Saving Simona (Alone In The World Trilogy)

by Rebekah Blackmore

  Gia’s mouth fell open once again. “I would never betray Lucie or you like that, not after all that you both have done for me!” She began to cry softly, her throat growing tight around the lump in her throat. “I did work with her once, yes, and yes, I was the reason that Simona was taken.” She cowered as Solomon raised his hand again. She threw her hands up in defense, crouching down behind her palms. “I had no choice, you have to listen to me! They said that they would kill me if I did not tell them of any girl that I saw during their assignment. They were going to rob the homes of the wealthy, but they took Simona instead!”

  Gia let out as a sob as she met with the ground once again, her cheek stinging wildly. “I’m sorry,” she sobbed, curling up into the fetal position to push her palms against her eyes.

  “I should have just let you die,” Solomon ground out, nudging Gia flat onto her back with his foot. He reached down and pulled her up, pulling her towards the direction of the Matthers’ house, stopping at a chestnut mare. He pushed her up onto the horse before jumping on behind her, kicking his heels into the horse’s flank as it sped off. He held her in place, his nails digging into her skin in a mixture of anger and keeping her in her place. Gia sniffled loudly as they rode, the wind making her already-wet eyes water even more than they already were.

  At the pace that the horse was moving, it only took a few minutes for the horse to reach its destination. Solomon jumped off the horse before pulling Gia down, yanking hard at her arm until she fell to the ground. He dragged her to the door before turning to her. “Do not move until I tell you to,” he instructed angrily. He turned back around and banged his fist on the door loudly. When there was no response, he tried again, louder. This time, there was a response, and Lucie and Vertiline appeared in the doorway moments later.

  Vertiline squinted her eyes at the figure in the doorway. “Can I help you?” she asked, narrowing her eyes farther as she tried to figure out he was.

  Lucie looked over the woman’s shoulder, her eyes widening before she stepped around Vertiline. “Solomon? What are you doing here?” she asked in confusion before her expression switched to irritation. “I thought I told you that I did not want you to follow me.”

  Solomon made a whimpering sound before clearing his throat as he tried to reassert his masculinity. “It is my duty as your betrothed to make sure that you are safe. I paid Oliver to keep me updated on you from where I was two cars back, then I followed you here to make sure you did not meet any trouble on your way here.” He turned and glanced at Gia, sneering. “It is a good thing I did or I would not have seen this one sneaking out and roaming the town.” He turned and grabbed Gia’s shoulder, pushing her forward and into Lucie’s line of vision.

  Lucie’s eyes widened before they narrowed in confusion. “Gia? What were you doing out?” She shook her head. “What is he talking about?”

  Gia chose not to respond, staring instead at the ground as she began to cry again. She had stopped when they got off the horse, but actually facing Lucie was too much for her to bear.

  Silence did not please Solomon, and he pushed Gia on to the ground at Lucie’s feet. “Speak, wench!” he exclaimed, his eyes flashing once again. Gia scrambled to her feet, cowering under the force of Solomon’s glare.

  “Solomon!” Lucie chided, throwing the man a dirty look before helping Gia up. Once her friend was standing soundly, albeit still crying, the blonde placed her hands on Gia’s upper arms to comfort her. “Gia, what is it? You can tell me.”

  Gia began to cry harder, Lucie’s outline blurring in front of the brunette’s eyes. “I am so sorry,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

  “Sorry for what? What is going on?”

  Gia took a deep breath before responding quietly. “I am the reason why Simona was kidnapped.”

  Lucie blanched and took a step back. “W-what?”

  “I was the one who told the men where to find Simona. I was the one who lured her out of the yard, and I am the reason why she is now part of the prostitution ring she is in now.” Gia dropped to her knees, lacing her fingers together and holding them below her chin. “But Lucie, please, I only did it because they told me that they would kill me if I did not help them.”

  Lucie shook her head slowly, her mouth agape as she began to tremble. “Holy gee…”

  “And that is not all,” Gia said, interrupting Lucie’s panic. She spoke softly once again. “The only reason I offered to help in the first place was to get the reward money that Simon and Solomon were talking about when I was sick.” The tears began to fall harder, and Gia began to hyperventilate. “But Lucie, I no longer care about the money or being rewarded or anything else, I just want Simona to be safe and for you to have your world back to normal! Please, please forgive me.”

  Lucie’s gaze hardened. “Get out,” she mumbled, her gaze growing narrow.

  “What?”

  “Get. Out!” Lucie pushed Gia onto the ground, her own tears falling. She took off her slipper and threw it at the brunette as she pushed herself up into a standing position. “Get out! Leave!” She took off her other shoe and threw that as well. “I never want to see you again!”

  Gia nodded and turned around, making her way down the steps and across the lawn. She could barely see past the blurriness in her eyes, could barely breathe past the shatters of her chest, but somehow, she quickly found herself tripping over the gate in her haste to get away from the family she had destroyed.

