My heart shredded, knowing I couldn’t waltz out of here with this girl in my arms and rescue her. I vowed to take this place down and free her and all the other girls. I needed to.
“How much?” I probed.
“I’ll make you a deal. Two hours for your payment at the door.”
“Deal.” I kept my eyes trained on the small child.
Laruso stepped outside and closed the door. The girl began to whimper and cower in the corner.
I dropped my voice, making sure to keep my hands at my sides. No need to terrorize her even more. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m not going to hurt you or touch you. I swear.” Her eyes got big and she whimpered again. I pulled out my identification.
“It’s okay. I won’t touch you.” I promised again. “Here’s my identification. I’m from a rescue team. We’re going to try and save all of you. You can’t let them know that’s who I am. Do you understand?”
“Help me,” she cried. “I want to go home.”
“I know you do, sweetheart. And I promise, I will try to make that happen.”
“I want to go home.” She cried softly, tears streaming down her dirty face.
“I’m going to sit here for two hours with you, okay? Nothing is going to happen, I swear it.”
She nodded, wiping the tears from her face and pulling her knees to her chest.
“Can you tell me your name?” I asked, pulling a pen from my pocket and a small notebook from my briefcase.
“Shilah Morris.” Her shaking voice echoed around the room while her eyes darted back and forth, waiting for something else to happen. She didn’t trust that I wasn’t going hurt her. Her arms held her legs tightly against her, protecting herself from whatever onslaught was about to take place in her mind.
“What’s your address, sweetheart?” She jumped at my intruding voice and cracked open her cautious eyes.
She mumbled off a house and street number that was local. I would bet she’s one of the many girls that had been reported missing over the last few weeks.
“What are your parents’ names?” I scratched a few more notes on the notepad, then began a sketch of her.
“Craig and Natalie Morris.”
“Okay. I’m going to contact them and let them know what’s happened. I won’t be able to take you today, do you understand that? I have to come back with police and lots of support so we can take out all these evil men.”
“Please don’t leave me here…,” she cried. Her voice dropped to a whimper, so I had to strain to hear. “They will be back, more of them. And they – they do bad things.”
My thoughts scrambled for something to say, something that would comfort her. I could try to buy her from them as a personal slave, but I doubted they’d let me. “We’ll figure it out, Shilah. I promise.”
She eventually fell asleep on the mattress. I finished sketching her image and when the two hours were up, I opened the door and walked out and down the hallway to the entrance.
“Pleasure doing business with you, sir,” Laruso said.
I wiped my hand across my chin.
“Hmmm. She was a great one. How much would you want for me to keep her?”
“Keep her?” He raised his eyebrows. “I… I don’t know. We usually don’t sell outside of auction nights.”
“I don’t really want her shared with anyone else. Like I said earlier, money isn’t an object. You tell me what you want, I will give it to you. She’s mine.”
“Well, I would be earning a lot for her at the auction so I’d have to up my normal asking price.”
“Fine,” I agreed.
“One thousand,” he stated.
“That’s quite a bit for such a small girl.”
“It’s the price. Take it now or show up on auction night.”
“When is the auction? I might need a few other girls.”
“Tomorrow night.”
“Fine. Here is the money.” I pulled out a few stacks of bills from my briefcase and handed them over, watching as he counted out the bills to equal one thousand.
Laruso looked at his guard. “Get the girl.”
I watched as the gruff man marched down the hallway and slammed open Shilah’s door. He emerged a moment later, dragging her by the hair. Her high-pitched cry echoed down the hallway. My heart shattered at the site, but I couldn’t show my emotion. Every ounce of me wanted to pummel the guy for laying his hands on this little girl. He pushed her in my direction.
“Stop crying,” I ordered, glaring at her. She whimpered and wiped her face.
