After Zell and I finished our sandwiches, Jackie let Zell sleep in her bed. It was getting close to dawn, and I wanted to keep driving, but I knew Zell was tired. I was exhausted too. I didn't know where we would go, but I had a few hundred dollars on me to get us through a few days. I could never use my cell phone again. I knew how to track my father's phone, and he could just as easily track mine if I turned it back on. If he didn't, he would get someone to help him.
"There's a spot down the road where you can hide the van behind some trees. If we hear a car coming, you and Zell can slip out and run into the woods until you get back to your van. That way, she can sleep longer, and you can get some rest too," Jackie suggested.
That sounded like a solid idea. I didn't fully trust her, but I didn't see any way for her to contact my father, and I'd even checked the bedroom when Zell went in there to sleep. I had to be smart because she said she was in love with him, and I didn't know whose side she was on.
"That's okay. We really need to leave soon."
"Where are you going to go?"
I shrugged from the chair I was sitting in. "Not sure yet."
"Do you have money to stay on the run?" she asked from the loveseat across from me.
"I have some." I had more in the bank, but I knew that could be traced. If I had known tonight would go down as it did, I would have gone to the bank this morning and withdrawn every penny I had.
We were silent for several minutes until she spoke again. "For the first few years, I thought of several plans on how to escape and get my daughter back."
"Why didn't you?"
Jackie looked at the wall next to me, not meeting my stare. "Because your father knew what he was doing by bringing me out here. I don't even know how far it is to the main road."
"Have you tried walking to it?" I questioned. It was a long way, but if I wanted to escape from someone, I would walk for hours until I found help.
"When he stopped having men watch me, I was already dependent on him. I thought about running, but then I wasn't sure if I could survive on my own. I had no money, I'd run out of food in a few days because there was only so much I could carry, and honestly, I had no one else. My husband was dead, my daughter was given to someone else, and your father seemed to really care for me. It started to become the only life I knew. Everything happened for a reason, and we were meant to be."
"And now?" I questioned.
She drew her head back slightly. "What do you mean now?"
I waved my hand in the direction of where Zell was sleeping. "Your daughter is in the next room, and we have a van. Do you want to come with us?"
Jackie tilted her head to the side. "I… What if he finds us?"
"Then"—I shrugged—"he'll probably kill Zell to punish me." My father was about having the upper hand. If he found us, I didn't think he would kill his own son even though I betrayed him. He would kill the only person I cared about to make me suffer.
It was at that moment that I saw something cross on her face. "What?" I asked.
Jackie blinked and shook her head, trying to clear it. "It's just I didn't think this moment would ever happen. I've loved my daughter since the second I found out I was pregnant, and now the thought of Frank taking the life of another person I love …" She paused. "It changes everything."
"Well, come with us. We can make our way to California. Along the way we can get jobs at truck stops or something for a few weeks until we have enough to keep going," I suggested.
"You think that would work?"
"I don't have any other plan."
We were quiet again for several minutes until she asked, "Do you love Zell?"
I balked, not expecting that question. I cared deeply for Zell and would do anything for her—clearly—but I didn't know if that was love. "Kinda hard to know what love is when you've never had it in your life before."
"You've never been in love?" I shook my head. "Your mother has to love you, right?"
I shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I don't remember ever getting hugs or kisses from either of my parents. I was raised by our housekeeper, Maggie, and my mother left about a month ago without saying goodbye."
"She left?"
I nodded. "Our doorman told my dad that she got into a taxi on her own, and that was the last time she was seen around our building."
"Wow. Strong lady."
"Yeah, but she could have told me."
Jackie blew out a breath. "In the beginning, I was strong. At least, I thought I was. I always wished for a sign or something to happen for me to get out of here, but then the weeks turned into months and then years, and I started to depend on your father to survive. I respect your mother for getting out."
"You can leave. You have no guards," I reminded her.
"It's not that easy," Jackie argued.
"Why not?"
"Where would I go? I have no money."
"I don't know, but there has to be something the feds would do for you if you went to them and told them you were being held captive for eighteen years."
"Honestly, I'm scared to leave."
"If you don't want to go with us, just know that the road out front does lead to the main road. It's long—not sure how far—but it's doable."
The bedroom door opened, and Zell walked out. She smiled tightly. "I can't sleep."
I reached out my arm for her to come to me and then spun her so she was sitting on my lap. She pulled her long blonde hair over her shoulder to move it out of the way, and Jackie smiled as though she knew a secret. Maybe she could see that I cared a lot about her daughter. Maybe that was love.
"What were you talking about?" Zell asked.
"My mother," I replied. I wasn't going to mention the L-word.
"She's still missing?"
"Not sure we can call it that since she left on her own."
"Where do you think she went?" Jackie asked.
I lifted a shoulder. "I honestly have no clue. She doesn't have friends that I know of."
"Your father held her captive too?"
