My eyes flew open and I tried to push up off the floor and I stumbled as spots exploded in front of my eyes. Taking deep breaths, I tried to get my dizziness under control.
I gripped onto the wall, the feeling of my skin scraping against it was a brief relief from the thumping in my head. Pushing up into a standing position, I let the wall support me as I gained my bearings.
After a few more deep breaths, I took a slow step forward and made sure I had my balance. Being able to stand without the support of the wall, I stepped closer to the door.
Banging on it, I screamed for them to bring her back. I screamed until my voice couldn’t any longer and I was basically croaking out as loud as I could.
I didn’t give up though, I shuffled down the wall and kept banging on the door. I couldn’t cope knowing that they hadn’t only taken Lindsey, but now Ava as well.
I drifted in and out of sleep, not being able to keep my eyes open as the throbbing in my head was getting worse and worse. I desperately needed water, the one small paper cup they provided us with each day just wasn’t enough.
I stumbled against the wall at the sound of footsteps. Stepping back, I faced the door, ready to confront whoever was about to open it. The window in the door was too high for me to see out of so when they opened the door and threw Ava inside, I wasn’t prepared. I barely caught her as we both fell down on the floor.
The brute winked at me, then slammed the door shut. “Dick.” I croaked, my throat burning with using my voice.
I looked down at Ava, checking her for injuries. Her bra was ripped, the straps barely holding it on.
“Ava, sweetie? What did they do to you?”
Her answering sobs racked her whole body so I stayed silent and wrapped my arms around her, rocking her back and forth until she buried her head into my shoulder.
After her sobs started to slow down, I pulled back and smiled softly. “Let’s sit,” I said. Tilting my head over at the wall.
“Th…they…” she stammered.
“Oh, sweetie,” I whispered. I had to stay strong, I couldn’t let her see how much my heart was breaking for her. I hated to think what they had done to her.
“Did they…” I asked, letting the question hang in the air between us.
“No.” She sniffled and shook her head. “They took me to a man who wants to buy me.”
“They’re selling you?” I pulled back, my head swimming. We needed to get out of here. Now.
Did that mean that Lindsey had been sold? Would I ever see her again? Was she even still in this building?
I was starting to piece things together in my head. These girls were being taken off the streets, not just because they were there or for convenience, but because their parents had sold them to clear their own debts, their own mistakes. Once they were here, it looked like they were then being sold off to the highest bidder.
How many girls had been sold already? Were there more girls in here? I hadn’t been outside of this square room and I really needed to. I needed to scope the place out. Look for possible escape routes.
Just as I was trying to think of a way to get out of this room, the door flung open again, only this time, we hadn’t heard any footsteps coming. I didn’t know whether that was because I was inside my own head or because he didn’t want me to know that he was coming this time.
Ava lifted up off me and I stood up, using the wall as support. “You dick,” I spat at Max. His eyes widened in surprise, yeah, I’d shocked him with never having spoken to him like that before.
“Watch your mouth,” he growled, stepping closer to me. I matched him, step for step, meeting him in the middle of the room.
I wouldn’t back down from him, I was stronger than I’d ever been. I knew how to protect myself and I wasn’t afraid to use it to get us out of here. To get back to Eli and Ty.
“I won’t watch my mouth you piece of shit!” I smiled when I saw his hands clench into fists. That’s what I wanted, I wanted him to be distracted. To lose his cool.
“You’re pushing it,” he gritted out through clenched teeth.
“Awww, am I?” I pointed my finger, jabbing him in the chest. “What you gonna do about it?”
His hand flew up, grabbing my finger and twisting it. I squealed as I felt the snap of bone.
“Kay?” Ava said from behind me.
Yanking me forward, I fell into his chest, the force making me bite my tongue.
“I’m trying my fuckin’ hardest here and you’re pushing my fuckin’ limits.”
Pulling back just slightly, I smiled, blood flowing out of my mouth.
“Yeah?” I mumbled, though it didn’t quite sound like that with my tongue swelling.
I did something then that I’d never thought I’d ever do, I spat in his face. I hated it but I knew that I’d get a reaction from him. I watched as the blood dripped down his face and onto his t-shirt.
He came at me, throwing me down onto the floor. I tried to break my fall with my hand but I couldn’t get it out in time and my back slammed off the floor with a hard crack.
The bottom of his boot came down on my ribs and I squealed. He always went for the same place. He stomped his boot down a second time and I screamed from the pain, knowing straight away that he’d cracked several ribs.
“No! Stop!” I heard Ava shout, the shock of her shouting caused me to look over to her. I shouldn’t have, I knew never to take my attention away from Max, not when he was like this.
“Why!” he yelled, so loud that my ears popped. “Why do you make me like this!”
