Red shakes her head, and her friends take a step closer to her. "I don't want to die."
"Fine, that's your choice. Don't get in my way though, and please don't tell them."
Eliza's pale blue eyes light with fear.
"I need your help to distract whoever is in the building. Who is that anyway? Just Faith and her lapdog, Tank? Does Keith spend much time here? Does Hugo?"
"Keith doesn't come out here. He stays in the house. The only time we see him is when they bring new girls. And I don't know Hugo." The third girl, a pretty blonde with killer green eyes, smiles. "I'm Yasmin."
No Hugo. At least Celia wasn't betrayed by her obsession.
I return the friendly gesture. "Where are the other girls?"
"Some are sold. Others work the streets for Faith and stay in the other outbuildings."
"Jesus." I take a breath.
How could no one else know about this?
Rocco and Ellis certainly didn't. It sickens me to think that some probably do, and they say nothing.
"I will help you," Yasmin says.
"You will?"
"No, she won't!" Eliza grabs Yasmin's hand and tugs. "You can't get yourself killed for a stranger."
She shakes her head. "I won't. All I need to do is go out there and pretend like I'm feeling unwell again. That will give Bella the chance to escape. You and Penny have to stay in here, so they think Bella is with you. Come on, I would do this for anyone wanting a chance to escape."
"Thank you, Yasmin," I say.
"Don't thank me until you get away."
I can see in her tired eyes that she doesn't think I'll do it, but she won't take hope away from me. She'll never know how much I appreciate her help.
Eliza sighs, looks up to the ceiling, and shakes her head. "All right. They'll be checking the rooms and any bookings, so they'll be distracted anyway."
Closing my eyes, I press my fist against my mouth.
Oh, what the fuck?
They take bookings for men to come here and have sex with teenage girls. I know why Celia ran. Yasmin, Eliza, and Penny might stay to keep alive, but I'm with my sister.
What's the point of living when it's in hell?
Taking a breath to regain my composure, I drop my hand and look at them again. "Are you sure none of you wants to come, too? If we all go, it could be safer. You deserve better than this."
"We're staying," Penny says. Her dark eyes look exhausted and void. She's given up. "We stay together."
God, I'm not going to convince them.
They're not going to allow a stranger to potentially break their bond to each other. I don't even know what to think about that.
This probably isn't something I want the answer to, but I still ask, "How old are you?"
"Penny and I are seventeen. Yasmin is sixteen."
Her words are like a punch in the stomach.
They're all younger than me.
"And how long have you been here?" My voice is barely a whisper.
"Two years for us all, give or take a few months. They usually keep five of us here, but over the last four months, the other two tried to escape." Eliza pointedly looks at me.
"How do you know they didn't escape?"
"We heard the screams," Penny replies. "You're a fool to attempt this."
I want to tell them that they're the fools for staying, but all things considered, that seems a bit too bitchy, even for me.
"I'm not afraid to die."
That's not entirely true. I didn't used to be afraid. Since meeting and falling in love with Rocco, I've cared more. I want a future and a life with him. But Celia has been the centre of my everything since the second she hid me in that cupboard before being killed. Once I grew up and properly understood and pieced things together, I made her a promise that I would bring her justice.
Yasmin looks up at the clock on the wall. A clock that's probably counted in hours until the next disgusting arsehole arrives.
"It's time," she says. "Look, I don't know how this is going to play out, but I do know that you're going to need some help. Do you have a phone? Did he take it?"
"He took it," I confirm.
Eliza says, "I saw him put it on the side table near the door. It might still be there."
"If you get out there, call someone who can be here quickly."
"She means, not the police. They don't care about what happens around here. We're disposable people," Penny adds.
"Yeah, I got that impression the second I arrived."
Yasmin continues, "Go around the back. Behind the warehouses are a couple of sheds; you can hide behind them. Don't do what the others did and run for it. Be smart and hide. Until the men arrive, there is only Faith and Tank here. Keith is away."
