Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63082 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63082 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
And if that happened, he knew precisely what would become of her. His throat tightened.
“You ready?” Trees asked, clapping him on the shoulder in a silent show of support.
No. He’d never be ready to watch Haisley be paraded and sold like property. But he managed a tight nod, jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached.
In the conference room in the EM Security building, the team had positioned themselves strategically. Kane and Ethan sat on one side of him, their own laptops ready. They would each log in separately to avoid suspicious patterns. Trees sat on the other, a spread of computers at his disposal to monitor any threat to their online covers. Matt sat across from him, tense as hell, with phone in hand, no doubt ready to text Madison with their progress. One-Mile catalogued weapons and other equipment while Zy, their demolitions guy, devised a potential explosive strategy in case everything went FUBAR. Hunter paced as he watched over the op, while Logan and Joaquin continued working their contacts.
The screen flickered. A camera focused on a luxurious but empty stage that filled the frame, draped in rich fabrics.
The auctioneer, wearing an expensive suit and an unsettling smile, emerged. “Welcome to our in-person and virtual bidders to an exciting night of prime product. Each is impeccable. There’s something for every taste and desire. You’ve all received your credentials, along with the procedures, rules, and terms of service. So let the bidding of your general inventory commence!”
The first woman stumbled onto the stage, wearing practically nothing. Her body was stiff with terror. Tears streaked her face as she was forced to turn, to pose, while the auctioneer rattled off her measurements, a clinical description of her “attributes,” and her sexual history. Rage gripped Nash, making his hands shake so badly, he nearly knocked over his water.
“General inventory,” Trees murmured, his voice rough with disgust. “They save the ‘premium merchandise’ for last.”
Nash’s stomach turned. Premium merchandise. Breeders.
Haisley.
The bidding moved quickly. Women sold for obscene amounts to faceless buyers with usernames like ShadowMarket42 and ChaosMaker.
Then a familiar face appeared onstage. Kaylee Wright. The girl whose disappearance sparked the investigation at the Oakfield Mall. She looked scared out of her mind, but thankfully alive.
The auctioneer’s voice grew silky as he presented her. “A rare offering. Barely legal. Certified virgin. Completely untouched. Buy her, break her in…and train her to be whatever you want.”
“That’s my cue,” Ethan said quietly, fingers flying over his keyboard. Their plan required him to secure Kaylee while Nash focused on Haisley. Two rescues. Two chances to right these wrongs.
He wished like hell they could save every one of these women stolen and enslaved against their will, but he would do his fucking best to break this ring up and free all these enslaved women.
The bidding for Kaylee was fierce. Nash’s throat closed up watching Ethan compete for her life with these monsters. But finally, StrikeForce—Ethan’s online cover identity—won for a price just north of two million dollars.
The moment she disappeared offstage, Ethan sagged with relief. “Now we wait for instructions from these fuckers. In the meantime, I’ll contact Kaylee’s mother and fill her in on this development.”
“Make sure she understands this is just the first step in her daughter’s rescue,” Hunter said grimly. “We’ll do everything in our power, but until Kaylee is off that island and safely at home, nothing is guaranteed.”
Ethan acknowledged the boss with a nod, then grabbed his cell phone before ducking out of the conference room.
Three more women sold. Nash’s rage built with each transaction, each dehumanizing description, each moment these bastards treated people like products.
Ethan returned as the auctioneer’s voice changed, becoming almost reverent. “And now, gentlemen…the moment you’ve been waiting for. Our premium offerings. Our breeding stock.”
Nash gripped his laptop so tightly, he feared it might break.
“Easy,” Kane whispered. “Keep calm. We’re almost there.”
The auctioneer held up a finger. “And as usual, house rules for acquiring breeders apply, so do bear that in mind.”
House rules? “What the fuck does that mean?”
Across the table, Kane cursed and pounced on his keyboard. The collective mood in the conference room grew increasingly tense as he scanned his screen. “We just got access to this part of the site. I’m reading as fast as I can, but…”
“But?” Logan demanded.
Kane shook his head, clearly disturbed by whatever he was seeing.
The bidding commenced. The first breeder sold for a few million—nearly triple the previous prices. The second for even more. The buyers wanted youth, beauty, and fertility. Women who could be forced to bear children for fun, for profit, for bragging rights.
“Found anything yet?” Nash demanded of Kane.
His fellow operative never raised his head, just kept sweeping his stare across the screen. “There are nearly a hundred fucking pages of policies, rules, and bullshit. I’m reading as fast as I can.”