“I’mnotwith them. And I need you to give me that gun.”
I glance at Number Two.
“Look at me, Violet. Look in my eyes. I’ve got you.”
I’ve got you.
I blink, as if coming out of a fog, and Mateo wraps his hand around mine, taking the gun from me, and pulls me into his chest.
“He can’t get away with this,” I say.
“He won’t. None of them will.”
I try to walk with him and realize that my ankle hurts and makes me stumble, so Mateo lifts me into his arms, and when he carries me into the main warehouse, all I can do is stare in horror.
So many bodies.
There has to be fifty dead men on the ground, atleast. The air smells like the coppery tang of blood and gunpowder, and I recognize some of the men standing, waiting for us.
Diego, who’s bleeding from the arm, and some of the men from Rapture the other night.
“Who the fuck are you?” I whisper.
“I’ll tell you everything, but first, I’m going to get you seen by the doctor.” He plants his lips by my ear. “And you’re going to talk to me, Violet.”
“Shit!” I pound on his shoulder. “Put me down. Where are the girls? Where are they?”
“Hey, they’ve been taken somewhere safe,” Mateo says, frowning at me. “They’re okay.”
“I need to see them. Right now. Right fucking now, Mateo.”
“They haven’t left yet,” one of the men says, and with a nod, Mateo takes me through the door and out to where two big vans are sitting, and my heart stops.
“You won’t fucking hurt them,” I growl. “I don’t know what you think you plan to do with them, but they’re human beings, and I will not let you hurt them. I’ll kill you first.”
“Whoa.” Mateo shakes his head, frowning at me. “We’re not hurting them or selling them, Violet. We’rehelpingthem.”
I wiggle out of his arms and hobble over to the first van, sticking my head in the back.
“Have they hurt you?”
Some of the girls are crying, but none of them are restrained, and the one closest to me shakes her head.
My body is starting tohurt. The adrenaline is starting to fade, but I power through it because these girls are so much more important than me.
“I’m going to make sure that none of you are ever hurt again. I promise.”
I back out of the van, Mateo right next to me, and stalk over to the other one. Again, the girls aren’t restrained. One of the girls has a black eye. Another has a split lip, but it’s not fresh.
“I’m so sorry,” I say to them and reach out for one of their hands. “You’re going to be okay. Do any of you know Rosie?”
They all pause and stare at me as if I just said something scary.
“Do you know her?” I try again.
“Not here,” the one who’s hand I’m holding whispers. “Not here anymore.”
No.
