Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
"How?" I say, shaking my head. "How do they get innocent girls out of the country, without causing a scene?"
He chuckles. "Surely you know how dark the world works, Zariah. There is always a way. Human trafficking is a big thing. You know this. Now you're going to understand how it's done. Quite interesting stuff."
He turns and walks away, the two men following him.
I clutch my head and bellow; my frustrated sounds echoing across the island.
"There's no point in screaming."
I whip my head to the left where the girl in the cage beside me is sitting.
"It doesn't make a difference," she goes on.
She's pretty, but it's obvious she's lived quite a dark life. Scars up her arms, dark rings under her eyes, and track marks tell me so. Still, she's only young and doesn't deserve what's going to happen to her.
"You're not like the rest of us," she says, tipping her head to the side, "you're clean."
I don't know if she means I'm clean from drugs, or just clean in general.
"I'm a cop," I exhale, sitting down onto the gross foam bed.
It's hard and uncomfortable.
"You are?" she asks, eyes widening. "How did they get hold of a cop?"
"With great force," I mutter. "How did they get hold of you?"
She shrugs. "I was looking for drugs. They just swooped in, told me they had drugs, and got me high. So high, I blacked out. I woke up here. It wasn't hard. Not like I have anyone looking for me. It's tragic. I'm not even scared of being sold. Maybe it'll be a better life than the hell hole I was living before."
That makes me so sad.
That someone's life could be so bad that they consider being sold might be better.
"What's your name?" I ask her.
"Kelli."
"I'm Zariah."
She nods. "That's a cool name."
"How long have you been here, Kelli?"
"About a week. So far, we have been stuck in these cages. Someone comes in once a day, cleans up after us, feeds us, and gives us water. Then they leave again."
That's horrible.
"Some of the girls are coming down from drugs. Fiona at the end there, she screams most of the night, so good luck sleeping. Then, she passes out from exhaustion all day. She even electrocuted herself last night, because she was losing it so bad."
"That's terrible," I say, feeling my stomach twist again.
"Yeah," she nods. "Yeah, it is."
"I'm going to find a way out of here," I whisper, more to myself than her.
She smiles bitterly and then lays back down. "Good luck to you."
I will.
I will find a way.
Goddammit. I will.
My baby boy needs me.
I won't leave him.
Panic seizes my chest as I think about him. I pray the club knows what happened after that phone call and that they have him, and he's safe.
The very thought that he might not be makes me so sick I curl into a ball, and a tear runs down my cheek.
Please.
Please.
I need to get out of here.
20
KENDRIC
"This is horrible," Briella breathes, running her hands down her face.
Karen is standing beside her after Briella told her the news about Samson. The two of them are in the room with Cohen, Bohdi, Alarick, and I. We're trying to come up with a way to get Samson to give us what we need. The only way we're going to find Zariah is to find out what he knows, and the only way we're going to get him to talk is to catch him off guard.
"Got the boy?" I ask Briella.
She nods. "I got him from daycare. He's with Merleigh at the moment."
One thing I know Zariah would be panicking about is Jayden. I made sure the moment we figured out she was missing, to call and have him picked up. If he's with us, he's safe. I will not let anything happen to that child.
"Good," I murmur.
"What are you going to do about Samson?" Karen asks, her eyes wide with shock.
"We're goin' to bring him in and make sure he tells us what we need to know. After that, it ain't your concern," Alarick mutters.
Briella's eyes widen. "You're not going to hurt him, are you?"
"He betrayed my club, Briella. He is part of the reason your sister is dead. Do you fuckin' understand that?"
"Maybe he didn't know them then, and..."
"He's related to them. I can guaran-fuckin'-tee that. He knows exactly what's goin' down."
Briella looks down at her feet, her face flushed. "I just don't believe...it just can't be real. He has been so good to this club, why would he do something like that?"
"That ain't for us to worry about," Alarick mutters, his face drawn and tired. "Right now, we gotta get Zariah back before somethin' happens to her. She has put everything on the line for this club, and we haven't given her the time of day she deserves. We're makin' sure she comes home to that boy. So get it together, babe. We don't have time for tears."