"Thank you, Yasmin."
She gives me a weak smile that screams, You fucking idiot, but sanity has never been a strong point of mine anyway.
"They're out there. I hear them talking," Penny says with her ear against the door.
No turning back now.
FORTY-SEVEN
* * *
BELLA
This is it; I'm going to escape. Hopefully.
Without hesitation, Yasmin strolls past Penny, who quickly gets out of her way, and goes out into the living room. I bolt to the door and peer through the small slit. Penny and Eliza are close behind me.
Yasmin walks toward Tank and Faith, hunched over and holding her stomach. Faith looks immediately concerned, but I no longer think it's because she cares about Yasmin's welfare. She's worried that the girl won't be able to sleep with fuck knows how many men tonight.
Please let this work without Yasmin getting hurt. She's only fucking sixteen!
She places herself so that Faith and Lapdog have their backs to the door. They crouch down as Yasmin bends over further and makes a sound that's a bit like a growl.
This is it. This is my opportunity.
With my heart beating so hard that I can hear my pulse, I slip out of the door and hold my breath. My Converse sound like high heels as I gently lift my feet up and tiptoe toward the door.
Faith stands up straight, and I freeze. I'm out in the middle of the hallway, still about five feet from the door.
God, this is it. Don't turn around. Please. Please!
I can see my phone.
"So, you can't work tonight?" Faith asks.
She sounds pissed off, and I wish that I could take Yasmin with me.
I take a longer stride and reach behind my back, picking my phone up. Tucking it in my pocket, I sidestep one last time, and I can finally reach the door handle. My heart is racing, but I have to try.
Faith puts her hands on her hips as she listens to Yasmin's apology.
Fucking bitch. I hate her so much. But not as much as I hate him.
I need to do something about him, but right now, I have to get out and call Rocco.
Oh, crap, he's going to be livid.
"She gets ill a lot," Lapdog says.
I wonder why.
Yasmin glances at me through her hair while she leans over. It's all I need; she's telling me to go. I carefully take the final step and wrap my hand around the handle. I twist, and the door opens. Relief floods my heart. I didn't want to acknowledge it, but I was scared that it would be locked.
Why isn't it locked?
Whoa. God, no.
They don't lock it because they know the girls won't try to escape, and the ones who do are killed.
I burn in anger for these girls.
Stepping out the door, I give Yasmin one last look. I'll get someone to come for you.
Then, I'm out. With the gentlest of touches, I turn the handle, and the door is closed again. I've done it. I take a breath, and tears well in my eyes.
Out the back.
Yasmin said to go around the back and hide near the sheds. The warehouses are all quite close together, so I can run between them if I need to. Sticking close to the wall, I sprint for the back. My heart is absolutely pounding
, and I'm not entirely sure if I'm of sound mind or operating on shock. Or a mixture of both.
My legs collapse and go down in a lump when I get to the back of a warehouse. A sob escapes, but I clamp my mouth together.
Shut up!
You're okay. You can do this.
I press my palm to my chest in a bid to slow my breathing.
Shit. It's a miracle that I escaped in the first place.
I can't stay hidden long. As soon as they notice I've gone, they'll come looking for me. But I have no idea where I am or which direction I should go in. There's one road, and the rest of my surroundings is fields, light forestry, and a river I can now just about see in the far distance.
Don't think about your lifeless body being chucked in that river.
And hide really well.
Running is so very tempting; it's instinctive. But Yasmin is right; I need to hide. She's seen other girls being killed because they couldn't get away fast enough. There are plenty of little buildings here to hide behind. And there are only two of them.
With my hands shaking worse than a basic white girl trying to twerk, I fumble with my phone and call Rocco's number.
The call connects after only a second.
"Isabella, where are you?" he growls.
It's only been about two and a half hours, but he sounds like he's not slept for days.
"I don't know exactly," I whisper, half-sobbing at hearing the mixture of anger and concern in his voice.
