14. Boogie

14

Boogie

I wanted to touch her, comfort her, but I didn’t know how she handled her trauma. The way I handled it was not appropriate. If anyone touched me, it triggered me, and I was sucked back into a memory of someone forcibly touching me or being held down by several people to get what they wanted.

“It started about seven years ago,” she started talking. “He started taking girls more often and then talks of selling them started. I thought he was just going to use them for packing instead of using the other women. They would stay here for a few weeks and then I would never see them again.”

She looked up at the ceiling, her bottom lip trembling.

“A man arrived, hearing about the girls, and he offered Kris good money to keep selling them to him or buyers he set up,” she said, clenching her jaw.

“Do you know who the man is?” King asked, squatting in front of her.

She shook her head.

“Did he touch you?” I growled.

She shrugged.

“When did he take you?” When she looked at me, I knew I hit the nail on the head.

“What makes you think he took me?” Her voice trembled.

I raised my brow. She rolled her eyes at me.

“I was eleven, I think,” she said. “I went to the corner store with my brothers. They always left me behind, but I was that annoying sister who stuck on them like glue. My bag broke and all my candy fell out. When I got everything in my bag, I didn’t even hear them. They snatched me up and stuffed me in a van. My bag of candy was left on the sidewalk and that was the last time I saw anyone.”

I clenched my jaw looking over at King. His nostrils were flared, his eyes held violence, and I hoped he was contemplating killing Kris or burning this entire town to the ground. We could make it look like an accident, it’s not like we hadn’t done it before.

“Did you ever meet Nic?” King asked.

“No, I was kept in a dark room for a few years and then… they let me out, but only if I did things,” she said, biting her lip. “I only heard about him, but we were never in the same room together.”

“I need to make a call,” King said, standing up abruptly.

He pulled out his cell, walking away from us. His movements were rigid, and I knew he was barely holding in his anger.

I caught her dark brown gaze. This was the reason I knew I had felt this connection with her, and now more than ever I wanted to solidify it. I brought down my mask, wincing as she looked my face up and down.

“Good thing you wear that mask, you're hideous,” she said, breaking the tension.

“I don’t just wear it because I love it,” I said, relaxing a little, even though I felt the need to put my mask back on.

We sat in silence as we watched King pacing back and forth.

“I was eight when I was taken,” I said, before I chickened out. “They tried to grab my sister, but I ran and made a big deal until they took me. Said I was just as pretty as a girl, so I would make them a lot of money.”

“Shit,” she said, grabbing my hand.

“Before I was taken, everyone said I should take up modeling or try to get on TV or in movies because I was so handsome. I didn’t realize when I was kidnapped how much I would resent the way I looked,” I said, looking down at our hands. “They used to say I was a pretty boy, and how I looked like an angel. Many men wanted that innocent look, mostly they just wanted to defile a pretty thing.”

I was lost in a memory when I heard her sniffle. I looked over at her, seeing tears streaming down her face.

“Don’t cry for me. I got away,” I said, leaning forward to lick her tears. “I’m lucky, not many child abductions end in them being free.”

Her tears tasted like sadness that matched my own.

“Then you know why I can’t leave those girls,” she said, cupping my face. “I can’t let them be sold or used, I don’t want them to end up like me or like us.”

“I understand,” I whispered, pulling her close enough that our lips were touching. “I promise we will get them out. We won’t leave them here.”

She pressed her lips against mine. It sent a shock along my spine. No one had ever kissed me but King, and the feel of her delicate lips was a whole new feeling. I deepened the kiss, sweeping my tongue against hers, sucking her tongue before nipping her lip. I rested my forehead against hers. Her darkness matched my own. I didn’t need someone to save me, I couldn’t be saved. I needed someone to walk through the darkness with me and make sure it didn’t consume me. King and our Little One were the only light in the darkness keeping me sane and that's all I needed.

My skin itched to get her away from here when the door slammed open. She tensed immediately when the men started talking.

“She fucking left again,” someone snarled. “You better go find her.”

