Page 15 of Promise of Hellfire

I glanced over my shoulder. “This isn’t where they are being kept,” I mumbled to Rayne who was keeping guard.

“Should we look inside? Maybe we can find more information,” Ethan replied, gaze flitting down the dark hallway.

I slowly closed the door, and Rayne winced when it creaked. We definitely should have brought some WD-40. I shook my head and walked to the next door on the left. “We have enough information. At least enough to know what’s happening. We aren’t the feds. We aren’t trying to build a case against them. The financials and what we find tonight will be enough for Oliver.”

I wiggled the next door handle and frowned. Locked. “How quickly do you think you can pick this?”

Ethan shrugged his shoulders, giving me a cocky grin before pulling a small set of tools out of his pocket. I stepped to the side, keeping watch down the hallway. My palms were sweating and my heart raced in my chest. At any moment someone could stumble on us and discover we weren’t here for the entertainment on stage.

Ethan’s brow lowered, and he was lost, deep in concentration. Voices echoed from a room further down the hallway and I rubbed my hands down my pants, the cracks in my usually cool façade showing.

“Quit thinking so hard,” Ethan mumbled beside me. “I’ve almost got it.” The door popped open, creaking on the hinges, and someone yelled from inside the room behind me.

“Let’s go,” I hissed, pushing them towards the open door. We stumbled into the dark and I closed the door behind us quickly, praying that no one heard us. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and turned on the flashlight, illuminating the area. The walls were gray cinder block and concrete steps sat in front of us.

Ethan swallowed, his eyes wide. “I guess we should go down.” His fingers skated along the wall as we descended the steps quietly. Rayne stayed completely silent, her lips pressed into a thin line. Quiet sobs echoed from below.

I stopped at the foot of the stairs stunned. The smell of the room was overwhelming. Body odor and sickness clung to the air. I held my sleeve up to my nose, hoping to block some of the scents out. The back wall held wooden crates and a small bathtub was partially obscured by a dirty shower curtain liner. The other three were lined with cages of floor-to-ceiling metal bars.

I cautiously stepped forward and wrapped my hand around one of them, using it to steady myself. Each cage contained a bucket and a dirty mattress. The women that were being held here were emaciated, and I sucked in a deep breath, trying to quiet the emotions rising in me.

The girl inside the cage I was leaning on laid on her mattress, curled into a ball. Blood and dirt streaked across the skin visible from beneath the blanket. Her auburn hair was matted and bruises were visible on the hand clutching the blanket to her body. A low moan slipped from her mouth and she shuddered. Ethan stepped around me and peered into the cage next to her.

Chapter nine

Rayne

ThemusicpoundedasI watched the dancer on stage and slowly peeled the label off the now lukewarm beer. I took a slow sip and glanced around the room, observing the patrons. Anxiety curled in my stomach knowing that somewhere in the building, women were being held against their will.

At Dominic’s signal, I stood and walked towards the hallway. They talked quietly, trying doors and picking locks. My heart pounded in my ears and I wiped my hands against my clothes, hoping that we wouldn’t get caught. I wasn’t sure exactly how many people were security or working for Ayers, but I didn’t want to have to fight my way out tonight or potentially endanger anyone.

When we found the stairwell that descended into the basement, I let out a sigh of relief. At least now we wouldn’t be out in the open. When Dominic turned on the flashlight on his phone, shock washed over me. I stood unmoving for several moments, disbelieving what I was seeing. At least a dozen women were being kept in literal cages.

“They’re all drugged,” Ethan whispered to me. “Look at her eyes.” I glanced in the direction he was looking at. A young woman who appeared to be maybe eighteen or nineteen laid still on top of a mattress. Barely out of high school, her skin seemed dull, and her pupils, even in the dim lighting, were dilated.

Glancing around the room, a lot of things became clear to me. I doubted any of them were being fed regularly. How long had some of them been held here? Did their families know they were missing? These women obviously weren’t allowed out of their prisons until right before a client or visitor, not even for basic hygiene. My stomach threatened to heave the contents of my dinner onto the concrete floor.

“What the fuck are we supposed to do?” Dominic asked, frustration seeping into his tone. The question was rhetorical. “Which one is Lexi?”

A cry sounded from behind the bars in the opposite corner and I slowly walked over, shining my light inside. The woman had bleach blond hair and blood streaked through it. Her bloodshot eyes were swollen and a rainbow of bruises lined her face. Lexi. At least she was alive. Her lips were cracked and an angry-looking wound sat on the corner. Someone had beat the hell out of her recently and I balled up my fists at my sides.

Despite the drugs and silent tears rolling down her cheeks, she bared her teeth at us. “Who the fuck are you?” she slurred. At least they hadn’t completely broken her spirit yet.

“Shh, it’s okay. We’re here to help,” Ethan murmured as he approached the front of the bars.

She scrambled further into the corner, pushing her back against her wall. “Fuck off. You’re just like the rest of the psychopaths in this place. Trying to take something from us.”

Ethan gave her a sad smile, and I walked in front of him so she could see me. “They’re with me, Lexi, and I promise he’s telling you the truth.”

Sobs erupted from her, and her body shook. “How do I know this isn’t a trick?”

“You don’t, not really,” I said cautiously, trying to swallow down the emotions threatening to drown me. “Olly’s been trying to find you, though. He’s had people asking around about you.” I reached through the bar and she grabbed my hand. Our fingers linked, and a tear escaped. “Listen, I need your help. Do you know when the auction is? We have to get all of you out of here before then.”

Her grip on my hand tightened. “They said the fourth, but I don’t know what day it is now.”

A quiet creak came from above and Ethan gave me a panicked look, his fist clutching my shirt.

“We’ve got to find somewhere to hide right now or be willing to fight our way out of here,” he hissed.

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