\[Denali’s POV\]
The sound of sniffles and the feel of fear press against my skin, drawing me from the blissful oblivion that I’m stuck in. As the world appears around me, so does the pain of my injuries, which are still fresh.
Hissing, I pry one eye open to take in the area around me. There’s brick walls with chains hanging from them and large bars that separate me from a woman with long glossy black hair who is cradling a small boy with mousy brown hair. The sniffling sounds are coming from him, and they make my heart hurt.
Opening my other eye, I continue to examine the area around me until I come to realize that I’m in one of many cages that hold women and children alike.
“What the hell?” I hiss, slowly sitting up while being cautious not to jar my legs too much. “Where is…”
“Hell,” the woman beside me announces, bringing her glazed eyes to rest on me. “No, a place worse than hell.”
A place worse than hell? What could be... Wait… Could this be...
Both fear and disgust begin to build in me as I realize exactly where I am and understand the severity of my current situation. I was being trafficked along with everyone else here. How could Nadia be associated with such disgusting people? Nevermind. I knew how she could, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the same group that my father was associated with.
“Grub time!” Someone booms, ending any further mulling over the matter. “Get back!”
As the command echoes around us, everyone scurries to the back of their cells while two large men come forward pushing a cart of covered trays. Both hold sticks with electricity sizzling at the ends of them, and I immediately understand why everyone is listening.
Remaining silent, I watch as they begin to make their way down the hall, only stopping long enough to shove the travys through small squares in the bottom of the bars just big enough to fit the cloches.
When they reach me, their hungry eyes come to rest on me, and slow grins start to spread across their faces.
“Looks like the new meat is awake,” one chuckles, leaning closer to take me in. “And she still has some spirit in her. Should we help her with that problem, Flynn?” He asks his buddy, who is giving me the same disgusting look. “It’s been a while since we had some fresh meat here.”
“You know the boss's order,” Flynn counters. “This particular woman is to not be touched until the day of the auctions.”
“How would the boss know if you don’t…”
He doesn’t get to finish his words before gunfire fills the area, and he is slumping against my bars while blood and brain matter spray on the floor in front of me.
“You dare disobey orders?” Another guard asks, coming forward. “You know disobedience earns you immediate death.”
“Harvy,” the other guard gasps. “I wasn’t… It was…”
“Scat,” Harvy huffs at Flynn, who doesn’t wait for him to say it twice. Once the man is out of sight, Harvey turns his gaze to mine. “You’re just as pretty as they said,” he chuckles, kneeling down to take me in. “You’ll sell at a hefty price. I shouldn’t have expected any less from Rosco Torres’ woman.”
Rosco… He knew Rosco.
As this thought hits me, so does a wave of fear as I begin to wonder where exactly Rosco was and whether he was okay.
“Did my mention of your husband make you happy?” Harvey chuckles, pulling out his phone. “You poor thing.”
Poor thing? What the hell was this man talking about?
“Your husband has already replaced you, and you haven’t even been here a day.”
Replaced me? No! There was no way I was going to believe such a thing. I trusted Rosco, and I was sure once he was safe, he would find me. For now, I just needed to be on my best behavior so that I didn’t get myself killed. Not like I could do much with my legs the way they were, but I could keep my mouth in check.
“Take a look for yourself,” Harvey continues, showing me his screen so that I could take in a video of a press conference where Rosco and Nadia stood together. Despite their close proximity, I could make out the look of strain on Rosco’s features. “He is back with his old lover while you’re here waiting to be sold to the highest bidder.”
“He wouldn’t,” I repeat, trying to determine exactly what it was that Nadia did to get Rosco to go along with whatever ridiculous scheme she was up to. I was almost positive it probably had something to do with me, and that caused a wave of disgust toward my uselessness.
“Think what you want,” Harvy shrugs, standing up. “In the end, you’ll be gone within a week anyway.”
A week… So I had a week to try to figure out how to escape from this place before I was sold to someone. That wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.
“Enjoy your time, beautiful,” he chuckles before beginning to move, ignoring the rest of the trays that remained on the cart.
I keep my gaze fixed on his back as he moves, and once I’m sure he is gone, I turn my attention toward the woman and child who huddle in a corner together.
“Excuse me,” I call, dragging myself toward them. “Could I ask you something?"
For a moment, she doesn’t speak as she worriedly chews her lip, but after deciding that I meant no harm, she gives a nod.
“Do you happen to know who runs this place?”
If I had to stay here, I could at least learn more about it, and once I escaped, I could use the information I gathered to take down my father. I was sure that this place was run by the man my father was working with, and if I got a confession or enough evidence, I could take him down once and for all.
“He’s…” The woman begins as her son clings to her harder. “He’s the alpha of this island. A horrible man with a lust for female flesh and blood. He..." she continues, shuddering. “Has had his way with every woman here.”
Eyes widening, I begin to look around once more, noticing for the first time that each woman around me had similar marks on their necks, and some even bore baby bumps. What kind of disgusting bastard would do such a thing? And my father... how could he be associated with such a horrible man? What was my mother thinking in the past when she married him?
“Mommy,” the little boy whimpers. “I want to leave. When will we go home?”
At his words, my heart squeezes painfully, and I realize that if I had discovered sooner that my father was part of all of this, they could already be safe. If I hadn’t of just bowed my head and taken everything, I could have saved these people.
“You will,” I announce as my determination begins to steel. “I will make sure of it.”
If I could just find that power from before, then I was sure that I could do it again, even if it killed me.
“Don’t say such things,” the woman gasps. “They may hear.”
“Let them,” I growl, narrowing my gaze. “When I’m finished with them, they’ll all be the ones behind bars.”