Page 47 of Seeds of Sorrow

“What’s your name, love?” Hadina asked, her voice gentle and tentative so as not to spook the child.

Peyton was standing back and didn’t hear the response, but Hadina waved a hand and motioned her forward. She took a few steps, slowly, and knelt on the ground beside Hadina. She took in the girl’s filthy appearance and sickness rose to the back of her throat at the sight. Not only was she covered in grime and dried blood, but her face was a myriad of colors from bruises on top of bruises, her eyes blackened next to a very broken nose. Peyton had to stop herself from gasping.

“This is Peyton,” Hadina introduced. “Peyton, this is Lara. Lara, Peyton and I are going to help you get out of here, okay?”

Waiting until Lara nodded, Hadina and Peyton rose to their feet. Hadina offered her hand to the girl and watched as she took it with a tiny, trembling hand. Hadina then walked the child over to Harris, who waited at the door, before whispering to him. Peyton noticed how his demeanor changed too, his usual stern face softening when he introduced himself to Lara. He gently draped a blanket around the child’s shoulders and they walked out of the room together.

Chapter31

PEYTON

So far,they’d been able to rescue twelve girls, all beaten and bloodied and begging to die. Peyton now understood why Hadina had built her walls of ice around her heart, a preventative measure to stop it from being broken every time she found another child who needed to be saved. She knew it would take time for her to be able to compartmentalize her emotions like that, but it still broke Peyton a little more after each rescue too. She had chosen to be part of this, to be part of Adis & Co., but it didn’t mean it was easy.

Hadina came over and pressed a warm hand to Peyton’s cheek. “Are you holding up?”

Peyton leaned into the heat of her touch, nodding slightly. “Where to next?”

They were in an abandoned building in the middle of the woods, the wild forest hiding the majority of the exterior from prying eyes. It was the perfect place for sick bastards to hide their operations… where no one was around to hear the blood curdling screams that were sure to draw attention.

Hadina had split her team up into four groups, sending two of them to cover the left side of the building. They’d worked their way across each floor, which Peyton realized meant that the basement level was all that was left to check. Hadina gave her a sympathetic look before leading them into the hallway and opening the door to the lower level.

Peyton was sure the building had been a factory of some kind, considering the large pipes that were mounted onto many of the walls. Occasionally, one would groan or thump and Peyton’s heart would beat harder in her chest. As they descended the rusty staircase, which clanked beneath their feet, she felt as though she was descending into the mouth of the underworld itself.

Using their flashlights, they split up to look around and try to find the overhead light. Peyton found a switch and flipped it, grimacing as the fluorescent bulbs blinded them for a second.

After their eyes had adjusted, the group looked around and took in the dusty, cold corridor. Harris signaled for the teams to split up, opening up the rows of doors on each side. Hadina and Peyton made eye contact, silently conversing that they would start at the opposite end. Peyton held her breath each time she opened a door, praying she wouldn’t find anyone…

“Shh, don’t be scared, little one. We’re here to help,” she heard Hadina say, and quickly stepped into the room behind her. Sitting in the corner, huddled in on herself with a rag doll, was a blonde girl of no more than six. Her blue eyes were startling against the dull light of the room and the grime on her face. Tears welled up in her eyes as Hadina took a step forward.

“Hadi, stop!” Peyton hissed, taking note of the child’s fear. Hadina was terrifying—even when she wasn’t trying to be—and the girl moved further into the corner. “She’s scared of you.”

Peyton hated the hurt that flashed across Hadina’s eyes before she nodded and took a few steps back.

“Hi. My name is Peyton. Is it okay if I come a little closer?”

The little girl eyed Peyton suspiciously for a moment before finally tilting her head in response. As slowly as she could, Peyton walked forward and stopped when she was close enough to see the girl clearly.

“That woman there is called Hadina. She looks kind of scary, huh?” Another nod. “I promise she’s not. Hadina and I find bad people so that they don’t hurt anyone again. We found the person who hurt you and he won’t be coming back.”

Those bright eyes widened as the child regarded Peyton. “Ian is gone?”

“That’s right. He won’t ever hurt you again.”

“But who will look after me?” she asked, pressing her dolly into her cheek.

Hadina stepped up beside Peyton, resting a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll find your family for you or we’ll take you somewhere safe. Would you like that?”

“Can you tell us your name?” Peyton asked her, her tone soft so as not to spook the girl.

“Amelie. And this is Claire,” she said, holding up the doll for them to see. The movement made her sleeve roll down her bony arms, revealing horrific rope burns around her wrist.

Peyton took a staggered step backward as a memory flooded her mind, casting her to a time in her childhood when she had marks just like that.

“I toldyou to keep your mouth shut, you little bitch!” He shoved the rag into her mouth and tied it tight, the material biting into the soft skin of her cheeks.

“Please stop it,” she cried around the makeshift gag, trying to break free from her foster father’s grip.

“Stay still!” He smacked her hard across the cheek for her disobedience, and Peyton’s vision blurred as she slumped to the floor. “This will teach you to talk back to me. You should show me some fucking respect, considering I’ve taken you into my home, given you food and a roof over your head. But, no, you just whine and always ask for more.”

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