Step one, figuring a way out of these restraints. I ran my fingers along the ground to the chain and tried to figure out how I was bolted to the floor. I felt wood on each side where they’d bolted the chains. I couldn’t tell how long it was. I had the girls check their restraints too.
Even as we rattled our chains, we heard arguing upstairs, about how they needed to make us look more appealing. Bile rose and I fought the urge to vomit. I refused to give up. The first chance I got I swore I’d kill John. I’d do anything to keep him from touching me. Another wave of nausea hit me as I remembered the feel of his fingers and the stench of alcohol and body odor. Unable to stop it, I leaned over and dry heaved. The movement flared pain in my bruised ribcage.
I couldn’t help but cry silently, trying to catch my breath. I kept telling myself that it’d be over soon. We’d be found and rescued. I refused to let them win. I wiped away my tears with the back of my free hand. I determined that when I got out of here, I’d do whatever it took to bring down these bastards and save other girls from being put in our position.
“What do you think is happening to Leah?” Another girl asked, interrupting my Katy Perry Rise moment.
“I’m not sure.” I figured, in our current situation, honesty was best. But trying to stay positive in this hell was getting harder by the second.
“Do you really think they found a buyer for her?” Grace asked, her voice shaking.
“Let’s hope not, but right now we can’t think about that. We need to get out!”
8
Dom
I dialed Sal’s number and he answered on the second ring. “What did you find out?” No greeting, nothing.
“How do you know I have something?” Funny how he seemed so certain.
“Because you love her, and you would kill for her, and I know how strong that bond is.”
Well then. Guess I was more of an open book than I thought. “Do you know anyone named John?” Maybe it was a long shot, but it was a place to start.
“That fucking bastard! I swear to God I will fucking rip him apart limb from limb.” He roared. After a beat of silence, he asked, “How far away are you?”
Alarm sparked in my gut. He hadn’t answered my question. Did he know this John? Was he the reason she was taken? My head spun, but I stayed focused. “About twenty minutes out.”
“Well get back here as fast as you can. Come to my personal office. I take it you remember the way.”
I didn’t bother saying bye, I just hung up. My anxiety skyrocketed. He knew something. I pushed my bike hard to get there. I jumped off and tossed my helmet. At this point, I didn’t give a damn where it landed. I took the front steps three at a time. This time, the guards just stepped aside. I felt like I was racing against time as I jogged to the office.
Sal stood as I opened the door. He pointed to a chair in front of his desk. “Sit.”
I obeyed, gritting my teeth. “Do you or do you not know this John?” I had no time for manners or politeness.
“After you mentioned John, one of my associates kept coming to mind. He’s the only John I know of. I had the guys pull information on him.” He grabbed a file from a drawer and tossed it on the desk. “John Rizzo, and his soldiers, Alfonso Esposito and Brian Fitzpatrick. John came to me a couple months back and proposed a new business venture. I shut it down. I don’t play in that kind of shit. I might be dirty, but that’s just sick.”
“What kind of venture?” I asked, gritting through my teeth.
Sal seemed to be lost in thought, a grimace twisting his face. “Dealing in this kind of shit is lower than low. Makes my stomach bottom out just thinking about it.”
“What is the damn business he wanted you to go in on?” I didn’t have time for this stalling shit.
Sal looked at me and I could feel the sadness in his eyes. There was also a twinge of anger and regret. “Sex trafficking.”
My gut twisted as it all fell into place. Then the rage hit. “That motherfucker is dead!” I roared. The blood boiled in my veins.
“I have guys trying to get a lead on him as we speak.” Sal let out a long, defeated breath.
Maybe sitting back while someone else found his daughter was how Sal did things, but there was no way I was waiting for his guys. I snatched the photos out of his hands and ran out without another word. Maybe Duke saw one of them. If he could positively identify them, I could get Tech searching for locations.
I sped down I-86 back toward Elicit, hoping Duke was still there. When I finally arrived, I walked around the corner. Thank God, his stuff was still there.
“Duke!” There was rustling on the other side of the dumpster and I ran to his side as he sat up. “Duke, I need your help again. Have you seen any of these guys before?” I handed him the photos.
He pointed at one of the men and nodded. “That guy is one of the ones that grabbed her. Don’t know about the other two. I didn’t see much. I’m sorry, Dom.”
“Duke, are you sure this is one of the guys?”
“Yeah. His face was right under the corner light.”
I fought the overwhelming urge to hug him and grabbed his hand. “Thank you, Duke. You’ve helped more than you know. Maybe one day I can help you.”
He