I guided Shilah in front of me and pushed her along the steps, opening the door and letting her step out. The simple cotton dress was tattered and did nothing to keep her warm against the chill of the day. Her skin prickled as she wrapped her arms around herself, keeping her chin down and eyes on the ground. I couldn’t offer her warmth or comfort because that would show weakness. We weren’t done playing our parts yet.
“Do not say anything yet, Shilah. I will take you home, but we just have to pretend for a little longer.” She nodded and I led her toward the taxi. Perry’s eyes widened as he watched the small girl trail behind me.
“Do not ask questions you do not want answers to, Perry. Remember our agreement about trust.”
“Y-Yes, sir,” he stuttered and slid into the front seat. He kept eying Shilah in the rearview mirror as he drove through town, back to the beach house. I think he was shocked to see such a young girl come out of this. My resolution firmed itself; I knew he had to be involved, and that he’d get what was coming to him.
We arrived at the house and I pulled Shilah’s hand into mine, pulling her out of the cab behind me. She didn’t hesitate and stepped outside, moving a few feet away from the curb.
“Go wait on the porch. Do not run.” She obediently nodded shuffled across the grass. The wind blew against her skin as her eyes dart around, trying to determine if she should run. With resolution, I watched as her steps, although cautious, pushed her forward to the porch.
“Perry. Will you be available tomorrow night?”
“Yes, sir,” he answered but kept his eyes trained on Shilah.
“Good. Be here around seven.” I handed him a stack of bills and he glanced down at his hands in momentary shock.
“Yes, sir,” he said as he steeled his focus and turned away and back into the taxi, driving off. I immediately pulled out my cell and dialed Nicole at the office.
“Hello?” She answered.
“Nicole, it’s Davis. I have a girl here. I need you.”
“Where?” She said calmly but with a tone of seriousness and sadness in her voice. I could hear her springing to action and gathering her keys.
“At the beach house. Come alone.”
“Be there in ten minutes.”
I ended the call and slowly walked toward Shilah. She stepped away from me. The porch hit her small shoulders and her fists gripped her dress down past her knees as she closed her eyes and violently shook her head. I took in her stiffened muscles and sadness overtook me.
“Don’t worry. I will not touch you. I promise. Just let me open the door.” She glances up, still weary of me. She hesitates for a few moments and then sighs in resignation and timidly moves to the side. She peered at me through the curtain of her hair and I could see a mixture of hope and fear. I shoved the key into the lock and pushed the door open, stepping aside to allow her to enter ahead of me.
“I have a friend coming over. She’s going to take you back to your parents. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” She hesitates to make eye contact with me, and the look of confusion stretched across her brows. I can tell she is unsure of what is going to happen, or if she can trust me.
“Good girl. Would you like something to eat or drink?”
“Can I have some water, please?”
“Sure.” I moved into the kitchen and swung open the door to the fridge. My fingers clenched around a cold bottle of water, almost too tightly that it might have b
urst open. How long had it been since this young girl had fresh water? How long had she been kept on the brink of life, minimally cared for in order to keep her alive? I glanced over at her small frame, nearly skin and bones, and anger boils inside me once more. I forced myself to relax so as to not frighten her more. At least I was able to get her out. It was rare, but money talks.
“I’ll set it here for you,” I said as I placed it on the coffee table in front of her. Her eyes jumped to mine, full of questions. She glanced at the bottle of water and I watched as her small tongue darted out to wet her dry, cracked lips. She nervously reached for the bottle and brought it to her mouth, tipping it slowly. Her guarded eyes never left me, watching to see if I would snatch it from her tiny hands. I grimaced as I noticed the bruising around her throat in the shape of thick fingers. Fire raged through my bones and I wanted nothing more than to find her abuser and make him suffer.
“Thank you.” Her little voice quietly carried through the space.
“You’re welcome.” I strode to the kitchen, yanking a small towel from the cabinet above the sink and dampening it with warm water. I soaked it thoroughly before carrying it back to Shilah and offering it to her to clean the dirt from her face.
