Lili
Blinking my eyes, I came awake with a hard jolt.
My heart raced as I scanned the room. It looked like an ordinary bedroom, with wood floors, and heavy curtains over the windows, but there was no furniture. I was curled up on the hard floor, and everything ached. As I shifted, I heard the clank of metal and felt coolness on my wrists.
I was handcuffed.
Panic fluttered in the base of my throat. I closed my eyes. The back of my head throbbed a little where I’d hit the wall in my hotel room. I lifted my hands awkwardly and probed my head. There was some blood matted in my hair, but it seemed like it had stopped bleeding.
Cole’s T-shirt and my panties were the only things I had on. I was cold, goosebumps skating up my arms.
I had no idea where I was. The men who’d dragged me out of the Avernus belonged to Goodyear. I swallowed, my throat tight. They’d stuffed me in the backseat of a car, and covered me with a blanket. They’d kept me covered when they’d brought me in here. Wherever here was.
A little light seeped around the edge of the curtains, so I guessed it was morning.
I’d almost gotten away. My chin hit my chest. I’d been so close to getting in my car and disappearing.
Nothing good ever worked out for me. I wondered why I couldn’t stop hoping and dreaming for more.
When your dreams got ground to dust, it hurt so badly.
The door suddenly creaked open, and my head jerked up.
A slender woman in a white slip of a dress hurried in. She was holding a plate of food, and a bottle of water. Her head was down, her pale-blonde hair covering her face.
“Who are you?” My voice was croaky. “Where are we?”
She lifted her head and my entire chest locked. She was stunning. I’d never a seen a more beautiful face, with high cheekbones and plump lips.
“Ava-Jane,” I croaked.
“Lili.” Her face cracked. She set the plate and water down, then flew at me.
She hugged me hard, and I leaned into her. I couldn’t get my arms around her because of the handcuffs, but I pressed into her as tightly as I could.
“I’m so sorry,” I cried. “I thought you’d left and ghosted me.”
Ava-Jane sobbed. “It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have helped me.”
I pulled back, unable to believe she was here, right in front of me. She was a little thinner, with shadows under her eyes. My gaze moved over her and I noted the faint bruises on her neck and arms.
“What happened?” I whispered.
“I don’t have long.” She glanced at the door. “I went to a modeling job that Chadwick Goodyear arranged.”
My heart started pounding. “Okay.”
Her face fell. “It wasn’t a modeling job. They took me to what I thought was a photo shoot…”
“What did he do?” I pressed my handcuffed hands to her face. “Ava-Jane, what did he do?”
Her blue eyes met mine, and the pain, shame, and misery I saw in them took my breath away.
“There are three other women. They were taken like me. We’re kept locked up, they move us around, and…they make us go to Goodyear’s private parties.”
“No,” I whispered, my voice shaky.
“I was such an idiot,” she said.
“No, this is not your fault. You’re a victim!”
“He makes us…We have to sleep with him, and he lets men have sex with me, Lili. Sometimes more than one.”
“That’s not sex,” I said fiercely. “That’s rape. This is trafficking.”
Emotions moved across her face, then her features settled in a mask of nothing. The life drained from her eyes. “You should eat.”
I grabbed her wrist. She winced and I realized I’d touched a bruise on her arm. “Where are we?”
“Shh.” She glanced at the open door. “They don’t like us talking.”
“How many guards are there?” We needed to find a way out of here.
She licked her lips. “Look, just eat.”
“We need to escape, Ava-Jane.”
“There’s no escaping. No one ever escapes, Lili. We only get out when they take us to Goodyear, or the parties, or the fights.”
The fights. I felt a chill. Had she been at the fights when I was there? Up in Goodyear’s private box? “We are escaping and Chadwick Goodyear will pay for what he’s done to you.”
She flinched, then jerked backward. “Stop. It’s too late.” She straightened. “You’re lucky. You’re getting out. Someone is coming to get you.” She moved toward the door.
