by A. A. Dark
This wasn’t a dream. This nightmare we’d awoken in wasn’t going away. A little boy had just died in the most vicious way I could imagine, and whatever that meant for me and my twin, I was afraid to find out. They could kill us too. They could starve us, beat us, rape us. Nothing was off limits. There were no laws or rules where we were. Brutality was fair game and death could be a second away. We weren’t safe, we were slaves, just like I assumed that little boy had been. All of these boys.
Chapter 8
Scout 5
For what felt like forever, I sat feet from my door, gun in hand, ready to kill anyone who decided to come in. Seconds passed. Hours. Day turned to night. The need to eat was there, but I knew better than to go back out. The two scouts who helped me deliver Jessa and the twins were long gone. It wasn’t safe to venture anywhere alone. I had no idea how many men Everleigh Harper had in her employment, but even being in public wasn’t worth the risk. She said if I handed them over, I’d have to take their place. I wasn’t afraid of her threat, but I sure as hell wasn’t stupid either. I’d play this by the book, then I’d find her.
A door shut in the distance, and I listened to footsteps pad down the hall. It was the middle of the night. Each minute dragged out as I stared at the solid white surface before me. I couldn’t deny the lack of commotion outside was taking its toll. I was tired. My edge was slipping with hunger, my stomach constantly growling. I ignored it, trained to deal with the worst of situations.
More time. I didn’t move. It wasn’t until vibrations buzzed in my lap that I looked down.
MM: A car is waiting downstairs. Get in it.
A deep sigh left me and I stood, grabbing my bag and keeping my gun at my back as I made my way through the hotel. The entire way to the lobby, I didn’t pass a single person. When I headed outside, a black car with dark tinted windows was parked at the entrance. I got in the back, sitting on the opposite side of Bram. Two men were in the front, dressed in suits and watching their surroundings.
“Anything new on twenty-four-six-ninety?”
“No, Main Master. It’s been quiet since I returned from the delivery.”
“How did that go?”
Even as he spoke, he messed with his phone.
“The twins are on their way to Whitlock via the Black Double.”
Bram’s eyes shot to me angrily. “Twins?”
“Well, yes, Main Master. I was told they were in demand.”
“Were you? And the Black Double, you say. Who’s orders?”
My mouth opened, and I paused at the tinge of increasing anger coating each word. “Mateo, sir. I was given contact information and did as directed.”
He paused as his lids lowered even more through his thoughts. “Then they’ll be stopping at Red Island to fly out. I’ve lost five slaves there in the last two years. That place is not trustworthy. Gavin Draper is not trustworthy.”
“I’ve heard that,” I said, lowly. “That’s why I delivered three slaves to the ship. Two are ours, one is a gift to the Master of the island. I left orders that the Whitlock twins are not to be touched, and they’re to be flown out as soon as possible.”
“Three slaves. You are smart, Five. Next time, though, don’t use him. He’s not what people think. Also, no more fucking siblings.”
Bram’s jaw clenched, but it wasn’t long before he seemed to relax. Notifications began going off on his phone and a sigh left him as his finger trailed up the screen looking through them.
“What of Joe?”
“Cleanup crew already disposed of the body. As far as anyone is concerned, he’s already checked out. No one—”
“Hold on,” Bram growled. “One of my board members left me a message.”
I nodded, going quiet as he listened. His brow creased and full lips thinned as they tightened. Pulling the phone back, he hit a button and brought it to his ear. Moments went by before the hum from a voice came through.
“You called and said it was an emergency. What the hell is so important? I’ve been gone less than twenty-four hours. Things couldn’t have gone to shit so soon.”
The car took a turn while we headed further from the center of Athens. A fast-paced voice had me wanting to look at Bram, but I didn’t.
“Repeat that.”
More seconds.
“Let me get this straight,” he said, deathly calm. “You’re telling me my slave came to your room last night. Your room at Whitlock.”
The last was said so deep and loud, we all glanced over.
