“Yep. The men work on the farm and in the field, the women do the cooking and cleaning, and their kids are kept in a completely different part of the farm.”
“The orphanage?” I guessed.
He looked confused. “There’s no orphanage out there. Just a building where the slave workers’ kids stay while their parents work off their debt.”
I tried to keep my face neutral even though my blood was boiling. “Do you know any of the kids?”
“Not really. I was homeschooled my whole life, but those kids were taken to school. Most of the kids weren’t there for too long, a few years at most. Ember, the girl at the cabin, she’s been there for as long as I can remember. I’ve never talked to her, but I would see her around the farm every now and again. I knew she was one of the kids from the other side, because the kids on my side were allowed to play together and socialize. I always wanted to talk to her, she seemed so lonely and sad, but we weren’t allowed to interact with the kids on the other side.”
My jaw clenched. I could feel my molars grinding together. I didn’t want to ask, but I had to know. “Do you know why Octavius went to the cabin to get her?”
“I only know what he told me. He said she had been kidnapped by a biker gang and we needed to go save her.”
“So you didn’t know he was planning to sell her, probably to be used as a sex slave by some creepy motherfucker?”
Coal gasped and a look of horror washed over his face. “He what?” I nodded. “No, I had no idea. I would have done something, or tried to do something to stop it. You have to believe me.”
“Relax kid. I believe you.” I did believe him. He would make a terrible poker player because his eyes gave him away.
“Chit-chat time is over. We’re here,” Copper announced.
We all fell silent. You could hear the gravel crunching beneath the tires as we flawlessly rolled through the gates to the land of lunacy. It was getting dark, so it was hard to get a good look at the place, but you could easily tell the place was huge.
Coal sat forward and gave Copper directions to Octavius’s house. When the house came into view, Coal pointed out the office building. Badger relayed that information to the SUV behind us through his earpiece.
Copper pulled into the driveway with ease. Coal pointed to the doors that led to the basement. For some reason, I assumed we would be going inside the house to get to the basement. Worries of tripping alarms and hidden cameras had danced through the back of my mind the entire way here. An exterior entrance? Alarms and cameras or not, this would be a piece of cake.
“All right boys, check your weapons and be ready. We’re going to file out on my count. Batta and Tiny will breach the door, Judge goes in first, followed by Batta and Tiny, then Dash, with Badger and me bringing up the rear. Byte you hop in the driver’s seat and be ready to roll as soon as we’re out with Phoenix. Coal, you stay put. Byte, shoot him if he tries to run. All right, on my count. One. Two. Three.”
We filed out and followed Copper’s instructions with perfect execution. The three in front of me reached the bottom of the stairs and began sweeping the room. My feet hit the floor and my eyes immediately went to the figure in the corner of the room. I pointed my gun at the figure and quickly hit my tactical light.
“Phoenix!” I yelled, already running toward him. He wasn’t moving. “Phoenix!” I yelled again, louder and more panicked this time. Nothing. Not a twitch or a flinch. Just...nothing.
Oh, fuck no. I slid on my knees the rest of the way to him. “Phoenix man. Can you hear me?” I gently shook him and still got no response. My trembling hand went to his neck, but I couldn’t tell if he had a pulse or if what I was feeling was my own hand shaking.
Judge came up beside me. “Let me brother,” he said in a tone gentler than I have ever heard from the big man. He brushed my hand aside and placed his huge fingers against Phoenix’s neck. He turned his eyes back to me, “He’s got a pulse. It’s weak but it’s there.” There were a few quick cheers but they quickly died down. We didn’t want to be discovered, well, not yet anyway. Judge looked to Copper, “We need to get him to the hospital, now. He won’t make it much longer if we don’t.”
Copper didn’t hesitate, “Go.” I got to my feet, unsure of what to do. I wanted to stay, to fight with my brothers, but one of the Croftridge members needed to go with Phoenix. Copper made the decision for me. “Dash, help Judge get him to the car. Both of you go to the hospital with him. Take Byte and Coal with you. We’ll finish up here and meet you at the hospital.”
In the blink of an eye, we were flying down the road toward the hospital, with a barely breathing Phoenix in tow.
CHAPTER 28
Ember
“Ember, sit down. I swear, you’re wearing a path in the floor with all of the pacing you are doing,” Jamie said, for probably the tenth time since we had been locked in the panic room.
I knew it wasn’t going to be quick, but I didn’t think it would take this long for Dash to get back. With each minute that passed, my fear grew. What if he hadn’t come back because he can’t? Because he’s in the hospital, or he’s lying somewhere hurt, or he’s dead? No! I couldn’t think like that. I wouldn’t.
He’s fine. They were all fine. It was taking so long because they were being careful. Making sure they’d covered everything, so they could get in and get out without running into any problems. Yes, that was why it was taking so long.
My attempts to soothe myself were not working in the slightest. I needed a distraction, or at least an outlet for all of this pent up emotion circulating through my body. I turned to Jamie, “Get up.”
He looked shocked. “What? Why?”
“I need a distraction and I need to get rid of this nervous energy. We’re going to fight. Get up.”
“Have you lost your damn mind Ember? I’m not fighting you. Dash would kick my ass.”
