“Do you even know what happens at the bids, Rain?” Scott asks vehemently, furious with how warped this has become, “has Kas told you anything about the girls during bids?”
Chewing on her lip, she slowly shakes her head.
“I didn’t think so. Dammit!”
Lawson lays a strong hand on Scott’s shoulder, “We’ll figure out how to bypass that. Right now, I have to call Pierce.”
Ambivalence rips through Raina. She wants nothing more than to be wrapped inside Kas’ embrace right now, but she’s not ready to face the wrath she’s sure he’s going to deliver when he finds out that, instead of being Scott’s sub in training, she’s now included in the bid. Lawson storms out of the room, dreading his next call. Raina spins towards Scott, “You’ll figure out a way to bypass what?”
His eyes are back to his usual benevolence, although they are currently mixed with guilt and a hefty dose of anger. “The girls are drugged for the bids, Rain. They’re so stoned out of their minds they can barely stand on their own so they don’t cause any problems or do anything that could deter a buyer.”
Feeling light-headed, Raina sinks into a chair. Her mind flitters through every possibility she can think of to keep a needle with some unknown drug out of her arm.
“I’m calling it off, Rain,” Scott decides, grabbing his phone and dialing the number for Marc.
Raina takes his phone and closes it, “You can’t call it off, too many lives are at stake.” Wrapping her arms around her waist, she walks to the window and stares out a full minute before speaking again, “Magnesium will give the needed effect. You can inject me with magnesium.”
Scott’s hands are fisted and pressed tightly against the top of his head as he paces the room. The stress darkening his face pains Raina. She knows he’s blaming himself for this when he shouldn’t be. She starts to tell him that he actually saved the op with his quick thinking, effectively saving the girls when they take them to the bid tomorrow, but she knows it wouldn’t do any good if she tried.
His pacing continues for several long minutes before he stops, turning towards her, “That might just work. If we give you the magnesium in the car, there will be no reason for them to give you anything else. They won’t want to make you so drugged you pass out.”
Scott hurries towards the living area with Raina following close behind. The look on Lawson’s face shows the blistering verbal lashing Kas is delivering. Scott quickly gives Raina’s idea, and Lawson relays it, holding the phone out from his ear a few seconds before tentatively placing it back again.
Hanging up the phone, Lawson throws it on the couch. His stressed eyes find Raina’s, “Just a heads up, he’s calling you next.”
Her phone rings before she has time to walk to her purse.
Kas slams down the phone on his desk. Frank, Austin, Jake, and Russo exchange worried glances as they watch their boss trying to regain his rapidly eroding composure. Raking his hands angrily through his hair, Kas grabs his keys, “Change of plans. I have to go to Atlanta . . . to buy my wife!”
Austin tries to refrain from laughing, but the temptation is too much.
Jake elbows him in the ribs, “Do you have a death wish?”
Kas’ stern gaze penetrates Austin, “I wouldn’t be laughing if I were you, you’re going with me.”
“Another road trip?” Austin complains, “Can’t you take Jake with you instead?”
Austin’s rewarded with another hard jab to his ribs.
“Jake and Russo are also going,” Kas explains, his agitated state clear. “Apparently, I’m supposed to be filthy rich, so I need a couple of bodyguards and a driver.” He turns to Frank, “I need you to stay here and keep on top of the Jefferson search.”
Frank nods, “Sure, boss.”
Kas tells them to meet him in an hour, ready to go, before he heads to Dexter’s office to get the needed materials for the cover, mainly, a load of money.
“I’ll have your background established and cleared by the time you arrive,” Dexter assures him.
“Thanks, Dex.”
“Finance went ballistic when I requested this,” Dexter laughs, handing Kas the suitcase.
“They have the serial numbers, they’ll get over it,” Kas states dryly, not caring what they think at the moment.
Dexter sits on the edge of his desk, folding his arms across his chest as he closely scrutinizes Kas, “You know you’re my best agent, Pierce, but I have to ask. Can you handle this? Can you handle seeing Raina paraded around and being bid on like merchandise and keep your head level?”
“I’ll handle it.” Kas’ jaw is tight, but the determination in his eyes proves his resolve, “I’ll bring my wife home, along with all of the other girls.” Kas walks to the door then stops, his voice is low when he speaks again, “There’s no way I’m allowing Raina to be injected with any drug by someone other than a doctor, legal or not.” Turning around, the look in his eyes is unsettling, “How the hell did the world get like this?”
The door is closed before Dexter has a chance to respond, which he finds is just as well since he has no answer to give.
Raina
wakes
up
the next morning with her disconcerted head filled with volatile scenarios. Taking a long shower, she tries to push the thoughts out of her mind, to just stop thinking altogether.
