54

Word Count: 2055

~Kiva

Steadying myself, I head through the front door.

Initially I planned to burst in and confront my father, to threaten him. However, once I enter, hearing voices drift down the hall, I decide to slow play this.

Pressing my back against the wall, I inch closer to the room, keeping my eye out for anyone who could pass by.

This place seems like any other home. Aspects of it have clearly been changed to suit a business, with what looks like a waiting room in the old sitting room and a reception in the foyer.

I will investigate the intricacies of the place later. For now, I want to hear what my father is saying.

"How do we know they don't already have something on us?" The unfamiliar voice sounds panicked.

"If this were about the business they would have killed my daughter."

I draw in a breath. They are talking about the rebellion. Father would never openly tell me what he thinks, so I listen keenly.

"Maybe they were planning to." The other voice sounds like they are pacing.

"She doesn't know anything about this place, so at least she wouldn't have told them," father assures him, sounding much calmer.

That doesn't surprise me. He conceals his emotions expertly, revealing only to others what has value to him. That way no one can truly know what he is thinking.

"We need to close this shit up."

"We will. We burn the building and we contact every client and tell them we are moving operations east," father instructs in that familiar tone that he always told me was reserved for when he truly had to be a King.

I frown. There is a limited time for the rebellion to blow this operation open before it disappears again forever.

"Excellent. That means new girls."

"And more money spent. We need scouts we can trust, and a place we know can be accessed easily and yet not tracked."

Disgust curls up in my stomach. They talk about these victims like they are nothing, worthless. They exist only to allow my father and his cronies to make as much money as possible.

"You won't be able to visit often," the man tells my father.

"It's a shame, as I like to oversee operations, however until things calm down and I source this rebellion, I need to stay away."

I sigh. This means if we aren't successful in destroying this business soon, I may not have a way to find the new one.

"Then what?"

I can hear father rubbing his face with stress. "Then I marry my daughter off so I don't have to deal with her learning more than she needs to. Then, I have that stupid kid of my brother's take over my position and I enjoy the spoils of all my hard work."

My jaw aches as I grit my teeth tightly. He wants to get rid of me, so I'm no longer his problem.

That's why he pushed my marriage to Caspian so ardently...I doubt he cared that I was in danger because of my business, he just wanted to send me away so he didn't have to bother wasting his time protecting me.

"Any leads in the rebellion?" What must be his advisor asks. I smooth back my anger, concentrating.

"A big one." Father shifts in his seat. "I suspect my daughter is in love with their leader."

My breath catches in my throat. What?

"How do you know?"

"Servants talk. She may know about the rebellion but I doubt she knows anything more," father explains. "I know her and I would know if she was hiding something. Plus, she has no life experience. This kind of secret would eat her alive."

My mouth falls open a little. He knows, but at the same time he has no idea.

I can't go back to the manor now. He knows Ark is their leader and he knows I'm somehow involved.

And yet his arrogance has fooled him into thinking I don't know about this business. He thinks he knows me, and yet, he never truly has. If he did, he would have learnt that I never wanted to be Princess and definitely did not want to be married off.

"So?"

"So I wait until her lover shows up and I have him followed. He will send me straight to the heart of his group," father says simply.

I squeeze my eyes shut. I need to find a way to warn Ark. That will have to wait, I'm afraid.

"Excellent choice," the advisor says.

"Shit," I mumble under my breath.

Ignoring the burn of betrayal that crawls over my skin, I continue sneaking my way down the hallway. I need to get back to Ark, but first, if I can find any victims still here, I want to free them.

Most rooms are either locked or ajar, and when I push the door back, they are empty.

Disturbingly, they are all bedrooms with large four-poster beds in the centre, a couch and a desk. It's all a façade, to give the appearance of a normal girls room. The walls are a soft shade of lavender in each, the bedspreads white.

However, the attempt at a depiction of innocence is dashed as embedded in the wall are metal chains that wind around the bed frame. With no one in the bed, they lay limply amongst the sheets.

Nausea churns in my stomach. I need to keep going.

As I wander down, I push open each door and try each handle. When I find a closed door that isn't locked I pause before gently pressing it open.

Sure enough there is a girl sitting atop one of the beds, her back against the wall, her legs pressed against her chest. She is bound by rope instead of the chains, her head bowed in defeat, light brown hair raining down over her face.

At the sound of the door open her head shoots up, her eyes wide with panic.

"Shh, don't say anything," I whisper, holding my hand up.

Confusion and fear muddles her expression as I sneak into the room, slowly closing the door behind me.

