Chapter 35
Audra led Poppy out of the room the next morning on their way to a meeting with the guys. She didn’t want the girl to feel trapped, so she’d suggested they set up by the pool. Early in the morning, there wouldn’t be too many guests out there.
Poppy huddled into the blue sweatshirt Audra let her borrow. She smiled, glad to see it offered the girl the same kind of comfort it offered her. Sometimes, all you needed was a little warmth and something soft.
They swung by the breakfast buffet on their way outside, where they each filled a plate. Audra only wanted fruit and some eggs, but Poppy seemed to have regained her appetite. She filled her plate high with a waffle, eggs, a biscuit, and three strips of bacon.
She caught Audra eyeing the stack and gave her a sheepish smile. “Sorry. I don’t normally get to eat like this. Simon keeps me on a strict regimen of protein shakes, lean meat, and vegetables. I haven’t had a waffle or bacon in the eight months I’ve been with him.”
“I’m not judging. Eat whatever you want.” Audra reached for a coffee cup and filled it. Poppy poured a cup of orange juice and they headed for the pool.
Sam, Dean, and Max were already there with plates of their own.
“Good morning.” She smiled as they approached the table.
The men smiled back and echoed her greeting.
Audra let Poppy sit at the end of the table, then took the empty seat next to Sam. Dean was at the other end and Max sat next to him, leaving the other seat next to Poppy open. The girl opened her syrup packet and poured it over her waffle.
“It’s nice to see you have an appetite today,” Sam said. “You only picked at that crepe last night.”
Poppy cast him a quick look and lifted a shoulder. Audra turned and gave him a quick headshake. Food was a sensitive subject for the girl.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked, catching her point and changing the subject.
“I did. I wasn’t sure I would, but I guess my mind felt safe enough to sleep.” Poppy cut off a bite of her waffle and popped it in her mouth.
“And how are you feeling?” Max asked. “You were on some pretty heavy drugs.”
Poppy’s movements paused for half a second before she resumed cutting another bite. “I feel okay. A little anxious. And like I need a hit. But I’ll manage. I feel more like myself than I have in a long time.” Her chin wobbled. “As much as I don’t want to confront what’s happened, I don’t want to go back there.” Her words ended on a choked whisper.
“That won’t happen.” Audra laid a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll make sure of that.”
Poppy pressed her lips together and nodded.
“What did he give you?” Max asked. “Some drugs can have nasty withdrawal effects.”
“Um, mostly ketamine. How much depended on—on what he, um, wanted to—to do.” She looked down at her plate. “He didn’t like it when I screamed,” she whispered.
Audra reached for Sam’s hand and squeezed. It was preferable to crumpling her coffee cup and burning her hand. Sam held tight to her fingers.
“How old are you, Poppy?” Max asked.
She looked at him through her lashes. “Nineteen.”
Audra forced herself to calm down. “Can you tell us what happened? How you ended up the way you did?”
Poppy lifted one shoulder. “Like anybody else, I guess. I was a foster kid. My mom OD’d when I was ten. My dad was in prison for armed robbery. His parents were too old to take me in, and my mom’s parents washed their hands of her when she got hooked on drugs. I moved around for the first couple of years, then I thought I’d found a place I’d never have to leave.” A soft smile lit her face, making her look much younger than nineteen.
“The Osterman’s were nice. They had a daughter my age, and we got along great. It was like having a real sister, you know?” Her smile faded. “Alex—the dad—he got offered a big promotion. Out of state. Like, really big. He couldn’t pass it up. So, they left. And I had to stay. My dad wouldn’t relinquish his rights or allow them to take me with them.” The piece of bacon she’d picked up crumbled as she made a fist. She let the pieces fall back to her plate. “I ended up in a group home. It was—not nice. Nobody hurt me; not physically. But nobody cared, either. I was bullied. All the way up until I aged out of the system.”
She glanced up. “After I finished high school, I got a job in one of the clubs. Dancing. I was too young, but the owner—he didn’t care. It wasn’t the nicest establishment. But it paid well enough I could afford my own place.” She pushed at the crumbled bacon, piling it on one side of her plate.
“One night, I walked out the back door, on my way to catch the monorail home. I didn’t even make it to the corner. An SUV turned down the alley and a man jumped out. I was in the backseat before I knew what happened. I don’t remember much after that. They drugged me and took me to a warehouse. I woke up in a large cage with several other women.”
“This was one of those ‘deliveries’ you mentioned, wasn’t it?” Audra asked.
Poppy nodded, eyes downcast. “Yeah. Someone snatches the women and brings them to the warehouse on Coleman. I don’t know who. I just see them when they’re paraded in front of Simon and Geoffrey.”
“They make you watch?” Dean said.
“I’m in the room, yeah. It’s this area of the warehouse that’s been converted to a large lounge. There are couches and a bar. I sit there and listen to Simon, Geoffrey, and Celine rate each of the women.”
“Wait.” Audra frowned. “The woman with Geoffrey at dinner the other week? She participates in that?”
