Page 136 of Sacrifice (Corrupt Empire 2)

Chapter Twenty Three

Avery

Aiden and I ended up taking Sophie and Cora to Tina’s. She’d keep them safe for the time being. Until I gained full access to my inheritance, I only had a monthly allowance along with my salary from the company. It was more than enough to live on so we could at least set the girls up with funds. I didn’t like to think of it as compensation for what my family had done to them. They needed help after what they’d been through. Whatever they needed, we’d give it to them. Therapy. Medical care. Somewhere to live. All of it.

Now we’d rescued two girls, I wanted to find the rest. That meant working out where they were being housed. The biggest problem was they were being moved around all the time. Going from client to client. Whoever managed it all for my uncle, they were good at hiding their tracks and keeping everything under the radar. No matter what Aiden did, he couldn’t find out where they were.

I couldn’t imagine the pain they’d gone through. How much they’d suffered. Aiden and I might want to take down my family and their associates, but we also had a responsibility towards the girls too. We’d save them if it was the last thing we did.

Sophie and Cora had been with Rick’s friend for six months. They hadn’t wanted to tell me much about what he’d done to them. Aiden told me his name was Robert Bassington. I only knew a handful of my family’s associates and he wasn’t one of them. He was in his sixties according to Aiden. One of my grandfather’s old friends. We hoped if Robert didn’t say anything to my uncle about Aiden taking the girls, it would take him a while to discover they were gone.

When Aiden told Uncle Charlie about Robert being involved in my abduction, he’d completely lost his shit. Just as I predicted. Aiden had come into the kitchen and put the phone on speaker whilst I made food for the girls.

“That fucking cunt. I’m going to have his fucking head. How fucking dare he pull a stunt like this! I don’t care who he is, no one fucking messes with my fucking family. He knows how important she is to the company. To our fucking business arrangements. If you hadn’t already beat the cunt up, I would be straight down there fucking decking him myself.”

“Don’t worry, he knows he fucked up. I made sure of it.”

“Oh, I believe you. Fucking hell. I can’t believe he would be so fucking stupid. I really don’t have time for this shit. I’ll deal with it at a later date. I’ve got enough on my plate without these bastards fucking about.”

“That’s what you have me for.”

“Thank you. Shit has just got crazier and crazier around here since Mitch died. Anyway, I’ll speak to you in a few days, must get on.”

At least he’d bought it for now. I was in no doubt when he found out Aiden had taken Sophie and Cora, things would be very different.

Aiden and I were sat in the living room. It was the weekend thankfully, so I finally had time to go through all the documents I’d brought home from my dad’s office. I was sat by the window with some of the paperwork spread out on the floor in front of me. Aiden was lounging on the sofa with the rest of it. The documents I’d thought he would find useful.

The legal jargon in my trust fund paperwork was giving me a headache.

“Why did he have to make this so complicated?” I complained, rubbing my forehead.

He peered over the back of the sofa at me.

“I told you, I’d go through it for you if you want.”

“No, it’s okay. I need to do this. If anything, I should really understand how he set this up since it’s my money. Not like I want it really, but if I can help the girls with it, then I will.”

“John said Frazier was in the office three more times last week.”

“Yeah, he spoke to Charlie a few times. He only came to see me once like I told you.”

It had been the same as last time he’d ambushed me. He wanted to know if I’d made up my mind about Tristan. I’d just stalled him again. I was pretty sure he’d be in every week until I gave him an answer. I still had no idea what the rush was.

“I wish he’d stay the fuck away from you.”

“Well, we can’t have everything we want. Did John find out anything else about where the girls are being kept?”

“Only that the person who manages the whole operation is known as ‘The Collector’. Stupid as fuck name if you ask me.”

I snorted. Whoever came up with that clearly thought a lot about themselves.

“He has to be careful though. Chuck is already getting a little suspicious about why he’s asking so many questions. It’s fucking lucky he’s so busy organising this birthday event for you or he’d have found out about Sophie and Cora.”

“Did Tina say how they are?”

“They’re doing okay. She’s going to move them out of London next week. She has a house near Truro in Cornwall. They can stay there for the time being. I think they’re just glad to be away from Robert.”

I was glad we’d managed to persuade Tina to take care of them. Aiden and I weren’t really equipped to be dealing with two abused, sex trafficked girls. I had a feeling they reminded him too much of his mother. He still hadn’t told me what happened the night she died, but I hadn’t pressed him either. It was something he needed to do in his own time.

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