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I swallowed excessively, attempting to clear the lump in my throat. “My boyfriend’s aunt and grandmother.”
“What the actual fuck? Is that how you ended up here? Because you dated the wrong guy?” Reid dropped his hand.
“It’s not his fault.” I allowed my arm to relax and leaned my forehead against the fucking cage. “He has no idea they’re alive.”
“I’m not sure what to do with this. Two women?” His shoes smacked the concrete floor, and I assumed he was walking around his cell.
“Evil doesn’t even begin to explain what they are. Plus, they have an FBI agent working for them. Michelle befriends the kids, then lures them into this hell. She can’t be the only one working for them, either. From what you said, there are too many children here. The FBI would have busted her by now.”
“What’s an FBI agent?” Reid asked.
Shit, I’d forgotten he’d lived most of his life here. He wouldn’t know what that was unless he’d overheard it, or someone had told him. It wasn’t as though he lived a life of luxury.
“FBI stands for Federal Bureau of Investigation. They’re more powerful than a cop. A cop has more authority than a security guard.”
“That’s fucking disgusting! So Michelle pretends to be someone who protects people, then …”
“Yeah,” I said softly. “I actually know her. We met and didn’t exactly get along because she wanted Holden. She’s the reason I’m here, but I had no idea it was a fucking family affair on Holden’s side.”
Reid remained silent, and I sat down and allowed him to have some space. It was a shit-ton to digest. Hell, I hadn’t even processed it yet.
“River, I’m in. What do I need to do with Anthony? That’s the guard’s name.”
My heart skidded to a stop, and I stopped breathing for a moment. “Before we talk about it, I have one concern. I mean I have a lot more than one, but … you mentioned that normally no one was in the cells here with you. Why do you think I’m here? I mean, now that you know my boyfriend is related to the sick fucks running this place, aren’t you curious if this is on purpose?”
“Yeah, it’s crossed my mind. I heard one of the clients discussing how many people they could choose from, and that they were running out of room to keep all of them. It sounds like the cells are filling up.”
My nostrils flared in disgust. “I guarantee you this isn’t the only location, though. They most likely have them all over the world.” I chewed my bottom lip. My vision blurred, and my stomach churned. “We have to get the kids help, Reid. Once we’re out of here, we’ll be able to hide and stay safe while we tell the authorities.”
“I like the sound of that. I’ll talk to Anthony when he shows up tonight.”
“Are you a good actor?” I hoped like hell he was because his ability to pretend would determine if we were freed or not.
“I’ve had years of roleplay experience.” Reid chuckled. “I know that’s not funny, but it’s true.”
“I’m sorry. I wish I could undo all the awful things that you’ve lived through.” I chewed on my thumbnail, devising a plan. “I hate to ask you this, but do you think he would be open to spending time with you each night? I mean, tell him you’ve fallen in love with him, and you need to see him more—make love, feel his arms around you, kiss you.”
“Guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”
“Guess so. And Reid?”
“Yeah?”
“I have a week and a half until I start training. The clock is ticking.”
“Shit. Okay, I’ll turn on the charm. If it’s too much for you, plug your ears.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll be cheering you on, quietly.”
Chapter Eleven
I paced my cell with my hands on my hips, then ducked out of sight when I heard the door open. Minutes later, the guard left Reid locked up for the night like a wild animal. Our evenings were filled with planning and chatting before Anthony arrived to see Reid. From what I could tell, he’d easily fallen for Reid’s lies. Which was good because I was only two days away from training. I would have one more doctor appointment, then I would be released for duty. At least I’d been fed three meals a day, which allowed me to exercise after the first week and build my strength. If Anthony agreed to our plan, I would be running for my life by this time tomorrow.
So far, Anthony had proved helpful, and I honestly believed he loved Reid. Why he hadn’t tried to free him before, I didn’t know. I wasn’t sure Reid had realized he had some leverage in asking for help, either.
Reid had started digging for information, and Anthony quickly confided that there weren’t cameras on this building. One guard was on duty, but that was all. Apparently, Kassandra and Opal felt the compound was safe with the fence and guards. Personally, I thought they’d made a big mistake. They’d made another one when they’d abducted me and aborted my baby. They just didn’t know it yet.
“Are you nervous?” I asked while I reached through the bars for Reid. We’d fallen into a routine after he returned from work. We held hands for a few minutes, relishing in the fact that we had each other in this storm of insanity.
