by Penelope Sky
He kissed her on the neck before he released her. “You know I’d do anything for you, beautiful. Now, let the men talk business. I’ll join you for dinner soon.” He kissed her again before he turned back to me.
She gave me one final pleading look before she walked away, her heels slowly tapping against the tile.
Fender turned back to me, oblivious to the tension in the room because he couldn’t think straight when it came to her. “Now that is a woman worth fighting for.” He grabbed his scotch again and took a drink.
I almost told him what had transpired, but something changed my mind. My fingers kept the small piece of paper in my grasp before I slipped my hand into my front pocket. “I’ve never seen you this way with a woman.” I didn’t ask him for details, didn’t ask for any specific kind of response.
He stared at me for a long time, his brown eyes still and focused. The silence continued as if I hadn’t spoken at all. “Because this is the first time it’s happened.”
When I was in my car and safe behind the tinted windows, I pulled the note from my pocket and read it.
Sister,
I’ve gone back to him. I think in enough time I can convince him to let you go. Just hang tight, okay? I’ll get you out of there…I promise.
I love you.
-Melanie
Six
Three Versus One
I returned to the camp.
I walked through the clearing and felt Alix stare at me, his head turning to watch me as I passed. My week in Paris obviously hadn’t subdued his anger. Even armed with a weapon, he couldn’t overpower me. He might be bulkier, but I was quicker, and the stronger fighter didn’t necessarily win.
If he tried again, I’d kill him this time.
Fender had dropped his palpable hostility given the progress I’d made, so I had his favor again. If I killed one of the guards, there would be no repercussions. The other guards would hate me more, so I’d rather not, but I wouldn’t put up with Alix’s bullshit much longer.
I stared at him as I passed, so he would know I was aware of his stare, that he could try again if he wanted.
But I’d knock him on his ass again.
I checked the packaged coke on the table and ignored the other stare that landed on my back. Her blue eyes pierced into me, silently asking me to turn around and meet her gaze. She pleaded, her energy traveling through the air and absorbing into my skin then bloodstream. But I ignored it.
The note was in my pocket.
But I wouldn’t give it to her.
It was late in the evening.
I sat at my desk against the wall, my TV on. My laptop was open, and I worked on the spreadsheets that I had to catch up on after my week-long absence because Fender didn’t trust anyone to do the numbers right other than me. They could falsify numbers, take a cut for themselves, and we’d look like idiots.
My thoughts started to trail away as my gaze turned unfocused on the screen.
It was almost midnight, and I was tired.
But my hand reached into my pocket and pulled out the note that had been opened and crumpled many times. I studied the feminine handwriting, listened to the sound of Melanie’s voice in my head, the way she quietly pleaded. Her tears shone brilliantly under the light of the chandelier. She’d returned herself to a monster to save her sister. Back and forth, they made sacrifices for each other.
I crumpled the note again and threw it in the wastebasket next to my desk.
I would tell Fender the truth the next time I saw him.
He’d keep Melanie anyway, but at least he would know that her affection was false. She was manipulating him…the way Raven had manipulated me.
I closed my laptop, turned off the TV, and then got into bed.
It was a clear night, the moon so bright through the window that I had to turn over and look the other way.
My eyes went to the wastebasket, highlighted by the moonlight. The paper was the only thing inside, sitting at the bottom, crumpled and forgotten.
When I closed my eyes, I still saw the image in my head.
I still saw it sitting there.
I opened my eyes and looked again, thinking about the way Melanie had pleaded with me, the way she cared for her sister…the woman who sacrificed everything to keep her safe. Raven wasn’t even supposed to be here, but she’d come voluntarily because she’d follow Melanie anywhere.
I sighed and sat up, sitting at the edge of the bed in just my boxers, staring at the wastebasket in fury.
I didn’t owe that bitch anything.
I’d already rescued Melanie from Fender once.
I’d already gotten Raven out of this camp.
I did my part and had nothing to feel guilty about.
But after a few seconds, I rose to my feet, got dressed, and put the note back in my pocket.
Then I left my cabin.
It was quiet out because we didn’t post guards on patrol. The cabins housing the women were bolted shut now, so no one would be able to break their way out. The high fence was around the perimeter, so there was no escape, even if they could get out of their cabins. So, I was alone.
No one would know what I’d done.
I approached her cabin, unlocked it, and then opened the door. My hand flicked on the light, and I turned to look at the bed, assuming she would be asleep. But she wasn’t there. I stilled at the sight before me.
A noose was around her neck, tied to the beam across the ceiling. Her wrists were bound behind her back, and she balanced on a flimsy box on the ground, which was uneven and shaky. One wrong movement, and she’d lose her balance…and hang herself.
She couldn’t speak because the rope was too tight. All she did was stare at me, her eyes pleading for help. She lost her balance for just a second, as if she recognized me even though my hood was up.
I knew the guards were giving her a rough time, but I’d never imagined this.
I shouldn’t care.
She was here because she chose to come back.
