Chapter Three
ARI JUMPED WHEN there was a knock on the door. She was wrapped in a too large robe sitting on the edge of the bed, her hair still damp from the bath. She’d left the tiny scrap of fabric they called clothes neatly on the sink in the bathroom, even though all she’d wanted to do was shred it.
Ari hadn’t wanted to test her new “master” by destroying something he’d essentially bought. She took a deep breath and forced her feet to move across the room and open the door. Better to act pliant and hopefully lull this man, Rex, into a good mood with her cooperation. Ari had known he was lying when he’d said he’d be back in the morning. No one spent that kind of money not to do something with their “merchandise.”
She opened the door slowly and was shocked when she found him on the other side of the door with a tray of food.
“Can I come in? I brought you some dinner.”
Why was he asking for permission? She was his. He could do what he wanted. If nothing else had been stressed by her four days held captive, it was that she had no say in her life anymore. She nodded. He came into the room but skirted wide around her and set the food on the coffee table in the small sitting area. He sat on the smaller chair and left her the love seat, which confused her even more. She sat down and waited.
Rex looked at her with an unreadable expression. “Eat, please. You must be hungry.”
Ari nodded and picked a spoon to start on the soup.
“When was the last time you had a decent meal?”
Ari thought carefully before answering, but lying about what had happened didn’t feel right. “I’ve been there for four days. They fed us, but not enough. So probably my dinner five days ago. Honestly, though that was just a microwave meal.”
His brow furrowed. “Why weren’t you eating well? Were you homeless?”
Ari’s breath hitched, and her spoon stopped halfway to her mouth. Why was he asking these questions? What did it matter? What would he do with the information if she told him about herself? He’d been nothing but kind. She didn’t trust anyone anymore, though. She took the sip of soup and then decided to give him at least part of the story. As much as it scared her, she figured she should tell him the truth about her age too, so he didn’t think she’d been the one to lie about it.
“I was in school and working two jobs. My stepfather sold me to… whoever those people are.”
“Ari… that’s…,” Rex seemed at a loss for words and his face conveyed genuine sympathy. Ari forced herself to look back at the food. Looks could be extremely deceiving.
Finally he continued, “I’m sorry, I know I have some explaining to do. I swear to you that I won’t hurt you, though. I know you have no reason to believe that. I’ve never made a purchase at one of these events before. Actually, I’m trying to take them down. I’ve been trying to infiltrate this ring for several years. I had to make a purchase tonight to prove that I was there for the right reasons.”
Ari privately scoffed at that. His story didn’t add up. If all he needed to do was buy a girl, any of the others tonight would have made more sense than paying a quarter million dollars for her. Ari couldn’t imagine paying that kind of money for anything, let alone a person.
Ari studied him. She probably wasn’t the best judge of people, but all she saw was sincerity on his face, so she asked, “Are you a cop?”
She watched his eyes shutter. “No, just a concerned citizen with resources. The cops can’t do many of the things I do.”
Ari nodded. “Ok, so you’re going to let me go?”
Rex gave her a long searching look before sighing deeply. “Not right now.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, her voice shrill.
He seemed to realize that she was getting agitated. “I promise I’m still not going to hurt you. I will help you get your life back, eventually. I just need some time. I’ll be watched to make sure that I don’t let you go.”
Ari stared at him. This man had to be insane. Did he think she bought any of this?
“And if I say no? I don’t believe you and I want to leave?”
He tensed. “I really can’t let you leave right now, but I won’t force you to do anything. In fact, for the most part I won’t see you at all.”
“So I don’t have to do anything except stay here?” Ari asked, very confused now.
“Yes, you have to stay here. I’m sorry, I can’t let you ruin the work I’ve put into this so far. No one here will bother you or hurt you, and I’ll do what I can to make things comfortable for you. I can enroll you in a private online school so you can graduate on time if you want.”
Ari dropped her head into her hands. This was so not how she thought this evening was going to go. She’d expected to be raped, at the very least, hurt or killed at worst. Instead, she was here having the most bizarre conversation of her life and offered private… high school. Oh shit. He still thought she was sixteen. Her mind whirled. Should she tell him the truth? Would it change anything for her to be older? Maybe. He didn’t seem to want her at sixteen. Would that change if he knew she was nineteen? She wasn’t sure. Nothing about this made sense.
“Am I dreaming right now?”
Rex’s brow furrowed. “No. This is all very real. I’m sure it’s confusing and scary.”
“Damn straight it is. So tell me if I’ve got this right. You bought me but you aren’t going to do anything to me?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t leave, but you’re going to let me go to school online?”
“Yes, if you want to.”
“And all this will help you stop them?”
“Yes.”
Ari’s stomach rolled, even though she’d barely eaten anything. Most of the other girls she’d been with tonight had been young. Much younger than her. Stan must have lied about her age to sell her. She wondered idly how much he’d sold her for. Surely not anything close to what this man had paid for her. Maybe it worked on a percentage or commission basis? She shook her head. That didn’t matter right now.
“I don’t know what to say. Thank you, I guess?”
Rex gave her the tiniest smile, and it made her breath hitch. The smile was gone again before she could blink and his face was serious as he said, “I get that. I know what you went through must have been traumatic.” He paused and then stood. “Try to get some sleep. Tomorrow I’ll show you around the house and introduce you to my cousin.”
And with that, he walked through the door on the other side of her room, stopping to look back at her for just a moment. “My rooms through here if you need anything, but I won’t bother you.”
He closed the door behind him, leaving Ari feeling even more confused than before.