They meet me out in front of Ethan’s house. Jenkins forces me to stay inside in the foyer with my bags until the car pulls up and a large man in a black jacket approaches. Jenkins doesn’t say a word when I leave.

I’m sure Jenkins is excited that I’m leaving, but I’m terrified.

After we decided on the plan, I sent The Syndicate a message through my phone and told them that I was ready to come back. They responded right away, saying they’d send somebody as soon as possible. I kissed Ethan goodbye and he left for the meeting with my father.

He’s not going to do anything at the meeting. Now the plan is to wait and see if this pans out. He’s going to try and stall, but that’ll be it.

It’s up to me now.

I ride in the back of a large town car, my bags in the trunk, worried as all hell. The woman sitting up front next to the large man is the same woman that came to see Ethan. She doesn’t introduce herself.

I can tell that they’re not happy to have me back, and that’s fine with me. I watch out the window, butterflies in my stomach, not sure what I’m going to do.

When I joined The Syndicate and gave myself up to the profession, they took me into the mansion. That’s where the auction took place. I lived there for a few weeks, learning the ropes, though there wasn’t a whole lot of learning going on. Mostly, I met a bunch of girls and we gossiped and chatted.

All of The Syndicate girls live in the mansion while they’re on assignment or waiting to go on assignment. We don’t get breaks or days off until our contract is over, and contracts are typically six months. Of course, I planned on skipping out on my contract after I got my big payday. That’s not uncommon.

Now though, I don’t know what to think. I don’t know how they’re going to treat me when I get back there. I’m hoping that the girls I know are still there, or if maybe I can meet someone new that will be willing to help me.

The mansion is a large building in the south part of the city. It looks like a normal city block, a group of row homes, but that’s just a façade. Inside, the mansion is actually one large building that encompasses the entire block, north and south. Most of the doors on the street level lead absolutely nowhere.

The car parks in front of the main entrance, an unassuming looking brick house in the middle of the block. We get out and the driver gives me my bags.

“You made the right choice,” the woman says to me as the driver gets back in the car and heads off.

“I think so,” I say.

“The Syndicate is pleased,” she replies, heading up the steps. I follow her, lugging my bags.

“Really?” I ask.

“Of course. We respect loyalty.”

She doesn’t sound pleased, though, and she doesn’t look at me when she speaks. I have a bad feeling, but I block it out.

We head inside. The entrance foyer looks like a normal row home, but as soon as we go around the corner, it opens up into the magnificent building that is the mansion.

It’s exactly as I remembered it. Plush, beautiful rugs, expensive art on the walls, high ceilings, impossibly beautiful. Everything is polished and in its right place.

“Come,” the woman says, leading me down a few corridors. “You’ll stay with the girls until we figure out what to do with you.”

“Thanks,” I say. “I appreciate it.”

“Mhmmm,” she answers ignoring me again.

The girls stay in what’s essentially a dormitory in the eastern part of the building. I’m shown to a room where I can unpack and get changed if I want. There’s a shower down the hall and a common room on the next floor down with a kitchen and some couches. That’s where most of the girls spend their time. I thank the woman and she leaves as fast as she can, almost as if I’m poisonous.

The Syndicate doesn’t want me here. I can tell that about them, I’m just another pain in the ass, another problem to solve. The second they get the opportunity, they’re going to turn me in to my father.

Which is why I don’t plan on being here for very long. I quickly open my bag and get out the phone Ethan gave me. I send him a message, saying that I’m okay, and then I grab an envelope that I hid beneath my underwear.

Inside the envelope is ten grand in hundred dollar bills. I slip it into the waistband of my jeans and cover it over with my shirt. I take a quick look in the mirror and then I head to the common room.

I step into the main room and take a look around. Disappointment sinks into my stomach.

I don’t recognize a single girl in there. People sit in small groups and talk, but I don’t know a single face. There are maybe eight girls in all scattered around. I walk into the kitchen and open the refrigerator door just to have something to do. I grab a bottled water and open it, looking around.

I don’t know what I’m going to do if I don’t know anyone. I can probably just ask a random girl, hope she knows something, but that’s dangerous. If I ask the wrong girl and she turns me in, I’ll be finished. I don’t know what I’ll do then. This whole thing will be over, and I’ll be given back to my father.

A nervous energy rolls through me as I scan the room one more time. I sit down at the kitchen table and cross my legs, sipping the water and looking at my phone, trying to pretend like I’m busy, but inwardly I’m terrified.

This could all be for nothing. I know that, deep in my gut, but I can’t let myself fall into that trap. It’s still early, I just got here. Other girls might show up. I have to hope.

I sit there for an hour or so, fiddling with my phone. Nobody talks to me, which isn’t so surprising. Most girls in The Syndicate are pretty cliquey and tight knit groups tend to form. People sure do love their high school bullshit hierarchies, even when they’re not in high school.

“Hey, I know you.”

I look up suddenly, surprised. A blonde girl looks back at me, smiling. I’m so surprised that someone is actually talking to me, I forget to respond.

“Lisa,” she says. “Remember? From the auction?”

I pause and then my eyes go wide. “Lisa,” I say, laughing. “We spoke before.”

“That’s right.” She smiles warmly and sits down next to me. “How are you doing?”

“I’m okay.” I say. “What about you? Who did you end up going home with?”

