by K. M. Raya
Carter growls, taking a threatening step towards her, but Holden steps in his path, placing a palm on Carter’s chest. “What are you gonna do, man, hit her?”
“She wants to be our equal, I’ll treat her like our equal,” Carter snaps.
Holden pushes Carter back, and surprisingly, Carter doesn’t fight him. He just glares at Angel, but for some reason I don’t think it’s really out of anger. There’s a twinkle in his dark eyes that tells me it’s something else.
“Listen,’ she barks. “I know you think I’m a liar. I know you think I’ve been working for Papa all these months—working behind your back to secure Black Pharma, but just think about what you’re really accusing me of. Ask yourself if it makes any fucking sense. Haven’t we been through this already?”
“What the hell do you expect us to think, that this is all just an elaborate scheme to make you look like a double agent?”
“Yes! Fucking yes, you idiot!” she seethes. “I’m sorry but oh my god, you’re all acting like a bunch of rookies here. I’m telling you right now that I never lied to any of you. What happened back in Seaside was real… every bit of it. I ran away with you for real. I ran from my Papa, from the family business for real. I ran to be with the four of you—away from the mess we left behind.” Her eyes blaze with hurt and it makes my stomach clench. “And all it took to make you turn on me was a single word from my father of all people?” Her eyes shine with unshed tears. “How dare you!” We all flinch as she jerks her finger in our collective faces. Even Finley everts his eyes. “How fucking dare you accuse me of turning my back on you? You act like the life we made together never happened. You pretend like I want anything to do with the man who ruined my sister’s life, threatened my freedom and tortu—” she stops herself, but it’s too late, we all know what she was about to say.
I take a step towards her, but her eyes narrow at the gun still in my hands. I lower it behind me and place it on the chair I previously occupied. In the corner of my eye I see the guys lower theirs as well. There’s a sickening cramp in my chest as a realization crashes over me. Had we really held her at gunpoint? Our Angel?
“Back up, back up—who’s being tortured? Has someone been putting their hands on you?” There's more anger in my voice than I’d intended on letting out, but the mere thought of someone hurting my girl makes me want to burn this whole house down—which makes me a fucking dick because only seconds ago I had my gun on her myself.
Angel casts me a dubious look. “Oh, so now you give a shit?” Her dark eyes gleam with mirth.
“I said who’s been putting their fucking hands on you?” I repeat through gritted teeth, growing more and more irritated the longer she stands there with her hip cocked, frowning at me.
“You know what?” she asks, sauntering forward. I bite the inside of my cheek hard as her jasmine scent washes over me. The guys watch us warily, smart enough to shut their mouths for the time being. Holden’s eyes are soft as he watches Angel, only adding to his strange behavior. “I don’t think I owe you any kind of explanation. What I’m interested in is why you’re talking about Sofia. What do you know about my sister?”
From the concern in her voice, I immediately know she’s being sincere. She has no clue what’s going on right under her nose. As far as she’s concerned, Sofia was sold to a Russian mobster to be married, when in reality she’s been turned into a drugged-up stripper in some fucked up human trafficking business disguised as a Russian gentleman’s club.
“Let’s just sit and talk about this, okay? Just calm the fuck down.” Inwardly, I curse myself, and from the corner of my eye I see Fin smirk while he shakes his head in defeat. Something I should have learned a long time ago is to never, ever, tell a woman to calm down, because I can promise you the result will be the opposite.
Angel laughs, “Excuse the fuck out of me—” Here we go...
Angel
Did this asshole really just tell me to calm down? As if I’m the one keeping secrets in dark rooms, slinking though mobster clubs and pulling guns on people I love…
“Excuse the fuck out of me,” I snap. “Last time I checked, I’m not the one waving my gun around like an idiot. You’re stalling, so why don’t you just tell me what you know so I can get out of this room and far away from you.”
