Chapter 24: Chapter 24

Carlo has to circle the boat as the helicopters take turns to land and drop off their passengers.

We wait until last before Carlo sets us down on the supersized yacht. Angelo shoves the door open and gets out first, followed by me, then Damiano.

A man dressed in a tuxedo frowns at us. “We weren’t expecting a fourth party.”

An armed guard gives us a wary look, his fingers twitching around his weapon.

“We invited ourselves,” I mutter, impatient to search the yacht so I can find Eden.

Another man, who’s escorted by two guards, comes up the stairs, and his eyes lock instantly on Damiano. “What’s the Cosa Nostra doing here? This isn’t your territory.”

I glance at Damiano. “You know him?”

“Kristian,” my boss murmurs. “Sex trafficker. Let me handle this.” Damiano takes a step forward and lets out a sigh. “I’m here for a specific girl.”

“We don’t have anyone who belongs to the Cosa Nostra,” the man replies calmly, as if he isn’t worried we’ll kill him.

“Show us the girls, and we’ll be on our way,” Damiano mutters.

“Only you. The rest wait right here,” the man agrees.

Not happy, I cross my arms over my chest and watch as Damiano and Carlo follow the man.

When a guard shakes his head at Carlo, Damiano says, “Where I go, he goes.”

“Let him come,” the man snaps, clearly starting to lose his patience with the situation.

We don’t wait long before Damiano and Carlo come back. My boss shakes his head, then orders, “Let’s go. We’re wasting our time here.”

For a moment, I think about the girls who will be tortured and killed, but needing to focus on finding Eden, I climb back into the helicopter.

As the aircraft lifts into the sky, I stare out the window at the vast ocean, worried I might not get to my woman in time.

Damiano’s phone starts to ring, drawing my attention to him. I watch as he takes the device out and how his expression relaxes for a split second.

“I’m busy…No…No…”

Angelo and I stare at Damiano as we watch him on the call because that’s one ‘no’ too many for a man who only says it once before killing you.

“No…No…I know…Christ, I don’t have time for this,” he finally snaps. “Don’t call again.”

He hangs up, the frown on his forehead instantly turning darker.

“Who was that?” Angelo asks.

“No one,” Damiano mutters. “Carlo, take us back to land.”

“We don’t have a choice,” Carlo mumbles. “We need to fuel up if we’re going to continue searching.”

“I need to get to my system at my place,” I say. “We’re wasting time out here.”

Eden

I’m sitting on the floor, with my back to the wall where the other four women are standing.

The one with the blank stare whispered something in a language I’ve never heard, but it sounded like a prayer.

God. It’s me. Eden. Your least favorite child, seeing as you keep dumping shit all over me. If you’re listening, I’d really appreciate a break right about now.

I lift a hand and brush my fingers lightly over the bruises on my face and the massive bump on my head that feels like it’s the size of an egg.

When I came to, the man with the gun was gone, and so was the body. There’s blood on the floor, and I keep staring at it.

The door opens, and two armed men come in. They gesture with huge machine guns for us to come.

Where? Why?

Shit.

“Let me go,” one of the women starts to cry. “Please.”

My eyes dart between her and the men as I climb to my feet. I’m hit with a dizzy spell that makes the bile in my stomach churn.

One of the men aims his weapon at her and barks, “Shut the fuck up and come so you can piss and drink water.”

My body begins to tremble violently, and not wanting to die right here, I walk toward the door while keeping an eye on the men.

When I step into the hallway, there’s another armed man who nods for me to go into a restroom.

“Please,” I hear the other women beg, and I brace myself to hear a shot being fired. My skin tingles, and the trembling in my body gets worse.

“Leave the door open,” the man in the hallway orders. “Don’t try anything stupid.”

Walking into the small restroom, I have some cover behind a wall. I quickly relieve myself before drinking as much water as I can handle. God knows when we’ll get something to drink again.

When I step into the hallway, I’m grabbed by my arm and shoved back into the room. Stumbling, I manage to keep my balance while shooting the asshole a glare.

Minutes later, the door is locked again, and the woman who was begging begins to cry hysterically.

Walking to the window, I look outside, trying to see where we are. It’s night again, but my eyes widen when I can make out a dock and various types of boats.

We’re not at sea anymore.

I keep standing by the window until I notice it’s starting to get light outside. When it feels like hours are passing with no one coming to the room, I sink down to the floor and pull my knees up to my chest.

