Chapter 99

MADDISON

Dante hangs out with Gabby and me for a good three hours, and all we do is chat. He fills me in on what we still need, what they’ve already secured, and somehow we end up discussing Violet and her role in “Operation Freedom”—that’s her name for it.

Turns out, she’s been working for years to persuade the police to pursue leads her private team has uncovered about various trafficking organizations. My dad may have started his own illicit operation at home, but he wasn’t the first, and I doubt he’ll be the last.

In fact, he didn’t start buying and selling girls until I was old enough to remember. I share this with Dante.

I paint a picture of what’s been happening around me since I was a kid. I talk about the steady stream of girls that passed through our farm doors.

They’d be escorted from school buses under the cover of night, and by the next day, they’d vanish. It didn’t take me long to explore the barns five miles inland.

That’s where Papa kept them, and I’m sure he still does. A cow barn that should be filled with dairy cows, but instead houses enough beds for a hundred girls and heat lamps to keep them warm during the harsh winters.

Papa had his way with the shipments, sampling the merchandise as he’d tell me on more than one occasion. I think my plan started back then, when I was just a teenager observing from the inside.

I had no power, no voice back then—and honestly, I don’t have the loudest voice now, but I can cause some havoc, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.

Once I see Dante out of the room, I go back to fetch Gabby. I enter the room and shut the door behind me, heading straight for her.

I tear at her top and yank the fabric to mimic the wrinkles Dante had made. Then I lift her face to mine, looking her in the eyes.

“Anything said in this room today stays in this room,” I warn her.

She flinches, stepping back to create distance, her eyes wide with surprise.

But I don’t let her gain any advantage. Instead, I follow her, backing her up against the wall.

I grip her face, my thumb and finger on either side. “You know what will happen if I hear this pretty mouth spewing lies, right, Gabby?”

She nods. I let out a small, wicked laugh before I press my lips to hers, smearing our matching Chanel red lipstick over both of us.

It’s expected. Dante explained the loop they’ve created with our biometrics. I have to make it look like we’ve been making out, just in case Mr. Fennick gets suspicious.

Once I feel our lipstick has smeared enough, I drop to the floor, lifting the skirt around her thighs. I pull the stockings away from her thigh, poking holes several times.

We can’t leave this place looking pristine. She shivers, anxiety coursing through her as she tries not to look at me, but her body betrays her. Her eyes drop as I stand before her.

She’s afraid of me, like many of the new girls, but that’s just how it has to be. I’m in charge here, and they either stand with me, or I screw them over and get rid of them.

Luckily, I had asked Dante to tug at my dress and mess it up before I walked him out, so I already look the part, leaving just one thing to do.

We leave the room, Gabby ahead of me as I turn to close the door. Unfortunately, Mr. Fennick is at the end of the hallway, pacing in circles as he talks on the phone.

It’s an unexpected twist, but something I had already considered. “Just walk,” I hiss at Gabby.

She nods, and we start walking down the hall toward the door that leads to the staircase down to our level. We reach the end, and I open the door and guide Gabby through, but Mr. Fennick stops me with a firm grip on my upper arm.

“Wait!” he orders.

I nod, standing before him, listening to his private call and silently thanking my lucky stars, if they exist, that he stopped me.

It seems the shipment is arriving in town tomorrow evening at eleven-forty p.m., and thankfully Callum will have a recording to prove as much.

“Sure, got it. We always mix up the dates, just to keep things unpredictable. Tomorrow night, by the docks. Sharp at eleven-forty… Uh-huh. Oh, really now?”

His smirk is chilling, a sinister calmness lurking in his eyes as he listens in silence. I can tell he’s talking about me; the look on his face gives it away.

“All right then, I’ll bring your crew along. Okay! Catch you later.”

He ends the call, his hand moving from his ear to my face. “Looks like your dear old dad wants a night with his little filly.”

The crude nickname leaves a bitter taste in my mouth as soon as Mr. Fennick utters it, but I’m powerless to object. “He’s coming early?” I question.

“Seems so. I guess his two-day visit has a purpose. So, how did Gabby do?” he inquires.

“She was okay, just lying there. I think the meds are still keeping her calm,” I fib.

The truth is, I didn’t give her today’s dose—the one all the girls get before a scene. I only give the girls the dose if they’re trouble, like Ebony.

Some of them quiet down and follow my rules, while others refuse to listen and end up high as a kite. Those are the ones I can’t help as much, but then again, two drugged-up fools don’t exactly make for a good time, do they?

“That’s why we give it to them; we wouldn’t want her sharp tongue spoiling the men’s fun, right? Go downstairs and clean her up. Make sure she’s tucked in and ready for work tomorrow,” he orders.

“Of course, Mr. Fennick.”

He lets me open the door and take a few steps down before he calls out to me. “You’re on duty tonight; you have a client at ten. Make sure you’re fresh and prepared, and don’t forget to be up here at six p.m. to bring my clients back.”

“Understood, Mr. Fennick.”

He finally lets me go, allowing me to descend to our floor. I head straight for the bathroom, checking that Gabby is indeed cleaning herself, which she is, but I ignore Mr. Fennick’s command.

I don’t wash for fear of aggravating my already sore back. Instead, I rinse my face and head to my room to change into a fresh dress.