But I couldn’t just turn around and leave her there.
I pulled out my knife, cut the rope around her wrists, and then removed the noose around her neck.
She quickly hopped off the box and moved to the other wall, breathing hard as she ran her fingers through her hair, processing the trauma in silence.
I pushed my hood down and returned my knife to my pocket.
She slid down to the floor, her arms wrapping around her knees. She rested the back of her head against the wall and looked at me, her face still bruised from the beatings she received on a daily basis. There was no way she didn’t regret her decision now. She must have realized how pointless it all was. Most of the girls had gotten away, but new ones had quickly replaced them. “They’ll know you helped me.”
“I don’t care.” They already hated me anyway.
When her breathing returned to normal, she gave me that same emotional look she wore in the clearing, like she would do anything to get a minute of my time. “I’m so sorry—”
“You will never earn my forgiveness—stop asking for it.” It was difficult to be around her because just looking at her made me angry. Her blue eyes shone the same way they did when we were in bed together, that emotional connection still there. I regretted sleeping with her. I regretted giving so much of myself to her…sacrificing so much. Her brown hair, full lips, and slender neckline had no effect on me anymore. “The only reason I’m here is to give you this.” I pulled the note from my pocket and threw it at her because I didn’t want to be anywhere near her. If I were in arm’s reach, I might choke her harder than that noose would.
She picked it up off the floor and slowly unfolded it. Then her eyes shifted left and right as she read the short message. “Oh my god…Melanie.” Her eyes immediately watered before she clutched the note into her tight fist. “No…” A small breakdown took place, a loud sniff echoing in the small cabin, tears shaking on her eyelashes before they fell down her cheeks. “You saw her?” She turned back to m
e. “How did she look?”
She was dressed in the finest things money could buy. Designer clothing, priceless jewels, under the protection of the biggest kingpin in all of France. And he was a handsome guy, always getting the attention of beautiful women without having to pay for it. “A lot better than you do.” I moved to the door to leave.
“Magnus, wait.” She got to her feet. “Please—”
I closed the door and bolted it shut.
Her voice sounded through the door. “It was real…”
I stilled at her words, flashbacks coming into my mind, images from the two passionate nights we’d shared. I could still hear the raindrops hit her bedroom window. I could still taste the sweat in the valley between her tits. I could still feel her nails in my back, the pressure nearly breaking my skin. But I also remembered the nights when we just stared at each other, the conversations that unfolded even in the direst circumstances. Beautiful women came and went in my life, but moments like those…never did.
I did my job and kept to myself.
The women worked longer hours because of the increased amount of daylight. The days were getting warmer, the vegetation growing bigger, and the wilderness came to life with green leaves, flowers, and creatures from the forest. Sometimes coyotes would howl to the moon in the middle of the night.
I didn’t have a single ally in that camp because they’d all turned against me.
But still…I didn’t snitch.
I had too much pride to make a single complaint.
But I could never drop my guard because the knife was constantly at my throat. My eyes were always in the back of my head. The guard must have told the others that Raven had been freed from her noose because the hostility was even worse than before.
I ignored it.
I went to the communal cabin to do my checks, and I instantly knew something was off. The guys weren’t seated at the table as usual. There was no one there, all the lights off. But it was too early for them to be in their cabins.
I could feel it.
Then the footsteps sounded behind me.
I quickly ducked then threw my body hard into Alix’s frame, knowing exactly where he stood based on the slight creak of the floorboards. He fell back and rolled down the stairs, groaning as his back thudded against the hardness.
The other guards emerged from the room behind me because it was an ambush.
“Get that piece of shit!” Alix pushed to his feet.
I ran down the steps then kicked him in the face before I jumped over him.
Alix spat out blood then got to his feet, facing me with a whole new level of ferocity. He pulled a knife from his pocket and spun it in his palm. “Get him.” He spun the knife again. “And I’ll cut off the other half of your sac.”
Eric, Karl, and Nathan came toward me, their hoods down, all carrying blades like they were going to slice me into little pieces.
I pulled out my own knife and held my ground. I didn’t turn and run because that would result in a knife in the back. If I was going to die, I’d do it on my own two feet. But I wasn’t going to die. If it were them or me…it would be them.
“You let your little girlfriend go.” Alix stepped toward me, moving over the grass, stalking toward me like a lion in the savanna.
“She’s not supposed to be killed.”
“And she wouldn’t die,” he said. “If she just stayed on the box.” He chuckled.
The rest of the guys chuckled too.
“If I die, Fender will hang all of you.”
“Who said anything about dying?” Alix took another step forward. “We just think you aren’t man enough to have any balls at all, not even one.” He rushed me, his heavy mass sprinting.
I ducked under the knife and kneed him in the balls like last time. Then I tripped him over my knee, making him fly through the air and land on his head, knocked out at the collision. Eric came at me next, and I redirected his knife into his thigh, making him cry out loud, the blood dripping down his leg to his boot. He collapsed and yanked the knife out by the hilt.