Captain flinches, but I don’t give a shit. They obviously don’t believe me, so why should I waste any more time begging them to? If my sister is somehow in trouble, I need to know now. Ellis stands, capturing my attention as he holds his phone out for me to take. I just stare at the thing with my heart pounding fast.
“Dude,” Fin says. “Maybe that’s not—”
I cut him off with a sharp look and he backs off with his hands raised in defeat. “What am I looking at?” I ask as I zoom in and turn up the volume.
The screen looks fuzzy and dark, but the glow of a red light casts shadows on the wall of what looks like a large open room. As the camera steadies, I can barely make out the shape of a person. They seem to be… twirling around or something. Low music thumps over the speakers.
I look at the guys with a frown. “You filmed the strip club?” My lips tip into a grossed-out snarl. “So that’s where you’ve decided to spend your time…”
“Would you just pay attention?” Ellis snaps, making me frown at him in confusion. My attention goes back to the screen. A light flicks on, illuminating what looks like a stage—bright enough for me to spot a woman with long black hair and pale skin, much like my own…
No. No fucking way!
“Please tell me that’s not—” I choke, unable to complete that sentence. I stare harder at the woman. Her cheekbones are sunken in and her familiar green eyes are haunted. She both does and doesn't look like the Sofia I knew, and I don’t know whether to scream or cry or maybe both.
Shoving the phone back to Ellis, I stagger back until my back slams against the wall. Sliding down, I can’t stop the shivers and shakes that wrack my body. A sob rips from my throat as I cry into my hands. I hate this. I hate this so much. I hate crying in front of the guys but seeing my sister like that is more than I can handle right now. “I thought—” I choke again. I thought she—”
A hand slides over my shoulder. “I know what you thought, baby girl,” whispers Finley. I’m glad it’s him because I don’t know if I could stomach touching one of the others right now. His arm comes around me, pulling me into his chest as another round of soul crushing sobs rip from my mouth. He just holds me as I heave while the others watch.
Finley rubs my back. “I’m so fucking sorry, Angel.”
“We were discussing what to do about it before you came in,” says Captain softly. His voice sounds different than it had only minutes ago. Somehow, he’s lost pretty much all of the anger he’d been bottling up before.
Looking up, I see nothing but longing and sadness there in his golden gaze. “We have to get her out of there,” I tell them.
Holden steps forward. “That’s the plan, little bird. We’ll get Sofia out of that place, but we are going to need your help to do it.”
I sniffle, wiping the tears from my cheeks. “If you thought I’d let you do it without me then you’re an even bigger fool than I thought,” I snap, and he flinches.
Frowning, I reach out, “I’m sorry—”
He just shakes his head. “It’s okay, baby.”
Ellis’ eyes bounce between the two of us in confusion. “Am I missing something here?”
Holden squares his shoulders. “I’ve been on her side for days now,” he admits. “I don’t believe she’s here on her own terms. Sal’s holding something over her head and forcing her to play along. The fact that the rest of you assholes haven’t caught on before now is fucking ridiculous.” The others glare at Holden with their arms crossed, but they don’t argue.
I stand, letting Finley’s arms fall back to his sides. I look to all of them, meeting each other their eyes head on. “No more bullshit. I didn’t lie to you. You either believe me
or you don’t,” I tell them without flinching. “Sal is holding my Mama hostage—he’s hurting her, and if I don’t do exactly as he says, he’s promised to cut off my hand and slit her throat with it while I watch…”
My words hang in the air as I stare them down. Their emotions range from disgust, to fury, to sorrow, and all the way to plain loathing. But this time I know the loathing isn’t meant for me. “Why didn’t you just tell us this before?” Cap asks through gritted teeth.
I shake my head. “Sal threatened Mama if I said anything, but with Sofia in danger and Mama locked up somewhere… I just can’t let it go on any longer. We need to get them both out of here and somewhere safe. I’m done playing Papa’s sick games.” Folding my arms across my chest, I widen my stance and set my chin. “Are you with me?”
