Nineteen

TW- mentions of human trafficking and abuse

Alexander Nathaniel Rozzi

As much as we needed a date night it was also a cover-up.

NITE was causing troubles and we needed space to sort it out without everyone breathing down our necks.

"Ready to go?" I called Ella. We had disappeared to our little house in the middle of nowhere when we got back from our flight. We had spent a couple of hours together in bed before we started work. We had to find information on what we were walking into which was easy enough, the hard part was reading through all the information I wish never happened.

Tonight we were busting a trafficking ring.

This wasn't new to us we had done it multiple times internationally, but there was an apprehension in both of us. We both had grown close to our family, and it left a deep pit in our stomach hearing there was a ring going down literally a forty-five-minute drive away from their home.

Ella came to the kitchen where I was waiting, her face solemn and focused. Despite both of us being on high alert, I still pulled her into my arms whispering about how beautiful she looked. Ella nuzzled her head into my shoulder, both of us sucking up our final moments of respite for the evening.

The dress code for tonight was black tie and that was how we dressed, I had on a three-piece all-black suit and Ella had a black floor length dress. We were the ones going in tonight and associating with the people, mingling around the auction area. We had a team surrounding us and we were both safe but we still took extra precautions, we both wore items specifically designed in a material that is more bulletproof than a regular outfit, and they were lined in some sort of fibre Ella had found, even though they were heavier and harder to wear we wanted to be safe. We had multiple weapons on us, none of which would be picked up by detectors thanks to our genius way of hiding them.

"Ready to go, Amore?" I ask and Ella nods, her heels clicking as we walk to our garage in silence. Both of us hated this, we loved helping people but we hated seeing this situation, it brought back memories we would prefer to leave in the past.

We were leaving the range rovers here and we were taking something more our style but not something people would recognise us in.

I look at the brand-new car and back at Ella who looks away from my gaze sliding into the passenger seat of the all-black McLaren 720S.

"It isn't my fault I have a shopping addiction, retail therapy is better than proper therapy." She responds, knowing what I was thinking.

It was a good thing we had money to maintain Ella otherwise we would be broke, I don't know anyone else who buys a three hundred thousand dollar car without even a second thought, and this isn't even the worst impulse purchase she has made.

"I'm not sure that's true love, normal therapy is important," I tell her, knowing we will probably have to start getting back into regular sessions again after tonight.

"I know that, but shopping makes me happy, and besides I'm using my money." I side-eye her once more.

"We have a joint bank account, love." I pointed it out but I wasn't complaining, We made more than enough to support anything we want and it was great. I think a part of Ella's love for shopping and spontaneously making purchases came from not having anything for the first few years of our lives, and even though we had things for the next years being able to buy whatever she wants shows her she still has the freedom she craved.

I was talking about her shopping to keep her mind away from what we were about to face, we needed a couple more minutes of peace before we entered the building. The roads out of town were almost empty, especially the way we were heading, we weren't heading out towards the town like we had done earlier for our date, we were heading the other way on the road that just led to a lot more towns until you made it to the next state over.

The drive was nice, despite the overhang thoughts of what we might walk into tonight it was peaceful and reminded me of a lot of drives we took back home when we needed to clear our heads. It was sunset so the sky was lit in oranges and pinks that were slowly turning to purples and dark blues.

Ella's eyes were trained out the window, even though she looked like she wasn't processing anything. Just watching. I place a hand on her though and she turns her head to look at me, a soft dazed smile on her face.

I had to turn my head back to the road quickly but Ella reached over, placing one of her hands on my cheek, something I've never really understood why she's done and just accepted since she's done it since we were kids. It was one of the small actions that made me feel loved, it was one of her ways of showing me she loved me and it really did.

It was dark when we finally made it to the location. We were in the line with so many expensive cars it put car shows to shame. Before we made it to the front of the line Ella and I put on the final pieces of our outfits, first setting the colours of our contacts to a different colour, Ella went for an almost translucent green colour, she looked different with the lighter colour compared to her very vibrant blue eyes, it made her skin tone look more tan due to colour theory and makes her almost unrecognisable. I changed my eyes to a dark brown, the same colour as Ella's hair. And the last thing, two masks that covered the top half of our faces.