I scrambled to my feet. “Ava-Jane, I’m getting us out of here.” I awkwardly hugged her again.
She clung to me for a second, her fingers digging into my skin. Then she gave me one last glance before she slipped out and closed the door behind her.
I wanted to kick and scream. I wanted to hurt Goodyear. I wasn’t a violent person, but that man…he was evil.
Okay, I need to get my head straight and work out a plan. I sucked in some breaths, then sat down. I unscrewed the cap on the water bottle and drank. Ava-Jane was wrong. No one was coming for me.
I lifted my chin. I was going to have to save myself and my friend.
I forced myself to drink some more water. Rising, I stood at the door, listening.
The murmur of men’s voices. I crouched down. I heard footsteps, more murmurs.
It sounded like they were getting closer.
“New girl will be gone soon,” a deep voice said.
“Shame. I like the look of her. Totally a girl next door.”
My stomach curdled.
The other man laughed. “No touching the goods, or you’ll be in trouble. Anton’s coming to collect the new one.”
I suddenly felt sick. I leaped up, my stomach doing a wild turn.
Anton.
I hurried to the window, but when I looked out, I saw I was on the second story. The house was nothing more than an ordinary building in one of Las Vegas’ many subdivisions. The entire street was lined with two-story, cream, copycat houses, with xeriscape yards and palm trees.
A circle of the room yielded nothing. Hopelessness closed around my throat. There was nothing I could use to get the cuffs off, or use as a weapon.
I slid down the wall and closed my eyes. Conserve my strength and wait for an opportunity to escape. That was all I could do.
My thoughts drifted to Cole.
He’d realize I was gone by now. Maybe he thought I’d just left. Maybe he was glad to be rid of me. He’d seemed eager to get me out of his hair last night.
Still, my mind held onto the image of him. His rugged face, the tattoo on his brawny arm, his strong body. It made me feel just a little bit better.
I must have dozed, because the next thing I knew, the door to the room flew open. I startled awake and saw two guys in suit pants and rolled up shirt sleeves headed my way. They weren’t the same guys from last night, but I had no doubt they were part of Goodyear’s army.
“What’s going on? What’s—?”
“No questions.” One yanked me up.
They each took one of my arms and dragged me out of the room.
I was so tired of people dragging me around, forcing me to do things I didn’t want to do. I kicked and jerked.
“Let me go!”
“We don’t want to hurt you, but we will if you make things difficult.”
The long hallway held a number of closed doors. God, were all these rooms filled with women being held against their will?
I jerked again. “Help! I need help!”
The other man muttered under his breath. He yanked my head back. “You’ll regret—”
Then I heard several muffled whump, whump sounds from downstairs.
My captors both froze.
A radio crackled to life. “Intruders. We have—” It cut off.
I heard more muffled thumps.
“Fuck, shots,” one of my captors said.
With a jolt, I realized those sounds must have been silenced gunshots. Suddenly, there was a loud crash below.
Terror choked me. I kicked the man holding me. I needed to get away.
He backhanded me and I flew sideways into the wall. Then I wasn’t sure what happened. Something in me just snapped.
I’d been through so much in the last twenty-four hours and I was done.
I launched myself at him and landed a punch to his jaw, followed by a cross to his gut. He staggered and grunted.
The other guy cursed, and sank a hand into my hair. I tried to kick him.
Then suddenly, he spun, looking down the hallway. He fumbled for the gun holstered at his hip.
I looked up and energy filled me.
Cole was striding down the hallway, looking like the angel of death. He was dressed in black cargo pants, a black T-shirt, and black jacket. His face was set in harsh lines, and he had a gun held in his hand, with a silencer attached.
Whump.
The man beside me collapsed.
Whump.
My other captor fell, moaning on the floor.
I stood there, frozen.
Cole got close, but didn’t say anything. His blue gaze ran down the length of my body before it came back to my face.
I didn’t stop to think. I launched myself into his arms.
His arms closed around me, holding me tight.