Karl hesitated and backed up. He lowered his knife.
Nathan did the same.
I walked toward them, wanting to carve their mouths off their faces because I was furious.
They backed away farther, tripping over their own feet in their hurry to scurry away.
Eric continued to howl loudly, his teeth clenched tightly together as he gripped his flesh wound. Blood dripped onto the dirt.
I walked back to them, taking my time as I stood over them.
Eric looked up at me, nostrils flared, breathing through the pain.
“You should get to the infirmary if you don’t want to bleed out.” I extended my hand to help him up.
He hesitated before he took it.
I pulled him to his feet.
Then I punched him so hard in the stomach he lost his entire breath. “Don’t.” I hit him again. “Fuck.” Again. “With.” Again. “Me.”
He fell to his knees, breathing through the pain I’d just caused.
Alix had woken up with a jolt, and he quickly climbed to his feet.
I kicked him in the back until he fell again.
When he got up, I did it again. “I can do this all night, Alix.”
This time, he stayed down, blood still dripping out of his mouth from the kick. He turned over onto his back and looked up at me, his chest rising and falling quickly, soft groans accompanying his breaths. But he looked up at me like he still wanted to kill me.
“No more mercy, Alix. Try this shit again…I’ll kill you.”
Seven
Ultimate Sacrifice
Eric was in the infirmary for a few days. He couldn’t walk because the blade had pierced his muscle so badly that he couldn’t hold his weight anymore. Nathan and Karl steered clear of me like they thought I might decide to finish the job. Alix stopped staring at me every chance he got.
When I saw them in the evenings, they pretended I didn’t exist.
I hoped that was the end of it.
But I wasn’t stupid enough to assume anything.
A week passed, and my time at the camp was repetitive and uneventful. Alix did the execution every Friday, and I was never around to witness it. I tried to work out a bigger distribution with our Colombian partners, but the cargo hold simply wouldn’t allow it. I tried to think of another shipment route, perhaps by a cargo ship. They could dock in Spain, and our guys could meet us somewhere near the French Alps. It was risky, but Fender wanted to grow this business more, to be richer than we already were.
I didn’t glance at Raven again.
She always tried to look at me at the clearing, but I ignored her.
The only reason I’d cut her down in her cabin was because I was already there, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to check on her or intercept danger in any way whatsoever. I shouldn’t have even delivered that note, but it would have haunted me if I hadn’t.
I went to the clearing at midday when the girls were eating. They sat together at the tables, eating in complete silence so they wouldn’t be punched in the face, or worse, hung. I went to the product table and made my notes on the spreadsheets. I meticulously checked everything that was there so people wouldn’t try to steal. The best way to keep people honest was to make it impossible not to be honest.
One of the guards yelled unexpectedly. “What the fuck is she doing? Get her!”
I turned, assuming Raven was the culprit. She was probably doing some stupid stunt to escape.
But she sprinted right at me, panicked. “Move!”
What the fuck? Stunned, I just stood there.
It all happened so fast.
She crashed into me, making me fall onto the table.
I rolled and hit my head, confused.
A collective gasp sounded from the women in their seats.
I turned to look, seeing Raven standing there, a knife buried deep in her stomach.
She swayed slightly, her legs growin
g weak, and then she fell to the ground.
Alix stood there, staring down at her like he was surprised by what had happened too. His hand was bloody.
I immediately righted myself and looked down, still in shock.
Alix spat on her. “That worked out better, if you ask me.”
I finally understood what had happened.
Alix had come up behind me to stab me, knowing this was the only time of the day when my guard was down, and Raven had seen what he was about to do…and tried to help me. “Fuck.” I hopped off the table and leaned down over her. Her shirt was already wet with the blood seeping from the wound. A puddle was growing on the dirt beneath her.
“Leave her.” Alix stood over me.
I scooped her into my arms and carried her away.
Alix walked after me. “Let that bitch die!”
Revenge was the last thing on my mind right now. “Stay with me.”
She turned limp in my arms.
“I said, stay with me!” I ran with her to the cabin that housed the medical supplies. Up the stairs and through the door, I carried her to the table in the center of the room. I laid her flat then shouted out the door. “Daniel!” I came back to the table, unsure if he would help me since he hated me along with everyone else.
I worked like no one was coming.
I lifted up her shirt and saw the bloody gash. “Jesus.”
Her eyes were still open, and she breathed hard, the color leaving her face right away. She shifted her gaze to me, like she knew she was going to die.
“You aren’t going anywhere, Raven. What’s your blood type?”
“I…I don’t know.”
I pulled out the universal bag, stuck a needle in her vein, and started to give her blood.
Then Daniel appeared in the doorway. “What the fuck happened?”
I couldn’t believe he’d actually come. “She’s been stabbed. She’s bleeding out.” I covered the gash with gauze and tried to keep her alive.
Daniel got to work, putting on gloves, pulling equipment over so he could find where her internal bleeding was.
