Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Silva
I’m a perfect doll, standing by a gorgeous column in Gideon’s mansion as alphas stalk around me, taking in the “merchandise” he has to offer. I’m not meant to say anything I shouldn’t, so I smile, sip champagne, and circulate around the room so I can be seen.
I’m not meant to be heard, have dreams, or any aspirations at all. I’m simply a perfect omega, waiting to be bred, fucked, or experimented on by an alpha in the room. Nothing says “fresh meat” like recently turning twenty-one, I guess.
There are women circling the room with their too sharp smiles, men who ooze money, and the scent of fear is prevalent in the air as I walk through the room as if nothing is wrong.
Every step I take is steeped in training and lies. This gold low cut and backless dress isn’t me, and there are too many calculating gazes on my body, making my skin pebble with goosebumps.
All the things in this room are run by the money flowing from these alphas’ pockets.
You can wrap me up in a beautiful dress, fix my hair, groom me within an inch of my life, and throw on a pair of expensive heels, but at the end of the day, there’s no mistaking what this is about.
I’m being sex trafficked to be someone’s fuck toy.
I’ll occasionally make eye contact with Lark, Aries, Luna, Briar, or my sister, only to glance quickly away. No one can know we have no intention of staying here a second longer than we need to, or our plans won’t mean shit.
Beth is going to come find me in my room tonight once the glitz tarnishes and fades and the money is in Gideon’s bank account. I have my orders, and no one expects me to disobey them.
Only I don’t plan to be there. None of us will be. Tonight, we’re making our escape.
My lungs fill with air as I gasp, my eyes opening wide as I struggle to breathe. Sitting up quickly, I can feel the coolness of the sweat soaked sheets, and the sun’s weak rays are beginning to shine through my window as dawn breaks.
I can feel how cold the mansion was kept, how it always felt like I was freezing, and remember the too sweet smiles of my keepers.
They pretended to care about us, but all they wanted was to keep us in line and compliant.
At first, I revolted, screamed, and broke things, only to break when they promised my actions would only hurt Lexi.
Their actions didn’t seem insidious, but not being able to see my sister after everything that happened before we were captured was too much. It’s how they kept me under their thumb.
Behave or be transferred out of the group was the overall message I was given over and over again, until I became what they wanted me to be on the outside.
Inside? I stewed, plotted, and waited for our chance to leave.
My heart pounds as I hold my hand against it as the memories ravage my mind. I was scared every fucking day I was there, because I knew the day I accepted things or bought into their bullshit, my life would be over.
It wasn’t terrible every day. They took care of us, gave us medical and dental care, and even fed us, but the price tag attached to it was our freedom. I might have accepted my fate if I knew my sister would get out, but it was all or nothing.
Lexi made me promise we would all escape together, which is why I’m here today.
“Fuck,” I whisper, pushing off the sheets as they stick to my naked body. At some point during my fight with my sheets, I pulled off my clothes as well.
Sometimes, I can’t stand the way they feel on my skin. Getting up, I fish out my phone from my purse and check my messages.
Lexi
You have twenty minutes until I storm your house for answers.
She sent that a couple of minutes ago.
Me
I might still be in the shower when you come in. I need caffeine badly.
Lexi
I decided to swing by the coffee shop, so you have some time. Get moving, Firefly!
Rolling my eyes in affection, I walk quickly to my bathroom and turn on the rainfall shower. I managed to change it out myself and ordered it online. Money can’t buy happiness, but a damn good shower can.
This time, I wash my hair as well as my body, sighing as I scrub the nightmare away. I don’t want to worry my sister, but I’m woken up at least three times a week by the memories of my past.
I managed to bury it when we were busy getting Widows Peak established, making sure everyone who we first recruited were decent people, but now it feels like my carefully constructed compartments are splitting down the seams. There are a few therapists in our town, something we made sure of to take care of any of our omegas who may be running from something.
I don’t know if I want to schedule an appointment yet. I want to see if there’s a reason I’m dreaming about my time at the Henderson estate. This feels like some kind of omen.
Frowning, I finish washing my face and shut off the water. My towel is on the rack as I reach for it, and dry off before putting on lotion and brushing my teeth. Knowing I won’t have time to dry my hair, I throw curling product in and scrunch it so it’ll air dry naturally.
It’s really fucking wet, so I squeeze out the moisture with a towel before I leave the bathroom to put on a pair of my favorite cut up jeans, a snarky t-shirt, and cute socks. I don’t need to wear shoes in my own house.
