Page 77 of Sardonic Burn

“You saw the note I gave you, right?”

I nod. “It’s just coordinates. I have them memorized and the note burned. Why?”

“Cecilia had her sister ask around. The future Italian Donna has more connections than me, and she was able to find us those coordinates. It’s an abandoned warehouse in the middle of the forest in the west.”

I furrow my brows. “In the middle of the forest?”

“Yes.” Cecilia adds and sits on the arm of the chair across from me. She’s still pissed, and I know there’s a lecture coming soon. “It’s been abandoned for the past two, three decades. It used to be a weapon warehouse for the military. It’s no longer in use, though. The state of it is decent. I don’t doubt they’ll fix it up.”

“Fix it up for what?”

Lucas swallows. “Two months from now, there will be an auction. It’s just a rumor at this point. But unless someone snitches, it will happen.”

The blood drains from my face.

“And how do I get in?”

Cecilia sighs. “There is a woman who goes by the name Madam Giselle. There’s little to no information on her origins, her whereabouts, and who she really is. All I know are the rumors.”

“Okay? Go on.”

Cecilia takes a deep breath.

“She’s no stranger to human trafficking. She always has a veil over her face and a partner for those…events.They’re always on a leash with a muzzle. Her victims are always young men, between eighteen and twenty. She’s probably in her forties, though. I’m assuming you know all of this.”

My brows crease as I blink. “No. How and why would I know this?”

Cecilia goes to the hallway and returns with a small box in her hands. She slowly opens it and pulls out the contents.

“This is why. I assumed you knew and were going to pretend to be her.”

An uncontrollable laugh slips my lips. My body trembles, and my stomach aches. Tears fill my eyes at the sight, and I can’t stop myself.

Cecilia is holding a pink collar, a pink chain, and a pink muzzle.

When I threatened Hudson to put him in those, I impulsively ordered them online. I didn’t think about it after, and I forgot that it was supposed to arrive today.

“No.” I chuckle and wipe away tears. “That was meant for, uh… Hudson.”

Cecilia looks puzzled whereas Lucas stares at me dumbfounded and with a look filled with judgment.

“I don’t even want to know.” She sighs.

“Right.” I nod. “But hey, now I can actually do that. But how should I make sure that Giselle chick doesn’t appear? Since we know nothing about her, she might make an appearance.”

“The word on the street is that she’s dead, but that’s also a rumor. Chances are fifty-fifty, though. You might as well try it.”

“There’s just one problem left.”

I don’t mind trying it out and getting caught. I’ll figure out something if it comes to that. I’m no stranger to unpredictable situations, so this shouldn’t be too difficult to figure out.

“What is it now?” Lucas sighs and slumps into the couch.

“Who do I take with me?”

Cecilia blinks. “Hudson? I mean, is there anyone else, really? No offense, but Dylan would be useless.”

I wince at the mention of his name. It’s been four days since I saw the wounds on his back, and he’s been calling and texting relentlessly. I always find an excuse not to see him, but I talk to him as if everything was perfectly fine.

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