“No! Don’t you give me your lousy fucking excuses, Barclane. You had her right there and you let her go. You let her leave. You worry her blackmail is the worst thing that can happen to you? Do I need to show you what’s worse than your petty fucking secrets?”
The Main Master pushed his fingers through his hair. “Wait. Wait.” He grew quiet, the seconds ticking by for what felt like forever. “She asked that of you? She said she wanted the twins? And...an apartment? She…” Multiple expressions crossed Bram’s face. More talking came through, and his anger returned with a vengeance. “No, you will not. When I find her, because I will, she’s going wherever I put her. Everleigh doesn’t make the rules, I do!”
He hung up, closing his eyes as his fist clenched around the phone.
“I’m going to beat that woman. So help me, she tests every ounce of patience I have.”
“She’s not here?”
“Of course she’s not,” he ground out. “She’s once again twisted shit around. She wanted me here, away from Whitlock. Son of a bitch. What the hell is she up to?”
Ringing filled the interior again. Letting out a groan, he hit the speaker as his head leaned back. “Ms. Pat.”
“Master Whitlock. I’m terribly sorry to contact you so late.”
“It’s fine. Is Alvin having troubling sleeping again? Did you read him the book he likes?”
“Well...I...” She paused. “He’s sleeping fine…now. I tried to call earlier, but your phone must have been off. I’ve been trying all night. I’m afraid you had a visitor. Or, Alvin did. I think it was the woman you are searching for. The one on your desk.”
Bram’s head shot up. “She got into my wing? She didn’t take him, did she?”
“No, Master. She was very good to him. She held him for quite some time, rocking him while she sat on his bed. She even read his book when he began to fuss. He fell asleep in her arms, and she tucked him back in. I told her she should stay, but she was adamant she couldn’t.”
“Did she say why?”
Another pause.
“No, but she did ask me to take care of the boy. Even threatened me if I should ever hurt him.”
The side of Bram’s lips tugged back on the side. “Is that all?”
“No.” The word was filled with nervousness. “After she left the room, she stopped by yours.”
“Mine? Did she take anything?”
“I don’t know, Main Master. I was advised not to leave Alvin’s room for at least half an hour. She said I was being watched and they’d kill me if I disobeyed. With the fact that she got in to begin with, I believed her.”
Again, his head leaned back. “Of course. Thank you for calling. I’ll be home in the next few days.”
Bram hung up as the car weaved deeper away from the city. For a good ten minutes, it was so silent, I was sure he’d fallen asleep.
“I’m so close. Where are you going now, slave? Where next?”
“Main Master, if you don’t mind, may I speak?”
His head turned toward me, but stayed back against the seat. “Go ahead.”
“Slave twenty-four-six-ninety could go anywhere at this point. She’s outsmarted you, but I keep going over my meeting with the two who came to me at the Temple of Zeus. The ones who were staying at the same resort. They were insistent I leave. What if the intel you received wasn’t necessarily wrong? Sure, the information got out and we fell into her trap. It was the perfect distraction. She gets you here, you think it�
��s for nothing and go home, but in truth, where’s the best place for her to go? She wouldn’t expect you to continue looking in Athens if you thought it was a set-up. She would think she was safe.”
Slowly, he rose, sitting straight up to look at me. “So, she comes here. You’re right. She may very well be on her way as we speak. If anything, it can’t hurt to cover all the bases. We remain here a few days. I doubt she’ll make plans to go to the same resort, but you can return in the morning after our meeting and we’ll see what happens. While you keep your eye out there, others can continue with their plans to search the area. Her showing up at Whitlock changes nothing.”
I nodded, clearing my throat. “Main Master, I heard you mention she asked to have my twins.”
“I did.”
“I think I might know how to capture her.”
Bram studied me, and I couldn’t help but feel as though he was respecting me more. He seemed intrigued by my ideas, and he was going with them.
“How is that, Five?”
