Page 135 of Voracious

Luciella takes my hand as the music stops completely. My chest tightens when a tall, skinny, bearded man takes the stage. Archie Sawyer.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for being here at such short notice.”

I gulp. “Kade works for him.”

She looks at me, dumbfounded, then frowns at the stage. “Really? He looks… sketchy.”

“He is,” I say quietly. “He took a picture of me, then Kade rushed me out of the country. He’s horrible.”

“When?”

“When we all went to the States a year ago,” I whisper.

“He’s a bad man?” she asks, and I glance at the spooked expression on her face.

I nod once, and both of us move our eyes forward. “His wife is worse.”

And as the door next to the stage opens, my heart sinks. The older woman enters, wine-red hair cascading behind her, boobs nearly falling from her white dress, her heels clicking as people trail behind her wearing fitted black suits with blank white masks.

No faces. No designs. Just white. I have no idea how they can see or breathe.

Then a smaller version of Bernadette appears, only blonde. Cassie. I avert my eyes to the purse in my lap. He must be one of those masked people. Base too.

She smiles at her mother as they stand on the stage, all the masked people in a line behind them. She has a huge rock on her wedding finger. An engagement ring. My eyes burn, pressured, but I battle against the need to scream as I sink my nails into my palm and hold Lu’s hand tighter.

Bernadette Sawyer sucks on her teeth and looks around the room. Proud of herself at the turnout. With a clap of her hands, my blood starts to boil, screaming in my ears.

She’s a monster. I despise her as much as I hate Chris. She’s a rapist too.

I pale when her eyes land on me, and she winks and walks over to the podium, saying something into her husband’s ear before she takes the stand. “We haven’t had one of these in a while, have we? It’s been some time, my friends, but let’s not take longer than necessary. Bring the first four in.”

My eyes narrow as one of the masked people is shoved forward, the mask then ripped off to reveal a young man with sweat all over his face, his eyes wide with fear. He tries to back away; a guard grabs his arm and shoves him forward.

The screen lights up behind him – two more people with the same masks are standing in an office, a guard behind them with a gun out.

Luciella gasps as soon as they start the bidding.

I don’t blink.

Is this what I think it is? A human auction?

“Stay calm,” says a voice in my ear. Chris. “Don’t stand up.Please. Nod once if you understand.”

I lower my chin ever so slightly.

“Good,” he says. “Kyle’s with me. We’re going to get you out of there. I’m sorry – I didn’t know what this was.”

At the same time, I hear Kyle smack him and say, “Motherfucker. Why is she there? I’m coming to get you, Stacey. Fucking prick. You’re lucky I’m not punching fuck out of you right now.”

There’s a rustling, and then nothing, indicating that Chris has muted his microphone.

This isn’t good. And it’s not just me – my best friend is here too. Someone who has no idea about Kade’s and Base’s situations and what’s transpired over the past year. What Kade has been going through for nearly three years.

I try to breathe normally. I try to not look at Bernadette and Archie, at the masked people being auctioned off like meat, the guards and all the exits.

Lu tightens her hold on my hand, and when I glance at her, her eyes are red and her chin has a noticeable tremble.I’m scared,she mouths.

I know. Me too.

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