They stare at me for a few long moments without saying a word, but each of their eyes glimmer with something that promises destruction. One by one my guys nod their head once, and for the first time in a long time, I feel something akin to… hope.
Angel
This past week has been torture. Pretending like I don’t know about Sofia is getting harder and harder, but I have to trust that the guys know what they’re doing. A part of me never wanted to see that video, but I’m glad now that I did.
All I really had to remember her by were the photos on my old cell phone, but when we’d escaped Seaside, I was forced to throw away my memories of that time in my life without a second thought. Memories of my sister were my security blanket for as far back as I can remember. This entire time I’d been under the impression that she’d been married off to a boss from Russia. Papa does a lot of business with the Russians, and so I had no choice but to hope she ended up making the best out of her impossible situation. Perhaps she even fell in love with the man…
But things like that don’t happen in real life. This isn’t some romance novel where the heroine falls in love with her captor, and my sister is no heroine… more like he’s strung out on heroin. Every night this week I’ve laid awake with images of her dancing on that pole in my mind. I’ve lost hours of sleep, and it’s beginning to take a toll on my mental state. My training has been lax, and I know Nic can tell that my heart just isn’t in it. Papa pays me no mind now that he managed to make his point the other night, but it’s only a matter of time until Nic mentions my laziness to him.
The guys have been sleuthing to get information on Dimas—the supposed gentleman’s club where my sister is being held captive. We’ve managed to trace funding all the way back to Black Pharma in Seaside, and we know for sure that the company has been steadily supplying Dimas with drugs to keep their girls docile. I loathe to imagine just how many innocent daughters are being held in that disgusting place. Again, I knew that Sal was in the drug trade business, because what mobster isn’t… but human trafficking? The moment I saw my sister’s green eyes on that screen, I stopped even trying to call him Papa. He’s Sal now. A stranger—a fucking inhuman monster.
After a week of waiting and listening, we finally have some good information. Cap had originally assumed that Sal never actually made appearances at Dimas given the condition of the nasty building, but he was very wrong. Apparently, he makes frequent visits, and knows damn well the condition Sofia has been kept in. Cap and El have tracked him there no less than three times in just one week—whatever he’s up to can’t mean anything good. As for me, the guys had to hold me back on more than one occasion. I’d wanted to follow him to the club and find out what he’s doing in there, but the guys convinced me to wait him out. Patience is key, even if it’s slowly driving me insane. For now, we have to wait until the timing is right...
✽✽✽
Salvatore stands at the head of the room with men all around him. They form a protective barrier around his massive body, shifting their eyes around the room while Sal does nothing but bark orders.
The lights are all off, save for a few spotlights, and it only enhances the dinginess of the club—if that’s what you could even call a place like Dimas. It looks more like we’ve broken into an old rundown casino, complete with stained carpeted flooring, fluorescent lighting and gaudy yellow walls that look a lot different when the lights turn color. It smells like cigar smoke and body odor, making me itch to over my nose and mouth, but I can't yet. I need to try my best to blend in with the other girls… which brings me to why I’m cringing right now as I pass the full-length mirror behind the shitty looking bar.
I’ve purposefully slathered on layers of cheap, nasty makeup, coating my face in foundation that’s about three shades too light, making me look grey and sallow. My eyes are caked in blues and purples, highlighting the bags beneath them—which I honestly can’t blame on the makeup completely; this whole ordeal has made me lose more than one night of sleep. I feel naked as I force myself to sway in my dark red lingerie. I chose the least revealing outfit I could find, but it still shows more skin than I’m comfortable with. My steps are slow, and the movement of my arms are lethargic and loose. Basically, I look like someone who’s been so pumped full of drugs that I couldn't tell you what year it is anymore. I look like my sister.
