The Girls They Lost

by J H Leigh

  I curled my fingers around the tiny bit of cheap metal and held it to my heart. I wasn’t religious or superstitious but I swore I felt Tana’s hand on my shoulder as I fought the sob that burned in my chest.

  In the craziest way, this necklace represented me.

  I would survive against horrific odds, clamp my teeth around Madame Moirai’s neck and bring that bitch down — along with every single motherfucker associated with The Avalon.

  I’d walked into this place a victim.

  I was leaving a predator.

  Excited for the final book in The Auction trilogy? Enjoy an excerpt from THE GIRLS THEY FEAR coming out soon!

  “Don’t get tangled up with Badger, he’s bad news,” Dylan warned with a dark scowl after I’d clicked off. “Trust me. He’s like a cancer. He’ll eat you up until there’s nothing good left in you.”

  “I can take care of myself. Besides, we need the money, right?” I asked, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. “I’m supposed to meet him in the back room at the club. Any tips?”

  “Yeah, don’t fucking go,” Dylan answered. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Ever since we left the auction house you’ve been different. It’s like someone plucked the sense right out of your head. You’re the sane one, remember? I’m the irrational fuck-up. Let’s keep it that way.”

  I shrugged, saying, “I call it an improvement,” She was right. I did feel different because I was different. Facing the auction house, reveling in its burnt husk, knowing I’d brought it down, poured steel courage down my spine. I wasn’t afraid anymore. My fingers found the tiny cross hanging from my neck. “If you want to come along and give me some pointers, that’d be great. Otherwise, cover for me with Hicks.”

  “That’s a turn of events, me lying for you. I don’t like it.”

  “Life sucks. You coming?”

  “You’re a dick. Of course, I’m coming. If I don’t go, you’ll end up getting killed. The streets are rough, especially where Badger runs his business.” She slung her backpack over her shoulder, resigned but still pissed. “You owe me.”

  “You’re coming on your own. Don’t slow me down.” Then, we climbed out the fire escape. Hicks was passed out on the couch from the bottle of Jack he’d started slugging back around three that afternoon. Likely, he was out until tomorrow morning, which worked perfectly.

  Badger said the job would only take a few hours. With a little luck, we’d be done and back before Hicks noticed we were gone.

  But even if we weren’t, Hicks wasn’t our dad and he really didn’t try to be, thank god.

  That was the benefit of staying with a disgraced ex-cop turned private detective with demons he couldn’t quite slay — he had no room to judge. Kerri was the one who would try to put her foot down but she wasn’t here so I didn’t have to worry about her.

  We stepped into the night, wearing our wigs and hoodies, careful to avoid any CCTV and melting into the shadows. We’d become experts at hiding our faces and avoiding eye contact with anyone.

  The thing was, most people didn’t want to notice us. We just took advantage of people’s discomfort.

  We were the throwaway kids, the ones that society had failed, the ones that Madame Moirai had considered easy pickings.

  Maybe at one time we had been.

  Not anymore.

  Kerri was chasing down leads on the mortuary that’d handled Nova’s burial and Hicks was researching the title ownership of the auction house in Esterdell, trying to nail down who actually represented Avalon Incorporated so that left me and Dylan pretty much twiddling our thumbs and playing way too much solitaire.

  I couldn’t handle that much downtime. Not anymore.

  Badger was dangerous as fuck and unpredictable but I looked forward to the change of pace. I needed the adrenaline to power my blood to keep me going. At night I dreamed of finding Madame Moirai and stabbing a knife through her black heart but because we didn’t know who she was, the person in my dream was like a faceless phantom that kept drifting out of reach.

  I always woke angry and frustrated.

  That was my current frame of mind — driven and full of rage.

  Seemed appropriate given our circumstances.

  I turned my grief into something more useful; my fear into fuel.

  And Badger, for all his many faults, served a purpose.

  If I was running for Badger, I’d have a certain level of protection throughout the city, in the underground, and being a part of the shadows enabled me to listen without being seen.

  It didn’t matter to me that what I was doing was illegal.

  That ship had sailed a long time ago.

  All that mattered now? Vengeance.

  And nothing would get in my way.

  About the Author

  J.H. Leigh is a pseudonym of USA TODAY bestselling author Alexx Andria. She enjoys writing about angsty, emotional stories with deep personal impact. You can find her on social media for more information about her books.

  “Books are magic.”