“Where are we?” I ask Luci, looking around the empty lot.
Not a minute later, a Jeep pulls in packed with men, a blacked out van, and truck following closely behind. Luci steps out of the car as Marco and I wait and watch. It isn’t until Maven jumps out of the truck that realization dawns, pushing me out of the car.
“That’s Maven. Let’s go introduce you,” I tell Marco on my way out.
She greets Luciano and I with a smile and a gracious nod. “Boys. It’s been a while.” Catching sight of Marco, she adds, “And you must be Marco. I’m Maven, it’s nice to meet you.” Offering her hand, he takes it, shaking it and cracking a smile of his own.
“The pleasure is all mine, ma’am.”
They stare for a second too long, then let go and step back. Maven waves us in the direction she walks in, saying, “C’mon. We have to go through the plan.” We get to the back of the van and follow her in.
Benito usually works remotely from his office, so I’m partly surprised to find him sitting in front of all the computers. We shake his hand in greeting and he hands us our ear pieces.
“Ky, you’re going to want to hold on to these night vision goggles.” Maven hands me a pair of black goggles, similar to the ones snowboarders wear.
“The rest of my team is already heading to Seraphina Hall to scope out the area and report back to me. Benny is going to be in your ear guiding both of you, mainly Ky, from the van.” Benito stops his typing to confirm with a head nod. “Alright, take a seat. This is what we’ll do…”
Benito signals for me to enter through the back doors while the two guards step out for their smoke break. The hallway is dark, the dim lights from the main room acting as the only illumination. Sensual music grows louder as I near the flashing lights while people are partying or fucking.
The room I need to find is on the opposite side of the building. Luckily, most of the people here are too drunk or drugged up to worry about me.
“One is about to turn that corner.” Benito’s voice sounds in my ear, halting my steps. The guard passes by me and I slink behind him, hurrying down the hall.
“Ky,” Luci’s panicked voice filters through. “Someone outbid me.” There’s a short pause. “They’re taking her upstairs to one of the rooms.”
Even after studying the layout, I have no idea where I’m standing right now or where to start looking. But she’s here. She’s close.
I’m close.
“Benito,” I shout.
No response.
Searching the crowd frantically, green catches my eye. Without another thought, I’m prowling closer until I catch a glimpse of her face. I catch blue, dilated eyes that don’t belong to Amaris.
“I’ve got eyes on her. Take the exit next to the statue and turn left at the end of the hall.”
My head whips up at Benito’s voice. A gray statue of Medusa sits next to an open corridor, only she has flowers and vines instead of snakes. When I reach the hall, all the lights in the building go out. That’s my cue to slip on the goggles and hunt down the jackass who tried to steal my girl.
Gun in hand, cocked and ready to remove anyone who gets in my way, I make my way down the hall leaving the commotion behind. Turning the corner, I’m met with two guards who walk right into me, one with a small flashlight in hand. He reaches for his gun, but I unload two bullets in his head before he makes contact with it. His friend aims, but I shoot him once and he drops to the ground next.
Then, that’s when I see it.
Chapter 25
It didn’t take long to learn my way around Sasha’s rules:
Don’t speak unless you're spoken to at all.
Present yourself as a conformable wife prize; a slave.
Always treat men with respect avoid eye contact.
Remember your new name number.
One wrong move and you will get punished.
They’ve had us all in the same, large common area for what must have been hours. None of us are allowed to talk to or even look at one another. One by one, they pick out girls from the room to follow a guard elsewhere.