A few minutes later, Nicole walked in. Her eyes went wide and wet the moment she saw the girl.
“Hi. I’m Nicole.” She spoke softly, bending down on her haunches, bringing herself to the same level as the child as to not seem threatening in any way.
“I’m Shilah,” the girl said quietly.
Catching Nicole’s sight, I tilted my head in the direction of the kitchen, motioning for her to follow me. Nicole nodded, then gently caressed the girl’s knotted hair and stands to join me, moving fluidly through my space. Nicole stood in view of the doorway, as to keep an eye on Shilah. With every word I spoke, her face grew more somber, digesting the information. I knew how she felt.
No matter how many times we’ve heard the stories before, it always pierces through us every single case. Her face tightened as I pointed out the bruising around her neck. When she had all the information, she went over to Shilah and pulled her into her arms, stroking the girl’s hair. Shilah stiffened, but after a moment, she relaxed, letting tears fall down her face and soak Nicole’s blue shirt.
Nicole prolonged the emotional moment, but finally it was time to leave. She ushered the child out the door and into the waiting car. I watched out the window as the car disappeared around the corner. I squeezed my eyes shut against the images racing through my head, but I couldn’t turn them off. With a growl of frustration, I turn and use all my strength to plow my fist through the wall beside me.
“I don’t know if I can do this anymore.” Jared’s words rang out in my head as I stared wordlessly at the gaping hole in the sheet rock. I knew what he meant. I couldn’t either.
Chapter 5
Chapter 5
PRESENT DAY
(Unknown Location)
NOVA
My eyes were heavy as I came to, unsure how long I had been in darkness. My legs were throbbing with sharp pain and I reached down, fingertips brushing soft white medical wrapping covering each thigh. I pulled the blanket closer to me and tucked it under my chin as I tried to force myself back to the darkness once again.
Before I fell deeper into the abyss of nothing, my door was pushed open and in walked Demon. As I winced in fear, he grinned and moved to the foot of my bed.
“Are you done fighting?” He questioned me, crossing his thick hairy arms across his chest. All I could do was nod. As much as I was terrified of everything going on, at least I wasn’t dead, a state in which I now knew could be at any moment.
“Stand up. It’s time to get ready for the day.”
How I managed to push myself up onto my aching legs, I’ll never know. But somehow, faced with the choice of moving or being punished, I chose the lesser of two evils. He slid the rusty chains around my hands but left my feet free this time. He moved outside my chamber door and waited for me to follow and join the line of girls waiting to be led into the cold bathing room. As soon as all the girls were out, Demon turned and walked out the end of the hallway and led us through as we had done the day before.
We entered into the tiled room, its bright lights on, and were instructed to stand underneath the overhead showers. This time, no one fought or hesitated. We kept our eyes down and followed instructions. I instinctively moved closer to where Evie was standing.
She noticed my bandages and winced as they soaked through to my skin. We gripped our hands together and stood under the steady stream of water, helping each other rinse our hair and scrub the dirt from our bodies.
“I’m sorry, Nova.” She whispered as a tear slid down her face. I glanced up into her wet violet eyes and grimaced at the shame I knew she felt.
“It’s not your fault.” My fingers tightly grasped hers and I leaned into her for support.
“Yes. It is. If I hadn’t…”
I put my hand up to her lips to silence her. “No. Nothing you could have done could have ever predicted this.” Letting her see the sincerity in my eyes, I held her gaze until she understood.
She nodded and turned her back so I could scrub the dark stains marring her skin. She trembled under my fingers and I tried to soothe her as much as I could. This would be the only time I got to see her today.
“Thanks for asking the doctor to tell me you were okay last night. I was really worried.”
“I was hoping he’d be able to get to you. He didn’t try to touch me, Nova. I don’t think he is like the rest of them.”
“Maybe not, but he’s still working for them, knowing what’s happening here. It still makes him just as guilty.”
