Mouse
Fiona
My body lifts up off the ground as I wake up, head throbbing worse than it ever has in my life. Why there? Why did I have to hit that exact spot on my head?
Did the chip break?
It could have. That tiny thing didn’t seem all that shatter-resistant, even though Everett seemed to think it was the end-all be-all of trackers.
“How long before the boss kills this one?” The man holding my left side asks.
“She’s prettier than Trixie. Maybe he’ll keep her.” The man on the right slides a finger down my face.
It takes everything in me to remain impassive.
“You know he always ends up selling the pretty ones. The Spider is greedy, and she’ll fetch a fair price. If I thought he’d let us, I’d offer to buy her.”
“How do you think she got the brand?” Left side guy sure asks a lot of questions.
“She could be one of the original crop.” Right side guy sniffs. “But she doesn’t look that old.”
“Maybe she’s one of the kids who escaped?”
Someone other than Daria and I escaped. Maybe that’s what happened with Sweetums. Gemma wasn’t useful to them anymore without Sweetums, so he ditched the kid.
Except The Spider didn’t leave loose ends.
None of this makes any sense.
“The boss said to put her in the big cage until he’s ready for her.”
The big cage…that’s where he kept Sweetums.
“Are you sure we can’t get a little taste before we toss her in?” The guy on the right squeezes my arm.
Ignore him. You can handle whatever happens. You’ve done it before, you can do it again. This is just temporary.
“You know how the boss gets grumpy when we do that.”
The Spider doesn’t get grumpy. He gets lethal.
Something changed.
But what is it?
They toss me into the cage, bashing my already sore head against the bars.
Is it even in the realm of possibility that the tracker is still working?
Accept that no one is coming for you, and things will go easier.
Because if you start thinking about Daria, Hope, or Dash…
You aren’t one of those silly women who dream of a knight in shining armor that comes in to rescue you from evil.
Those don’t really exist…except for Max.
But you left him.
***
“Baby, are you sure you want to waste time on this new girl? Don’t you want to spend time with me?” a woman purrs.
“She has my mark on her. I want to see my property.”
That isn’t The Spider’s voice.
I open my eyes, even though I’ve been keeping them tightly shut to avoid seeing what’s all around me.
Every creepy crawly slithering thing…
Why did The Spider have to love reptiles?
The woman somehow found a dress that showed more skin than mine, which I thought was pretty much impossible. “But Spidey baby, you can have more fun with me.”
I fight hard not to throw up in my mouth.
Wait, she called him Spidey? I know that man. “Mouse?”
“Fiona!” Mouse stares at me. “I thought you were dead. That The Spider killed you years ago.”
“Not dead.” Though I might wish I was soon. “Where is The Spider?”
Mouse looks around, then goes to lock the door. “Sweetums killed him a couple of years ago. So I took over and started selling product again.”
Product being women.
“It took a while to build a stable, but people were scared enough when I took his name not to ask questions.”
Sweetums did it. She killed him. I want to cheer for her success, but she’s not here to do it with. “What happened to her?”
“I couldn’t keep a boss killer around. So, I made sure she’s going to spend the rest of her life in a cage.” He shrugs. “But you’re nothing like her. Trixie, this is Fiona. She’s the most docile property ever owned. She knows her place.”
Trixie!?! The woman who took care of Gemma.
“Watch, I’ll show you.” He walks over to my cage and unlocks it. “Fiona, go put your hand in that cage.” Mouse points to the cobra that’s hooded up and striking at him.
If I put my hand in there, I’m going to get bitten. These aren’t semi-tame, like Maddox’s pets. They make anti-venoms. If Vex finds me in time, I might live. If I don’t do it, who knows what will happen.
Be brave. I walk over, crack the lid open, and slide my hand in.
The cobra strikes immediately.
Only there’s no pain.
Mouse starts laughing hysterically. “See, I told you she was docile. Take your hand out. He can’t hurt you. I had him defanged.”
“So, we can do anything with her that we want, Spidey Baby.” Trixie sidles up to him.
“I haven’t decided yet. She would fetch top dollar as a slave.”
“But she could be our slave.”
“Hmmm, maybe. Go sit in that corner and be quiet until I decide what I want to do with you.”
With my eyes down, I walk over, not to wait for his decision but to plan my escape. They never checked my boots for weapons. They hardly frisked me.
All they saw was a broken woman.
Dyce and her desire to ensure we were all able to protect ourselves might be the only reason I get out of here alive. It sure doesn’t look like the tracker worked, or Vex would have been in here by now.
I’m on my own.