Hold Me

by Talia Ellison

  “Whatever I say, don’t move or react,” he whispers. “My client... Lilith... She claims she and Isaac made a deal to get evidence against Raphael. She’s working with the cops.” Caleb can feel Jade’s whole body tensing. “She says she can save Isaac.”

  Jade moves only slightly, closing her eyes and pretending to rest on Caleb’s shoulder. When she speaks, her voice is so quiet Caleb has to strain his ears to hear it. “Are you crazy? She’s lying. It’s Raphael’s doing. Please tell me you didn’t agree.”

  Caleb sighs. “I... I don’t know what to do anymore. We can’t live like this forever. He’s going to take everything from us. Heather, Isaac... Maybe it’s worth the risk.”

  “Worth the risk?” Jade hisses. “Do you think Helen’s sons and Amber’s daughter deserve to pay for our mistakes? They and many others are living happy lives, unaware of any of this. If Raphael discovers you agreed to work against him, what do you think he’ll do? I know our lives are lost forever, and I’m not afraid to die, but others have families and children... I can’t... Remember what happened to Heather? I don’t want to ruin anyone else’s life. And even if we do get free? Then what? We’ll end up as street...” She goes quiet as one of the guards approaches and positions himself right behind the couch where Caleb and Jade are sitting.

  No matter how much Caleb tries to focus on the TV screen in front of him, the actors’ faces melt away and he sees Heather in front of him.

  Caleb screams as Raphael’s guards bind Heather to the table in the middle of the room. He yanks at the chains that are keeping him tied to the ceiling, his toes barely touching the ground, but he ignores the pain in his sore muscles.

  Heather’s eyes are calm as she looks up at him. Caleb curses himself for being so stupid. It’s his fault they’ve gotten caught. He should have been more careful. He should’ve protected her and now...

  Pain slices through his back, making him cry out, and he can feel his warm blood trickling down his back. Heather loses her composure and her eyes fill with tears.

  “Heather, I love you,” he yells as another strike bites into his back.

  “That’s so sweet,” Raphael mocks and comes to stand in front of Caleb with a bloody whip in his hand. “But you should’ve thought about that before you did something as stupid as running away. You should’ve known I’d find you no matter where you went.”

  “Do whatever you want with me, but let her go,” Caleb pleads, and a wicked smile crosses Raphael’s lips.

  “You don’t tell me what to do, slave.” He grips Caleb’s chin. “Your offense is serious and you both have to be punished. I won’t have it any other way.”

  “I’m begging you. Please... It wasn’t her fault. It was my idea.” Caleb doesn’t know what else to say.

  “Go on, Simon.” Raphael lets go of Caleb and turns toward the guard, who pulls out a knife and cuts through Heather’s clothes.

  “You see, Caleb, I found a perfect punishment for the two of you,” Raphael says. “My men will have some fun with your love and then you’ll watch her die. How does that sound to you?”

  “No! Please!” Caleb rattles the chains as hard as he can, but he can’t reach Raphael. “Take me! Spare her, and take me.”

  “Nonsense.” Raphael slaps the whip lightly against his leg. “I’ve considered killing you, believe me, but it’s much harder to find a man with your face and skills. She’s pretty, but any girl can replace her.”

  “No!” Caleb fights against his chains, but all that does is cut through the tender skin of his wrists.

  “Gag him, and make sure he watches every second so he knows what he’s done,” Raphael says and goes for the door.

  Caleb blinks back to reality, his arm tightly wrapped around Jade, the guard still hovering above them. The constantly existing threat that what happened to Heather could occur again with Isaac and Jade has been the only thing keeping him going.

  And by agreeing to do as Lilith says, maybe he’s made another terrible mistake that could cost everyone their lives. But if he doesn’t do something, nothing will change. Raphael will get angry at all of them eventually, or just get bored of them. They will grow old and then what? What about the others and their families? Sooner or later someone will make a mistake. Only death awaits them anyway. And even if only one of them gets free, it will be worth it.