Surely, they won’t keep us here for much longer?

None of the women are talking to each other, and when the silence starts getting to me, I say, “My name is Eden. What’s yours?”

The one who was crying hysterically whispers, “I’m Milania.”

The other three remain quiet, making me think they’re traumatized out of their minds.

“Hi, Milania.” I try to offer her a smile. “How did you get on the boat?”

“I was told there was work in New York. I paid two hundred and fifty dollars, and when I was picked up in Miami, I was brought here. That was many days ago. They keep drugging us.”

“It’s so we’ll fuck for drugs,” the one with the blank stare suddenly murmurs in a monotonous tone.

Glancing down at the two bruises on my arm, I gently rub my fingers over them.

There’s no way I’ll get addicted. I’m not Mandy.

I lift my head, and climbing back to my feet, I look out the window again, but it’s quiet on the part of the dock I can see.

I wrap my arms around myself, and as the reality of my dire situation really sets in, destructive emotions fill my chest.

What does Dario think happened to me?

Poor Tyrone. He must be beside himself with worry.

I hope Quincy survived.

I suck in a shaky breath as my eyes start to blur with unshed tears.

I’m not going to let them turn me into a junkie who’ll do anything for a hit.

I refuse.

I’d rather die.

None of my tears fall as I keep staring out the small window.

After a while, I sit down again and hug my knees to my chest. The cold is getting to me. It feels as if it’s creeping into my very bones.

I struggle to process the hopeless emotions and to come up with a plan. But what can I do? Just like the other four women, I’m stuck. I have nothing I can use as a weapon.

A hell of a lot of time passes where nothing happens, and it starts driving me crazy.

Freezing my ass off, I climb to my feet and start to jog on the place so I can try and warm up a little.

“I’m scared,” Milania whispers. A sob sputters from her, and she starts to cry again.

The exercise isn’t helping shit, and stopping, I walk to Milania’s side and sit down beside her. Lifting my arm, I wrap it around her.

I’m also scared.

I don’t say the words out loud, though. Instead, I just hold her while she cries, my eyes locked on the small oval window.

I wonder what Dario’s doing. Is he worried because I disappeared on him?

Tyrone is probably creating a scene at the police station, but they won’t do shit. When people like us disappear, no one cares.

No one’s going to look for me.

The thought hits hard, and it takes everything I have not to burst out in tears.

Jesus, I’ve finally found some happiness. I had a good thing with Dario. Yeah, money wasn’t great, but I’m used to that. I had Dario and Tyrone, two amazing men who cared about me.

I had love.

I shake my head in an attempt to stop the morbid thoughts, and letting go of Milania, I get up again. When I look out the window, I notice it’s gotten dark.

The assholes have left us in here all day long.

I walk to the door and turn the doorknob, but it’s locked.

They can at least give us something to eat and drink. Another toilet break would be very welcome right about now.

Not caring whether I’ll get in trouble, I bang a fist on the door. “Hey. Open the door.” Bang. Bang. Bang. “Anyone there? Open! I need to pee.”

“You’re going to get in trouble,” Milania whispers.

When no one comes to open the door, I stop and scowl at the piece of wood that’s keeping me imprisoned in this freezing room.

An idea pops into my head, and I walk to the other side of the room before breaking out into a run and throwing my shoulder and side into the door, hoping I can break it open.

The door doesn’t budge.

I, on the on the other hand, bounce backward before landing flat on my ass, my shoulder and hip aching.

Well, that didn’t go as planned.

Before I can climb to my feet, I hear the lock turn, then the door opens.

I scramble up as the two armed men from earlier come in, and again, they gesture to the door. “Move.”

Yeah, I don’t need to be told twice.

My ass is out the door, and I walk toward the steps.

If I thought the room was cold, I’m in for a frigid surprise as I take the steps up to the deck, and the evening winter wind hits me square in the face and chest.

“J-Jesus.” My teeth start to clatter, and I wrap my arms around myself as my body shivers uncontrollably.

I’m grabbed by the arm, and because I’m half frozen, the biting hold the man has on me hurts like a motherfucking bitch.

“Y-you’re h-hurting m-m-me,” I mutter, my breaths becoming mere huffs of white air.

“Shut up,” he grumbles.

He hauls my ass off the boat and onto the deck, and I’m forced to walk toward another van wearing only my panties and bra.

They keep moving us, which will make it so much harder for anyone to find me.

That’s if there’s even someone looking.

Which I doubt.