33
Xavier and I laugh together as we walk down the streets of Paris hand-in-hand. I’ve been here with him for almost six months now. I work at the cafe with Nora. The two of us have gotten close over the past several months and she’s quickly become like a sister to me.
I start school this fall. Xavier has been incredibly supportive of me going back to school to follow my dreams of becoming a surgeon. After everything that has happened, I realized I need to help people and if this is the safest way of me doing that—then so be it.
Logan was devastated to hear about Declan passing away. So was Jess. My parents and I thought it would be wise to just keep all of that information between us. The news reported his death as an armed robbery gone wrong. In a way, we weren’t lying to the public. It was an armed robbery gone wrong, and he lost.
Xavier and I thought it would be suspicious if we didn’t send flowers to his funeral, so we sent two dozen freshly cut lotus flowers. I’m not going to pretend that it didn't feel good, because it felt damn good.
After months of waiting, the time has finally come for Carl and I to save another woman. Xavier promised me months ago that I could save just one more. I know this world that we live in is so evil. Hell, I’ve been smack dab in the middle of it. But something inside of me is telling me I’ve got to.
“So Carl is my husband for the night?” I ask with a big smirk on my face. I feel Xavier playfully yank me closer to him as we continue walking. He’s been training me over the past several months on what is going to happen tonight. He didn’t want to risk being seen there since his business is thriving, so I’m going in disguise with Carl. We walk up to a dark SUV with tinted windows. I wrap my arm around Xavier’s neck as I bring my lips to his.
“Tracker?” he asks, pulling back from my kiss.
“Got it,” I snap back.
“Gun?” he asks quickly.
“I’ve got both,” I say, giving him one last kiss. I step into the SUV and see Carl dressed sharply in a suit and three men filling up the rest of the SUV. Each man is dressed in black.
“I love you, Lina,” Xavier says into the cracked window. Carl smiles over at me as we see Xavier walk away from the car. “You ready?” he asks. I nod my head as nerves slowly begin to take over my body. “Yes, I’m ready.”
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After a short drive through some sketchy parts of Paris, we finally arrive at what looks to be a deserted part of the city. I see three men standing in front of an old blue door. My heart continues pounding hard and slow as my hands begin to nervously tremble. I take a deep breath adjusting the scarf I just put over my head. Carl looks over at me, I feel his hand on top of mine. “Everything will be fine,” he says looking back at the five intimidating men. “Okay, let’s do this,” Carl says as he opens the door and makes his way over to mine.
As he shuts the door behind me I feel him take my hand in his. He’s technically my husband tonight, so we have to play the part. I walk with my shoulder’s back and chest out. Xavier told me to act like I own the place and I’m trying. My heels crush against the gravel as we make our way towards the building.
“Mr. and Mrs. Petrov,” a young man steps forward shaking Carl’s hand. Carl nods as the man leads us inside. I quickly glance over at Carl who is playing his part to perfection. “We had another unexpected delivery today and wanted to give you and your wife—” he pauses as he nods at me respectively, “first pick,” he says walking down the dimly lit room. The inside of the building is nicer than what it looks like on the outside. I noticed the windows on the outside of the building are boarded so you can’t tell there are lights on. The man stops at a steel door and looks back at us.
“Nineteen, not pure—but beautiful.” He says opening a door. My heart sinks as I see a young woman with brown hair sitting on a chair with her legs crossed. Her eyes hold mine for a moment and she gives me an eerie smirk which makes me uncomfortable. The man shuts the door and continues leading us down the hallway. My heels clank against the concrete floors.
“Twenty-two, also not pure—but speaks English very well.” He opens the door and my heart shatters. Long auburn hair hangs in front of her bowed head. She’s sitting on a chair like the other girl was, but she looks absolutely defeated. Her head hangs low so I can’t see her face, but somehow I know this is the one I was meant to save.
“Look up!” The man’s scream echoes in the empty hall which makes me jump. My hands begin to sweat as I squeeze Carl’s hand gently. As soon as her green eyes make their way from the ground, they show no emotion.
“My wife and I—” Carl pauses, clearing his throat. “I like what I see here. She’ll do.” Carl says standing tall. “Out!” The man digs his fingers into her arm and she winces out in pain as he pulls her towards the door. “She’ll be ready in five minutes,” he says, practically dragging her down the hallway. A tall and lanky man comes from around the corner and ushers us outside.
I try my hardest to keep myself together, but the tears are filling up quickly. I feel the stinging in my nose which travels to the huge lump that’s beginning to form in my throat. I feel Carl wipe a strand of hair from my face. He brings his lips inches from my ear, “I need you to hang in there, Lina.” he whispers. I nod.
My knees feel like rubber as my breath quickens. Minutes feel like hours as we wait. What’s taking so long? Do they know? Are they getting ready as we speak to have us surrounded? To have us killed? I take another deep breath and before I can exhale the blue door swings open. I see the woman walk over towards us slowly as another man walks behind her. He hands Carl paperwork and a passport. Carl nods and then takes her hand in his. The three of us make our way towards the SUV. As hard as it is for me to keep my composure and not take her into my arms, I do.
I now sit there looking straight ahead at the three men standing near that blue door. They laugh and look at their phones as we drive away. Like it’s nothing. Like they didn’t just sell an innocent woman.
As soon as the building is in the rearview mirror I turn around and smile at her. Her head continues to hang low. “What’s your name?” I smile back at her. I watch as she swallows hard, hesitating. “Grace,” she says softly. The corners of my mouth turn up as my lip begins to quiver. Her outline turns to a blur as my eyes slowly flood with tears. “Grace—that was my best friend's name,” I say as I turn back around and look out the window. My eyes look up at the stars and I smile. At least one Grace made it out of there alive.