“I guess.” She sighed and shuffled out of the water stream. We pulled our simple cotton gowns over our heads, tying the straps on our shoulders for each other. The old woman walked in once again and handed out small sandwiches for each of us. We took them and ate them greedily. They didn’t feed us much food. Just enough to keep us from starving, I assume. They wouldn’t make any money if we were dead.
We shuffled back to our rooms, keeping our eyes glued to the floor in front of us. We each stood by our chamber doors, waiting for our keepers to let us back inside. Demon walked slowly down the hall. After letting Brooke into her room next to me, he turned and unlocked my door, pushing it open and waiting for me to shuffle inside.
“Hands.”
I lifted them up and waited for him to remove the chains. He did so, and I stayed silent as he stepped out the door, slamming it closed behind him and turning the lock. I don’t know how I found any more tears. My eyes were raw and couldn’t handle anymore, but in that moment alone before the first traitor of the day, I found myself resting on my mattress stifling sobs into my quilt. The door creaked open and in walked the doctor, his face dirty and worried.
“I’m just bringing you some clean bandages.” He held out a pack of sterile squares and waited for me to acknowledge that it was fine for him to approach. He bent down next to the mattress and peeled back the water-seeped bandages, taking a small cloth to dry the area. Afterward, he replaced them with the new dry strips and taped them in place.
“I’m sorry, Nova. I hate that this is happening.” He crumbled the dirty supplies in his hand and tossed them in the small trash can.
“You didn’t do this.” I watched him carefully as he stood back to position.
“I’m going to try and convince him to let you heal today. I’ll see what I can do.” Defeated, he turned and walked out the door. I had no idea if it would work, or if Demon would find a sliver of mercy inside of him, but I doubted it. There was nothing merciful about that man.
It wasn’t long until the bartering had started. I heard voices down the halls of men conversing back and forth. The girls didn’t make as much noise anymore. Everything was eerily silent and I feared that all of us had become lost and had surrendered to our fate. I know I had. There wasn’t an end.
Demon opened my door, glaring at me, waiting to see if I would fight, but I didn’t. I stood on my shaking legs and moved to the center of the room, as if I were preparing for sentencing, and Demon was the judge. Demon smirked and faced the silver-haired man next to him, his expensive suit evidence that he came from money. A few exchanged words and the pale-skinned man handed Demon a wad of bills and then stepped inside the room.
“My, you are a beautiful girl.” The man spoke gently. I couldn’t look into his face. I learned on the first day that I shouldn’t stare at the clients, so I set my eyes on a mark in the floor and let my blonde hair fall in a curtain around me. His shiny black shoes moved into my view at the floor and he moved around me fluidly, until he made a complete circle.
“Look up, angel.” I didn’t obey the command, fearing his reaction. He waited a few moments before growing impatient and fisted his hand in my hair, forcing my eyes upward.
“Do not force me to hurt you.” He spat in my face and then let go, rubbing his hand across his eyes. His breathing became labored and he removed his jacket, hanging it gently across the door handle.
I knew it was coming, the darkness. I waited in hopes it would take me soon. It didn’t disappoint me. He moved me to lay on my mattress. I didn’t fight this time, knowing that I couldn’t sustain any more injuries. I laid back and turned my face to the wall, closing my eyes, and started counting. One. Two. Three. Four…. and on until my mind flowed to another time, somewhere away from here.
* * *
FOUR YEARS AGO
TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Freshman Orientation
NOVA
I stepped into the stark white hallway of the dormitory building. The dark blue doors were spaced evenly apart every twenty feet down each side, and I counted the doors until I located the number matching my registration slip. Seventeen. I fumbled for my key and slipped it out of my purse, balancing a large pink sports bag on my shoulder. Stepping into the plainly furnished room, I smiled at the sight of the tall dark-haired girl dancing excitedly around the room as she unpacked boxes and listened to whatever upbeat music blared through the tiny white buds plugged into her ears.
Redemption (The Restoration Series Book 1) Page 5
