivers, and not the good kind, surface on my skin when he rubs his palm on top of my head—petting me. I really have been downgraded to nothing more than a dog.
What happened to giving me time to make a decision?
Why did things change so drastically in the span of minutes?
I should’ve had time to plot and plan.
I should’ve been able to up the ante, use my ace, and bend them to my will.
What did I do?
What did I say that led them to know that I would’ve never given in and betrayed one of the only people in my life that means anything to me?
Where did I go wrong?
Where did everything go so terribly wrong?
Better yet—which one of these sadistic animals is going to be the highest bidder and take me home with them?
And when push comes to shove, will I have the will-power—the guts, to end their life?
Luca
These tunnels have no lighting,but thankfully, Matteo grabbed a couple of flashlights and they’re bright enough that we can see a few feet in front of us. The stone walls glitter when hit with the light, and if this were any other circumstance than this, I’d take time to examine them.
“How much further, Matt?”
I’ve been away from Mera long enough. The fact that I heard her screams reverberating through this stone capsule of a building earlier, has me anxious to get to her and get her the hell out of this place. The entire facility is coated in blood and shrieks of pain from the past. The torture others have endured flows through my veins and settles in my bones. Innocent lives have been taken here. Those that’ve owed a blood debt to the Crumleys were brought here to repay those delinquent iou’s.
At least we don’t hurt those undeserving. When we make deals, we work with them when it comes to payment arrangements. There have been those who’ve come to us during hard times and asked for financial assistance. Neither Julius, nor me, are hard up. We don’t tack on ridiculous interest rates, we don’t give them a timeline, what we do is give them a chance to recuperate. We want to recover our funds, and when a man or woman is dead, they can’t give you your money back. These four, they don’t give a damn about how hard you’re trying, or if you’re living out of your car. They want it all in one lump sum, regardless of if you have food to feed your family or not.
They’re uncaring. Ruthless. And they know that those they play loan shark to, can’t meet their demands in a timely manner.
“It’s just around the bend here,” Matteo answers, breaking me out of my incriminating loathing where I was remembering just how much I detest Shayne’s brothers. “When we go through the door, it’ll be lightly guarded since they have an auction taking place. It shouldn’t be hard to get Mera out of her cell and take down her wardens.”
“Remember our plan, Matt.”
“Yeah. Yeah, Luca. I leave you to have all of the fun while I whisk your woman out of here and get her someplace safe until I hear from either you or Julius.”
“You won’t be hearing from Julius, Matt. I didn’t get a chance to bring him into our plan if this situation became real. If you don’t hear from me in forty-eight hours, reach out to him.”