The other women don't even bat an eye at my sudden appearance, and that worries me the most. I saw the video on Cap’s phone and recognized Sofia right away. There was no mistaking her, but to these people, we probably would look identical. I’m hoping I can pull this off before Sal or Marco or even Nic notices that something's wrong. Holden was supposed to grab Sofia and get her somewhere safe, and I can only hope he’s managed to do that already. It could be really bad if somehow she manages to see and recognize me—too drugged up to know not to call out to me. My worry for my sister fuels every step I take in these ridiculous heels.
I keep an eye on Sal as I make my way through the shadows, trying my hardest to linger close enough and pick up small snippets of conversation… though my Russian has always been spotty. After Sofia was sold to those men, I took up the language but was never really able to soak it in. I can understand basic phrases and meanings, but the dialect is lost on me. Still, there’s no mistaking the fact that these monsters are discussing business. I hear the words— product, supply and auction, enough to know that we aren’t just talking about the drugs Black Pharma supplies Dimas with. As far as we can tell, Dimas sells women mostly—women and girls. It seems tonight is an auction night. Bile coats my throat.
The men are milling around in small groups, but most of them just hover somewhere in Sal’s vicinity. It makes me ill, knowing that he’s fully aware of Sofia’s presence in this club. How can a man call himself a man after something like this? How can he pass her in the halls or watch her on the stage without remembering the little girl she used to be—the little girl who used to sit on her Papa’s lap while he told her bedtime stories…
A tear almost breaks free, but I blink it away. That was a long time ago, and there’s no doubt in my mind that the drugs have burned all those memories right out of my sister’s brain. My heart aches for her. Slow music starts, and women start gyrating on the stage. Their movements are choppy, and the men just sneer at them in disgust. They aren’t even looking at them with lust the way men usually look at strippers. No, they're sizing them up like inanimate objects… because they're for sale… not for entertainment.
I’m scanning the room when a face catches my attention. It only lasts a second before they’re enveloped by shadows, but the lick of white-hot fear that travels up my spine makes my breath stall. No… it couldn’t be… Shaking my head, I try to focus. Sal starts to speak—gesturing for a few of the women to pass around an expensive bottle of scotch for a toast. I glance to my right, watching as Finley ducks out of the bar area and into the shadows of the back hallway. Ellis and Carter are over by the door, leaning against the wall and obscured in darkness while Captain hides even from my sight. I know each of my guys have their eyes on me as I weave my way in and out of the other dancers, trying my hardest to blend in and not call attention to myself.
I breathe a little easier, knowing he’s not about to say a word, though I have no idea why he’s covering for me. The guy’s been nothing but a raging dick to me since I got here, but I’m not going to question it any further. The music stops, and Salvatore begins speaking, but his words are all in Russian so I cannot make it out. The other men listen with rapt attention as he gestures proudly and smiles that sure smile that promises pain. They soak in his words, reveling in his power like he’s some sort of god, but I see right through him.
Today is the day of reckoning, Salvatore Valentino… I hope you’re ready.
Finley
It’s fascinating how one minute the world around you can be moving so very fast—mind-bogglingly so, and in just moments, it can all come to a grinding halt. That’s how it feels right now, as my mouth parts in a silent scream that I luckily stifle. I expected this… I caused this.
One by one, the hulking men around us drop like flies, choking, gagging and spitting up blood with their hands clutched to their throats. Glass shatters. Many faces turn blue, while others turn a scarlet red before giving way to a sickening purple. They stagger and crawl, crying out for help, but there’s no hope for any of them. My hands shake and my brow is coated in a fine sheen of sweat as chaos unfolds. My eyes bounce around the room, seeking out the few specific faces that mean anything to me at all. My brother, Ellis, is blocking the back door, standing beneath the exit sign with his weapon drawn. Men halfheartedly tug on Carter’s pant legs as they scramble to escape, but he just kicks them away like annoying little rodents. Some die at his feet, others lay defeated in a pool of their own blood and vomit.