Page 1 of As Thick As Thieves

Chapter One

Penn

I’d spent days refusing to eat or drink when Dad first dragged me home. I’d spent most of it in a state of panic from being shut in the dark alone and being beaten, but desperation finally made me cave and he’d now turned it into a game of degradation as he tipped water on the concrete at his feet.

“Hungry?”

Two slices of bread landed in the puddle next and shame washed through me as I grabbed them, hoping to save them from becoming soggy but failing. I fought a gag as I ate the soaked bread, my own stench starting to get to me. Three or four weeks had been like this, but it was the only meal I got. If I was thirsty, I had no choice but to lick the water from the dirty ground.

I wasn’t allowed back in my room, I was locked in the basement in the same clothes I’d been dragged home in. Luckily, there was a working toilet but no shower.

I was numb to the pain and fear, going through the motions and praying he either killed me or I died in my damn sleep.

I had no idea what Stone had told the guys, but the fact that no one had come to save me told me everything I needed to know. I was on my own.

“You stink. Estelle is going to give you a sponge bath,” he continued. We’d had a lot of one-sided conversations since I’d been home. “Do you want to get out of here?”

That perked me up.

“You’ll let me out?” I croaked, peering up at him. “Back to my room?”

“No, I’ll rehome you like the fucking dog that you are,” he spat, and I flinched as he towered over me. “I warned you I’d sell you if you wouldn’t behave and marry someone willingly. If I sell you to someone in my circle, your threat of spilling secrets won’t be a problem. It’s not like they’d unchain you from their bed for you to run off and report it.”

Dread hit me at the thought of being sold in the skin trade, my bread forgotten as I crawled towards him. “Please, don’t—”

He slapped me hard, his voice sharp. “You did this to yourself, Penelope. You let those degenerates inside your pants, so what did you expect? No man wants a wife with a used-up pussy. You’ll have to settle for being someone’s plaything. It’s more than what you deserve.”

Tears burned my eyes as he walked away, the lock turning and trapping me in the dimly lit room alone again. I shouldn’t have gotten attached to Cruz and Drake, I should’ve run the moment I had the chance.

The thought made my heart hurt, but knowing they hadn’t come to find me told me that I hadn’t meant much to them in the first place.

I wasn’t alone for long before Estelle walked in with a bucket of soapy water, a gasp leaving her as she saw me for the first time since I’d left. “Oh, Penelope.”

My throat was clogged with emotion as she placed the bucket on the ground and sat beside me, pulling me into her arms despite how badly I smelled. I sank into her hold, tears streaming down my cheeks as she comforted me.

“He’s selling me.”

“I’ll never understand that man. You’ve been through a traumatic experience and he’s treating you like it was your fault. You didn’t ask to be taken by those awful men. Did they hurt you? Oh my God, did they—”

“I didn’t exactly fight them,” I sniffed, sitting back to watch her face. “They saved me, Estelle. Well, one was a grumpy asshole and another hated me, but the others were so sweet. I went on my first date, and to Lightning Cove at night to watch the stars. I even learned to use a gun which was cool.” Memories flashed through my mind, the sound of crashing waves soothing me with a false sense of security.

“They didn’t hurt you though?”

“I went toe-to-toe a lot with Knox and Stone, but Cruz and Drake? They smothered me with sweetness from day one. I guess they were only using me though or they would’ve kicked the door down to find me by now,” I said bitterly, wiping tears from my cheeks. “Drake said he loved me, so why didn’t he find me?”

“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry,” she said softly, reaching out to tuck my greasy hair behind my ear. “Let’s get you cleaned up, and I’ll try to find you a protein bar or something. I’ve been so worried, all we knew was that some men had taken you, but Louis wouldn’t elaborate.”

“I was fine until I came back,” I murmured, letting her help me to my feet.

She stripped me naked and tenderly cleaned me, crying for me as she tried to clean the cuts and bruises that covered my body. Dad had whipped me a handful of times and my skin was split in places, some growing infected.

My back hurt but I hadn’t seen the damage, and I knew I had a bad one across my stomach.

I was relieved when I realized Estelle had a small bag of fresh clothes, the sweats and hoodie looking like the softest material on the planet compared to my old worn clothes.

It felt so good when she’d managed to wash my hair in the bucket too. Was it perfect? No, but it was better than it had been.

She brushed my damp hair once I was dry and dressed, her worried eyes finding mine again.

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