I like the situation a bit more, now.I hate that I’m going down to see the girls up close, because I know how much that’s going to hurt, but I really like the sudden echo of fear I see in Samantha’s eyes.I like it even more when I see the fear turn to hatred, and realize she’s going to try to make this difficult for me.
Perfect.
I love it when I know exactly who my enemies are.
Within moments I’m following Samantha down a set of stairs into the bowels of the building, building up my walls brick by brick and preparing for what I’m going to see down here.
It’s even worse than I expected, though.Evidently Samantha is also what they call a ‘talent scout,’ in charge of scouting the girls they want and then coordinating the collection efforts.She takes me into their version of a war room, where I see picture after picture of girls in city settings, each with notes about her habits and patterns, and each with a ‘Potential Rating.’I overhear several men discussing the newest girls being brought in and their plans for testing those girls, and my hands tighten into fists.
God, I need to hit someone.
Murder would be even better.
The next room holds a girl who was caught trying to run away.She’s sitting in a chair in the middle of the room, and a ring of men surround her, throwing questions at her and threatening her when she doesn’t answer quickly enough.
“She tried to get out, and must now serve as a reminder to the other girls about the consequences,” Samantha says coldly.
I let my eyes linger on the girl for a moment too long, and when she looks up and meets my gaze, her eyes are filled with fear...and hatred.
Absolute fury.
And I realize that the girls aren’t as defeated as they looked like they were from above, or at least not all of them.Some of them, like this girl in front of me, are horrified and angry and desperate to get out of this place.
If someone can give them a hand.
If someone can figure out how the ring itself works, and where the holding centers are, and start getting them out group by group.
And in that moment, I start to see a way out of this.Because there’s a shipment going out tonight, but only if the group that’s meant to be shipped is still in attendance.But what if they’re not?What if they’ve escaped and are on their way to some safe location, where my father will never find them?
What if I can take down this entire ring by eliminating their merchandise entirely, and then cutting off their supply?
I know my eyes have flared because the girl’s eyes sharpen on me and she tips her head slightly, like she’s trying to catch what I’ve just said.I put my fingers up to my lips and rub slightly, shaking my head a bit to warn her against giving me away, and her eyelids dip in response.
God, this girl is good, and with just that much expression, she’s got my brain flying with ideas.
I want to take these girls home and feed them chicken noodle soup.Give them fuzzy slippers and sit them in front of the TV with a rom com.I’m itching with the need to save every one of them...and that might be exactly how I get us all out of this.
I’m going to find the girls who are supposed to ship tonight and bust them out before they can ship.And tomorrow, I’ll get another group out.And then another.And then another.Sure, Lucien might be planning to be at the port tonight to stop the shipment, but what if I can stop it before the girls even get there?
What if I can clean out my father’s warehouses while he thinks he’s training me to help him sell these girls to the highest bidder?
If I can figure out how the ring is running–the intake pattern, the collection methods, and the movements–I can track the girls down and stop everything from the inside.
And isn’t that why I came here in the first place?
Sure, I need to find Aislyn and make sure she’s safe, but if I’m rescuing girls before they can ship or go to auction, at some point I’ll run across her.I’m perfectly placed for this sort of insider espionage plan, and as long as I do it in a way that my father can’t track, get the girls safe before he realizes it’s men...
I always thought I’d be a good fucking spy.
I just never thought I’d have to do it to take down a trafficking ring.
And if I can interrupt the supply long enough for Lucien to do whatever he’s doing on the outside to take my father down...
My God, it might work.
But I can’t do it on my own.I’ll need someone on the outside, and a place to send the girls once they’re out of the ring.I can’t leave the mansion, or my father will notice and immediately suspect.
But I know someone who might be willing to help.
