Page 52 of Corrupt Desires

Franklin continues, “Checking his address now… Wow, he lives in a really nice neighborhood. Looks like he has a security system at his house that I can remote into from the cloud. One minute… alright, I’m in.”

“Anything suspicious,” I ask, needing to rationalize why a good doctor is working for scum like the Romanis.

“Nothing yet… wait hold on. I have a recording here from when he left his house an hour ago.” Franklin turns up the volume on the video as we all lean in to listen to what is being said. Dr. Crawford is seen in the video doorbell locking his house while cradling his cell phone between his ear and shoulder.

“No, no, I understand. I will do as you say, just please do not hurt my family… Whatever you need, sir.”

The video stops just as the doctor gets into his car and pulls away.

“Well, that was surprisingly easy. Looks like the good ol’ doctor is being forced to help in order to protect his family.”

“This could be Emilia’s saving grace, though,” says Kayden, hope finally shining through and lighting up his face.

“How quickly can you get his family somewhere safe?” I ask, knowing the answer is probably really fucking quick, “and without tipping off the Romanis?”

“Ahh Brother, you underestimate our skills,” says Kayden, stretching his arms above his head before taking his cell phone out to make some calls.

I exchange a look with Franklin, both of us starting to look relieved that something is finally working in our favor.

I’ll get Emilia back if it’s the last thing I do.

Thirty-Four

Emilia

When I finally come to, I’m sprawled on a wooden floor, my nakedness covered only by a thin white sheet that’s been laid over my body. It takes me a second to take in my surroundings for everything to come rushing back to me. My chest blossoms in pain, and the ache between my legs is all consuming. As I move to push myself up, my breath hisses between my teeth as every movement pulls at the gash across my chest.

“Careful there,” comes a strong, yet tentative voice to the side.

Whipping my head toward the voice, I can just barely make out another woman in the dim space of the small room, sitting on a cot that has been secured to the floor with nuts and bolts. She has a chain around her ankle that connects to the cot, and she’s completely naked. Her face was probably at one time beautiful, but now it’s so swollen and bruised, and her dark hair hangs in tatters, it’s hard to tell. I recognize her from the security footage, however. She’s the she-devil that’s been giving the men hell. Her cot also happens to be missing a sheet.

“Who are you?” I ask her, leaning back on the cold wall that I finally manage to scoot over to.

“My name is Jessica, but everyone calls me Jess.”

“Well, Jess, you look like shit.”

“Can’t say you look any better yourself…” She hesitates, searching for a name to call me.

“The name’s Emilia.”

“Right. You must be the princess that everyone has been talking about.”

I roll my eyes. This princess bullshit is getting old.

“You could say that.” I wince, trying to reposition myself into a more comfortable position, but I soon give up. “Thanks for the sheet, by the way. It’s fucking cold in here.”

“It’s the least I could do,” Jess replies. “They keep us all naked so we’re readily available for them at the drop of a dime.”

“I had a feeling that was the case…”

Before I can ask Jess any more questions, the door suddenly swings open, and one of Anthony’s men escorts an older gentleman into the room.

“Here’s the bitch we need you to treat. Stitch up her cut and make sure she’s good for another round. Boss’s orders.”

“Certainly, certainly. I’ll just need to take a look at her wound,” the doctor says, nodding his head and keeping his eyes on the ground, only briefly flicking them up to look at me and then Jess.

“Don’t take too long, Doc. Wouldn’t want something happening to your family, now would we?” he sneers before shutting the door behind him.

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