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"Where are you taking me?" I ask as Steven pulls me along a gravelly dirt path towards a large building.
Three men are following me this time, of course, guns pointed on me. One thing that I have noticed is that nobody has hurt me. They're not treating me well, of course, but they're not abusing me, and it seems they're not abusing the other women, either. I'm thankful for that, mostly because I honestly don't think I could handle it if they were to hurt those poor girls, and I wasn't able to do anything to stop them.
"You'll see."
We reach the building, and Steven opens the door, stepping inside. I find we're in a massive hall. Upfront is a small stage; in the middle is a long table full of food and people. Those people being men, mostly. Only two or three women sit amongst them, and they're very quiet, not speaking or interacting. My stomach flips when I realize they're women who have been sold, and I'm currently standing in a room with people who are buyers.
Is this it?
Is he going to sell me?
Has my time run out already?
Panic grips me, and I struggle, pulling back, my heart racing.
"Calm down, Zariah. We've still got until tomorrow night before you're sold. You're just here to interact, meet potential buyers. They want to see what they're spending their money on. Come, take a seat, let them look at you."
Steven pulls me to the head of the table and sits me on a seat right next to his. Across the table, I see a girl. She's only young, sixteen or seventeen if I were to guess. She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. When she looks at me, with her dark hair and brown eyes, my heart skips a beat. I gasp, and everything in my world feels like it's spinning as I take in her oh, so familiar face.
She looks like Samson.
Pain crashes into my chest as the realization of why Samson betrayed his club becomes real.
He's got a daughter.
There's no way that young girl doesn't belong to him. She has to.
She could be a sister, but I'd doubt that. She's too young.
"Oh, I see you've noticed my angel," Steven says, grinning over at the girl who is now studying me. "Just like her daddy, isn't she?"
I make a pained sound and grip my chest, wanting to go over to that girl and take her into my arms, protecting her. She's beautiful, and she's scared. I can see it in her eyes. The way she looks at me then glances at Steven. She doesn't speak, no doubt because she's not allowed to.
Poor thing.
"You've got Samson's daughter?" I breathe. "All this time, I wondered what you had against him. Now I know. How could you?"
Steven laughs. "How could I? Easy, of course. He's my brother, and he's part of a club that decided to stick their noses where they didn't belong. What did you think I was going to do, Zariah? Let him take me down? I don't think so."
"What's her name?" I ask, and then in a louder voice, I say to the girl. "What's your name, honey?"
Steven slams me across the back of the head so hard I gasp and then cry out in pain. "You do not speak to her. You do not address her. You do not fucking breathe in her direction. Do you understand?"
Tears burn under my eyelids, and when I look back at the girl, she's staring at me with a look of pain on her face. She mouths 'Lilian' and then looks away.
Lilian.
Beautiful girl.
I make a vow to myself at that moment that we'll get her back. That Samson will be with his daughter again. As a parent, I know exactly how it feels to want to do anything to protect your child. I'd betray everyone that came in my path for Jayden if it meant he was safe. I didn't understand before why Samson did what he did, but I do now.
"Oh look, someone I'm sure you've been missing," Steven says.
I glance to my left and see none other than Dax walking towards me, a massive smile on his face. It's a cocky smile, a smile that I'd love to wipe off. He's a god damned monster of the purest form, and he knows it.
"Hello, Zariah," he murmurs, low and husky. "Wonderful to see you again. Tell me, how's Waverly?"
I jerk in my chair and spit, "Go fuck yourself!"
"Feisty, this one," Steven laughs, and a few men at the table laugh, too.
"Glad to hear you're doing well," Dax laughs. "I'm sure you'll find a wonderful home with one of these lovely gentlemen."
I glance at the men, all staring at me, and my skin prickles. "In your fucking dreams."
Dax laughs. "She is hot-tempered, isn't she?"
He takes a seat next to Lilian and leans in close, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She flinches, and I want to launch out of my chair and beat the ever-loving shit out of him. "Get your hands off her!" I snap, glaring at him.
"Do you need me to give you another reminder to shut your mouth, Zariah?" Steven growls, his voice a low whip.
"Make him take his fucking hands off her, or I'll make a scene that'll ensure nobody purchases me. You want me to sit down and shut up? Then you get that filthy slime ball away from that little girl."