“I don’t make you like anything,” I said turning back to him. “It’s all you. You’re an evil bastard and I’m so glad that Eli is away from you!”
His eyes turned black while his face went bright red. Reaching down, he gripped me by my throat and lifted me up off the floor.
My head spun and I knew that I would pass out any second but just as I was starting to lose consciousness, I felt his fist slam down onto my face.
“Stop,” a gruff voice said from the doorway.
Max stopped, just like that, no argument. His hand stayed around my throat, the only thing holding me up right now.
“Boss wants to see her.”
And with that, Max grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out of the room. My last view of Ava was of her sat in the corner holding herself tight. I just hoped that I would be coming back because she needed me.
Four days. Ninety-six hours. Five thousand, seven hundred and sixty minutes.
That’s how long Kay had been missing for and we were at a complete dead end. None of the leads that we actually had, had brought anything up. To top that off, we hadn’t had any fresh new leads.
She’d been taken in broad daylight and not one person had seen a thing. How could they not have seen anything? It just wasn’t possible, she was out in the open, not behind a wall or in the darkness of the night.
It was clear that someone had seen something, but were keeping their mouths shut. It was all too suspicious. There was something more going on here.
We’d tried to keep things as normal as possible at home and we’d even told Eli that Kay was staying with Miss Maggie. It was Miss Maggie’s idea to tell him that Kay was looking after her because she wasn’t well. I didn’t want to lie to Eli but I had no choice. The alternative was devastating and I wouldn’t subject him to that, I’d shield him from it for as long as I possibly could.
We’d tried to keep everything else as normal as possible, he continued to go to preschool, having Corey here helped because he was occupied in getting to know his uncle and telling everyone who Corey was.
Having taken a quick power nap, all I’d allowed myself to have since Kay had been taken, I walked back into the warehouse and into the center of things.
“Anything?” I asked Charlie. He’d stayed here with me but we had a constant flow of other people coming and going.
“Nothing.” He shook his head and stretched his arms up in the air.
“Damn it!” Slamming my hands on the table, I bent over. I couldn’t take this much longer. I owned this fucking company and I couldn’t even find the one person who meant the world to me.
“I know a guy,” Corey said from the opposite side of the table.
I moved my eyes to him, seeing the guilty look on his face. “What?”
He looked down at the table where he was drawing circles with his finger. “I err…I know this guy.” I stood up straight, frowning at him. “He might be able to help us find Kay.”
I stared at him, sure that I had fire shooting out of my eyes. Why was he only telling us this now?
“And why the fuck didn’t you mention this before?” I growled.
“Fuck.” He looked at me, his eyes blazing. “It’s complicated, he’s not even meant to be alive.”
“What?” I stepped forward, none of the shit that he was saying made any sense.
“Look.” He held his hands up. “It’s a long story and I probably shouldn’t be saying anything.”
“Yeah?” I chuckled, the sound sinister to my own ears. “You’re gonna fuckin’ explain yourself, right now.”
He huffed and leaned back in his chair, gripping his hair and groaning. “He’s undercover. Only a few people know about him.”
“And?”
“If I reach out to him,” he said, his face going pale. “I’ll owe him big time.”
“Wait. Let me get this fuckin’ straight. You haven’t asked this person for help, because you’ll owe him?” I raised my brows in disbelief. I couldn’t believe he’d done this. Out of all the people that want to find Kay, I thought he’d be the first person to sacrifice anything and everything.
“Fuck, Ty.” He stood up, matching me in height and size. “You have no fuckin’ idea what they make us do over there. I wanted out but if I do this I won’t be out, I’ll be in deep.”
“The fuck you talking about?”
“I’ve said too much,” he murmured. “Just…Forget I said anything,” he said, shaking his head and pulling his cell out.
“Wait. What are you talking about?”
Ignoring me, he walked off and left me staring at his back.
I stood and waited for him to come back, determined to know just what he had been talking about and what he was getting himself in for.
I opened my mouth as he came through the door, but before I could get a word out, he said, “don’t.” The warning in his voice clear.
“Corey…”
“I already said too much and I didn’t want to make this guy aware that I had family. He’ll use them against me.”
“What fuck are you in with, Corey?”
“Man, if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. But if this is the only way that we can get Kay back, then I’m willing to sacrifice my future. It’s killing me not knowing where she is.” He raised his brows at me. “And I know it’s killing you too. I can see it every time I look at your face.”
He was right but the look in his eyes frightened me. Whatever he had just got himself into wasn’t good and I knew Kay wouldn’t like this, she wouldn’t want him to do this.
Me? I was worried about him, but the fact of the matter was, Kay needed to be out of wherever she was. And quick.