I started to shake my head to answer no, but then I stopped. Was she held captive too? My mother was always at the apartment no matter what time of day I came or went. There were times she went out to dinner with us, or to my baseball games when I was a kid, but my father was always there too. I'd assumed that was them being parents. Was I blind to everything my entire life? "You know, I don't know."
"He never really mentioned your mother when he would visit me, but he had to trust her enough to leave," Jackie said.
"Maybe because of money. Everything comes down to money, and he probably gave her none."
"He sounds like a horrible man," Zell stated as she lay her head on my shoulder.
"The worst," I agreed.
"If you leave," Jackie spoke, "who will stop him?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"He'll still sell women, and he'll still come to see me."
"Unless you come with us."
"I don't think I want to find out what he'd do to us if he ever found us," she argued.
"So, you're saying we need to stop him?" I questioned.
Jackie nodded. "I think that's the only way all of us will ever be free of him."
"Then what do we do?"
"I don't know," she replied.
"The only thing I've ever thought of was burning the warehouse down."
"What about the girls in there?" Zell asked.
I thought for a moment. "They'll be moved to my father's club for the auction."
"When is there an auction?" Jackie inquired.
"Later today."
"Then you need to do it today."
I balked. "You think we should go back today?"
"Do you know when other auctions are?" she asked.
"At least once a month."
"But you don't know what day?"
"No." I shook my head.
"Then it needs to be today."
"What will happen to the women when you bur
n the warehouse down?" Zell asked.
"Well, they will still be sold, but at least he won't have a place to hold new ones for a while." With my luck, my father had another place to store women, and burning the warehouse down wouldn't do much. If anything, it would only be temporary. I knew that.
"We have to save them," Zell argued.
"And how do you suggest we do that?" I questioned.
She shrugged. "I don't know."
"They're transported by a van or truck, right?" Jackie asked. "Something that can hold all of them?"
I nodded.
"What if you stop the truck?"
I chuckled. "How the fuck do I do that? This isn't some action movie."
The women didn't have an answer, but the longer I sat there with Zell on my lap, the more I knew I had to somehow try to save them now. Jackie was right. I didn't know when another auction would be, but I could at least stop more girls from being picked up for a while.
"What if," I spoke, an idea coming to me, "I set the fire, and you two rescue the girls. You can be at the club and hijack the truck. You can drive, right?" I asked Jackie.
"I can drive, but I can't go with you," she clarified.
"And why not?"
"I'll just be in the way. I haven't been in civilization in almost two decades. I don't want to screw anything up."
"I haven't been in civilization either," Zell stated. "Five years ago, I was still allowed to feed the ducks once a week, but even then, I wasn't allowed to talk to anyone."
"What do you mean?" she questioned.
"That lady who pretended to be Zell's mother is a horrible person," I said. "She's kept Zell locked in the penthouse and forced her to clean the sex rooms."
"I had no idea." Jackie frowned.
"Yeah, they both need to be stopped," I stated.
"I think you're the only one who can," Jackie replied.
"And me," Zell said. "I want to help."
I smiled at my girl as I ran my hand down her long mane. "I do need help, but your hair will probably get in the way."
"I'll cut it."
I blinked. "You want to cut your hair?"
She shrugged. "Yeah? It will grow back, right?"
"Over time, yeah, but are you sure you want to cut your hair, princess? It's a big change."
Zell nodded. "It's always getting in the way."
"I can do it," Jackie offered.
"Really?" Zell asked.
"It's been a while since I cut someone's hair other than trimming mine, but I think I can do it."
"Okay." Zell beamed.
"I can't believe we're going to take down my father." I sighed.
Jackie looked at me. "Yeah, but think of people's faces when they find out Frank's own son did it."
I felt like a new person.
Jackie cut my hair, but it wasn't a trim like Tifarah had done for the last few years. Jackie cut it all the way to my shoulders. She also gave me a pair of jeans and a sweater to wear since I had no other clothes.
"Well?" she asked.
"It's … different."
"Yeah. Cutting a lot off is almost life-changing. Do you like it, though?"
"I think so."
She smiled at me through the reflection of the mirror. "It will grow on you, or at least grow out over time."
"Good to know." I grinned.
I was excited to show Frankie, but when we walked out of the bathroom, he was sleeping on the small couch. We were supposed to go back to the city after Jackie cut my hair because the auction was starting soon, but I knew he was tired.
"Should I wake him?" I asked.
"Let me make some coffee, and then you can."
"Okay." I followed her a few steps to her kitchen. I'd never seen such a small house before, but it was warm, and I felt as though I finally belonged in a place. It was weird because the house was all I knew, but being here just felt right. Maybe it was because I saw myself in Jackie, and I knew she really was my real mother. I never saw myself in Madam, and I finally knew why.
"Do you want anything to eat? I can make breakfast."
"Sure."
"Pancakes?"
"I love pancakes." I beamed.
