Page 6 of Seeds of Sorrow

Hadina’s statement floated back to Peyton in a way that sent chills down her spine. Why was a lawyer making threats like that?

That question circled in her mind as she made her way to her new bedroom, where she collapsed onto the bed, feeling the alcohol buzz catch up to her. Don seemed so sweet and kind but Hadina was an enigma. Cold, poised, and scary. Two people, so different and yet of the same blood, now in her life permanently for the foreseeable future. As Peyton drifted off into a slumber once more, she continued to question her decisions.

What the fuck was she getting herself into? Who were these people? And why was her fear not enough of an incentive to make her run for the hills?

Chapter4

HADINA

Hadina stormedinto the office in her father’s home and slammed the door behind her. She took a seat at the desk, remembering how it felt to stare at Peyton from this very chair only a few hours earlier, examining her newest employee and her sheepish demeanor. A bitter laugh was her way of acknowledging just how ridiculous it was that she, Hadina fucking Adis, was hiring the real-life equivalent of a Care Bear to look after her father. The girl did snap back at her, though, which gave her some extra points in Hadina’s eyes. Not that she expected her to stick around for long. Nobody ever stuck around here.

She stared at the picture frames lining the walls, showing her lineage throughout the years. While she was second-generation Mexican-American and had been born in the States, Hadina always felt a strong sense of identity and kinship when she looked at these photos. Herabuelahad passed when Hadina was only five, but she could still remember the comfort she found in one of the older woman’s hugs or the smile she’d give Hadina when herabuelasnuck her extragalletasafter she complained about still being hungry after dinner. Losing herabuelaand mama as she grew up was one of the hardest things Hadina had ever had to deal with—which was saying a lot, considering she faced an onslaught of horrors at work.

“Did you get it done or are you really that incapable?” she barked down the phone.

“Ma’am, it’s been dealt with as you requested. But…”

Hadina rolled her eyes and swigged from the bottle of wine. She instantly regretted not having grabbed an unopened one. “Spit it out, Harris.”

“She won’t come with us. One of the crew fucked up, and she managed to push her way past the guys when they were distracted. She saw everything.”

Hadina swore under her breath, placing the phone momentarily on the desktop, rubbing at her temples, before picking the phone back up. “I’ll be there in ten. Keep things under control until then or so help me, I will have you all buried six feet under before you even know it. Am I clear?”

The tremor in his voice was unmistakable as he whispered, “Yes, ma’am.”

* * *

The sleek blacktown car seemed to take forever to reach its destination as Hadina tapped furiously into her phone, warning her employees to keep it together until she got there. The driver was silent, thankfully, but it just made Hadina wish she hadn’t had that wine with dinner, or afterwards. She couldn’t help but think how much quicker she could have gotten to the warehouse if she had taken her Audi R8.

By the time they pulled up outside the half-demolished building, Hadina was practically shaking—from rage or anticipation, she couldn’t really tell. There was some twisted part of her that enjoyed this, took pleasure in the danger of the lifestyle.

Why deny it when she couldn’t hide from it?

She sent the driver away, noting the familiar blacked-out SUVs that were given to all of her team. She’d make one of them drop her off when she was done here. Even if some small part of her wanted to go back to her father’s and learn more about the too-cheery Miss Dimitra.

As she stormed her way inside the building, thunder clapped in the darkened clouds like some higher power knew what was coming. Hadina once again thought of Peyton. That sunshine disposition that didn’t quite match the sadness swirling in Peyton’s eyes or the fire whenever she bit back at Hadina. It puzzled her how Peyton had managed to get so far under her father’s skin so quickly. What was it about this damn girl that had him hooked, treating her like his new pet project? Old age and boredom didn’t seem like enough of a reason for her father to be swept up and ready to play savior to a stranger. She would have to find outexactlywhat the deal was with Miss Dimitra.

Harris met Hadina as she began the descent to the lower levels, untouched by the crumbling walls and asbestos. She knew what horrors she was about to see—it was normally at her own hands—but she still had to steel herself, taking a steadying breath before she nodded for her second to pull the iron doors open.

The stench of piss and shit hit Hadina’s senses immediately, pricking her eyes and burning her nostrils. She blinked a few times before stepping inside, those brutal smells almost completely replaced by the familiar metallic scent of blood. Everywhere she looked, blood was splattered across the graffiti-painted walls, pooling around bodies on the floors or staining the discolored mattresses that were placed against the edges of the room.

Hadina looked at her second, who pointed to the far corner, gesturing to the small frame folded into itself. Giving a silent command, she watched as her team silently fell back, only a few remaining at the entrance should she need them. Not that she would. She had been here a thousand times and didn’t need anyone to back her up.

Approaching slowly, carefully, Hadina reached the small figure and knelt before her. “Amelia?”

The girl whimpered, raising her head slightly from her crossed arms at the softness in Hadina’s voice. It was something Hadina had worked on over the years—removing that iciness and transforming her tone into something sweeter, kinder… something she didn’t think was quite possible. Not after everything she had seen.

The girl, Amelia, was dressed in a thin cotton nightshirt, covered in dirt and secretion. Her hair hung in long, matted clumps like a forgotten doll’s, hiding half of her face, though Hadina could still make out the distinct myriad of blue and purple bruising on her delicate cheekbones. The icy blue of her eyes was haunting and contrasted harshly with the dirt smeared across her face. Scratch marks and bruises the shape of fingers littered her placid skin and Hadina could feel that fire building inside her chest, the need to destroy the bastard who had made someone suffer in such a way.

“Amelia, my name is Hadina but you can call me Hadi. I’m here to help you.”

Amelia’s eyes widened as Hadina shrugged out of her coat and placed it on the mattress between them. She nodded for the girl to take it, watching as she reached out reluctantly and wrapped it around herself. Her hands were shaking, her nails coated in blood and muck. Hadina had to curl her own fingers into her palms to channel her anger, trying not to scare the poor girl after what she must have been through.

No, Hadina was here to help her. Even if she wasn’t the one to pull the trigger, the man responsible had been dealt with on her orders. Now it was time to follow through with the next steps.

Sitting before the girl with crossed legs, Hadina gestured to the men standing at the doors. “I know those guys scared you earlier and I’m really, really sorry that you had to see what you did. But I need you to know that you can trust me. We know what happened to you, what happened to the others, and I want to help you. That’s why my men over there hurt Masters. That’s who was keeping you here, right?”

The girl whimpered again, a doe stuck in a lion’s sight line. But another small encouraging smile had her nodding her head in response. That was all the confirmation Hadina needed.

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