Marked: Chapter 22

“Dad?” Breathing is an impossibility for a moment. “Dad sold us to Jimmy?”

Vince shakes his head against the belt.

“No. He sold your mother. I don’t know all the details. Only that he took the loan ‘cause he was so sick, and he knew there wasn’t anything after he died. So, he took the loan, put your mom up for collateral if he couldn’t find a way to get a life insurance policy to cover him.”

“Of course they wouldn’t. He was dying of cancer.” The knife in my hand becomes a lifeline, ready to plunge into him.

“Then how did her sister and her get caught up?” Zack questions.

“I don’t know. I only know I was to get the three of them and put them up for auction.”

“But Jimmy is the one that came that last night.” At least it seemed like night. When the garage door opened that last time, no sunlight poured in. It had to be night.

“I don’t know.” His gaze flickers between me and Zack, like he’s trying to find out if there’s any hope left of him surviving this visit. “Jimmy makes the rules, I just do what I’m told. Arthur holds the product until it’s ready to move. That’s his job.”

“And Dustin?” Zack asks.

“Dustin was Arthur’s bitch; he does what Artie tells him to.” He winces as he tries to move against the binds.

“Special Agent Laurens works for Jimmy then, too?” Zack continues his questions. I move back to the metal surgical table and hop on top.

The knife Zack gave me clanks against the metal.

Dad sold Mom.

They were happy together. Mom loved him. Losing him had been soul crushing. I witnessed it. Even though he’d been so sick, and death was a reprieve when it finally came calling, she had held onto hope that some miracle would save him. She would have given up everything to save him, to have just a little more time with him.

Why would he do such a thing?

He was going to leave us with no mother?

“The pension Mom just started getting.” I cut off whatever Zack is saying to him. “She’s getting that because of something with Jimmy. What is it? Blackwood.” I look to Zack. “She has a section in her binder, the one with all Dad’s paperwork has a tab labeled Blackwood.”

Zack takes a small step to the left so I can see Vince from where I’m sitting.

“Some pension scam. Laurens said she’s a beneficiary, so she’s probably cleaning money for him.” He looks to Zack. “Look, I’m telling you the truth here. I’m giving you what you want. So just let me go.”

“Let you go?” Zack laughs. “You’ve admitted to selling girls to the highest bidder to be taken away by fucking monsters to have their way with them. You admitted to raping my girl. You admitted to helping Jimmy kill her sister. You’ve given me a lot of information. So, I won’t start cutting off body parts, but you’re not getting out of this fucking place alive.”

“Jimmy killed that girl. Not me. Jimmy. I don’t fucking kill people.”

Jumping off the table, I rush him with my knife back in my hand.

“You don’t fucking kill people?” I plunge the blade into his shoulder, then his arm, then his side before Zack yanks me off.

“Shhh, little bird. Not yet.” He spins me to face him and wipes my face. I’ve started crying sometime after Vince’s last stupid statement.

“He’s lying,” I whisper. “He killed me a little when he did those things. He killed Quinn when he did the same to her. He killed my family.”

Zack nods. “He did, I know. He’s going to pay.” It’s a promise. He doesn’t lie. Closing my eyes, I take a breath, then another, until the rage quiets in my mind and Vince’s whimpering comes through.

“Man, she’s crazy!” he yells.

Zack’s features darken. A quiet falls over him. “Crazy?” He turns to him, leaving me and walking over to him. “You sell girls, and you think she’s crazy for wanting you dead?”

Vince blanches. “I didn’t mean to insult your girl.”

“Insult her?” Zack laughs, but there’s no joy. Vince has opened the gate and Zack’s beast is coming out. “Of all the things you’ve done to her, you think an insult is going to be the thing that gets you killed?”

“I’m trying to help you out!” He’s panicking now, wiggling more and more, trying to get out of the ropes. But Zack ties a good a knot. There will be no escape.

“We need one more thing from you.” I move to stand behind him. “You said you’re picking up product tomorrow.” I put my hands on his shoulders. The tip of my knife brushes against the open wounds on his neck.

“Where?” Zack asks.

“You want to know that, you gotta promise to let me go,” Vince tries to bargain. A horrible move on his part. Zack doesn’t make deals with monsters.

“You are a stubborn prick, you know that?” Zack gives an empty laugh. “Here’s the deal. You like buying and selling things, right? You make your money doing that. So, here’s what we’re going to do.” He turns and points at the digital camera he set up that’s aimed at us.

“What the fuck is that?” Vince whispers.

“Nothing yet. But I’m gonna turn it on and then we’re going to take orders.” He points to the laptop sitting on a folding table next to the camera. “And when there’s an order for your toe, I’ll cut off your toe. When there’s an order for your thumb, I’ll take the thumb. Are you getting what I’m saying here, Vince?”

Vince’s chest heaves. “You’re sick,” he whines.

“Sick of you? Yes. Sick of the monsters in this world? Fuck yes.” Zack moves to the computer and turns it around so we can see the screen. “Just need to open the store. Looks like there’s already about fifty fuckers in queue to sign in.”

“Now.” I squeeze his shoulders. “Where’s the product, Vince?”