Stone walls rose on three sides, too high to climb. Behind her, footsteps approached. Slow now. Confident.
“Well, well,” the scarred man’s voice drifted around the corner. “End of the road, lass.”
Piper pressed herself against the far wall, her whole body shaking. The coins from Mr. Campbell dug into her palm; she was still clutching them. She’d been so worried about giving them to her parents, about what they’d do if she held back even a single piece.
And now they’d sold her anyway.
The three men appeared at the alley entrance, blocking any escape. They weren’t even running anymore. They knew they had her trapped.
“Daenae make this harder than it needs to be,” the one with the missing ear said. “Come quietly, and we’ll be gentle.”
“Stay away from me,” Piper said, her voice shaking. “I’ll scream. I’ll fight. I’ll…”
“Ye’ll what?” The scarred man laughed. “Ye’re a plump little lass who cannae even outrun us. What exactly do ye think ye can do?”
Piper’s hand went to the necklace at her throat; Alexandra’s necklace, the only thing of value she’d ever owned. The only thing she’d successfully hidden from her parents all these years.
I’m sorry.
Though she didn’t know if she was apologizing to Alexandra or to herself.
I tried. I really tried.
The third man—the one who’d been silent until now—stepped forward, reaching for her. Piper lashed out, her nails raking across his face. He cursed and stumbled back.
“Ye little bitch.”
She tried to dart past him, but the scarred man caught her around the waist. Piper screamed, kicking and clawing and fighting with everything she had.
“Feisty,” the man grunted, struggling to hold her. “I like that.”
“Let me go!” Piper shrieked. “Somebody help! Please!”
But no one came. No one in Kilbride would risk crossing men like these. No one would risk crossing her parents, who’d claim this was a family matter.
She was alone. She’d always been alone.
The man with the missing ear pulled something from his belt—a club, heavy and dark. Piper saw it coming but couldn’t move fast enough.
Pain exploded across the back of her head. The world went white, then gray, then dark.
The last thing Piper heard before consciousness left her was the scarred man’s voice, distant and distorted:
“Get her in the wagon. We’ve got a long journey ahead.”
Then nothing. Nothing but darkness and the bitter taste of betrayal.
2
“Stand still, ye hear me? All four of ye, in a line.”
Piper stood where they’d shoved her, her legs trembling so badly she could barely keep upright. Two months. It had been two months since those men had dragged her from the alley, and every day had been worse than the last.
The holding cell had been dark and cold. The food, when they bothered to feed them, was barely edible. And the other girls…
Piper glanced to her left. Gabriella stood there, her once-beautiful face now gaunt and hollow. She’d been there six months, someone had whispered. Six months of this nightmare. Yet despite everything, her dark eyes burned with defiance.
“I willnae submit,” Gabriella muttered under her breath, so quietly only Piper could hear. “I’d rather die.”
