“Impossible.” My mother gently pressed her fingertips together in a praying motion. “No one can.”
“What about the SI?”
“They don’t care about a bunch of missing women,” my mother sneered.
“Okay, what about the HQ?”
She slammed her fist on the table, making Tala jump in fright. “No one is coming. Not the SI, not some mythical mob, not your family. They don’t care about you out there. I’m telling you, Aya, do not try to run or you will regret it.”
Frustration stung my eyes with angry tears. Either my mother wanted me to give in to a life of whoring, or she had given up hope long ago. Neither of those options worked for me. I’d have to get out on my own.
“Fine,” I grumbled. “I won’t run.”
Relief washed over her face. “Good. Patience, that’s what I’m asking for. Just have some patience.”
I didn’t see how anyone could have patience living in a place like this. Is that what had kept my mother here these fourteen years? Patience, which had turned into a lifetime of bowing down to scum like Wesley Blake? It made me sick.
“Now, girls, your training begins now,” she continued.
Before she could go any further, the door behind us swung open once again. Tala and I craned our necks to see Wesley Blake entering the dining room with Aaron at his side. He had his arms wrapped around the boy’s shoulder in a friendly embrace, as if they were father and son. Wesley didn’t seem like the kind to keep a wife and family. Beneath that cool white skin was a stony interior that didn’t allow for progeny. His treatment of Aaron surprised me.
“Livy, I’m so glad we found you,” Wesley said, flashing a perfectly straight smile. “Aaron here has been rustling up some new customers for tonight, haven’t you?” He mimed punching Aaron on the shoulder. “This boy is going places fast. He’s a born marketer, I tell you. Someday, he’ll run this joint.”
Aaron straightened his spine and lifted his chin at Wesley’s comments. He still wore the oversized jacket, but even in the large clothing, I could see the young man emerging from his boyish limbs. It scared me that I could already see a bit of that cold hard demeanor in the way he looked at Tala and me.
“That’s right,” Aaron said, licking his lips. “Customers with certain preferences. Customers with a taste for harpy wings.”
“You can’t.” Livy stood tall, knocking her chair over backwards. “Their training’s only begun. She’s not ready.”
“We’ll call this a fast-track orientation,” Wesley sneered. “After the trick she pulled last night, Aya needs to prove to me that she can handle this work.”
He waved his hand and Livy’s chair righted itself. With another swipe of his hand, the chairs sprang from the table, almost dumping Tala and me to the floor. They lined up against the walls, before screeching to a halt.
“And I trust that I won’t be disappointed,” Wesley added.
He led Aaron back through the door, their laughter hitting me like hail from the sky. All I could do was turn back to my mother. Her face showed all the emotions I felt. Fear, anger, surprise. I thought I had more time. We both did.
Chapter Sixteen
They didn’t even give me time to think out an escape plan. Wesley sent a guard to fetch me from the dining room only moments after his announcement. The guard was a golem – a muscular meathead formed from clay. He didn’t have the brains or the soul to argue with his master. With my mother standing there helplessly, I was escorted to a hallway full of open rooms, each made to serve the client in unique ways.
One of the rooms was covered completely in pads and draped in soft luxurious blankets. That seemed pretty normal for a prostitution house. The next room was a little stranger. Everything hung from the ceiling, as if gravity had been turned on its head. I imagined Wesley had something to do with that enchantment.
There was a dark room full of whips and handcuffs, and all sorts of kinky objects. I didn’t linger at that door for long, although I could’ve used a weapon or two from there. The next had a giant tub with lilies that bloomed on the surface and floating wine glasses. We passed a few more rooms until eventually, the golem led me into a room that seemed quite normal in comparison to the rest.
I sighed in relief when I spotted the huge four poster bed and the fur throws on the floor. At least my client wasn’t a super freak. Hopefully, I would be able to overpower him with the help of Athena’s Jewel. All it would take was one controlled pulse of power and I could knock him out. At least, that’s what I hoped would happen.