"Me too."
She grabbed a box from a cabinet and then set out to make the batter after turning the coffee pot on. "What's your favorite food?"
I thought for a moment as I watched her mix water and eggs into the batter. "I'm not sure. I eat a lot of sandwiches, but I don't think they're my favorite."
"I eat a lot of sandwiches too, but only because it's just me."
"We have a chef, but he only cooks for Madam."
Jackie frowned. "I hate that you live in that place. I thought you'd have a better life living on the Upper East Side."
"It's not that bad. I mean, the girls are really nice to me."
"That's good, but I really hate that you've lived your life in a brothel. That's no place for a child."
I shrugged. "I didn't know it was a brothel until a few years ago." As she poured the batter onto a hot skillet, I asked, "Will you tell me about my father?" I'd always wanted to know about him but never asked Madam because I was scared of her.
Jackie drew her head back slightly. "Oh, um … sure." She poured more batter into the pan. "He was a good man. He obviously got mixed up with Frank and his drugs, but Russ was always good to me. We met at a Fourth of July party, got married six months later, and then I got pregnant with you within the year. He wanted to provide for his family, and I thought he worked for a food company and made deliveries for them, but instead, he was selling drugs for Frank and pocketing the money. I don't think he realized how dangerous Frank was because Russ always wanted to see the good in people. That's what I loved about him. When we found out that our little family was growing, he just wanted to make sure we both had everything we needed. The night Frank killed him, Russ was only trying to make me happy. I was craving banana pudding, and he'd do anything for me, even go out in the snow with his eight-month pregnant wife so she could get pudding and her exercise."
"I'm sorry Mr. Russo killed him," I stated as though it was my fault.
Jackie sighed and flipped a pancake. "Me too. I was angry for many years about everything, but I also think that I was meant to be there."
"Why?" I questioned.
"I can't imagine the guilt I would have felt for all these years if he had gone out for pudding alone and never returned home."
"But it was Mr. Russo that killed him," I argued.
"Yes, but Frank killed him because your father was stealing from him. I would have never known that, and I'm positive I wouldn't know anything to this day." I could see her point. "Of course, on the other hand, you wouldn't have been taken from me and lived in a brothel with that bitch for your entire life."
"It really hasn't been that bad," I admitted. "Until …"
"Until you ran away and were raped?"
I nodded. "But that was my own fault—"
"Bullshit!" she boomed, and then lowered her voice. "No woman deserves to be violated like that."
"Mr. Russo raped you, right?" I questioned. "Before you fell in love with him."
Jackie took the pancakes off the pan and put them onto a plate. She sighed. "Yes, he did in the beginning. Now I miss him when he's not here."
"Why?"
She grabbed the syrup and butter then handed me the plate of pancakes. "It's hard to explain. He's the only other person I've seen and had physical contact with in fifteen years."
"Still not the life anyone should live," Frankie stated as he sat up. "And I'm fucking going to change it."
"What?" I asked as Frankie drove down the dirt road we'd come in on. We had just left Jackie, promising her that we would be back once everything was taken care of. We didn't know how long that would be, but I hoped soon because I wanted to get to know her better. I wanted us both to be free to live our lives.
"You look older," he stated.
"Older?"
"I mean, with
your haircut. You look like you're in your twenties or something."
"Is that a bad thing?"
He shook his head. "No, not at all. Just need to get used to it."
"Me too."
He reached across to my seat and squeezed my knee. "How does it feel meeting your real mother?"
I blew out a long breath. "It seems to all make sense now."
"You mean about Madam?"
I nodded. "Even though I was told she was my mother, she never acted like one. And our hair and eye color are the complete opposite."
"Yeah. I mean, I don't know how it all works with genetics, but you don't look like Madam at all."
"Do you think I look like Jackie?"
"Hell yeah, you two look a lot alike."
"I wonder what my father looked like," I stated.
Frankie thought for a moment. "Maybe once this is all over with, we can find your real family."
"Like who?"
"Your grandparents? We'll take Jackie back to her family, which is your family too, and maybe someone will have a picture of your father."
"I'd like that." I beamed.
"First, we need to take care of my father."
"Do you think this plan will work?"
He shrugged. "I hope so."
"What if he just starts keeping girls at another place?"
"I don't know." Frankie sighed. "Hopefully, with the fire, there will be some sort of investigation, and maybe they will find out who my father really is."
"Didn't you say he has cops on his payroll?" I questioned.
"Yeah, but I don't think he has the entire NYPD on it."
I thought for a moment. "What about my friends? We need to save them too."
"I know, but we can think of a plan for that later. Right now, we need my father to be off his game. That way, he won't realize what's hit him."
"Won't he just start over?"
"Maybe."
"What if he comes after you for doing this to him?" I asked.
“Hopefully, we'll be long gone. After we rescue the girls, I'm going to withdraw all my money from my bank account."
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