Poppy nodded. “She’s a piece of work. She told me she was one of those girls once too. And like Simon did with me, Geoffrey took a shine to her. Except she embraced it and turned it around to work in her favor. She’s an active participant in all their criminal activity. I think that’s what Simon was hoping for with me. Celine even told me I just needed to change my thinking. That I’d be much happier if I acted like her. But I just couldn’t. It’s just so… so… wrong.”
Audra agreed. “Did you ever see the people who bought these women?”
“Every time. They held the auctions in the lounge.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I hated it,” she whispered. “I’d beg Simon to drug me so I’d forget seeing those women look at me with pleading in their eyes. But he always laughed and said no. That he wanted me to remember what would happen to me if I didn’t cooperate. He said he’d sell me and that there was no guarantee my buyer would be as kind as he was.” She sniffed. “In many ways, I’m actually thankful I ended up with Simon when I was snatched. He likes a—a pliant lover and not a fighting one. I’ve learned if I make enough noise, he gives me more drugs, and then I don’t remember any of it.”
Audra’s heart broke for the girl. She shouldn’t be thankful for any of it.
“I’m not dumb, you know. I know that some of those men like to inflict pain. If I ran, and Simon caught me, I knew he’d hand me over to one of them. Living a life high as a kite was preferable to one filled with pain.”
“I think you’re very brave, Poppy.” Audra’s voice rasped with unshed tears. This girl had lived a nightmare few could comprehend. “You did all the right things to keep yourself alive.”
Poppy gave a jerky nod. She picked up her orange juice and took a drink.
“Do you know when the next auction is?” Sam asked.
Audra sent him a quick glance. His gaze met hers. She could tell he was thinking what she was. They could bring the entire operation down if they raided one of these events.
“Next weekend. Their buyers come to town on Fridays. They look through the ‘merchandise,’”—she air-quoted—“eat a lot, and drink even more. The auction is always Saturday night. Some of them elect to stay until Sunday. Others take the women they bought and leave.”
“Do you think they’ll still hold it with you missing?” Max asked.
“I think they’ll have to. They’ve sent out the invites and already have several women to sell.”
“Invites?” Max sat straighter. “How does someone get an invite?”
“The website.”
“They have a website?” Sam’s eyebrows shot up. He shook his head. “I shouldn’t be surprised. The dark web is a horrible place.”
“How do you know all this?” Audra asked. “Does he really not care if you hear it?”
“Some of it, no. Celine talks too.” A bit of a smirk toyed with her lips. “I’ve done some snooping too. Just on the out chance that I’d end up with the police. I wanted a bargaining chip, so I never had to go back.”
“Well, I think you’ve got a good one,” Sam said. He turned to Audra. “You need to call Moran. We don’t have the power to arrest anyone.”
“I think we should call Asher too,” Max said. “See if he can find that site and wrangle us an invitation so we can get someone inside. If we can get Simon and Geoffrey in custody, we have a real chance at finding out if they wanted to distribute drugs or people for Brogan.”
“They didn’t know what he wanted,” Poppy chimed in.
Four sets of eyes turned on her.
“What do you mean?” Audra asked.
“He called them. Brogan, I mean. Simon didn’t know what he wanted. He just said that the head of the Irish mafia in town wanted to have dinner to discuss business.”
“They didn’t talk much business that night.” Audra frowned, running the evening back through her mind.
“I don’t remember much of it. That was a day when Simon wanted… more. I was pretty high at dinner.”
Audra’s mouth flattened as she reined in her temper. Simon was going to pay for all he’d done, one way or another. She looked at the others. “That’s rather odd. Why would he call a meeting and then not talk about business? Especially when he didn’t tell them what it was about?”
“You’re sure they didn’t talk details?” Dean asked.
“Not in front of me, no. But I was late to dinner.” She turned to Poppy. “You don’t remember anything?”
“Not much, no. I remember you. Sort of. It’s your eyes. They were kind. Until you looked at Simon. I remember that. You looked like you wanted to rip his throat out.”
“I did. I still do. Is there anything else?”
Poppy glanced away, a far off look on her face. After several moments, she shook her head. “No. I’m sorry. I get vague snatches of the restaurant. There’s an image of the salad I had for dinner. You. That’s it. I’m sorry.” A crestfallen look took over her pretty face.
“Don’t be sorry,” Audra said. “You’ve been a tremendous help.”
“She’s right, Poppy,” Sam said. “Now, how about you—eat more of your—food?”
Audra laid a hand on his thigh. He’d been good lately with the stuttering. Hearing Poppy’s account of what she’d been through was horrifying, so she wasn’t surprised his emotions were high.
“We’ll take things from here,” Max said. “You’ll have to talk to the authorities, but you have our word you’ll be safe.”
Poppy’s chin wobbled again. “You’re sure? What if—” She broke off and sniffed. “What if there are cops on Simon’s payroll?”
“Poppy, you stumbled into the right people, okay?” Dean leaned forward. “No one’s going to hurt you with us involved.”
The girl smiled, her eyes watery. “Okay,” she whispered.