Glancing at my bedsheets, I check the time and open my door to see if my sister is here yet. There’s not been another text, so maybe I’ll be okay. Pocketing my phone, I strip the bed of its sheets and bedspread before hustling downstairs to start a load of laundry.
I’ll have to do it in two loads because of my king size bedspread, but that’s fine. It’ll just look like I’m doing my weekly routine of cleaning, and she shouldn’t worry about me.
I mean, normal people wash laundry simply so it’s clean and not to exorcise their demons, right?
Blowing out a breath, I toss my sheets over the railing as I jog downstairs to pick it up. The last thing I need is to fall down the damn stairs because I can’t see my feet. A broken leg due to being a klutz, no thank you.
At the main floor, I gather up my sheets and hurry to my laundry room. I sort things quickly, throw them in with my favorite detergent, and then enter my kitchen to wipe down the surfaces. This also means that I have to clean and dry the glass I left to dry on the rack.
It’s at this point that I hear the deadbolt turn over and my front door opens.
It’s just Lexi, I tell myself, moving until I have a clear vantage point of the front of my home.
“It’s me!” Lexi says clearly, knowing that I’m a bit paranoid about my space.
“Hey,” I say, walking over to help her with her haul of goodies. There’s coffee and pastries that Mrs. Hall makes at her shop bright and early. “Oh my god, you must have been there right when it opened.”
“I was, and I was rewarded with donuts and bagels,” she says gleefully.
“This looks amazing.” I sigh happily, bringing her haul into the kitchen. Grabbing plates, I put everything out, happy to find that the bagels are already toasted and have cream cheese between the sliced pieces.
“I’m buttering you up,” my sister announces as I pick up a cup and check to see if it’s mine. Mmm, fuck yes. A pumpkin maple coffee.
Taking a sip, my eyelashes flutter as I groan, while Lexi sits on my bar stool and wraps her hands around her own coffee cup.
“Your sex noises aren’t going to deter me,” she growls, making my grin appear. “Oh my god! You’re smiling. What the hell happened?"
“Nothing really,” I admit. “It was a very Syrus moment. He very politely informed me that he wanted to renegotiate our relationship status from verbal sparring partners to something more, and then he stole the soul from my body with a kiss.”
“That’s your description of ‘nothing really’?!” Lexi squeals, making me huff out a laugh. “Ugh, the man is fine. Get it, Firefly. Does he know anything about our lives from before we lived here?”
“Nope,” I sigh. “I don’t really want to lead with our baggage, Lex. What if it’s too much for him to handle?”
“Syrus Lynch has seen some shit in Seattle. It’s the reason he left, babe,” she says. “I think he’d be more than willing to listen.”
“The issue is that men like Syrus don’t just want to listen,” I explain to her. “Our hands are tied. We aren’t supposed to even look in Gideon’s direction anymore.”
“Shh,” she says, shuddering. “I feel like it’s bad luck just to say his name. We don’t want any part of him coming back for us. If you feel that strongly about it, don’t tell him, but you might need to discuss some things so he doesn’t accidentally trigger you.”
“It’s been so long since I’ve had sex, I think there are cobwebs growing in my vagina,” I mutter. Lexi’s snort of laughter makes me reach over for a bagel and viciously bite into it. “I mean it.”
“I know you have an arsenal of sex toys and knots in your bedroom, Silva. There’s no way anything is growing in there that even resembles a cobweb,” she giggles.
This conversation is getting so silly, I can’t help but admit defeat.
“Okay, okay,” I mumble before swallowing my breakfast. “I’m sure the town won’t be able to help themselves, and will be talking all about how Syrus was caught ‘leaning’ over me as I left work. Oh, and he kissed me outside of the pizza shop, which means that the phone lines will be hot today.”
“Oops,” my sister smirks. “Work is gonna be really fun for you tonight.”
“Fuck, don’t remind me.” I groan.
“Want to binge sappy romance movies before you have to go into work tonight?” she offers. “We can start with When Harry Met Sally, and then lead into Princess Bride. Your sofa is more comfortable than mine.”
“Relocate?” I suggest, grabbing a tray to pile our food and drinks on.
“Hell yes,” she cheers, helping me by grabbing the coffees. “Let’s do it.”
Well, this is a really good way to spend a Saturday. I’ll take it.