  Tears continued to stream down Gia’s cheeks as she rushed away from the property and stumbling over her dress. She paused for a moment to lift the hems before resuming her path. However, it did not take long before Gia was so distraught that it affected her breathing, causing her to duck into the woods to try and calm herself down. She leaned against a tree, the heels of her hands pressed against her eyes as she sobbed. The first real friend that Gia had made since she was a child, and she lost her in the blink of an eye. If she had just been more inconspicuous, more subtle when talking to Abigayle, then Lucie would still want something to do with her. She had been so stupid. She should have been watching out to see if she was being followed. In fact, she was lucky that it was just Solomon that was following her. If it had been Leander or one of his men, Abigayle would get in just as much trouble as Gia would.

  Gia shook her head. No. She had not gotten Abigayle in trouble. The only one who was really hurting here was Lucie, and that was all Gia’s fault. There was only one option left now: Gia would have to find Simona and bring her home, tonight.

  She shook off the last of her sadness before taking a deep breath and heading back to where she was before. She needed to talk to Abigayle again, see if there was anything else that she could tell her. She hoped that the girl would be alone.

  Fortunately, Gia was lucky, and when she arrived back at Abigayle’s tree several minutes later, the girl was still relaxing on the park bench, waiting patiently for the next of her customers to come and find her, per Leander’s instructions. Gia ran to the bench, huffing and puffing as she gasped out, “Are Leander and his men home tonight?”

  Abigayle looked up, shocked to see Gia again so soon. “Gia? Are you all right?” She darted her hand out to wipe away a tear hurriedly. “You are out of breath, and your face is red. What—“

  Gia cut her off. “Is. Leander. Home,” she ground out, her eyes flashing in irritation. She did not have time for this. Gia felt a flicker of guilt when Abigayle’s face fell, but the brunette needed to find Simona now. There was not any time for patience.

  Abigayle retracted her hand as if she had been slapped. She shook her head. “No. They’ve gone to Dorchester for a few days to find more daughters.” She narrowed her eyes, clearly worried. “Gia, what—“

  “Who is taking care of the house?” Gia asked, interrupting once again. Abigayle said nothing, choosing instead to stare pointedly at the ground. Gia sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. “Abbey, I am sorry I am being so rude, but it is a matter of life and death. I have to
get Simona out of there, and I cannot do that if I am not aware what to watch out for.”

  “But Gia, you can’t go in there! It isn’t safe!” Abigayle exclaimed, her head shooting up as her mouth dropped open.

  Gia shrugged. “I have to. I made this mess, I have to fix it. Please, Abbey, tell me who is watching the girls.”

  Abigayle remained quiet for a moment before saying, “They will kill me if they find out that I am helping you kidnap one of Leander’s daughters.”

  “Then we won’t let them find out. Please, Abbey. Please,” Gia pleaded, taking her sister’s hand in her own. “Please help me.”

  Abigayle sighed. “Mister Fingers is watching them,” she finally said. Gia dropped her hand and pulled her into a hug.

  “Oh, thank you! I am forever indebted to you!” Gia kissed Abigayle on the cheek before taking off into the woods behind Abigayle, taking a path that she had grown used to over the years. It only took a quarter mile before she was stepping onto the narrow, overgrown path that would lead Gia to Leander’s hideout. As she stepped into the brambles, Gia lifted her dress and stepped as quickly as she could, her boots sinking into the sludge and pulling up mud with every step. She grimaced as her ankle twisted before lunging forward, pulling her foot up and beginning to take larger steps, hoping that she would sink less that way.

  Fifteen minutes after Gia had begun to walk, she came to a section of the path that branched off into eight different directions. To someone who did now know where they were going, this decision would more likely than not throw them off track from finding the hideout. Plus, even if they were to choose the correct path (the third branch from the left), they would have to make another decision a mile and a half ahead where, once again, the path split into several different sections (this time the second to the right was the proper decision). However, Gia had traveled these roads so many times that, even though she had not been home in months, she would be able to find the hideout in her sleep.

  Soon, a cabin appeared in front of Gia. It was not much to look at, and did not appear to be very large at first glance. However, when Gia circled the cabin, she recalled just how far back the wooden walls went before the house ended, leading back into the dense woods were Leander’s girls rested, far below the surface.

  Long before Leander had ever become the leader, the man who owned this house before him had built the building downwards, much like the Egyptians had done with their great pyramids. Gia was not certain, but she believed that the lower levels only descended four stories. She had lived on the highest of the four, but she knew that the less noteworthy the girl, the lower the level that they inhabited.

  If Simona was still, in fact, with the most stubborn wenches, then she would be left in the dark of the fourth level. She shuddered as she thought back to the stories she had heard when she, herself, had been broken. She had been easy, however, and quickly submitted to Leander, without any physical struggle, and she was smart enough to realize that there was not any way that she was going to get away alive. Some girls, however, were more adamant to retain their old selves, and would rather go days or even weeks without food or contact before they would submit to a man. These were the stubborn girls that Abigayle claimed that Simona had been paired with.

  Slowly, Gia moved so that she was standing back against the cabin, her spine pressed against the lumber of the walls. She turned her head to the side, eyeing a window that was a mere eleven centimeters away from her eyes. She palmed the wall, keeping her entire body flat as she moved along the wood one step at a time. She held her breath as she moved, listening for any sound that would alert her that Mister Fingers was conscious and, even less likely, sober.