  Closing his eyes and tightening his hold on Jade, Caleb hopes that Lilith isn’t trying to trick him and that at least Isaac will get a chance for a better life.

  “Kat, hi,” I say quickly as soon as Katherine answers her phone.

  “Hey, what’s going on?” she says, her voice drowsy. “You sound... nervous.”

  “Are you home? I need to talk to you. It’s urgent, but you don’t have to worry. It’s something about my family... I don’t want to discuss it over the phone.” I’m afraid that Raphael has found a way to listen in on my calls, so I have to take all precautions because one mistake could ruin everything. “Can I come over?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Thanks.” I quickly end the call.

  It takes me only six minutes to reach Katherine’s apartment, and as soon as she opens the door, I slip inside.

  “I really hate that I have to ask this, but you’re my only hope. I don’t want to call Alessandra because she’ll be suspicious and then things could happen...”

  “Whoa, slow down. What are you talking about? Wait, don’t tell me you got deeper into that shit with Caleb and...”

  “I have to do something.” I wave my hands. “One of Caleb’s friends agreed to help me. Raphael doesn’t know, but he decided to sell him on some auction. And now I have to get him somehow, but I...”

  Katherine frowns, scratching her ear. “Tomorrow. They’ll sell him tomorrow.”

  “How do you know?” I ask in surprise.

  She shakes her head. “Let’s just say it was of interest to me after... well, doesn’t really matter. Just trust me on this.”

  “Okay, so do you know where they’ll sell him? Is there like an auction place or something?”

  “Yeah, but the location changes all the time. I can figure it out, though. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of this for you,” she says determinedly.

  “What? No, I won’t put you through that.” If Katherine was at one of those auctions after she was kidnapped, I don’t even want to imagine what walking into a similar place would feel like for her.

  “I can handle it.” She gives me a reassuring smile. “And there’s nothing you can say or do to change my mind. I know more about how those things work than you do. Besides, Raphael knows you. Just tell me who I’m supposed to get.”

  I want to argue, but I know it’s useless. Katherine will never reveal the location or the time of the auction to me. “Um, his name is Isaac. Dark hair, blue eyes. Scars on his back. Raphael’s tattoo.”

  “Okay, I’ll get him.”

  “Are you sure they’ll let you in? If they know about you...”

  She raises her finger to shush me. “Not a word. I know what I’m doing.”

  “Okay. Just call me when you...” I take a deep breath.

  “I will.” She places her hand on my shoulder. “Will you now tell me what exactly you’re planning to do?”

  “Yeah.” I let her lead me to the living room, and then I tell her everything.

  My whole body feels itchy, and I keep switching between the TV channels while constantly checking my new phone like an idiot. There’s absolutely nothing that can keep my attention. I got a new number just for Katherine, in case Raphael really is listening in on my regular line.

  The smell of burnt food comes from the kitchen and I realize I’ve forgotten about it. I run toward the stove, but my fries are almost completely black. I sigh, turning off the stove. As I take a glass of water, which does nothing to calm my jittery stomach, I hear my phone ringing. I rush back to the living room and snatch the phone. Katherine’s number is flashing on the screen.

  “Hello?” I say in a shak
y voice, and there’s a brief silence on the other end of the line. The part of my mind that has seen way too many movies can already picture Katherine’s kidnapper heavily breathing on the phone.

  “I’ve got him,” Kat says, and I sink to the floor so relieved that I could cry.

  “You do?” I ask just to make sure I heard right.

  “Yeah, but can you figure out real quick what you’re going to do with him? Because he’s insufferable.” She groans. “He thinks I’m his new master or something.”

  “Can I talk to him?” I just want to tell him everything is all right and that Kat won’t hurt him. He knows me and he’s more likely to believe me.

  “Um...” Katherine hesitates. “Not right now. He’s out.”

  “What? Did you give him something?”

  “Just the mandatory pills. I assume he took something before that too. Don’t worry. He’ll wake up,” she says cheerfully.