A tiny white lacy outfit lay on the bed, along with a pair of red heels and a silky white robe. The golem grunted at me and pointed to the outfit, his large eyes rolling in his head.
“What? You want me to change?” I asked.
He grunted again, this time louder.
I placed my hands on my hips. “Not in front of you.”
He lunged at me and wrapped a stony hand over my wrist, pulling me into the air. With the other hand, he picked up the lacy outfit and pushed it in my face. No matter how much I squirmed, his solid grip wouldn’t ease up on the delicate bones of my arm. Finally, I took a deep breath and stopped moving.
“Fine, fine. I’ll change. Just put me down.”
With a satisfied grunt, he dropped me hard on the ground and held out the outfit. I turned my back to him and slowly unbuttoned the silky pajamas. Despite the shower last night after the golden ball, small flecks of paint still lingered on my skin. I flicked them off and put on the lacy lingerie, pulling at the top and bottom in an unsuccessful attempt to cover more flesh.
The silky white robe helped, but still only fell to mid-thigh. With the red heels on my feet, I dropped my discarded clothes in a pile and glared at the golem. The irony of the situation was that only a week ago, I would’ve bought a similar outfit for Gideon at the mall. Angel was a firm believer in lingerie for every night of the week. She said it did a girl good to feel sexy. I didn’t think this is what she had in mind.
“I’m done,” I announced to the golem. “You can tell your boss I’m behaving.”
The golem picked up my clothes and left, locking me in the room, his giant hands fumbling with the key. After his footsteps had faded down the hall, I rummaged through the room, collecting anything that might double as a weapon. My powers were great, but it was always nice to have a backup option. A bottle of champagne, the broken leg of a chair, and a hand mirror joined my arsenal.
I paced back and forth for what seemed like hours, listening for the sound of footsteps approaching my door. If what my mother said was true, once I disabled my client, breaking out of the Ranch would be impossible. Wesley had probably enchanted the borders of the building to make my head explode, or something gruesome like that. It wasn’t an option. Besides, I didn’t like the idea of abandoning Tala.
The only thing left to do would be to sneak out to Wesley’s office before anyone caught wind of my absence and contact the HQ. They would know how to find us. They would save the girls.
My nerves had just begun to settle down when I heard footsteps approaching. Wesley Blake’s voice became clear as they came closer to my door, the footsteps stopping outside.
“I’m sure you’ll find our harpy very appealing. She’s a feisty one, I’ll give you that. But there’s no better reward than breaking a wild mustang, is there?”
There was a muffled response that I couldn’t make out.
Wesley laughed. “Isn’t that the truth? I’m glad we could meet your particular tastes. If you have any problems, let me know. I would be happy to assist.”
Wesley’s idea of assistance probably included a body bag and a convenient body dump. If my powers didn’t work, I might find out exactly how that played out.
The door opened with a click. All I could see was Wesley standing in the doorway. He waved his hands and the lights automatically dimmed. A few tea candles next to the bed lit up and began to float in the air. A dark figure entered the room, shutting the door
behind him. I couldn’t make out his face, but I didn’t need to. Once Wesley was gone, I’d take out this stranger for good. No fooling around tonight.
The stranger didn’t say anything, but lingered in the doorway. Wesley’s footsteps trailed down the hall, his fancy heeled shoes clicking on the wooden floorboards.
Once I was sure of his absence, I put a hand to Athena’s Jewel, still hanging from my neck. Touching it made me feel braver. I wasn’t sure if more skin contact made the stone more effective, but I’d take all the power I could get.
“I know you came here looking for a good time, but I’m going to have to disappoint you.” Only ten feet separated me from the stranger. I took a step closer, dodging a candle hanging in midair. “My body isn’t for sale. I won’t be used.”
The stranger took a similar step forward and stopped, his hands buried deep in the pockets of an overcoat.
“Don’t try and stop me,” I added, arching my wings out at my sides. “I’m warning you.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I concentrated on the powerful draw of the necklace. My life force centered in my chest, right next to my heart. It pulsated with energy and heat. I focused on moving that force to my hand, just enough to stun. With one touch of my finger, the stranger would go down. If I maintained the hold for too long, I’d kill him. That much I was sure of.