Steven looks to Dax and nods his head. Dax removes his arm, and Lilian drops her head, staring at her plate of untouched food.
"Thank you," I grind out.
Steven laughs and holds up a glass of wine. "Let's get this party started, shall we?"
I sit in absolute horror as Steven parades around the girls he had stuffed into those horrible cages. They walk around, some of them more willing than others. It's like a god damned cattle auction, and my stomach turns as I watch them, knowing I can't do a damned thing about it.
"Your turn, cop," Steven says, shoving me until I stand up.
Two men take me by my arms and walk me around in a circle. I don't fight; only because I know he'll take it out on Lilian if I do. He announces me like some sort of prized bull, telling them all I'm a police officer. Some men growl, others cheer, others throw out bids already. My stomach turns, and I drop my head.
Please, Kendric.
Hurry.
Hurry.
~*~*~*~
I'M AWOKEN IN THE MIDDLE of the night to scuffling of people.
My eyelids flutter open, and a few seconds later, the sensor light flicks on. I see Dax, Steven, and Lilian moving towards me. Dax is holding Lilian tightly, his fingers curled around her arm, a gun in his hands. Steven is moving with purpose, and without making eye contact with me, he walks to the electrical panel and shuts the electricity to our cages down. As they die off, the other girls stir awake and look around, slowly sitting up.
"What's going on?" I ask, rubbing my eyes and looking to Lilian, who has tears running down her face. "What are you doing?"
"We're leaving," Steven mutters, pulling out cuffs and going into each girl's cage and grabbing them out. "You move, I shoot the fucking lot of you."
They do as he asks.
He leaves me in my cage.
I stand up and rush over, curling my fingers around the bars. "What are you doing?"
"Your little friends found us, Samson squealed. We're leaving. Dax, get everything out of these cages."
Steven points his gun towards the girls and takes Lilian, as Dax takes the foam beds out of all the cages and stuffs it into a large bag that he pulls from the pack he has on his back. It looks like nobody has been here now. The only thing left on the floor is a bowl each.
No.
No.
This can't be happening.
I had no doubt Samson would come through, but the fact that they're leaving means we'll be back to square fucking one. They're taking Lilian. The stakes are even higher now.
"You can't take her," I say, shaking the cage. "Please, what do you want? I'll do anything. Take me and leave her."
Steven laughs. "Do you honestly think I'm that stupid? That I'd take you, and leave what he wants? No, the only way to get what I want is to have something he wants. You can tell him, while you're at it, that I'm going to make her life hell on earth."
No.
"They'll find you," I argue. "You're leaving this island. We know where it is now. We'll go to the police..."
"And what?" he mutters. "What will you tell them, Zariah? They know I own this island. Everything that can connect me to all of this is coming with me. There will be no security, no papers, no nothing for them. Even if you convince them to come out here, they're going to find absolutely nothing."
"These cages!" I scream. "They'll find these cages."
"And?" he laughs. "A bunch of dog cages?"
"They're suspicious."
"I'm sure they are," he chuckles. "Good luck on your adventure. I've no doubt we'll see each other again soon, Zariah. Thank your lucky stars this is over for you."
"Please," I cry, pressing my face to the cage. "Please, leave her here. She's your niece. She has to matter."
Steven drags Lilian to the cage and presses her face into it. She cries out in pain. "Look at her face," he growls. "Remember that because of your fuckin' club, because Samson turned on me, she'll suffer."
"I'm sorry," I say softly to her. "I will get you out of this. I will find you. I promise you, Lilian."
Her eyes meet mine, and a tiny movement of her hand catches my eye. She slips something through the cages, something she had clenched in her fist—a small slip of paper.
I nod.
She gives me a weak smile.
Then Steven jerks her back and looks to Dax. "We gotta move. We've got four hours if we're lucky."
"Let's move."
"You can't hide forever!" I scream after them. "Eventually, you'll have to come back here. Eventually, you'll have to return to work. Eventually, you'll have to show yourself."
Steven looks to me as he reaches the end of the cages. "You underestimate me, Zariah."
Then, they're gone.
I shake the cage, screaming out Lilian's name until the darkness takes them, and I can no longer see anything except the cages and the area around them that is lit up by a sensor light.
Within a few minutes, that light goes out, too.
I drop my head, and a tear rolls down my cheeks.
I failed.
I god damned failed.