Page 103 of Auctioned Innocence
Military bearing, high-quality gear.
They’re not talking, which means they’re disciplined. That makes them dangerous but also predictable.
I memorize faces, note weapons, assess distances.
The van has no windows in the back, but I can feel us turning. So I count the stops.
We’re somewhere in the city based on the traffic sounds.
My zip-ties are tight but not impossible.
I start working on them immediately, tiny movements disguised as unconscious shifting. I fall back on what I’ve learned—always be working toward escape, even when it seems hopeless.
Especiallywhen it seems hopeless.
The van stops.
They drag me out, and I let my body stay limp, playing unconscious while my mind races.
Industrial area. Abandoned warehouse district.
Perfect place to hold someone—or kill them.
They carry me inside to what looks like an abandoned warehouse. Industrial lighting casts harsh shadows across concrete floors. The air smells of rust and old oil. They tie me to a chair with fresh restraints, tighter than the ones in the van, but I immediately start working on these too while keeping my head slumped forward.
Dante.
Through barely open eyes, I spot him about ten feet away, slumped in his own chair, zip-tied and unconscious. Blood crusts in his dark hair where they hit him. I think he’s breathing.
I take inventory quickly. Five guards that I can see, positioned around the warehouse floor. Automatic weapons, but they’re relaxed—they think we’re secured. Their mistake.
The plastic of the restraints is starting to give. Another few minutes and I’ll be free. But I keep my hands positioned so it looks like I’m still bound.
This isn’t the first time I’ve been bound, and I know it won’t be the last. I need to let them think they have the upper hand while I gather information and plan my move. They see a captive. I see an opportunity.
The click of heels on concrete announces her arrival before I see her. That blood-red dress. That predatory smile. Madame Rouge emerges from the shadows like a nightmare given form.
“Well, well. Thepetite princessawakens.” Her voice drips with venom and satisfaction. “Did you really think you could destroy my auction house and just walk away?”
I keep my expression neutral, even as rage burns within me. “I was hoping you’d died in the fire.”
Her laugh is cold. “Disappointed? You cost me millions,chérie. Burned down a business I spent decades building. And for what? A few girls who were going to better lives anyway?”
“Better lives?” The words come out sharper than I intended. “You were selling human beings.”
Madame Rouge shrugs, nonplussed. “I was providing a service. Supply and demand.” She circles my chair like a shark. “But you…you had to play hero. Had to ruin everything with your American idealism.”
“I’m going to kill you,” I say quietly. Matter-of-fact. The anger is so fierce I’m surprised my voice comes out steady. “Maybe not today, but someday. I’m going to put a bullet in your head and watch you bleed out.”
I can still hear Maisie’s screams echoing in my head—the sound of that baton breaking her back while this monster watched like it was nothing. Beautiful, brave Maisie who died fornothing. Who was beaten like an animal while Madame Rouge stood there counting the cost of my defiance.
“And when I do,” I continue, my voice dropping to a whisper that somehow carries more menace than any shout, “I’m going to tell you it’s for Maisie. So you know exactly why you’re dying.”
Her laughter fills the warehouse. “Oh, you precious child. You think you’re dangerous because you killed a few guards? Because you rescued some merchandise?” She leans closer, her perfume cloying. “I am going to break you so thoroughly thatyou’llbegme to sell you. And this time, there won’t be any dashing rescue.”
I count her breathing. Note how she favors her left side—old injury, probably. See that she’s wearing heels, which will slow her down. Five guards, but three are watching Dante, two watching me. Overconfident.
All useful information.
