Chapter 24
Everly marched back to the house, feeling victorious that all hope wasn’t lost. The plan had been to get close to Darby and gather information. Then she would attempt an escape with as many women as she could.
Now that she knew there was a Silva brother secretly hidden in the building, she was certain the plan would work.
That evening she found it difficult to concentrate on anything else but Cristian—she missed him so much.
Their lives had become entwined in a way that was almost unhealthy to the outside eye.
They had bonded in the most unusual circumstance, but she knew what she felt was real.
He belonged to her, and she to him. She only hoped he would forgive her when she got out of this alive.
“Mi Cielo,” she smiled as she whispered the nickname he had given her.
Everly had to figure out where they were.
Bastian had asked her to report back to him if she learned anything.
The more details she could give him, the better chance they had of getting out alive.
They each had their roles to play. She would listen in on conversations with Darby and anyone she could, while Bastian would work on blending into Darby’s crew.
The sun had receded into a dull orange. She’d been led to a massive bedroom with the biggest bed she had ever seen.
It was clearly different from the provisions in the warehouse where she’d been kept before Cristian had bought her.
She shuddered at the thought of warming the bed with Darby.
But she had prepared herself for the worst. She moved towards the window and peeled the curtains apart.
It opened to the courtyard where Darby’s men worked.
She noticed a bungalow stacked with hundreds of cartons.
“What is this about?” she whispered into the darkening sky.
It seemed Darby wasn’t just into human trafficking.
She couldn’t make much of what was going on and strained to listen out the opened window.
Luis showed up, and she heard him announce to the men that a special guest would be arriving. Everly furrowed her brow in confusion.
Luis ordered them to get the women prepared — it would be a show night.
The guest, whoever that was, was a high roller.
In addition to the show, Darby wanted to move the women fast. As if he sensed that he was being watched, Luis directed his gaze towards Everly’s window, but she’d been quick enough to turn away.
Her heart danced wildly against her chest as she returned to the bed. She covered her face with her hands and began to sob, feeling overwhelmed by everything that was happening around her. Her friend was among the women being prepared.
A loud tap at her door jolted her back to reality. Everly jumped to her feet to receive the visitor. The middle-aged woman was the same one that had dressed her for the auction. She seemed pale and sickly, barely moving as she stepped into the room. Her sunken eyes were sad and full of regret.
“You are being asked to get ready for the show tonight.” The woman announced. She’d walked in with clothing and accessories that Everly would need.
“Darby is putting me up for auction?” Everly tried to make conversation with the woman. But she wouldn’t say anything. Everly pulled in a deep breath and continued questioning her. “Where are we? Can you tell me the name of this place?”
The only response she got was a hardened glare from the woman.
It was obvious she wanted no trouble from Darby.
She tossed some leather skirts on the bed while directing her eyes to a corner of the ceiling.
Everly found it odd that she kept staring up.
When she followed the woman’s eyes, she noticed that a camera had been placed there.
“Fuck!” she scoffed under her breath. Everly knew that the woman was eager to speak with her, but she was afraid for her life.
How long had this woman been held in Darby’s chains?
Once she found a way to escape, she would help all the women here.
She wondered how Bastian was faring. Everly hoped that Cristian’s brother was aware of all the eyes around this place.
The last thing he needed was to get caught. Darby would kill him on sight.
She moved lazily towards the scandalous clothing. “Where are the tops?” Everly thumbed through the tight skirts and grimaced.
“There are no tops during show night.” The woman turned and left Everly alone.
Her face grew pink at the thought of standing bare breasted on a stage.
Truly, these people didn’t care about a woman’s dignity.
They treated them as though they were a commodity for sale.
She dry heaved as she imagined being ogled by the men that would come for the night.
She was certain that the boss was someone important, but who? What was the show night really about?
Suddenly, the door burst open and the woman returned.
“I forgot to take my basket.” She announced.
Everly thought that it was odd for her to smile.
When the woman left, Everly sensed that she’d forgotten the hamper deliberately.
She rose to her feet and pretended to go through the clothes.
She turned her back to the camera to shield whatever she found.
Her heart almost stopped when she saw a piece of paper buried beneath one of the skirts.
On it, the woman had written the address of their location.
They were still in Chile. She couldn’t wait to share it with Bastian.
Everly picked up a skirt and slipped it on.
She had to tell Bastian what she had learned—before she was sold.
She slipped from the room and quietly eased down the hallway.
There were guards stationed at each door, but none at hers.
It seemed Darby was up to something, but she ignored their stern faces and continued to trudge forward.
She needed to find Bastian. She had almost reached the end of the hallway and was about to give up, when she found him stationed with another man.
There was only one way to buy them time.
She knew she was risking herself by doing this, but she had to risk it if she wanted to speak with Bastian alone.
“Luis sent for you. He sent me to find you,” she said to the guard standing beside Bastian. The young man was startled for a moment, but then examined her naked chest and smiled. Everly covered herself and glared at him. “Are you going to stand there and keep him waiting?”
The guard nodded and hurried off. Once he was out of sight, she scanned the areas for cameras, and leaned into Bastian’s side.
“Contact Cristian as soon as you can. Here is the address. Darby is planning to sell the girls, including me tonight. He wants to offload the merchandise. There’s someone else coming tonight, I couldn’t hear who, but whoever it is, he’s important.” She handed him the piece of paper.
“I’ll call him as soon as I can.”
“Are you alright?”
Bastian grimaced. “The show—” He swallowed before speaking.
“It’s for BDSM lovers. Those women that were brought in the van had just survived weeks of torture.
Because they handled what he dished out, it means they are capable of being sold into the rougher side of the sex industry. The men who are coming are sick fucks.”
“What are we going to do?” she asked.
“I’ll send word to Cristian and pray he can get here soon. If not, be ready to make a run for it. I have to get you out of here no matter what.”