Page 168 of Creep

“So it’s true. My dad really is involved in all of this.”

He shot me a strange look. “Did you not believe me when I said it?”

I shook my head. “I did. I guess there was just a part of me that wanted to believe Leo coerced my dad into this. That he was, at the very least, more innocent than Leo. But this…”

I looked back at the book. More than just records of all the selling, Dad had left little notes about each woman and child who he referred to as… asmerchandise,and the way he spoke about them…

He didn’t see them as human beings but as commodities he used to make money. And I wondered if that was how he saw me.

Mael nodded. “I know. I’m sorry.”

Another thought occurred to me. “Leo has a lot of clients.”

Mael blinked. “Okay.”

“Lots of female clients who are on the run. Do you… do you think that’s how they are finding… them?”

He nodded. “That’s probably one way.”

“And another?”

“Looking for lost ones who had run away from home and didn’t have any family to report them missing on the streets.”

I closed my eyes briefly, feeling sick.

“What about all those women they currently have?” I asked.

Mael didn’t answer me at first. He seemed to be debating how much he should tell me. I shot him a look. “Complete honesty, right?”

He let out a small sigh. “I have an inkling of where they might be kept, but it’s too risky to rescue them. Which is where I know you’re going with this.”

“We have to rescue them,” I argued. Even the thought of them spending another night in that place made my insides burn.

“And it would ruin everything. It would spook Leo and your father into hiding, and it would clue the Sicilians in that someone is watching their operation.”

“But—”

He shook his head.

“Don’t you want to save them?”

I thought with everything he went through, he wouldn’t want someone else to endure something similar.

“It’s not easy to think about,” he said slowly. “Do I have the urge to save them?”

He shook his head.

“You don’t care?” I whispered.

“I only care about two people in this world. You and Theo. The rest of the world can burn. It’s not like I can save everyone.”

“But even a small group of people, that would matter, wouldn’t it?”

He shrugged like he couldn’t care less about that. And for the first time, I wondered if he was a sociopath. How could he not care about anything or anyone save for Theo and me?

“You’ll save them, won’t you?” I asked softly. If it was true that I was one of the two people in this world he cared about, he would do this for me, wouldn’t he?

He nodded. “I’ll try my best.”

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