Why didn't I memorise the way we came?
I know the general direction and turning left at a set of traffic lights, but that's about it.
"I'm at Keith and Faith's house. There are other girls. And him. You need to come and get me, Rocco. They're human traffickers, and I'm fucking scared! They wanted me to--"
"They're what? Jesus, what the fuck is going on? What did they want you to do?"
"Human trafficking. They have a goddamn brothel and were trying to make me work there. They had Celia! It was them, and now, they want me to replace what they lost! I ran when I had the chance, but there's just one house and a few old buildings. If I run for the road or forest, they might see me. I need you to come."
"What the fuck?" he roars.
I don't really get what he says next because it's just a bunch of expletives.
"Rocco," I hiss, gripping the side of an old shed door. "For fuck's sake, come and get me. I...I'm scared."
"Bella?"
"Ellis? Where did Rocco go? I need him to--"
"I heard. He's pacing and looking for his keys, but we're coming. You need to put the phone on silent and get into a position where you can see all around you but where you can only be seen from one direction--or better still, not be seen at all. Tell me where you are. Can you send your location?"
"I only have signal to call. No Wi-Fi or cellular data to send anything or connect to the internet. I don't know where I am either! Their house!"
"Okay, calm down. We'll figure it out. Can you hide anywhere?"
"Yeah, there are three warehouse-looking buildings, sheds and farmland. We went to the centre first and then came to wherever I am now. We didn't drive for long, maybe twenty minutes. No longer. There are some trees in the distance but not enough to be a proper forest and a river running the opposite side of the road."
I need to get to a place where I can see but not be seen.
"Okay, I'm getting the laptop out now. We'll find you," he says.
"Shit," I whisper, hearing movement from the house. "Someone's outside."
"Are you hidden?"
"Kind of."
"Phone on silent, Bella. Now."
"It already is. I can't hear footsteps, so I don't think they're looking for me yet. Listen, the battery on the phone is low, so I'm going to go in case I need to speak to you again. I'll hide, but please hurry."
"Stay safe," Ellis orders.
In the background, I hear Rocco shout, "Don't fucking hang up," but I end the call.
Six percent left, and I might need every one of those. I won't use the phone again unless I need to call them in twenty minutes if they're not here.
They'll be ten minutes, tops. Rocco won't be giving a shit about any speed limits--not that he usually does. All I have to do is hide for ten minutes.
I can do this.
I look up to the sky as I feel a tear roll down my cheek. I'm making a bit of a mess of this, Celia.
Until now, I've not had much chance to dwell on what happened in there, but I have finally done it. I have found the man who took my sister's life. His handprints are still on my wrists.
Closing my eyes, I think about Celia, and I've never felt as close to her as I do in this moment. She could have run out of the house when he arrived, but she was scared that he would come for her family. She hid me and died so that I would be protected.
Sleep easy, Celia. I've found him. I love you.
My sister will have the justice she deserves.
And maybe I'll get to have the life with Rocco that we both want.
"Isabella!" Tank roars.
My eyes fly open, and I launch to my feet.
No, they've realised I'm gone.
I creep to the end of the shed and slow my breathing, so it's light and so fucking quiet. Heavy footsteps get louder, and I know Tank is coming this way. I can only hear one set though, so Faith probably isn't there. It's one against one, and all I have to do is stay hidden until Ellis and Rocco arrive.
Piece of cake...
Biting my lip, I tune everything out and really listen. The footsteps are coming from my right, so I go left and tiptoe to the other end of the shed. Twisting my neck, I slowly look down the left side of the shed. No Tank. I step around the side.
"Bella?"
Oh, crap, he's close.
His voice sounds like it's right on me. I check out the ground, watching carefully, as I sidestep down the shed to the other end. I don't know exactly where he is, but I think he's on the other side of this small wooden building.
I put one step across the other and take a breath. I'm at the end, and I need to look around the corner again. Tank has gone quiet, and I'm terrified of seeing his face when I make my next move.