“Your slave threatened me. She said if I were to turn them over to Whitlock instead of her, I’d take their place. She means to kill me and send you my face.”
He paused. “Everleigh seemed intrigued by them? She would, I suppose. Are you offering yourself as bait?”
Whatever he knew, escaped me, but I nodded at the last. “Instead of watching out for her at the resort, I think I should stay out in the open. I can make it easy for her to find me. Her people will come and take me. I’m certain of it. If we follow, it’ll lead you right to her.”
Chapter 9
Layla
I threw up. Not once, but continuously. Aamir and I both did. With how much the ship was rocking, I was almost positive it was storming outside. We’d been here for what I assumed was two days. Two days of no food and only a little water. And what we had managed to get down came right back up. We were both so weak, we could barely move. The combination of all the smells were overwhelming. I didn’t realize why until I caught one of the older boys taking a piss below the hammocks.
To breathe was to be sick. To move was disorienting. I floated between dark and dim, hovering in unbalance and the weight of the world. I didn’t want to wake. I didn’t even want to raise my hand to grab Aamir’s to see if he was okay. We were both going to die here. I was certain of it.
From my guess, Jessa already had. Maybe she’d never woken up after the injection. Maybe they threw the chest overboard to bypass this misery for her. I almost wished that were me. That I was blissfully content in the heavens instead of wasting away in the hells below, covered in my own blood. I knew I had started my period, and there was nothing I could do about it. They wouldn’t let us out of our cages. Not for anything. Not when we begged. Not when we cried or screamed until our voices went out. The adults, the teens, the children—they looked at us like we were an echo they couldn’t quite hear. Or maybe even a ghost they were catching the smallest glimpse of as they rushed passed to slave away on the ship.
The boat went up, and somehow in my unconscious state, I braced myself. The crash down had me heaving. Nothing came, and I groaned, feeling my eyes roll as I tried to open them. Ice cold put me into a shock and my breath got caught in my lungs as water blasted over me.
I felt myself slide against the wood. The bars slammed into my knees as the boat lifted again, and I screamed, gasping at the same time. A little boy maybe thirteen stood there, laughing while he moved the stream to my face. When I thought I couldn’t bear another second, the water turned, spraying into my brother. Hair stuck to my drenched cheeks, and Aamir was struggling to sit as he was hosed down. Back and forth, the boy took turns. When he walked away, I almost collapsed again, but I forced myself to lean against the metal separating my brother and I.
“I’m so tired. I can’t stay awake.”
Aamir reached through, pushing back the strands from my skin. “You need food. You’re weak. Hold on. Let me see if I can get them to bring us something. They have to feed us at some point. If we’re ever going to make it to this Whitlock, we have to be alive.”
I gripped the bars as we rocked.
“Hey. Hey! Someone! Hello!”
My brother yelled at the top of his lungs. The boy who had sprayed us peeked around the corner.
“You, yes! Food. Water.” My brother was bringing his fingers to his mouth. “Food. Eat.”
Big, round, brown eyes flickered, and he ran off. I groaned, letting my head lean to where I was gripping.
“Do you think Mom and Dad have people looking for us? I didn’t call, Dad. I always call. Surely, they know something’s wrong, right? I’m scared. I don’t want to be some sort of slave. I want to go home. I don’t want to die out here.”
Full lips parted and tears shone in his eyes. “I won’t let that happen. I won’t. You’re going to be okay, I promise. No one will hurt you. I’d die before I let them.”
Before I could break down even more, the boy came back around. He was holding a small loaf of bread, broken in half. My fingers fumbled as he eased in my piece. Even though I felt sick and devoid of an appetite, my body knew what it needed.
Ravenously, my teeth tore into the hard substance. It was like a rock, dry and hard, but I didn’t care. In my moment, I couldn’t get enough. I almost choked through my rush, but the boy eased in a tin cup of water I used to wash it down.
“Thank you. God, thank you.”
‘See,” Aamir assured. “We’re going to be okay.”
