Page 109 of Rex

“Because I’m curious if he’s the one who tried hacking my company a while back. If so, he’s not very good,” I reply and get my answer, but not from her.

“You’re wrong! I got in!” Eddie shouts.

“No, you didn’t,” I taunt and watch his face turn red. “If I were to agree to the job, what happens to the runt?”

I say the last part while pointing my chin toward Eddie. He explodes and bolts forward, ready to throw a punch, when Carrot Top throws his arm out in front of him. Eddie stops, but his angry, nervous energy has him bouncing on his toes.

“We have other duties he can do,” Savi answers.

“That’s code for you’re going to come up missing,” I say while staring at the angry little man.

“In the meantime, I have need of your skills now. I’ll have a laptop brought down to you, food and water, and instructions on what I need. If you succeed, you’ll live. If you don’t, well, you’re smart enough to figure that out, I’m sure,” Savi says, then disappears up the stairs.

“Fuck you! I’m good at what I do!” Eddie spits in my direction.

“Then why are you out, and she wants me in?” I ask with an innocent smile that fools no one.

“I’ll be watching over your shoulder the whole time so you can’t do anything but what you’re instructed to do. You’re basically doing my work for me, bitch,” Eddie states, then rushes up the stairs.

“Boss doesn’t play. Do as she says, or die painfully,” Carrot Top states before he follows Eddie out of sight.

My hands are untied and a takeout bag from a local restaurant is set on the table. Next to it are two bottles of water. I waste no time pulling out the first burger and devouring it. It’s been well over a day since I’ve eaten, and I’m starving. I open the second burger and start on it next.

When the laptop is set in front of me, I open it and wait to be told what I’m supposed to be doing. Giving me computer access is like giving me a lifeline. I don’t know the address of where I am, but I can still get a message to the club. I’m hoping I’ve trained the guys well enough that they can trace it back to my location.

I deflate a little when I see that I have no internet access. It doesn’t take me long, though, to understand that this is simply atest to see how I react to the file that’s now open on the desktop. It’s filled with images that no normal person would want to view.

Hundreds of pictures of young women, some underage, in various stages of undress is what fills the first folder. Most look haunted, some have been beaten. Many are most likely strung out on whatever they’ve been given to keep them complying with their captors. Not by choice but by being drugged repeatedly until their own bodies betray them, craving its next dose. They’re easier to manage when all they know is their next fix will dull their senses again and make their existence a little more bearable.

My heart breaks a little more with each picture, but I show no emotion. Each of these victims have a mom, dad, friend, or coworker that’s worried or assuming the worst by now. They’re lost to the nightmare that sex traffickers brought to their lives, all to make a buck. Living a normal life one day, in hell the next. Their lives have a dollar value placed on them, and they’ve become nothing but a commodity.

“This is your business. The sex trade? What am I supposed to do with the pictures?” I ask while looking at Carrot Top.

“Boss needs you to catalog them for now. Later, she’ll need them uploaded to a website that you’ll be creating that can only be accessed by clients she’s approved and through a portal that we have complete control over. Clients will be given an identification number, as will the pets. A passcode will be needed for the clients the boss allows to view the merchandise. You’ll also be delving into the clients’ bank accounts so she’s sure they have the funds for their purchases prior to giving them the passcode. There will be other duties, but that’s the basics. No mistakes are allowed. You fuck up, you die. Slowly. Got it?”

I nod and look back at the screen. The picture opened at the moment is of a young woman with blond curly hair. It’s a stretch to say she’s eighteen. Most likely closer to sixteen. Her eyes are dull and lifeless. Drugged or so beaten down, she no longer has hope of a better future. My stomach rolls at the thought of helping these animals victimize anyone, but I know I have a part to play.

My mind whirls with ideas and thoughts about how to turn this to my advantage. I know I’ll have someone watching what I’m doing at all times, but I’m positive there will be an opening. I just have to be ready to take advantage when it happens.

“Tell the boss I want to talk about money. My skills don’t come cheap.”

Chapter 17

Aria

I continue working on every single angle I can find. The guys are in and out, but I pay them little mind, except for Pigeon. He’s the one I’ve been working closest with, along with Bella’s help. We have a large, circled area on the map, and we’re pretty sure Rex is somewhere within that circle. Trying to narrow it down, though, has come almost to a stop. We’re in an area on the outskirts of town that has little, if any, CCTV or security cameras anywhere. It’s the type of area where the residents don’t want cameras viewing what they’re doing. What cameras I could find are mostly broken or offline for some reason.

“Take a few minutes break, Aria. Step outside. Get some fresh air. You’re not going to be any help to Rex if you burn yourself out,” Freddy says in a low tone.

He’s right, and I stand up away from the table. I didn’t realize how long I’ve been sitting in that position until everything ached upon standing. I arch my back, then tip my head from side to side, trying to loosen the knots. Taking my bottle of water with me, I walk out the front door and stop on the sidewalk. It’s almost breaking daylight, and the air is still. I can see the sky has lightened a little toward the east, but my thoughts are still with Rex.

Where is he? Is he suffering? How bad are his injuries? Will I see him again? My mind whirls with questions I don’t have the answers to, and my shoulders sag against the weight of not knowing. I feel heat behind my eyes, but I push it down. I don’thave time for tears or self-pity. Once Rex is found and is safe, I’ll allow the tears then.

The door opens behind me, and I turn to see Reeves stepping out. He walks to my side, then, without a word, gently pulls me into a hug. I push my face into the front of his hoodie and lean against his strength. We stand there for about a minute before he speaks.

“You’re falling in love with him, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, even though it’s too soon to say that,” I reply softly.

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