There was a fainting couch across the room, so I strolled over and sat down, propping my feet on the edge. Martin said I could make myself at home, and that was exactly what I was going to do.
“What’s your name?” Peyton asked.
I folded my hands behind my head and stared at the ceiling which had golden swirls painted on it.
“Wren Langston.”
“Do you have a phone on you?”
“Nope. They took it as soon as I stepped into the house.” They didn’t want me taking videos and posting them on social media. “I hope my room’s as nice as this,” I gushed. “Talk about the lap of luxury.” I turned to her and smiled. “Not to mention, I get one-on-one time with Peyton Emerson. You’re the last person I expected to be here. Guess there’s more to Hollywood life than I thought.” I sat up and rested my elbows on my knees. “Talk about a dream come true, though.”
Peyton shook her head, her expression serious. “I wouldn’t call it that.”
“Maybe not for you,” I challenged. “But for someone like me, it’s a life changer.” She had no clue what it was like not to have anything.
Peyton moved closer, her voice low and eyes pleading. “And I’m not here of my own free will,” she explained. “I was kidnapped, along with Ethan Jameson. Do you know who he is?”
I knew all the UFC champions; I wanted to be one someday.
Narrowing my gaze, I burst out laughing. “Of course, I know who he is. What is this, a joke? You’re kidding me, right?” I scanned the room. “Where are the cameras?” I thought she’d laugh with me, but my face fell when she didn’t. “You’re serious?”
She nodded and sat down beside me on the fainting couch. “Sadly, I am. What do you know?”
Now that I thought about it, I didn’t know much other than how much money I was getting.
“I know I’m going to fight and get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to do it,” I said with a shrug.
Peyton stared right into my eyes. “You’ll be fighting men, Wren. You’re playing the role of my mother. She was a competitive fighter when she was younger.”
My eyes widened. “I was right, then.”
Peyton’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
I couldn’t deny the excitement coursing through me. “When I saw the website about the auditions, there were videos of a woman fighter. It looked exactly like your mom. I knew it couldn’t be her, but the fighting style was exactly the same.”
“You know who my mom is?” she asked.
Clearly, she didn’t realize how amazing her mother was. “Seriously?” I scoffed. “Your mother’s a legend. I’ve studied her moves my entire life. She’s the only role model I had.”
I didn’t like seeing the pity in her eyes.
“Tell me everything,” she begged. “You said you saw a website about the auditions. How?”
“I have a friend. Well,” I said with a shrug, “he’s more than a friend. He’s practically my brother; his name’s Parker. We ended up in the same foster home several times over the years. When we turned eighteen, we left that life behind. It’s been hard, staying in hotel rooms here and there. Sometimes we’ve had to sleep on the streets. But, anything was better than what we dealt with our entire lives. Anyway, that’s enough of my sob story. You have better things to do than listen to it.”
“Hey,” Peyton said, setting her hand over mine. “I’m no better than anyone. Keep talking. I need to know what you know.”
I blew out a sigh. “The website. Parker is kind of a hacker. He’s stolen money a few times from accounts, but only a little here and there if we were having a rough week. It just so happened that he came across the website one day. It mentioned the auditions for fighters and stunt doubles. I love to fight, so he thought it was something I could do. And if picked, we’d get the chance to win three hundred thousand dollars. I couldn’t pass that up. That money could do so much for us.”
“With the other women, did you talk to them much?”
I nodded. “Most of them, yeah. They’re just like me. Hard up for money.”
“What about families? Do any of them have husbands or kids?”
“Hell no,” I said with a snort. “They were pretty much loners, doing everything they could for a buck. Damn good fighters, though. Guess that’s how you have to be when you live on the streets.”
“What else was on the website? Did it lead you here to this house?”
