Page 49 of Loving Lex

“No,” I whimpered.

Hot tears pricked my eyes as I curled into a ball on my mattress. How had this happened, and why? Why had they targeted me? And what was that about my dad? I twisted to my right, and a pair of light-blue eyes in a dirty, tear-stained face met my gaze.

“How long have you—?”

“Shhh,” she said, blinking away.

“Please—”

The door opened again, and Nicki walked in, the ugly man behind her. My heart slammed frantically at the sight of the man who’d snatched me from my home. His face was contorted in a permanent scowl, scars marring one cheek. I sat up, pulling my legs to my chest, breathing fast, willing my heart rate to slow down.

He didn’t come to me, however. He went to the end of another cot and checked the tag on the metal before pulling a thin blond girl from her fetal position.

“Time to turn it on, little kitty,” he said, and my skin went cold at the sound of his voice.

“I can’t,” she whispered.

“You can,” Nicki said firmly, wheeling around to face her. She pulled something from her pocket and gestured with her hand. The girl opened her mouth automatically, and Nicki put something on her tongue. Focusing on the girl with a hard gaze, she spoke slowly. “You can do anything you need to do.”

I saw the blonde’s chin quiver as she nodded mutely and pushed to her feet. She didn’t look foggy in that moment. Not like I felt.

“You heard her,” the ugly man said, tugging on her arm. “Let’s go.”

“Where—where are they taking her?” I whispered to my neighbor.

“I can’t talk to you,” she hissed.

“Where is shegoing?” I whispered more urgently.

“Tessa’s going to auction,” said another voice to my left in a hushed tone.

“Auc—auction?” I echoed, my mind spinning with horror. “How does that—”

“Shut the fuck up,” the first girl whispered desperately.

Nicki’s head jerked my way, and I pressed my lips together, curling my nails into my palms to force myself to calm down.

“Problem over here?” she asked, walking our way.

The girl next to me instantly went prone, as if she couldn’t talk.

“No,” I said softly, blinking back tears.

Nicki stared hard at me, then cut angry looks to the two other girls. “Medicine time,” she said, her jaw set. Reaching into her pocket again, she gestured to the first girl, who looked Nicki straight in the eye as she placed pills on her tongue.

“How can you do this?” I cried. “You—you were one of us, weren’t y—”

“Shut up,” Nicki hissed, wheeling on me, her eyes flashing.

“How dare—”

Nicki’s fingers dug into my jaw as she grabbed my face. “Open,” she said through her teeth.

“What about my father?” I yelled, pain shooting through my jaw. “What—”

“That’s over, princess,” Nicki bit out, her tone harsh. Her eyes, however—they didn’t match. They showed something else. Pity? “Daddy didn’t play.”

I blinked, all the words jumbling in my head like dice in a cup. “What does that mean?”

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