Chapter 26 To Me, It’s Priceless
To Me, It’s Priceless
Emily's Search History: How much is a human heart actually worth on the black market?
Emily
I had a momentary slip where I forgot that Eli is my captor and a murderer. His concern for Graham was just so genuine. So… innocent.
It made my armour break.
But it’s fine. It’s back in place. I will escape him, as soon as I figure out how.
Eli leaves me alone after breakfast. I spend the morning on the sofa, reading the latest book in my series. Yes, the series Eli bought me. I can’t help that he has good taste in reading material.
At lunch, he doesn’t materialise and I can’t help but wonder if this is my chance.
I tiptoe to the doorway of the living room, scanning left and right. Nothing. The door is so close I could quietly unlock it, then run. I could go to the police. Tell them he kidnapped me. Though, some part of me doesn’t want to do that.
I take one step in the front door's direction when I hear Graham’s soft meow from upstairs.
Damn it.
Graham.
I can’t leave him. Not again.
It’s still quiet, no sign of Eli, so I creep towards the stairs. My heart staccatos against my ribs, blood roaring in my ears as I take the first step. This is it. Get Graham, then get out.
I can buy new clothes. A new phone. I just need to get him and get back to the door without Eli noticing.
“Umph!”
My head hits a solid wall. Of muscle.
“Fuck!”
“Careful, Angel,” Eli mutters, grasping hold of my arms to steady me.
Tears threaten to burn behind my eyes as my dream of escape is dashed, but I hold them back.
“Where were you going?” Eli asks, steering me back down the stairs and into the kitchen.
I gulp. “To find you.” I force brightness into my tone.
Eli smiles, clearly pleased by my words. “Well, here I am, Angel. Your personal chef for lunch.”
I laugh through my teeth.
“I’m making sandwiches—do you want hot or cold?”
“Hot, please.” I don’t understand people that prefer cold.
“Chicken, bacon, and barbeque sauce okay?”
“Sounds great. Can I have cheese too?”
“You can have anything you want.” Except freedom.
I take a seat at the table.
Eli’s phone is lying on it. It’s right there. I could call someone—anyone.
My fingers tap against the table, debating.
It rings.
I jolt.
Eli pauses what he’s doing.
“Should I answer it?” I ask him, voice dripping in sweetness.
“Who’s calling?”
I spin the phone closer. “Karl?”
Eli hesitates. Then nods. “Put it on speaker.”
I do.
“Yo, you there?” comes the voice on the other end.
“Yeah, talk to me,” Eli replies, focusing back on preparing lunch.
“Those guys we took out?” this Karl man grunts. “I’m sure you already know there’s more of them.”
“Do we know their next move?”
“No, they’ve gone quiet. I think they’re planning something big.”
Eli hums low in his throat. “Alright, keep me updated.”
The call ends.
Before I can consider using the phone myself, Eli is there, shoving it in his pocket.
He brings my toastie over and we eat together, just as we’ve done every day this week.
This week.
It’s Thursday. Eli said he would let me out of the house at the end of the week once I’m in love with him. Which means I don’t need to try to escape. I need to convince him I’ve fallen.
“What was that conversion?” I ask once I’ve swallowed my last bite.
“You know the organ traffickers?”
I wince. “Yeah?”
“What you saw yesterday was just one small part of their organisation. It’s bigger than we thought.”
I swallow hard. “What were they actually doing in that warehouse?”
This is where Eli hesitates. “They… are kidnapping people, drugging them to put them into a medically induced coma, then harvesting their organs.”
I choke on my gasp. “While they’re alive?” I know that Tyler said something similar yesterday, but it’s only just registering in my head the gravity of what they’re doing.
Eli’s solemn expression startles me. His usual twinkle in his eyes disappears. “Yes, they keep them alive as it keeps the organs fresher.”
“So they just take random people?”
“Sometimes, yes. They have various routes. You saw the hospital—that’s one way, but those organs aren’t so fresh, they’re not worth so much.
” Eli leans in. “They also use sex-trafficked victims—because they’re already vulnerable and less likely to be missed.
But they’re often malnourished. Again, less profit. ”
“They use healthy people? Just take them off the street?”
Eli nods grimly.
“Why do they need organs? What are they used for?” I ask.
“It’s all about profit, Em.” I hate the way a shiver runs up my spine at him using that nickname. “It can take years to get a transplant on the legitimate lists.”
“So, people are buying them? Does that actually make much money?”
Eli rises, pulling me gently to my feet.
His hand settles on my side, over my kidney. “This alone could sell for over a hundred grand.”
His touch glides upward, skimming my ribs, my chest. My heart stutters. His breath caresses my cheek as he leans in to whisper, “A pair of lungs? Two hundred—at least.”
His fingers brush my collarbone. My skin sparks under his touch. Fear and fascination war inside me, but my body leans into him like it knows him better than I do. “Skin goes for about six quid per square inch.”
Then he places his palm over my heart. “This?” His voice softens. “To me, it’s priceless.” A small, crooked grin appears. “But to them… half a million wouldn’t be unheard of.”
My mouth is dry. I lick my lips to moisten them. “W-Why do you know this?”
Eli steps back and I hate to admit the way my body subconsciously misses him. The way it wants to follow him.
“I do my research, Angel. That’s important if we’re to take them down.”
For a fleeting moment, I wonder if I’ve judged him too quickly. His killing of that Kevin man could be justified—maybe—if it’s really for this reason. To keep others safe from those more evil. More evil than him?
Is Eli evil?
I don’t know anymore.
He’s broken. That’s for sure.
I hate that even now, I want to fix him more than I want to save myself.