Page 11 of Dolly

Todd points to the screen. The chat room is getting lively. “They’re putting in bids. Once the head guy calls the highest bidder’s handle, whatever that person wants to happen to Dolly will.”

“Dolly?” I look up at him. “Is that what they call her?”

“Yeah. Any girl they stream gets that name.”

“How many of these sessions have you watched?” Cathy asks softly. The pictures alone have left our lunch and dinners untouched in the takeout containers they were brought in.

“Too many,” Todd says with a frown. “But I got a solid hit this time on a location.” He minimizes the streaming screen and brings up a map. A red dot blinks at me.

“We should call Pierce.” Cathy already has her phone in her hands.

I swipe my fingers over the screen to enlarge the map. “This is two counties over. We need to call the PD for Skokie too.”

“Yes, sir. No…I’m aware…it’s just…” Cathy gives me a wild-eyed look. “Todd has a hit on the location. We need to call over to—I’m sorry, what?” She scowls.

It’s tempting to pull the phone from her and get on the call myself, but she can handle herself.

“Yes, I’ll send the address to you right now.” She ends the call and heaves an annoyed sigh. I’ve heard her do that after a long call with her daughter where nothing Cathy said got through to her.

“What?” I ask.

Crackling, then soft thumps, like a microphone being adjusted, come from the computer.

“They started.” Todd moves the map to the side of the screen, and Abigail fills the other half.

Her white tights are dirty at the knees, and her lipstick is smeared. I’m pretty sure I know how they started the show.

“Got dirty already,” a husky voice says from behind the camera. “That’s okay, you have to take them off anyway. Deadmanlove33 has won tonight’s bid, and he wants to see Dolly shaved. Go on now, be a good girl and take off the tights and lift up your dress. We’ll get your pussy nice and clean for Deadmanlove33.”

“What the fuck?” Cathy gasps.

A straight razor is put in front of the camera. It’s old, well-worn, and doesn’t look like it’s been sharpened in a while.

“It might take a few tries, but we’ll get there.” The creep cackles into the camera.

“That blade will rip her up.” Cathy jerks her finger toward the screen.

“What did Pierce say?” I turn away from the screen. The pinged location isn’t far away, but we have to move now if we have any hope of getting there before she’s hurt too badly.

“He said he’ll call the other precinct.”

“And us?” I press.

“He’ll text me when he wants us to go.”

“What about Connor and Simon?” I urge. Why is no one hurrying their asses with this?

“He didn’t say. Just said it’ll probably lead to nothing and not to get our hopes up.” Cathy glances back at the screen.

Abigail has already taken off her shiny black Mary Janes and is rolling down her tights.

I rake my hands through my hair. If we do what we’re told, Abigail stays in danger, but our careers remain safe.

I look at Cathy. Her eyes are wide, and her lips are pinched together so tight, they’re losing color. Just like me, adrenaline pumps through her veins. She knows our choices as well as I do.

“If we wait—”

“It’ll be too late,” Cathy finishes my thought. “Todd, can you keep tracking the location, make sure it doesn’t bounce?”

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