“Aya? Is that really you?”
The sound of my name broke my concentration. Power escaped my hand, spiraling in uncontrollable arcs around the room. The stranger and I ducked as the power knocked the candles out of the air and threw hot wax and ashes. A few seconds later, we were left with a single tea light to brighten up the room, and a mess on the floor.
“Who are you?” I squinted into the darkness. “How do you know my name?”
The stranger moved closer, his figure large and looming in the shadowy room. I tensed my shoulders, ready for a fight. This could be a trick – a way for Wesley to catch me off guard. It’d already worked. The power I’d been harnessing only moments ago was lost. I couldn’t feel the center of my life force anymore, and it would be several minutes before I’d be able to find it again.
“Show yourself,” I demanded at the darkness. With the last remaining tea light in my palm, I held it out, searching for a face. “Who are you?”
The stranger nearly knocked me over when he lunged forward, his hands grabbing my shoulders. I didn’t have time to reach around for my broken chair leg. He pulled me in close, covering my mouth with a hard desperate kiss.
“Aya, I’ve been looking for you. I’ve been looking everywhere.”
“Gideon?” I pushed him at arms’ length to get a good look. “Is that really you?”
Sure enough, it was the same irresistible face that I’d become all too familiar with over the past few weeks. Gideon sighed and pulled me back into a rib-crushing hug, his hands caressing my hair.
“Gods, I thought I’d be too late.”
My hands worked their way behind his neck and I pulled him into a deep kiss. My questions could wait. All I wanted was to feel his body as close to mine as we could get. He wrapped his arms around my torso and gave in to my desire, pressing his hands into my lower back and moaning at the same time.
“How did you find me?” I asked when we finally pulled apart. “I didn’t think the SI knew about this place.”
“We’d heard rumors.” He held me still and began to examine every inch of my body, as if looking for injuries. “But nothing substantial. I had to cash in a hundred favors and bribe a few dirty informants to find you.”
I relished the touch of Gideon’s hands on my shoulders. It had been so long since I felt this safe. His thumb trailed over Wesley’s brand on the inside of my arm. The cursive R reminded me daily of his power over my life. It was a mark that would forever stain my memory, long after the HQ rescued us.
“Oh, Aya.” He gripped my wrist tightly, although intense sadness was heavy in his voice. “What have they done to you?”
“Nothing.” I turned my arm over to hide the brand. “Tell me how you found me.”
“A buddy down at the local SI office knew Matt Rue.” Gideon ran a hand down my arm, his fingers dropping to interlace with mine. “I found him in Tampa, trying to disappear in the dark magic underworld market. After a bit of… persuasion… he gave me some contacts who could point me to Bobby Caro’s joint.”
I groaned. “You didn’t hurt Matt, did you? He’s kind of a tool, but he’s deathly afraid of the HQ. I can understand that.”
Gideon smirked. “He’ll live. I should’ve locked up the creep bag, but I let him go. Matt’s contacts led me to a guard that worked for Bobby Caro. He told me about the Ranch. He also mentioned a blonde harpy that had just been sold. From there, I had to do a bit of digging to rustle up an invitation to visit the infamous Ranch. Invites are hard to come by, you know?”
I imagined Wesley Blake didn’t just let anyone into his place of business. A limited clientele was easier to control and less likely to get him arrested.
“How did you get an invitation?”
He wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Had a friend of mine set me up with a fake identity. I’m an uber rich magical arms dealer with a history of violence. I figured that was the kind of client the Ranch liked to serve.”
I shook my head. Sounded about right. The thought that I might’ve ended up with one of those clients in here tonight, instead of Gideon, gave me shivers.
“Come on, we’ve wasted enough time.” He squeezed my hand tight. “We have to get out of here. Now. Before the mage comes back.”