  “Mandatory pills?” I don’t even know what’s that supposed to mean, but I’ve got used to that feeling already.

  “Yeah, how do you think people transfer unwilling slaves to where they want them?”

  “Right.” The whole idea of buying and selling another human being like that turns my stomach upside down. “Just take care of him, okay?”

  “I’ll do my best. I don’t have a dungeon, though, so I really hope he’ll be smart enough not to try to escape.”

  “I promise I’ll call Caleb tomorrow and then he can talk to Isaac, and we can figure this out.”

  “Sure,” she says, but doesn’t sound too happy.

  The first thing I do when Caleb comes is hand him the phone. Even though Lloyd has found a safe line for me that the cops could monitor, I refused his offer and got a burner. I don’t want to give Caleb reasons not to trust me, and I don’t think he’d ever agree to talk to Isaac if the cops can listen.

  “What...?” He just stares at me, his eyebrows squishing together.

  “Answer it,” I say, giving him an encouraging smile.

  He lifts the phone to his ear and tentatively says, “Hello?” His mouth goes slack. “Isaac?” he asks incredulously, then quickly says something I can’t understand.

  I go farther down the hallway so he can have some privacy because I don’t want to intrude on his conversation.

  “Yeah, it’s me,” Isaac says, and relief overcomes Caleb so strongly that he nearly stumbles.

  “Are you okay? Where are you?” Caleb keeps his voice down as Lilith leaves toward the living room. He’s not exactly sure what is going on, but he desperately wants to believe that Lilith hasn’t lied to him and that this won’t turn out to be just a cruel trick.

  “You won’t believe this, but yeah, I am. Lilith’s friend... Katherine... I’m at her place.”

  “How did she get you out?” Caleb frowns.

  “She bought me.”

  “She what?”

  “How else do you think she’d get me out of the auction room?” Isaac’s voice is tense.

  “And you trust her?”

  “Not yet, but I trust your Lilith. She’ll help you. I know it.”

  Caleb clutches the phone. “Are you sure? Because if this is a game and we...”

  “I put a camera right underneath that strange black statue Raphael has that looks like a humanoid octopus. If he hasn’t seen it, you can get it. If you give it to Lilith, that’s our best shot at taking Raphael down, even if it kills us all. If we don’t do anything, he’ll just kill off everyone eventually. We’re just prolonging our misery.”

  “And if we get caught and get someone’s families and children killed? Or worse, if they’re taken to fill in our places?”

  “We have to take that risk. If things stay as they are, it’ll only get worse for everyone.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Isaac says. “I’ve got to go now. Don’t forget to take your good luck hat.”

  “Okay. Take care of yourself.” Caleb’s lips tilt into a smile. Isaac has just assured him he hasn’t been forced to say what he doesn’t want to. Maybe things are finally looking up for all of them, or maybe not.

  A couple of minutes later, Caleb comes into the living room and hands me back the phone.

  “Thank you,” he says, and takes a seat next to me, his eyes sparkling. “I’ll get the footage, but I’ll need at least a week. Isaac told me where the camera is. It shouldn’t be that difficult to get it. I just can’t promise it’ll still be there. But there’s one thing I know I can do for you. I’ll destroy the video of you that I took.”

  “No,” I say. “If Raphael finds out, he’ll be suspicious. Leave the video. I’ll deal with that later, okay?”

  He frowns, but finally nods. His hand ends up on my leg, and his dark eyes bore into mine. “Maybe I can...”

  “No.” I cover his hand with my own to stop him from sliding it up my leg. “No sex.”

  “Okay.” His shoulders slump, but I don’t want him to have sex with me because he thinks he owes me.

  “Next time we see each other... would you mind if I bring my cop friend over? There’s an entrance into the building that not many people know about... Whoever is keeping an eye on you and waiting outside won’t see him.”

  “I know I told you if you saved Isaac, I’d do anything you want. You saved him, so...” he says. “But Raphael probably knows everything about you and your friend. Someone at the station is probably watching his every move. If they see him coming while I’m with you... We can’t risk that.”