I have no idea what kind of trauma she has already experienced, and if she starts screaming and shouting for help, we are both done for.

"Princess-"

"Shh, they will hear," I warn, pointing behind me. "I'm here to get you out of here."

Her round brown eyes shutter a little before she bursts into silent sobs. I quickly come to her side, grabbing at her bare arm, wincing at how cold her skin is. They have dressed her in only a thin linen dress when it's almost snowing outside.

"He lied to me," she sobs, clutching at me, pressing her head against my arm.

"Who?"

"Arthur. He told me he loved me. Now I'm here and I'm going to die."

With each word her voice raises in volume. I need to keep her quiet, although dread has settled into the pit of my stomach. Was that the same man who tricked Ark's sister, or is he just another one of my father's scouts that he mentioned.

"You're not going to die alright," I soothe, running my hand down her knotted hair, biting back at my own emotion. She is broken, terrified and I need to get her out of here.

"Look what I found."

With the limited mobility she has in these ropes, she pulls back at the duvet, and then the sheet.

My breath catches in my throat. Blood stains the entire mattress in thick patches, all of varying colour. These don't belong to her, which means they belong to whoever came before her.

"Fuck," I breathe, fighting the urge to throw up. "I'm going to get you out of here but we need to be quiet. My father is here and he is conducting this...he's behind this."

"Why are you here?"

"To save you, okay," I insist. "Is there anyone else here?"

She shakes her head. "No. I heard them talking and they said I'm the last one before they move. What does that mean?"

"It means we need to get out of here."

Wasting no more time, I paw for my knife in my cloak, pulling it out. I have to remember to thank Ark for this.

I get to work slicing away at her binds. They must still be wondering what to do with her since she isn't chained. That, or they don't think she is much of a threat.

Once she is free, I rub at the raw skin on her wrists and ankles before lacing my fingers through her, encouraging her to follow me to the door.

Just inside her room is a cardboard sleeve stuck to the wall. I quickly snatch the papers from it, examining the words handwritten on the front.

Erin Matthews.

Client: Joe Flint.

Comments: Requested three total services. $4,765 - general mutilation package. $2,000 - Keepsake package. $5,000 - death package.

My eyes widen. Is this what they planned to do to her?

Erin's eyes wander over so I quickly fold it up and stuff it into my jacket pocket. Ark will want to see this.

The corridor is empty as I glance out. I can't risk taking Erin out through the front door, so I lead her deeper into the manor. There has to be another way out.

We pass more bedrooms until the sound of oncoming voices has us darting into a much larger room.

I close the door, leaving only the slightest gap to hear through before I scan the room.

What the hell is this place?

In the centre of the room are three metal poles that go to the roof. There are vacant chains wrapped around them, reaching down to the tiled floor. My eyes linger on the grates, not letting my mind conjure up any theories on what those mean.

"What is this place?" Erin asks. She's trembling, her fear heightening. She is seconds away from having a panic attack. I need to get her out of here soon.

"I don't want to know," I mumble.

The edge of the room is raised up slightly, covered in carpet. There are various seats littered along the outside, side tables flanking them.

Again, I don't want to know why those are there.

Once the voices fade we continue. Soon enough it dawns on me that there is no way out. We sweep around to each room, but the windows are barred and the one door that would have any hopes of getting us out is boarded up.

There's only one exit.

"Shit..." I hiss.

Erin blinks, tears still staining her cheeks. "What is it?"

"This isn't the way out, we need to go back," I tell her, motioning back down to the corridor we just came from.

She rips her hand from mine, her breathing increasing to the point of panic. "No...no, no I can't go back."

"You need to calm down or they'll hear," I warn her, tapping my ear.

It's too late, she feels trapped, her flight or fight senses kicking in. Before I can grab for her she makes a run for it, sprinting down the hallway.

Wincing, I start after her. I can't let her get caught again. I can't let her become a victim when she was so close to being free.

She disappears into the old foyer, making a break for the front door.

Clutching my knife, my feet pad along the carpeted floor. There are at least four people in this building and one is my father. I can take them...I hope.

I make it to the foyer. The front door is closed, but Erin isn't anywhere to be seen.

She wouldn't have just missed her one exit...

Shit.

I don't get the chance to turn around. Something slams into the back of my head so hard my vision is immediately blanketed in darkness and I topple forward.

My body crashing down onto the ground is the last thing I remember as I tumble into unconsciousness.

🖤••🖤

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! and as always it is available 10 chapters ahead on Radish!

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~Midika 💜🐼