People getting into the trafficking business didn't want their identity revealed which made things both easier and harder for us. At least it was harder before we had retina scanners built into our contacts so we know exactly who is who.

We both hop out of the car, I don't go and get to Ella's door like I normally would. Anything considered chivalrous would make us stand out and we needed to blend in to be able to hear the whispers.

I hand my keys to the valet, and Ella grips my elbows as I lead us to the entrance. I remain stoic, my face aimed ahead and my mouth set into a firm line. Ella though looked around taking in everything, she was acting ditzy, like she didn't know what was going on but didn't care, standard for the woman who came in on the arms of men involved in this sort of business. I'm not saying they normally acted like that but to be a woman involved with all those vile men you had to know how to act and there is nothing these men love more than feeling like people are inferior to them.

"Ma'am, keep your eyes ahead of you." the guard who was signing in tells her harshly.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Ella smiles widely at him, with what appears to be a real smile but it was faker than the colour of her eyes. Not that he knew that. She doesn't use her regular accent, instead, she sounded like she was from southern California or somewhere around that region.

If Ella wasn't a part of the lifestyle we were she would most definitely be part of the arts, either acting or dance.

We finally get let through, being patted down and scanned for weapons, and even though none we detected we both were fully armed. Ella stayed hooked on my arms as we entered the very opulent building. It was filled with men talking in circles, shaking each other's hands but scowling when they turned away from one another, women who had probably been forced into this hanging off the arms of the men.

There was no one innocent in this room, I don't even think Ella and I were. Not after what we had been through.

Ella's hand raised to fix one of her earrings, at least that's what it looked like. But when her hand comes down, the sound fills my ear and it does the same to her. We hear voices on the other side of the line.

"We're in," Ella says softly and all the chatter we could hear on the other side of the line seizes. Before instructions are given out by Phoenix.

Phoenix was in charge of all the junior groups until he took over from his dad for the whole agency.

There were twenty of us split into five groups, and we were the most diverse group you have ever met. We were from all over the world and the only group who were from the same place were a group of siblings. And even though we were from everywhere we all grew up in London, we trained together and the world together.

Right now we had two teams with us outside with ours as backup. Julian and Demitius along with one team were here. Among the second team were Phoenix's younger brothers, Leandro and Lorenzo, the people who had found out about our biological families, to begin with, and their team, Kaeso Verres and Ahmed Nassar.

On surveillance, we had the Sigma team, the Schuess siblings. The four siblings, originally from Switzerland, worked very well together. I had honestly never even seen them fight, they had the healthiest sibling relationship I had ever seen. So right now we had Elin, Tessa, Levin and Molly Schuess with Phoenix watching every single person in the room carefully through the cameras we had attached to our bodies ready to alert us if something went wrong.

"The Nox brother's to your left." Levin Schuess announces into our earpieces. We didn't look, Ella's hand tightened on my arm and I felt my shoulders tighten against my will.

Nine years, nine years since we escaped their torture

Three years, three years since they took the men most precious to us, held them in the middle of nowhere and left them to die in a burning building.

They hurt them because they saved us, and took away the perfect soldiers he thought he had raised. He thought he had broken us but they couldn't have been more wrong. We had gripped onto our sanity for dear life but we wouldn't succumb to them, we wouldn't go out and destroy lives for them, and we wouldn't torture and kill on their command.

We didn't once glance in their direction but we knew that all four brothers were there.

Ceren Nox, the leader. The one that has done the most physiological damage to us. He plays with your mind and twists things to his will. Everything is a game to him, his weakness, he hides behind everyone else, and he will sacrifice anyone, even his brothers to save himself. Physically he cannot do anything and that is the reason he has the most guards surrounding him.