  “Fine. I won’t tell him to come. I usually visit him at the station so it won’t be suspicious when I go deliver the video...”

  “No,” he says, his eyes wide. “You can’t. They’ll know it was you. Promise me you’ll be careful.”

  He’s right. I can’t be contacting Lloyd all the time or hand him over the video directly. “Yeah, I promise.” I squeeze his hand lightly. “Is there anything you want to talk about?”

  He shrugs. “I don’t know.”

  “Okay.” I don’t want to push him. “But if there’s anything you can tell me about Raphael...”

  “Yeah.” He pulls his hand out from under mine. “If something happens to me before we can meet again, talk to Jade.”

  I nod. I don’t even want to think that something could happen to him. We’re so close to victory. All we need is to make sure Raphael doesn’t find a way to escape or figures out our moves before we make them.

  There just has to be enough evidence that can’t be refuted. It shouldn’t be this hard to prove what Raphael is doing, but he has connections everywhere. He’s probably been building them for years. I could totally see him washing his hands of the whole thing by saying he’s merely a pimp or placing the blame on someone else.

  “How long have you been with Raphael?” I ask.

  He looks down at his hands. “Six years, I think.”

  “Six years?” I gape at him. My mind is spinning. I can’t even begin to imagine living like that for so long.

  “Yeah, I pretty much lost every hope of ever getting out.”

  I take his hands and wait until his eyes meet mine. “You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known.”

  He snorts. “No, I’m weak. I couldn’t stop it. Couldn’t stop anyone from doing whatever they wanted to me or anyone else. I couldn’t stop Raphael from...” He bites down on his lip.

  “No, that’s not weakness. You’re a survivor. You did what you had to, to stay alive.”

  “But she’s dead. Because I was stupid.” Tears cloud his eyes, and I swallow hard, pulling him closer to me until his head rests on my lap.

  “Heather?” I ask cautiously. “Raphael killed her?”

  He nods. “It was a few years ago. We were young and stupid, and thought we could get away. Raphael put us together when we were just beginning to truly work for him and... we fell in love. Then Heather’s sister got sick and died, and Heather was just... She couldn’t take it anymore... Since things were goin
g fine for Raphael and the guards didn’t have much work to do, they got sloppy. I saw that as an opportunity.”

  “So you decided to use it?”

  “Yeah. Everyone agreed to help us... well, after a lot of begging and convincing. We found a five-minute window between the shifts, slipped out into the night, and ran... The plan was to get to a police station in another town where Raphael doesn’t have any influence... We didn’t dare hitchhike, so we had to get the money for food and bus tickets. On rare occasions we get tips from clients, but Raphael usually finds out and doesn’t let us keep anything. One of our friends finally managed to steal some money from a client without being noticed, but it wasn’t a lot.”

  I glance at the bracelet on my wrist that Caleb bought me, wondering just how much it cost him to get the money for it.

  “Our luck and happiness lasted for only two days,” he says. “As soon as we got to the police station that we thought was safe, we were arrested. There were countless charges against us, and no matter what we said, the cops didn’t believe us. I don’t know how Raphael did it, but... they transferred us back here and then... Raphael just came for us. And he...” He bites down on his lip.

  “It’s okay.” I caress his hair. “He’s going to pay for everything he’s done.”

  He looks up at me, his eyes filled with sadness, and I know he doesn’t quite believe me. But that doesn’t surprise me. I wouldn’t have believed it either if I were him.

  Caleb can’t remember the last time he was so eager to get inside Raphael’s room. Actually, that has never happened. As he strides down the hallway, he can’t help but wonder if Raphael will smile at him and tell him it has all been an elaborate con. Quietly opening the door, he flinches when he sees Raphael sprawled on the bed. Usually, Raphael isn’t in the room when he arrives and lets him wait.

  Fighting the urge to glance at the statute Isaac mentioned, Caleb keeps his gaze glued to the floor as the door closes behind him.