  Once Gia reached the window, she took a deep breath before turning and glancing into the pane, letting out a relieved sigh at the sight her eyes met. Mister Fingers was sitting at the table, the side of his face smashed against the oak. His mouth was open a few centimeters, and he was lying in a pool of his own spit. Gia could hear his grumbling snoring even from her place outside. He had one hand in his lap and a mess of white along the bottom of his shirt and the closure of his open trousers, his activities while drinking obvious. Gia cringed at the sight of the man’s potbelly heaving with every breath, discomfort filling her stomach at the thought of the man’s drunken pleasure. His other arm was stretched out against the table, his fingers lightly twitching as he slept.

  Next to Mister Fingers was a half-burned candle, the flame slowly flickering in and out as the stench of the man’s breath blew into the heat with every exhale. The candle was kept company by two empty brown glass bottles that were lying on their side around the candle’s base, bone-dry after Mister Finger’s most recent binge. In the middle of the table was Gia’s prize: the keys that would unlock every room in the basement.

  Gia turned her head back forward and moved away from the wall. She crouched down and slowly made her way around the corner of the building towards the front door. She quickly opened the door and stepped into the room. She held her breath, slowly taking the first step towards the table, praying that Mister Fingers would stay asleep. She focused her eyes on the ground, watching her steps to make sure she would not step on any stray objects.

  One step.

  Two steps.

  Three steps.

  Soon, Gia was a quarter of the way there.

  Eight steps.

  Nine steps.

  Creak.

  Gia froze in her tracks as the board beneath her right foot groaned under her weight, the wood bowing slightly from its alignment. She glanced up, her eyes wide and immediately focusing on Mister Finger’s form.

  The man shifted under her watchful gaze, but he did not stir. He nuzzled the table, rubbing his head against the wood. Gia continued to stand for another minute, however, waiting for him to do more.

  When nothing happened, Gia moved forward again, this time taking larger steps until, finally, she was standing directly across from the keys. She reached out her hand and lightly pinched the cord that kept the four keys together between her fingers, pressing the frayed roughness between the pad of her thumb and her index finger. She slowly raised the keys, placing her other hand right up against her fingers so that the keys remained silent. She pulled the metal close to her body, turned, and left the room as quickly as she could, gently closing the door behind her.

  She sighed in relief when the cool night air finally hit her face, her entire body sagging as the weight of the task ended. However, that relief was short lived, as a resounding crack came from her right.

  Gia’s breath hitched and she dove behind a bush, ducking down as far as she could in case one of Leander’s men came back early from Leander’s work. When she finally braved looking through the bush, she breathed a sigh of relief, once again. Why, it wasn’t a man at all! Standing in front of her was a simple deer, grazing in the grass in front of the brothel. Gia almost had to laugh at the situation. There she was, having just stolen the skeleton keys from one of Leander’s men, and now she was getting scared out of her wits by a silly herbivore!

  Gia chuckled as she shook her head, pushing herself up from her crouched position. The deer glanced at her as she moved away from the bush before it dropped its head and resumed its meal, slowly mowing the grass down to stubs as it ate. Gia watched it for a few more seconds before turning to face away from it. She walked fifteen feet away from the house, her eyes trained on the ground. She struggled to see with only the moon as her guiding light, but she had made this journey every night for so many years that she was sure that she would be able to find the staircase in her sleep. Sure enough, Gia spotted the wooden slab only a few more feet to her left.

  Gia hurriedly made her way to the wood, dropping down to her knees once again. She fumbled with the keys as she struggled to make sense of which key opened the door.

  Was it the small gold one, with the slightly bent top?

  No, that did not work.

  What about the thin, silver one?

&nbs
p; No, not that one either!

  Finally, Gia tried a large bronze key. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. The teeth of the key had two prongs with a wide gap between them, but the neck and the top of the key looked as though it was made up of a series of vines, meeting up at the top in twist of lilies. It was beautiful. What was more beautiful, however, was the clicking sound that the lock in the door made when the key successfully opened it.

  “Yes!” Gia exclaimed quietly before stepping off the door and removing the key, pulling the wood upwards. She opened it just far enough that she would be able to slip through and onto the staircase below before pulling the wood closed and making her way down the stairs.

  Gia placed her hand against the wall as she moved downwards, waiting for the feel of wood to catch against her fingers. With the trapdoor closed, the stairwell was in complete darkness. These lower levels were void of any sort of lantern against the walls, with the exception of a single room that resided to the immediate left at the bottom of the staircase. In that room was a series of different sized lanterns and oil lamps for Leander and his men to use when checking in on the girls. Gia quickly found a lantern and lit it. She blinked at the sudden illumination, her eyes burning for a moment against the bright light.

  Once Gia’s eyes had adjusted, she left the room and made her way to the end of the hallway, where another staircase was waiting for her. These stairs were in much worse shape than the ones she had originally taken down, and bowed with every step that she took. Gia felt reasonably sure, though, that if these steps could hold the weight of Leander’s men, then she should be safe, as well. She took the staircase down the remaining three floors until she had finally reached the very bottom of the building.