Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
SUMMER
"Let me the fuck go!" I scream as the van door is ripped open and two men grab me.
I thrash as hard as I can, trying to fight them hard. I punch and kick, breaking free.
The second my feet are on the ground, I start running. I don't know where I am, but it looks like a warehouse district of some sort.
I push hard, my legs screaming in protest. I haven't had a chance to go for a morning run in weeks, and it shows.
"Don't hurt her! Her face needs to be in good condition for the auction," one of the men says to the other.
His voice sounds too close for my liking. I run faster, breathing hard as I skirt around a corner and take off down an alley.
A car screeches into the parking lot and comes to a stop at the end of the alley. Noah steps out and grabs me before I can go flying past him, slamming me into a wall.
"I thought I told you to behave," he growls, his voice low and doing horrible things to the lust building inside me.
Now is not the time to think about getting railed by him. Now is the time to fight like hell to keep yourself alive.
I do the first thing I can think of.
Slamming my head against his chin hurts. Stars dance across my vision.
It does the job, though.
His grip loosens enough for me to rip myself free.
I lunge for the car. It's the only thing I know to do. I get inside and slam the door shut, hitting the locks. The keys are on the passenger seat.
I'm just starting to reach for them when the window is broken, glass raining down on me.
Noah reaches inside, unlocking the car before he rips me out. He throws me to the ground, pain blossoming through the hip I landed on. He nods to the two men as they catch up. "Get her inside."
The men haul me off the ground, their grips tight, both of them staying clear of my head. They drag me behind them, a third man appearing out of nowhere and grabbing me by the legs.
My breathing comes to a screeching halt.
It feels like I can't get enough oxygen in. Terror courses through my veins as I wriggle, trying to get myself free.
I don't know what good it would do, but I have to try.
This isn't how I'm going to die.
Maybe if I stop fighting with them long enough to get my bearings, I could figure out another way out. Maybe my family knows where I am, and they're waiting for the right moment to come in and get me.
If I play along with what's happening right now, there might be a way out of this. A way where I'm alive and can go back to my life.
I'm dragged into a building I don't recognize. I try to keep track of the faces I see, but none of them are familiar, and they all look the same.
People pass me, whispering to each other.
There are thick velvet curtains hanging, the deep burgundy almost blending in with the black stage. Black tables are circled around the room, surrounded with luxurious booths. A bar is in the far corner.
I could get to the bar. Whoever is running it is likely going to be one of Noah's underlings.
Except wherever the hell I am is empty apart from the men forcing me through a door to a back room.
My heart is racing a million miles an hour.
I can't fight. I want to, but what good is fighting when I'm surrounded by people who are obviously the enemy? None of them here are going to help me. Not when this is an auction and dozens of women are going to be for sale.
Other women are gathered in the back, looking just as scared as I feel. Cum drips down the inside of my thigh as a thin woman with too much lip filler comes over.
She eyes the trail on my leg before shaking her head and pointing to the other side of the room.
"You're going to go over there and get cleaned up. And be quick about it. The auction is beginning soon and you're going to be the top prize." The woman is entirely unbothered, gesturing at me to hurry up and get over to the showers positioned along one wall.
"No." I take a step back, but I'm met with another woman and a gun.
She smiles sweetly. "You're going to go over there and get cleaned up, or I'm going to have them sedate you, and I'm going to make you do it. And trust me, you don't want to be sedated when you're finally bought."
My stomach flips.
I think I'm going to throw up. I should be throwing up right now. I don't know how I got into this. I was fighting for my life. I should've been able to escape. I should've been able to convince Noah to let me go.
I might've been able to if I didn't start thinking with my pussy.
And now I'm here. I'm going to be sold, and Noah thinks it's going to be to a man worse than him.
I could start trying to fight, but she already told me they won't kill me. Based on the amount of men stationed around the room, I don't think I'm going to get a good chance to end this either.
The woman with the gun pokes the barrel into my head, urging my forward.
I move like a robot, heading to the shower.
There's not a bit of privacy, women stripping down and bring shoved beneath the water.
"This is going to go a lot better for you if you just cooperate," the woman says, slipping her gun into her waistband. She grabs the skirt and hauls it down my legs.
I shy away from her touch. "You don't have to do that. I'm perfectly capable of handling myself."
She rolls her eyes. "Well, you're not doing it, and I already told you, you're not going to want to be sedated when you're sold. If you even stand a chance at trying to fight back, you need to be alert."
