Page 29 of Apple Martinis

While Tony, who’s now Uncle Tony I guess, is okay with me doesn’t mean that my brothers will be. They had the influence of our father unlike I did. For all I know, they could hate that I even exist.

“Let’s hope you are right.” I answer August, finishing up my beer.

I briefly think about taking a nap but know that I won’t sleep with everything that’s happened. Besides, it doesn’t take but a couple hours to get here from New Orleans.

Getting up from my chair, I head towards the back door.

“Where are you going?” August asks.

“To put on a pot of coffee. It’ll be morning soon, might as well get some caffeine in me. Want any?”

“Absolutely.” He says, rising up to follow me inside.

Mocha runs in behind us before we shut the door. This is turning into the longest night of my life.

Chapter 8

Piper

Ifought harder than I’ve ever fought before in my life but in the end, they were just too strong for me to overcome.

I knew that the best thing would be to make them kill me instead of letting them put me in the van.

My mom always taught me that it was better to die where I stood than be taken to something far worse than death.

They didn’t kill me though. Instead they stuck a needle in my arm, knocking me out cold.

When I wake up again, I’m in the dark somewhere, completely naked and shivering in the dampness around me.

Feeling around with my hands, by my estimation I’m in a box and I have to concentrate to keep my breathing normal when I wonder if this box will be my coffin.

There’s a small amount of light filtering through one of the slats of the crate I’m in so I scoot closer, trying to look out around me.

There’s no windows close by as far as I can tell so I don’t know for certain that I’m even still in the same area where they abducted me from. I can almost make out other crates similar to my own and I hear other women quietly crying.

“Hello?” I ask out through the small opening. “Can anyone hear me?”

“Shh. They’ll hear you!” Another voice from somewhere says.

I’m about to ask another question when light floods the area outside my crate. I flinch away from it when it hits my eyes.

“How many crates are filled?” A man’s voice demands with authority.

“Almost all of them sir just waiting for one more delivery before we seal it up.” Someone answers.

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