Garrett is waiting for her in the living area of the suite. “Lawson and Scott are with Kas,” he tells her.
Giving a small nod of her head, she takes a seat; she already knew Kas would be with them. Their conversation late last night was more like a yelling match, and she’s pretty sure she lost.
Garrett takes a large bite of his eggs over easy, “You hungry?”
“No, thanks.”
The doorknob wiggles and Garrett has his weapon aimed before Raina has a chance to shift her gaze to the door. Seeing that it’s Scott, he lays the loaded gun down and resumes his breakfast like this is a normal, everyday occurrence. Raina wonders if she will ever get used to this. The thought that she will terrifies her.
“You need to eat, Raina,” Scott tells her, looking like exhaustion incarnate.
“Yeah, you’ve definitely been with my husband,” she laughs, the act confusing her since nothing about the situation is even remotely amusing.
“Yes, he did mention for me to tell you that, but I have another reason for you needing to eat,” he states dryly as he removes a bottle of tequila from a paper bag.
“Don’t you think it’s a little early for that?” Raina jabs, trying to lighten the mood.
“Starting at 2:00, you’ll be taking one shot every thirty minutes.”
“You’re improvising?” Her laugh this time is real as she ponders the ludicrous plan.
“It’s the only thing Kas would agree to, and when I say agree, I’m being
very
generous.”
Lawson enters the room, “I need to talk with you right now, Raina.”
Numbly, she follows Lawson to the bedroom, and he closes the door behind them. When he turns around, his eyes are full of concern, “Are you sure about this? You don’t have to follow through. We can call it off now.”
“We’re not calling anything off,” she rebuttals, “I know Kas can be overprotective sometimes, but I can handle this.”
“I happen to agree with Pierce on this. You’re not trained, I shouldn’t have let it go this far.”
“If I don’t do this, what happens? Can you guarantee me that you will find the girls before the bid tonight?”
“No.” His honest answer is laced with regret.
“Then, I’m doing it,” she states, her voice definitive.
Lawson takes in her raised chin and the determined defiance in her eyes, and the respect he has for her is mixed with fear for her well-being. “Alright, here’s the deal, your stubborn ass ‘I’ll do what I want no matter what the hell you say’ attitude has to go when you are around the handlers. Can you do that?”
Pursing her lips, her not so hooded indignant expression causes Lawson to chuckle, “I’ll take that as a yes. As soon as the bid is over, Jake will get you out of there, then we’ll go in. We don’t have the location of the bid yet. Scott won’t be notified until a half hour before. Kas is working with the local authorities going over every possible location they can think of to come up with the best strategies.”
The hours pass quickly until it’s tequila time. Raina’s throat burns. She coughs, almost choking, after throwing back the first shot. By the fifth, she’s ready to take on an army. By the eighth, she’s doing well to stand.
“That should do it,” Garrett quips, laughing at her when she misses the table trying to put the shot glass down and it falls to the floor.
“We leave in fifteen,” Scott commands. He helps Raina get her stiletto’s on and covers her scantily clad body in the cashmere coat. Calling the front desk, he tells them to have his driver waiting.
Moments later, Scott receives the call disclosing the location of the bid, which is brazenly public, in the basement of a club near a very populated area in Atlanta.
“Hiding out in the open is common practice, Rain,” Scott informs her when she questions the venue. The glazed look in her eyes as she nods fills him with a toxic mix of guilt and apprehension.
“Are the owners of the club aware of what’s happening?” she asks, finding it very difficult to put the words together coherently.
“Doubt it. They get money up-front for renting the space. That’s probably the end of their involvement.”
Raina stands and immediately stumbles in the ridiculous height of the heels.
Scott grabs her arm, steadying her, “Can you walk, Raina?”
She nods, working very hard at putting one foot in front of the other.
“When we arrive, you will be taken from us. With your current condition, there’s no threat of them giving you anything else,” Lawson begins, then stops when he notices that Raina is busy fruitlessly trying to tie the belt of the coat, oblivious to anything else. He nods for Garrett to help her out as he tilts her chin so she’s looking at him, “This is important, Rain. Don’t speak, don’t look at them, do as they say the second they say it. They won’t hurt you if you follow these rules. No one will try anything with you right before a bid, but just in case, there’s a transmitter hidden in the hem of your dress.”
Raina fumbles with the flimsy straps covering the device, stumbling when she loses her balance.
“Don’t mess with it, Rain,” Lawson softly scolds, moving her hand away as he steadies her. “Damn, Pierce wasn’t kidding when he said you’re a lightweight. Repeat the rules to me, Raina.”
