“But…” Doreen splutters.
My eyes move to meet hers, and she shrinks back in her seat. “Do not fucking test me. I found everything I needed in the files I hacked, although those recordings from the other Black Ops team were enough for me anyway. He’s been doing this for years, letting them take girls to sell as young as fucking twelve!” I shout. “He’s happy enough to do that shit, and now he’s involved me and what’s mine. I’m taking his blood. You clean up the mess I make today. You fucking owe me that much,” I boom.
Her body trembles. “Yeah, you’re right. Of course. Do what you need to do.”
“I was going to,” I inform her with a shrug. “Darwin, get everyone ready. I’ll meet you here in one hour,” I say pointing to the place on the map. “They’ve had the girls for four hours now, that’s four hours too long.”
He nods, and I’m already grabbing my motorbike helmet. As I walk out the door, my phone rings. I rip it from my pocket desperately hoping it’s Via, but it’s my mum.
“I love you, Mum, but I can’t talk now,” I tell the ringing phone before diverting it to voicemail, then switching it to silent.
“Hello, Proctor,” I greet the slightly older man as I approach him sitting having breakfast by his swimming pool.
He puffs up his chest and sneers at me. “You can’t come in here. Do you know who I am?” he asks, and I chuckle taking a seat next to him.
Turning so we’re facing each other, I respond with, “Do you know who I am?”
“No, who?”
“I’m the man who is going to kill you,” I say calmly, grinning. I’ve never been one for chatting before the kill.
His eyes widen, but that’s the only reaction I allow before shoving the six-inch blade of my knife into the left side of his throat. I watch as he slumps forward into his scrambled eggs and dies in front of me. Ripping the knife from his neck, I wipe it on his jeans, then return it back to my pocket.
“Told you,” I tell the now still and silent figure.
Now I need to get my girl. I can’t think about the possibility of her being dead. I can’t, because if she is, then I might as well make this my last battle. If she’s dead, then I’ll make sure I die today, too. Because if Via’s gone, then inside I’ll already have joined her.
LIV
“You know, we don’t usually take women with tattoos. Clean skin is the preference, but this time’s different, this time tattoos have been requested—lots of them. How lucky was I to find a blonde and a brunette together,” the man called Derry says. He sits in front of us, his manner comes across as though he believes he’s a king. There’s no remorse in his eyes. None. He’s a robot.
Helena and I both remain silent. I’m not sure how long we were here before being woken when they so graciously threw ice cold water over us. After which, this small, quiet, cold man introduced himself as Derry and informed us why we were here and what we were intended for. He also went on to explain that if we tried to escape, or fight him, we would die. Fun times.
Helena said something about him being a crazy bastard. He backhanded her, then did it a second time. Dried blood now flakes at the corner of her right nostril as well as where he tore her lip. He disappeared for a while after that.
I have no idea where we are. It looks like the room we’re in used to be a bedroom, but it’s completely bare except for the chair which Derry currently sits on. Mouldy white and green wallpaper peels from the walls, and the light filters through closed, dark green curtains, which tells me it’s daytime at least. Both Helena and I have our wrists tied behind our backs. Taking a look at Helena’s bound hands earlier told me it’s been done with tie wraps. One thing’s for sure, they’re cutting into me, so I’ve tried to remain as still as possible.
“Now, don’t think for a second that your precious boy is coming to get you, my dear. He’ll already be dead.”
“Fuck you!” I retort without thinking. The pain comes a mere second later, not having time to breathe before another jolt hits my face as the next fist lands.
“Bloody women!” Derry snaps. It’s the first time I’ve heard him raise his voice. “Now you both listen and listen well. I don’t want to hurt you, at the end of the day I need to sell you. My clients won’t want you if you’re busted up, bruised, and bleeding. What do you think will happen to you then?” He makes a slash motion across his throat. “I’ll kill you. I don’t need you if there’s no sale. Think on that.”
I listen to his words but don’t acknowledge them as I fight to breathe, trying desperately not to cry as pain radiates through my skull.
As he nears the door, he turns back. “One more thing. I don’t swing your way, but my men do. As long as they don’t leave any marks, I can decide, should I so wish, to let them have free rein with you both. Neither of you are virgins.” He shrugs. “It won’t be seen as ruining the merchandise.” His laughter follows him out of the room as I glance over to Helena and watch the tears falling down her face.
“Isaac,” I whisper.
“I don’t want to hear another fucking word about that