I scoff, peeling off my shirt and stepping beneath the water. "So, you work for this shit, but you're still telling me that I should try and fight and get away?"
"World's not perfect. I have kids at home I have to feed, and this pays well." She crosses her arms and eyes me. "Make sure you clean yourself out. No man wants to be playing in another man's cum."
I wrinkle my nose, turning my back to her and pretending I have a small slip of my own privacy.
My hands shake as I start to clean up.
I shouldn't be here right now. I should be in one of my classes and working toward my career.
"Enough showering," the woman snaps as soon as all the suds are rinsed from my hair and body. "I'm going to get you to dry off, and then I'm going to do your makeup."
I swallow down the fear and snatch the towel from her, wrapping it around my body before turning to one of the women crying in the corner, my voice softening. "Everything is going to be fine. I'm Summer, what's your name?"
"Marissa."
"Well, Marissa, I lied." I smile and twist a curl of her hair, laying it against her collarbone. "Nothing is going to be fine. Nothing about this is going to be fine and everything is going to suck, and I think everyone in this room is scared out of their minds."
Marissa laughed and wiped some of her tears. "I'm not supposed to be here."
I give her a half smile as I'm shoved into a chair beside hers. "I don't think any of us are supposed to be here right now."
She leans closer to me, glancing around at the other people in the room. "We could fight back."
I take her hand and hold it tight. "It's not safe. Not in here. When you get out of here, start fighting, though. Don't let them kill you on their terms. Fight to get free."
The woman with the gun sighs. "Come on, we have to finish getting you ready. It's going to start soon, and if you're not ready to go when they call you name, then I'm fucked."
I sit back in the chair, crossing one leg over the other, foot bouncing as I try to keep my emotions in check.
The woman dries my hair before taking a curling iron to it. "I know this seems like a lot, but some of the men aren't so bad. You just have to go out there and---"
"Do you know who I am?" I glance at her in the mirror, our eyes meeting as she finishes curling another section of my hair.
She gives a slight nod.
"Well, then you already know I'm dead."
She winces. "After you're bought, they're going to move you into a room on your own. They're going to tie you up after that. Then they leave you alone. One man stationed outside the door."
"Why are you telling me this?"
She picks up another section of hair and wraps it around the curling iron. "I heard about the fight you put up even being brought in here. If anyone is going to be able to get out of this shitshow, it's going to be you."
I press my lips together in a thin line, tears pricking the corners of my eyes.
It's starting to sink in now.
This should've worked out better than I thought. I should've been able to ditch Noah at some point.
But now I'm here, and I have to deal with the consequences of my failure.
I bite my bottom lip for a second, nibbling at some of the dry skin there before looking at her in the mirror again and nodding. "What else do I need to know?"
"It takes between six and twelve minutes to complete the sale. You're going to go for a high price, but they're going to want to get out of here with you fast, so you're likely looking at six minutes."
"Six minutes to get out."
She nods, curling the last piece of hair. "Don't trust anyone. There might be someone who says they can help you before you go on stage. Don't believe them. They're only going to make you as a troublemaker and make sure you're never left alone."
"How do I know that's not you?"
Her gaze drifts around like she's making sure nobody is watching us. As she steps in front of me, she rolls up her sleeve, and on her forearm, in white ink, so small you'd miss it if she wasn't showing you, is the Lynde family mark.
She rolls the sleeve back up. "Don't trust anyone."
Aiden knows I'm here.
For the first time in weeks, I have hope.
My family knows I'm here, and they're going to do everything they can to get me out.
If they have her telling me how to escape, they're going to have someone waiting outside to take me away.
Probably Skyla. She's the best one at blending into a crowd.
Although, it could be Gia. Most people wouldn't think twice about her being around.
I suck in a sharp breath, going through the rest of the motions. I get my makeup done and put on a short dress that shows more than it hides.
As girl after girl is called away I need to remind myself I just have to get through this and get to the room.
Then I have to do everything I can to escape, but I'm going to take it one step at a time. I'm not going to get too far ahead of myself only to lead to failure. Cool and collected, just like Aiden taught me.
And when I finally get a moment alone, I'm going to fight for my life.
"And now, our final girl of the night," the speakers boom as a door opens, and a man comes toward me with a gag.
Here goes nothing.
Hopefully, I make it out alive, but if not, I'm going to die trying.