He took my hand and headed toward the door. Every fiber of my being wanted to run away with him, but my feet wouldn’t budge. My mother and the girls were all stuck here. If I escaped without taking them with me, there was no telling if they’d ever get out alive. Wesley would probably relocate his ranch and seal it up tighter than a bank vault. No one in, no one out. I’d be sentencing them to a lifetime in this place.
“I can’t.” My voice came out in a whimper. “Not without the others. Not without my mother.”
Gideon stopped, but didn’t drop my hand. “Aya, I don’t have any backup, it’s just me. I had to do this all off the books so Agent Carson wouldn’t suspect anything. Plus, they searched me for any weapons and magical weapons at the door. I’m unarmed. There’s no way we can take them all with us.”
I let go of his hand and wrapped my arms around my waist. “Every night, Wesley Blake relocates the Ranch somewhere outside Arcana. It’s a trick he learned from Bobby Caro. If I leave, we’ll never find them again.”
Tala would never forgive me if I abandoned her. Plus, the HQ had given me a mission. Rescue my mother. I wasn’t done here.
“Are you serious?” He took my face in his hands, his hazel eyes reflecting the dying light of our single candle. “You can’t stay here. He’s a monster.”
I stared at the green flecks in his eyes and nodded. “Not yet. We need the HQ. If we can get them here, we can save all the girls. And my mother.”
He hissed through a clenched jaw. “And if I refuse? What if I drag you out of here?”
I closed my eyes, concentrating on the warmth of his hands. “You won’t. I’m here for a purpose. You put yourself in harm’s way every day with the SI to stop the bad guys. This is the same thing. I’m going to save those girls.”
He huffed but didn’t say anything. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel the tension dripping off him. He’d come here to save me, not to leave me in this lion’s den of rapists and murderers. Leaving me in this room would be the hardest thing he’d ever have to do.
“As soon as you leave here, try to get in touch with Ruth at the HQ in Chicago. She’s the one who sent me on this mission. Tell her I’ve made contact with my mother.”
My talons bit into the palms of my hands. Turning Gideon away might have been the biggest mistake of my life. I hoped I wouldn’t regret it.
“I won’t leave you,” Gideon grumbled. He worked his
jaw and bit his bottom lip. “I can’t.”
I tilted my head and pressed my lips together. Maybe he didn’t have to leave just yet.
“You’re a paying customer,” I told him. “You still have some time to spare.”
His eyes lit up with realization. “You’re right. No need to rush out. We’ve got this whole room to ourselves.”
I didn’t want to think about the Ranch or the fact that Gideon and I were no longer a couple. All I wanted was to feel his hands on my body, his hard stomach beneath my fingertips, and the taste of his mouth on my lips.
Dropping the silky robe from my shoulders, I stood in front of Gideon in the lacy lingerie outfit that left little to the imagination. The room was still dark, but bright enough for me to see his eyes grow wide at the sight of me. I grabbed his hand and pressed it to my stomach, gliding it up to the swells of my breasts.
“Be with me tonight.” My voice was husky underneath the weight of my request. “Stay with me.”
Hunger burned in his eyes. He slid his other hand down my back to the tops of my buttocks and pulled me in tight. Our lips met and soon, his fingers became entangled in my hair. I moaned as his tongue darted in my mouth, causing shivers to run down my spine.
“The bed,” I managed to croak.
Without hesitation, he dropped the overlarge coat off his shoulders and swept me up into his arms, making a beeline for the bed. Desperation and fear fed our passion, each more powerful than any sense of wrong or right. When it was time for him to leave, I wept into the silky sheets of the four poster bed, my great black wings drooping on my shoulders.
The overwhelming and scary thought that I had made a huge mistake loomed over my head like a freshly sharpened guillotine blade.
Chapter Seventeen
The alarm knocked me out of a fitful sleep and nearly gave me a heart attack. I shot straight up and out of bed, my head colliding with the drywall ceiling over my bunk. A splitting headache accompanied the panic that grabbed hold of my heart and had me gasping for breath. The bed began to shake underneath me, vibrating through the noise.
Athena's Jewel: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Aya Harris Collection Book 2) Page 12