She laughs. “Nobody, actually.”

I raise an eyebrow, surprised. Lisa is gorgeous, way prettier than me. “Nobody?”

“They didn’t buy me.” She shrugs. “No big deal.”

“That’s crazy.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I actually feel relieved, you know? I lucked into my current job.”

“Current job?”

“Sure.” She leans back and brushes her hair from her face. “They gave me an admin job. Been doing that ever since.”

She goes on about how life is tough living here, but her room and board is free and it’s not so bad, but I barely hear her. I suddenly lost the ability to concentrate when she said the word “admin.”

“Lisa,” I say, suddenly interrupting her but not caring. “I need your help.”

She looks surprise. “Uh, okay,” she says.

“Sorry,” I answer, talking fast. “I know I’m being rude. But I really need your help.”

“Okay,” she says softly. “What can I do?”

“I need something, something you might know how to get for me, but it’s something that could get us both in trouble.”

Her eyes narrow. “I don’t know where you can get drugs.”

I pause. “No, no, not that,” I say. “Nothing like that. It’s information.”

She softens a bit, but still looks confused. “What information can I get for you?”

I lean toward her, glancing around. Nobody is listening or watching. I have to make my move. “I know The Syndicate keeps files on everyone that hires them. My father, he’s used them before, and he’s a bad man. I need his file.”

She blinks. “I don’t know if I can do that.”

“Please,” I say. “I have ten thousand dollars in cash on me. I’m willing to pay you more. A lot more.”

“How?” she says, laughing. “That’s insane. This is insane.”

“Look.” I take the envelope and show her quickly. Her eyes widen in shock. “It’s real,” I say.

“Where did you get all that?”

“The man I was sold to. He’s helping me. Well, we’re helping each other. Doesn’t matter. But now I need you, and we’ll pay.”

She looks at me like I’m an insane person. I stare at her, desperate.

“Okay,” she says. “Okay. I’ll help you.”

Relief tumbles over me like a wave. “Thank you,” I say.

“Just let me get my phone and get changed. I’ve been in this all day. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Okay,” I say. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Of course.” She smiles, stands, and quickly walks away.

I watch her go, feeling nervous but relieved for the first time since this all started. I don’t know what I’d do if she didn’t show up, but she did, and she’s willing to help.

I sit there and two minutes turns into five minutes which turns into ten. Slowly, I start to look back over that conversation, and I realize something.

She never asked how much we’d pay her. She never asked anything, in fact. She just said she’d help me and then quickly left the room. It doesn’t take you ten minutes to get changed and to grab your phone.

“Fuck,” I say softly to myself and stand. I realize my mistake, but it’s too late.

Four men and the woman from earlier walk into the room. They instantly zero in on me, all their eyes on me. They walk in my direction and everyone is staring.

I’m screwed. Lisa betrayed me, stabbed me in the back, but can I really blame her? I came on too strong, like a total crazy person. She probably thinks I’m some kind of police informant or something crazy like that. She probably thought she was doing the right thing.

Maybe she was. Maybe I’m stupid for thinking I could pull this off. Well, clearly I am, because it’s not going to happen.

I’m going to be given back to my father. I can say goodbye to the life I wanted.

I’m going back to hell.

“Come with me, Aria,” the woman says. She looks even more annoyed than she did before.

“No,” I say. “I can’t go back to him.”

She sighs. “Please. Just come. I promise you we aren’t giving you to your father.”

I pause then nod. What else can I do? The big men could just pick me up and carry me off if I refused.

They lead me down a series of hallways until finally we stop outside a pair of ornate double doors. The woman steps up and opens them.

“Go ahead,” she says, ushering me inside. She stops short of entering herself and slowly shuts the doors behind me.

I walk into the room, looking around. It looks like a library or a study in some rich English person’s home. It’s beautiful, full of leather-bound books, and there’s a fire roaring at the far end in a large ornate fireplace. In front of the fire are two chairs, and sitting in one of the two chairs is a very small and very old woman.

As I walk toward her, she holds up a hand. I pause and wait. Finally, she drops her hand, and I finish my approach.

“Hello,” I say. “I, uh, was told to come here.”

“My name is Lorraine,” she says. “I guess you could say that I’m the Madame around here.”

My heart flutters in my chest. I’ve heard of this woman. She’s the head of The Syndicate, an old time mobster, a killer, a badass. Her white hair is pulled back in a thick braid that hangs loosely over one shoulder. She wears a thick black cardigan and khaki pants with stylish shoes and beautiful jewelry. Frankly, she looks like a nice grandmother, but I know better than that.

She’s a ruthless killer.

“Sit down,” she says, more of an order than anything else.

I sit in the chair next to her. She looks at me, a slight smile on her face.

“I hear you’re looking for information,” she says.

I sigh and look at the ground. “I’m sorry,” I say.

“How much is Ethan willing to pay?”

I pause and then look up at her. She smiles.

“We’re not stupid, dear,” she says. “And we don’t like your father.”

Hope rekindles in my chest. Hope and something related to hope, the belief in the possibility of a good future life with someone special. It’s a specific emotion, but it’s an important one.

“Two million,” I say.

Lorraine’s eyes sparkle.

“Let’s have a conversation, dear.”

I turn toward her and think that maybe, just maybe, I won’t have to feel afraid ever again.