Page 37 of Pay the Price

“Let’s just say I believe you,” I said. “I don’t, but let’s just say I do so we can get this over with. What does it have to do with my kidnapping?”

The room was suddenly — painfully — silent.

“You wanted me to stay so you could tell me the rest.” I took a deep breath, bracing myself. My reality had already been turned upside down. What more could there be? “So tell me.”

Chapter 23

Daisy

“Blake started talking about selling you,” Otis blurted.

“He… what?” I felt like Otis was speaking another language.

“We thought he was kidding at first,” Jace said. “Being an asshole, because Blake could definitely be an asshole.”

“Except he didn’t seem like he was kidding,” Otis said. “You saw the texts the night of the party.”

We won’t let you do it.

Like you could stop me.

Dude, why are you putting us in this position?

No position. I’m gonna do what I’m gonna do. Nothing to do with you. Decision’s been made.

Then we’ll have to do what we have to do.

At the time, I’d been hyperfocused on the proof that the Beasts had killed Blake. I hadn’t had time to contemplate the subject of their conversation.

“He said he and Mr. X could get a lot of money for you,” said Jace. “Because you were a rich girl. Because you were a virgin.”

“That can’t…” I stood and paced to the window, taking big gulps of breath, feeling like I was about to hyperventilate. “That can’t be right. You must have misunderstood.”

“We didn’t misunderstand,” Wolf said. “He told us his plan the day of the party. He was going to drug you at home, say you’d run away, like— ”

“Like all those other girls,” I finished. “You’re not just saying Blake was going to traffic me… you’re saying he was trafficking other girls.”

I bent over at the waist, my mouth watering like I was going to throw up.

Otis brought a trash can and gently pulled back my hair while I tried to get it together. A minute later a glass of water appeared at my side. I looked over and saw Wolf, worry written all over his face.

I took the glass and drank.

Wolf gently grabbed my arms. “Sit.”

He led me to the chair. I thought I should probably leave, just get in the Mustang and go. Pretend this had never happened. Pretend I hadn’t heard what I’d heard.

But I couldn’t move.

“That’s why you killed him?” I asked.

“That’s why.” Jace’s voice was hard and when I looked up, his expression was hard too. “And we’d do it again.”

“It’s not what we wanted,” Wolf said gently. “It’s just… what had to happen.”

“To protect you,” Otis said. “Because we were always —arealways — going to protect you.”

We sat in silence so long the room darkened with the setting sun, the shadows growing long in the corners of the room.

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