Raina tries to shoot him an evil look, but the seriousness on his face causes her to laugh instead.
Garrett can’t suppress his own laughter, “She’s beyond wasted.”
“Tell me, Raina!”
The forcefulness in Lawson’s tone halts her giddiness. Taking a few seconds to think, she repeats the rules word for word.
“Good. Do you understand the instructions?”
“Yes,” she tells him, frustrated with being treated like a child, with Garrett having to fix her clothing and Lawson patronizing her.
Scott loops her arm through his and pulls her closer so he can keep her steady, “Ready?”
“Yep.”
“We’ll be right outside the whole time, Rain,” Lawson assures her.
“I’ve got it!” she pouts.
Getting to the car is mercifully uneventful. Raina concentrates on looking out the window on the way to where she is being sold. She bites her lip to keep it from trembling when Kyle, the handler from yesterday, opens her door and helps her to her feet.
Focusing on Lawson’s rules, she keeps her gaze on the ground as she is led inside. The sight of the other girls scattered throughout the room is sobering, and, for the first time, she’s grateful for the inebriation, even though she’s acutely aware that no amount of tequila could ever prepare her for something like this.
The three traffickers handling the girls look deceptively normal, just like someone’s brother, father, or husband. For all she knows, they are all of those. Kyle is surprisingly gentle as he guides her into a chair, and she catches herself before saying ‘thank you’ to the man who is about to help put her up for sale.
What the hell is the matter with me?
The bid begins immediately, and a pretty brunette who looks to be about fourteen is gathered from her corner and escorted out of the room. Half expecting to hear the voice of an auctioneer, Raina chastises herself for her naïve thinking when the room remains silent. A girl with short, ebony hair is taken next, then a blond, followed by another brunette, the youngest looking one in the group. When there’s only five of them left, Kyle tells them all to get up and follow him. The terrified sixteen-year-old in front of Raina stumbles and she reaches to help but, instead, falls down with her. A rough hand jerks her to her feet and pushes her forward, causing her to fall again.
“Get up!” Kyle demands, the tone of his voice promising a severe punishment if disobeyed.
Raina scrambles to her feet, flinching when he grabs her arm painfully, “You do
not
want me to come back here again. Go!”
Stepping inside the dimly lit room, she is pushed further inside, alone. The lights brighten to a soft glow, and she realizes she isn’t alone after all; Marc is in the room. That provides her no comfort. Her already frightened state worsens when she sees no signs of Kas. Marc is the sole visible person anywhere, but she can tell that she’s being watched by the way his attention is focused on a screen turned at an angle so she can’t see.
“Turn around,” Marc states nonchalantly, his voice at complete ease.
She does as asked, trying hard not to look at the cameras aimed at her.
“How old are you?”
Raina only hesitates a second before whispering the fabrication, “Sixteen.”
Marc takes her chin in his hand, lifting her head slightly, his firm grip keeping her still.
The way his eyes keep shifting to the screen, then back at her several times sickens her. Knowing Kas is one of the men currently bidding on her is the only factor in keeping her failing sanity.
Releasing her chin, he nods towards the direction she came, and the lights brighten a fraction more. Not hearing anything is maddening! Marc turns her to the side, and the unexpected movement makes her lose her balance again, causing her to hit the floor, hard. When Kyle advances towards her, she scoots backwards, crashing into Marc’s legs. Viral fear threatens to overtake her, but she remembers Kas is there, somewhere, and she knows that the most the men will be able to get in is a couple of hits.
I
can
handle
that
. No blow is administered. Marc holds up his hand, stopping Kyle, then takes her arm and gently helps her to her feet.
“Just stand here,” Marc softly instructs.
The rapidly changing demeanor of the traffickers throws her, making her unsure of what they will do to her if she screws up again. Somehow, the not knowing part is even more terrifying. Closing her eyes, she tries to feel Kas’ presence in the cold room, almost laughing at herself for the absurdity. Then, she does feel it, the whisper of a calming omnipresence, and her fear dissipates.
Marc touches his ear, listening on the attached device, and his gaze fixates on the screen she desperately wants to see. Raina wonders which part of the club Kas is in when she watches as Marc waits, his mounting agitation obvious on his sickeningly handsome face. It takes all of her willpower not to smile.
He
can
be
very
infuriating
can’t
he?
The harsh shove towards Kyle shows Raina just how pissed off Marc is that his buyer didn’t outbid her husband.
Kyle catches her before she crashes against the cold floor of the basement again. Any indication of his earlier softer side is long gone. His grip is bruising as he drags her towards the hall. “Move your ass!” he yells when she struggles to keep up and stay steady in her debauched state.