Page 2 of Rescuing Nathaniel

Prey Security would know she was missing. There was no way they couldn’t because she shared an apartment with two of her cyber team members, twenty-nine-year-old Teresa Dash and twenty-seven-year-old Chelsea Pierce. They would have reported her missing as soon as she didn't get home that night, and her cyber buddies would be searching the ends of the earth for her.

But to find her, they were going to need a helping hand because she hadn't been taken by amateurs.

Nope.

This was a full-on organ trafficking ring, with a sophisticated setup, armed guards, highly trained doctors, and no doubt dozens or maybe even hundreds of victims just like her.

As she slowly eased open the door, Ava’s heart clenched at the thought of leaving all those people behind. They hadn't done anything to deserve this, and she wanted to take them with her.

But they’d be tied to their beds, possibly drugged, definitely in pain from having their organs stolen from their bodies. It would be impossible to bring them along. Even if she wasn't sick and hurting, she wouldn't be able to do it. And the more of them that were free, the more likely they’d be spotted.

One person sneaking out might be doable, but a whole bunch of them was just asking to get caught.

So, as she peered up and down the long corridor and didn't see anyone, she slipped out and hurried as quickly as her body would allow down to a set of stairs. Doors lined both sides of the hallway, and she knew that behind each one was another unfortunate victim.

As soon as she got out of there she’d make sure Prey made shutting down this trafficking ring a top priority. It wasn't okay to do this to people. To forcibly remove their organs from their bodies and then sell them on the black market. She assumed that if she didn't escape, they would keep taking organs from her until there was nothing left. Then when she was just an empty shell of a person, her dead body would be disposed of in a way that it would never be found.

These people had to be stopped.

But first, she had to escape.

Thankfully, no one seemed to be about, and she was able to drag herself up the flight of steps, and then another, and another.

By the time she spotted daylight, Ava was breathing heavily, hunched over in an attempt to better manage the pain. When she pressed a hand to the wound on her stomach, she winced as it was coated in something wet.

Blood.

Because this wasn’t a proper hospital, and because she wasn't supposed to live, she was just a tool to be broken apart piece by piece until there was nothing left, it wasn't like the surgeons did keyhole surgery to ensure a quicker recovery. They had just hacked her open and taken one of her organs, then quickly sewn her back up. It was no wonder that the stitches had burst, and her wound was now bleeding freely.

No time to worry about it, she headed for the dim light she could see, and the next thing she knew, she was stumbling out into the fresh air. It hit her like a blast of ice, and it wasn't until she looked up that Ava realized where they were.

All around her was ocean.

They were on a boat.

As she staggered over to the railing, she spun in a circle.

No land in sight.

A weird wheezing sound filled the air, and it took Ava way longer than it should have to realize it was coming from her.

Hyperventilating.

Panic was getting the best of her.

As badly as she wanted to remain strong, play this smart, and save herself, the realization that she might not be able to was sinking in.

How was she supposed to get herself off a boat?

The whir of rotor blades caught her attention, and she looked up to see a helicopter approaching. Tilting her head back made her dizzy and it felt like the whole world was spinning around her.

Grabbing onto the rails for support, when she looked down, her gaze locked on one of the lifeboats.

Could she …?

Was that possible?

It had to be.

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