“She could have gone anywhere,” another voice said.

“Check the woods, and check the back bench. She likes to smoke there,” the first man said.

My Little One grabbed my hoodie tightly and I made a last-minute decision looking at King who slipped out the door. I had no idea if we had the same idea, but I stood up, putting the mask over my lower face, standing in front of her looking out the door holding my pocket knife.

“What the fuck is going on?” One of the guys stormed over to us. “Who are you?”

“It’s Daryl, friend,” she said.

“We caught two men trying to take her?—”

“Ally, you stupid bitch.” One of the men grabbed her, yanking her towards him. “What the fuck?—”

The door opened and King stormed in as I was about to lunge at the man and make sure he didn’t breathe again. Thank God King interrupted.

“Two men took off towards the forest.” King looked at the men. “They had bags. They dropped this.”

He held up a bag of coke.

“I think they grabbed it off Dick,” King said, sounding like he was a part of this group.

“Who the hell are you?” The man holding on to my Little One pointed at King.

“That’s Daryl, Kris,” she said.

Kris glared at her and I was so close to tackling him and fucking him with his own dick for what he had done to her. He looked at us before shoving Ally towards us.

“Get her to her fucking room,” he snarled. “I’ll deal with you later.”

I caught her, wanting to push her behind me, but I held her upper arm, thankful her sweatshirt was long enough to cover her ass. King cleared his throat, and we took Little One into the main area. She led us to her room, and she locked the door after we walked in..

“What the hell was that?” she snapped.

“Where are the other girls?” King asked.

“Uh, on the other side of the other end of the hallway,” she said glaring at him.

“We’ll be back,” King said. “And don’t open the door for anyone.”

He opened the door pushing me out of the room.

“Wait, what’s?—”

King closed the door on her. She growled as we waited for her to lock the door. She made another frustrated sound before locking the door and we turned around.

“What the fuck is going on?” I snapped, while walking with him.

“Mars is going to talk to the Mayor, we need to send them proof,” he said.

“That’s not going to solve our problem tonight,” I said, getting nervous. “Are we leaving her here because if —”

“No, that won’t happen,” he said, looking back at me. “I talked to his right hand. He was disgusted and said that they haven’t been getting updates from Nic as often as before, but their numbers have always been decent, so they haven’t been too worried.”

This didn’t make me feel better. The Mayor wasn’t going to come down here as soon as possible, and in order for us to do anything, we needed their approval or risked their wrath.

“I won’t leave her,” I growled, when we arrived at the hallway she was talking about.

There were six doors, three on either side of the hallway.

“I think they might respond to you better,” he said, knocking on the first door.

I lowered my gator walking into the dark room, feeling for the light switch. I flipped it on, seeing a girl sitting on the bed against the wall. Her knees were pressed up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” I said, holding my hands up. “I’m a friend of Ally’s.”

The distrust was clear in her eyes. She was right not to trust anyone. In this world she had been forced into, no one was trustworthy.

“I just need a name and your age,” I said, staying close to the door. “We are trying to get you outta here.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, you should have told me what you were doing.” My little one walked in.

“Her name is Ari Hamilton, and she’s fourteen,” she said, getting on the bed to hold her. “They are with me.”

The girl immediately went into her arms. I could see the affection she had for her and Ari looked relieved to have her in the room with me.

“Can I have a picture?” I asked, holding up my phone. “I need to find your missing person’s report.”

The girl looked at Ally before nodding. I opened my camera app, snapping a photo of her. We did the same thing for the next three girls. They all looked scared except the last girl. She was angry and didn’t hide her disdain. From what Little One told us, they hadn’t been touched, just scared, malnourished and roughed up.

I hated leaving the girls, but we couldn't risk being seen. The moment we walked back into her room, King took his phone out of his pocket then showed it to me.

The Mayor – Contract kill - Kris and anyone associated with him is to be reprimanded. See you at Midnight.

I looked at King and he nodded. Looks like we got permission to kill, and I was fucking ready for it.