My body is buzzing with the rush and the fear. This needs to be over soon because I don't think I can take much more of it.
Please hurry, Rocco.
"Come out, come out wherever you are," Tank calls.
His voice isn't close. He's still on the other side. I safely round the corner and lean my head against the wood. My pulse is thumping.
Hang in there.
Rocco will be here any second.
I close my eyes.
Please stay with me, Celia.
FORTY-EIGHT
* * *
ROCCO
Ellis wrenches the steering wheel around the bend, almost ploughing into a tree. We narrowly miss death and screech into a vast space filled with a house and outbuildings. This has to be it.
I'm already looking in every direction, desperate to find my girl. "Where is she?"
"Shed at the end, furthest away, in the corner. Best place not to be seen."
Shoving the car door open, I leap out and sprint toward the shed. "Bella!" I shout, not caring who fucking hears me. In fact, I welcome it. I want them all out here, so I can rip their sick fucking heads off.
Ellis is hot on my heels, his feet stomping into the gravel as hard as mine.
"Isabella!" I shout.
She runs out from behind the shed.
Good girl.
She launches herself at me, and I catch her, stumbling backward.
"I'm sorry, Rocco. I'm so, so sorry. I had no idea who she was, or I never would have gotten in that car. Obviously. I'm sorry."
She starts to sob, and it rips me apart. There's blood on her face and the start of a bruise.
My hands clench into fists as I hold her tight. "Shh, it's okay, baby. I got you."
"Rocco, we're not alone," Ellis says.
/> "Good," I growl. Letting go of Bella and positioning her behind me, I turn to meet the arseholes who took my girl. "Tank."
Motherfucker.
He cocks his head. "Well, this just got interesting. I was a little upset when I noticed Bella had gone, but this is actually perfect. I thought we were going to have a repeat, and I'd have to make the trip back to Casa Hastings." Looking up, he shakes his head with a grin that makes even me feel uneasy. "Now though, you get to watch me rape and kill your girl, and Bella will know exactly how her sister felt."
"Fuck you, you sick bastard!" Bella screams from behind me, losing it at the end because she starts sobbing.
Did Tank rape Celia?
"Shh, he's goading you."
I'm absolutely going to kill the wanker for threatening Bella, but I'm not going to let him know how much his words are affecting me. It's good actually. The more pissed off I am, the more it's going to hurt him, and right now, the wanker is going to be in a fuckload of pain.
"He hurt her. He..."
I ignore her and concentrate on Tank. My eyes lock on his.
"You're Keith and Faith's little bitch, huh? Hurting young girls because you're a weak prick who can't fight a man."
He laughs. "You have no idea what's going on here. We're partners."
Ellis looks at me and rolls his eyes. Pointing to Tank, he says, "You hear this knobhead?" He turns back to Tank. "I'm sure you think that. I'm sure they encourage you to think that, but deep down, you know the score. They knew you would be easily manipulated, and all they had to do to get you to be their lapdog was let you believe you held some power."
Bella grabs my arm. She's still behind me, so I can't tell what's going on back there, but I think the enormity of the situation is hitting her. She's face-to-face with the man who murdered her sister, and I need to end this and get her out of here.
"Shut the fuck up," Tank spits. He shoves his hand under his jacket and pulls a gun from his jeans.
Oh, shit.
I freeze for a nanosecond before gripping Bella's hand tighter and holding her against my back. He wants her, and he has a gun. Gritting my teeth, I stare at the fucker who has me scared. I don't get scared of other people--I can handle myself--but he wants to kill my girl, and it would be so easy for him to do so.
Ellis has a gun on him, but it's too risky for him to use it while one is pointing toward us. Bella could get caught in the crossfire.
"Put that down, and fight like a man for once," I growl.
"I don't think you're in any place to make demands, Rocco. Now, move aside, and give me the girl. I'm owed a Hastings."