Page 1 of Viper's Salvation
Chapter 1 - Amy
My jaw throbs with every heartbeat, a reminder of yesterday's "lesson" from Mike.
The swelling has gotten worse overnight, making it hard to see through my left eye. I shift on the thin mattress, testing my ribs. Still painful, but I don't think they're broken this time.
Small mercies.
The dingy room they've locked me in smells of mildew and despair. A single barred window lets in weak morning light, illuminating cracked concrete walls and water stains on the ceiling.
This building was never anything special. Just another abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Pine Haven that the Vultures MC converted into their compound. Functional, secure, and completely forgettable from the outside.
I sit up slowly, wincing as my body protests. Two days since Kelly ran. Two days of not knowing if my baby sister is alive or dead. Two days of beatings and threats and Mike's growing rage.
"You should have stopped her," he hissed yesterday, his spittle landing on my face as his fist connected with my cheekbone. "You were supposed to convince her this was the right path."
I touch my swollen face gingerly. The right path. As if being sold like cattle to men who see women as property could ever be right.
Kelly was smart to run. Smarter than me. I was the one who believed their lies, who thought I'd found a golden opportunity that night when Daniel approached me with his charming smile and promises of easy money. Eighteen years old, finally freefrom the foster system, working two jobs and still barely making rent. I was the perfect target.
I should have known better. I was supposed to be the responsible one.
Instead, I bought into their world completely. The attention, the gifts, the sense of belonging. It was intoxicating after a lifetime of being unwanted. When they suggested bringing Kelly in, I convinced her it was legitimate.
"Just hostessing at private parties," I told her. "The tips are amazing."
Kelly was suspicious from the start, but she trusted me. Her big sister who was supposed to protect her.
The lock on my door rattles, and I quickly straighten my thin nightgown, steeling myself. Show no weakness. That's the only control I have left.
Mike enters, his bulky frame filling the doorway. His dark eyes scan me with cold detachment.
"Still ugly," he says with a sneer. "Pity. Charles wanted to see you today, but we can't present you like this." He tosses a bottle of water onto the bed. "Drink. You look like shit."
I take the bottle but don't open it, not while he's watching. I've learned that lesson too.
"Any news about my sister?" I ask, keeping my voice steady despite the fear gnawing at my insides.
Mike's mouth curls into a cruel smile. "Maybe yes, maybe no. You think you deserve information after what she did? After what you failed to do?" He steps closer, and I force myself not to flinch. "Charles is furious. The wedding was important. Your sister's little escape has cost us."
"She didn't want to be your property," I say, unable to stop myself. "Can you blame her?"
The backhand comes so fast I barely see it. My head snaps to the side, and fresh pain explodes across my cheek. The taste of copper fills my mouth.
"You still don't understand your place," he growls, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look at him. "You are nothing. Your sister is nothing. You breathe because we allow it. You eat because we feed you. You exist because we have use for you."
I stare back, refusing to lower my gaze despite the terror coursing through me. "If I'm nothing, why keep me alive?"
His grip tightens painfully. "Because unlike your sister, you might still have value. The right buyer doesn't mind damaged goods if the price is good enough." He releases me with a shove. "Clean yourself up. You have one hour before I return."
When the door slams shut behind him, I finally allow myself to tremble. I crack open the water bottle and take small sips, knowing I need to stay hydrated if I'm going to survive this. If Kelly is still alive, I need to stay alive too.
For the first time in two days, I let myself cry. Silent tears that slide down my bruised face and drip onto my nightgown. I cry for Kelly, for myself, and for my own stupidity. I was supposed to be the smart one, the cautious one. Instead, I led my baby sister straight into hell because I was so desperate to believe someone could want me.
But I only allow myself five minutes of weakness. Then I wipe my face, ignoring the pain, and move to the small bathroom attached to my room. The mirror shows a stranger—a woman with a swollen purple face, split lip, and hollow eyes. I barely recognize myself.
I wash carefully with the trickle of cold water from the sink, then change into the clothes they've left me. A simple dress that covers the bruises on my arms and legs. No makeup to cover my face, though. I think Mike wants Charles to see what he has done to me.
As I'm brushing my tangled hair, I hear shouting outside. Not the usual sounds of the compound. This is different. Urgent. Alarmed.