Gileon Nox, the fighter. He was the one who taught Ella and me to fight, the one who would whip us with whatever he had on hand if we weren't strong enough for his liking. He made us some of the best fighters but scarred our bodies the most at the same time, we still have the faint white scars that will never leave us for as long as we live.

Timon Nox, the smart brother. He was the one who organised their institute and ran everything by the book. He was the one who taught us everything, multiple languages before we knew how to read and write properly. He was making us read books that were for kids a decade older than we were. He would make us compete with each other who could solve equations faster or who could read the book faster. Ella always surpassed me with anything to do with maths or languages. Those things came easy for her. She was the calculative one but anything to do with reading I was better with, I could burn through books in a quarter of the time it would take anyone else. Ella hated when he would make her read, she's dyslexic and he would make her stay up all night without any food so she could finish. I had never felt more helpless in my life than I did those nights.

And the youngest brother, Verus Nox. He was our age, probably a mistake baby considering he was over a decade younger than the rest of his brothers. He was Ella's and I'd friend. Or more Ella's. Like everyone else who met her, he was wrapped right around her little finger, he would follow her around and would argue with his brothers about being mean to her. He would get her food and medicine for her wounds. He hated me though, I was his competition, and like every other Nox on this planet, he hates losing. So every time Ella chose me over him it would add to his hatred.

We slipped into the crowd, weaving through it in a way that didn't bring attention to ourselves. One of the best skills we learnt from sneaking around the home of the Nox's was getting around undetected.

We walked to the back where a stage and chairs were fanning out from there. I felt sick to my stomach knowing what was going to be happening on that stage. A bell sounded letting us know the auction starts in two minutes so we were surrounded by a crowd trying to get seats. We find ourselves in the middle of the auditorium but nearest to the exit.

"Five minutes." Elin Schuess announces, and I could hear the anticipation in her voice. As much as we hated this we all thrived off the adrenaline. This had become a drug for us, the chaos and the control. "Is everyone in position?"

"Alpha team in position," Julian announces to the four of us.

"Lambda team all in position," Leandro adds for his team.

"Sigma team ready on comms," Molly confirms last.

Everything was in place.

Four minutes left.

The Nox's were all in the front row. All four of them were clad in well-fitting suits. They were all almost identical despite the age gap between them. Auriella and I used to think they were a family of vampires, I had never met people with such pale skin it looks translucent. But their hair and eyes were so dark it was such a contrast, their eyes are the closest colour to black and their hair was even darker than mine. It was such a stark contrast against their skin tone it immediately made them stand out.

Everyone was seated now and a short, round-looking man walked onto the stage. Stepping out onto the podium and in front of the microphone.

Three minutes left

He introduces himself and welcomes everyone to the event. I was disgusted.

This was a sex trafficking event and they were welcoming people like this was a charity gala.

Auriella let out a soft hum in disgust, only loud enough that I would hear.

The first person is brought onto the stage. She looks our age, meaning she isn't even an adult yet.

Ella's eyes shift up to mine. She brings her lips close to my ear, to the outside world it looks like she's saying something seductive but I hear the horror behind her voice. "That girl looks seventeen at the most, she's first. They never bring out the youngest first."

She was speaking both to me and to the team who could hear our conversation. And I hear them all grumble in disgust.

Two more minutes.

The auction is held, people betting mere thousands for someone's life. These are people with multi-millions and billions of dollars to their name. The people who blow hundreds of thousands on useless things.

It shows how little they value these humans. These poor children.

One minute.

The first girl has disappeared off the stage and this time replaced with someone a little older. Her arms are bound in rope, there are tear streaks down her face and I see how giddy it makes these men. She's helpless, she's stuck and they get off on her nonconsent.

I want to close my eyes, I want to forget I ever saw this and go back home and sleep for the next few weeks but I can't be thinking about this now. I need to focus.

"Three, two, one." Phoenix counts down.

The lights go off, and chaos ensues. Already having run through the plan Auriella and I slip away like we were never there.