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“No one who ain’t a Soul knows about Brax’s cabin. You can use the escape track through the reservation. We got Prospects clearing a passage for you that’ll take you straight there. I need you to have the girls ready to get the hell out of here if shit goes south,” Jessie continues.
“And what about the other women? We gonna leave them behind?” Maddy sounds unimpressed with his plan.
“There’s a room in the basement. It used to be Vex's. They’ll be safe there if anything happens. Prez has put Haven in charge of rallying them. She knows what to do.”
“You really think this is gonna happen?” Maddy sounds much less sassy and a lot more scared now.
“We’re putting a plan together to take them down. It’s only gonna work if they don’t know it was us that took the girl,” Jessie informs her.
“And if they do find out it was us?”
“Then they’ll come for her, and they’ll take whatever they can from us in the process.”
“These men make their money from women,” I hear the tremor in Maddy’s voice.
“Which is exactly why I need to be sure that you and all the others are out of here if shit goes down.”
“I’ll keep hacking Verretti’s emails. We’re gonna need as much warning as we can get. Just try not to give Screwy a hard time over this, he isn’t the first person to take a risk on a girl, I doubt he’ll be the last.”
“Screwy offered for us to turn him into Verretti. He was gonna take full responsibility–and whatever punishment served to keep us out of it. We all voted to deal with this as a club. We’re taking them down, Mads. It will take time, but the Dirty Souls have new ambitions. We keep our club and our families safe at all costs,” Jessie explains, and I slam my hand over my mouth to stop myself from gasping when I hear what Screwy was prepared to sacrifice for me.
“And can you share this new approach with me, VP?” Maddy asks him.
“We’re going for elimination over protection.” There’s a silence, and I worry that they’ve figured I’m out here listening.
“I got to work,” Jessie tells her, putting an end to their conversation, and I picture him kissing her the same way Squealer does Alex. It gets me thinking about the way Screwy kissed me.
“You know, the best way to protect me would be to come home,” Maddy adds. I don’t know what it is that’s happened between them, but I can tell from her voice that it’s hurting her.
Footsteps start moving closer, and I quickly take a few paces back so I can try to pretend I haven't just heard their private conversation.
“Mornin’, darlin’,” Jessie pulls on a smile for me when he opens the door up fully. “Go on in,” he holds the door open, leaving a space for me under his arm, and I duck through it awkwardly, offering him a grateful smile.
“Oh hey, Lydia, I was hoping you’d come.” Maddy quickly picks her worried face up into a bright smile that I know she’s forcing.
“Come take a seat. I’ll make us some coffee.” I don’t want to be rude and tell her that I don’t like the stuff. Alex and Screwy made me some yesterday, and I had to force myself to swallow each sip.
“Thanks.” I take the seat that she offers me and slowly look around her cabin. It’s a lot cozier than Screwy’s place, and there are pictures on the wall of people I recognize from around the club.
“You remember anything else, anything that might be useful?” Maddy places a mug in front of me and takes a seat behind her computer.
“Nothing, just what I told you last night, about the woman and about...” I don’t want to talk about my trainer again. He comes to me at night when I close my eyes, and I always fear I won’t be able to wake up.
“At the auction, there was a brochure. It had details of all the girls who were…” She stops herself from talking and closes her eyes.
“It's fine. The auction isn’t the worst thing that happened to me.” I try to sound as optimistic as possible, but when I see the effect my words have on Maddy's face, I instantly regret them.
“Please don’t feel sad. I'm so grateful that you want to help me.” I quickly try to recover myself.
“We’re gonna find your family,” Maddy promises, her eyes glassing with tears.
“And to do that, you need to ask me whatever questions you think will help you, so ask.”
Maddy makes a soft sigh before continuing, “The girls who were for sale had a profile, eye color, hair color, sizes, and age. Your profile said you were twenty, the memory you had put you at eighteen. That’s two years, it just seems…” she pauses again and pulls her eyes away from mine.
“Please,” I encourage her to continue.
“It just seems a long time for them to keep you, as a… v-virgin.”