Tears built all over again, but I was too hungry for them to fall. I was still so weak and nauseous. None of it mattered. Even if I didn’t get fed for another day or two, I had this small meal to help me hang on a little longer. And Aamir could be right. Things could change. We could get out of here…somehow.
“You.”
I paused in passing the water to Aamir. I barely felt it being taken from my hand as I stared in shock.
“You speak English?”
Confusion masked his face, but faded as he pointed back to my brother. “You. Work. Food.”
“What?”
Aamir took deep swallows, waiting.
“You. Work. F-or food.”
“You want me to work for food? You’re going to let me out of here?”
Panic flared as I looked between them. Just the thought of Aamir being in the presence of the giant put him at risk. My hand shot through the bars, grabbing at my brother’s wrist.
“Work.” The boy gestured toward the far end of the room. “To-morrow. Wake.”
“Yes.” Aamir nodded his head eagerly. “I’ll work tomorrow.”
“What!” Desperately, I tried to pull him to me. “You can’t go out there. You can’t leave me here alone.”
“Layla, I have to go. How else am I going to see what we’re up against?”
“They’ll hurt you. They could kill you.”
“We’re already dead if I stay,” he ground out. “I have to go.”
Screams turned my blood cold, and my head shot to the side. It was a woman...Jessa. Louder, she cried out in a raspy tone. My heart exploded as the giant carried her fighting frame under his arm. One light green and one white eye locked right to mine, and I gasped at the thick scar running diagonally across his entire face. The indention over the bridge of his nose gave the impression there wasn’t even a bone there. Thin lips were set tight, and his large square jaw was tense and flexing. I guessed at one point he may have been handsome, but he was anything but now. He was a killer. Hungry for violence as he stopped at my cage and took out a key to unlock it.
Jessa thrashed, swinging her arms against the man’s thick legs. Dark hair was matted and grimy as it swayed. The door flew open and he tossed her in my direction, sending all her weight right into me. She collided with such an impact, the back of my head hit the bars. A thick finger pointed at me, and he let out a grunt so deep, I trembled in fear. And just like that...he turned and was gone.
“J-Jessa. Jessa!”
Jessa was wear
ing a white slip like the one I’d woken up in on the boat. There was a mix of blood and holes in random locations. Aamir was calling out to her, but I couldn’t hear him as I took in the face that rose from my chest to look up. One of her eyes were swollen shut and bruising covered the entire half of the same side. I could barely recognize the same woman who had cheerfully arrived at the airport.
“Jessa. God. Are you okay? What happened? Jessa?”
She wouldn’t look at Aamir. She was diving back to wrap herself around me as sobs tore from her lean body.
“Jessa, please,” I asked softly. “Where have you been?”
Her head shook, refusing to answer. What seemed like forever went by before she finally lifted her head.
“Please, you have to tell us. What happened to you?”
Fearful blue eyes glanced behind her to glimpse the boys’ hammocks. They were empty, telling me they were working like they did the majority of the day. When she finally spoke, her voice was almost inaudible.
“The captain’s quarters. He said I was...his until we got to Red Island. He told me to be ready for tonight. I’m so scared. I don’t want to go back to that nasty man. I don’t want to become the Dragon’s.”
“What? Dragon?”
Harder, she began to cry.
“Once we get to Red Island, I’ll be handed over to the Dragon. To Gavin Draper. I’m to become one of his slaves. Slaves, Layla. Sex slaves. That’s what we are. If we refuse to obey orders, we’ll burn in his fire pit. That’s what the captain told me.”
My eyes widened, shooting to Aamir. Horror and anger twisted his face and he let out a rumbling from his throat. Like a mad man, he began pulling on the bars of his door, yelling and cursing as he tried to break the lock loose.
“But...Travis said Aamir and I were headed to Whitlock. Is that this island? Are they the same place?”
“Whitlock?”
Her voice cracked as her eyes searched the surroundings, but I knew she didn’t see what was before us. She was remembering something.