Page 96 of Psyop Kings

“Someone’s feeling much better, I see,” Solomon says with a grin. “Have you met my friend, Romy?”

The girl stares at her toes peeking out of her black shoes. Bruises mar every visible piece of flesh on her. Small, thumb-print-sized bruises all over.

“What’s her name?” I ask, attempting to keep my voice calm.

He barks out a laugh. “How the fuck should I know?”

The air between us crackles with something horrible and wrong. I sense the challenge in his tone. Perhaps he’s even feeling out Caius’s loyalty. As much as I want to freak out on thisman, I can’t. It’s not like Solomon would let me survive if I called him out for his depravities.

“LuLu,” the small voice says, cracked and nothing more than a rasp. “My name is LuLu.”

Solomon’s entire body tenses at her words. Ignoring me, he pins Caius with a disgusted glare. “Defected.” Then to LuLu, he says coldly, “No one asked you,LuLu. You’re to keep your useless mouth shut. Understood?”

LuLu lifts her head and sneaks a look my way. Defiance shines in her drug-induced hazy brown eyes. It’s the look of a person who will keep defying until it gets her killed. My stomach revolts at the thought of what her future entails.

I could save her.

How?!

“Romy hates when I talk shop around her,” Caius says coolly. “We can catch a meeting later over drinks?”

Solomon nods, though he doesn’t seem pleased. “I suppose that’ll work. This time, bring your supplies. Hers are wearing off.”

Supplies?

Drugs.

He wants the drugs—the same ones Caius uses to keep me compliant—so he can turn LuLu’s mind to mush.

I force myself to catalogue every detail of LuLu. Now that I have a name, maybe I could look into missing person reports online. Maybe she has a family looking for her if she was kidnapped or a runaway. If I could somehow contact them and alert them to her location—

My thoughts turn to ice as I feel someone’s stare on me.

Solomon walks away with LuLu, so I allow my gaze to survey the other monsters in the room. I stop cold when I find Ted watching me as he speaks with a couple. Recognition glimmers in his gaze and he narrows his eyes.

Does he remember me from Dad’s event all those years ago?

Will he tell Dad?

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe Dad can come rescue me. I know with my father’s influence and resources that we could get these girls out of here. This could definitely be a good thing.

Dinner goes on rather mildly. Gareth shows up at some point and chooses to sit directly across from me, staring shamelessly at the place he hit me. I’d really hit a nerve asking about Emma. Now more than ever, I want to know what happened to her. Did he lose control in a fit of rage and hit the girl harder than expected? Was it far more nefarious than that? Is Kaitlyn in trouble?

I’m suddenly overwhelmed by the enormity of my situation. This is more than just my escape. This is women and girls—plural—who are victims in the Crowne web. Saving myself doesn’t stop any of this. They’ll still need help. Knowing I’m their only hope is an incredible weight to bear.

You can save them.

Be smart. Consider the bigger picture. Connect puzzle pieces one at a time. Don’t get ahead of yourself, Romy.

Speaking to Megan later will be the first big step in getting us out of this hellscape. It’ll do several things at once—assure me I’m not going crazy, test if Caius can be trusted, and give me a sense of accomplishment in the biggest puzzle I’ve ever attempted to finish.

I hope she’s okay.

I’ll be heartbroken if she’s bruised and beaten, body filled with drugs like that of LuLu. I need her help. I need her knowledge. I need an ally.

In my head, I can almost envision me and Megan rescuing these girls and bringing all these awful people to justice. It’s a childish dream, but it’s all I’ve got.

“You want to get out of here?” Caius asks, breath hot against the shell of my ear.

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