When the shaking didn’t work, I whispered an apology to Cade’s whole family, then reared back and slapped Alani across the face as hard as I could.
“Alani, please, wake up.”
Alani twitched, then her eyes opened.
“Lila?” she asked drowsily. “What’s going on?” Her hand flew to her cheek and she added, “Did you hit me?”
“Alani, the shit has hit the fan, for real. We don’t have time; they’re coming.”
“Who?” she asked, then I saw her eyes flash like she’d remembered something. “Yusuf,” she whispered.
“Yes,” I said with a nod, my tone relaying the heaviness of the situation.
“I feel funny,” Alani said, then she looked around the room and yelped when her eyes landed on the blonde girl in the middle of the bed, who I assumed was the much talked-about virgin. “Hannah!”
I knew they had to be getting close and we were about to be busted.
“Alani, they’re here, we have to go.”
“We can’t leave her,” Alani argued, and as much as I wanted to get the hell out of there, I was proud of her for wanting to help her friend.
“Okay, help me get her off the bed,” I said, placing my hand on Hannah’s ankle and pulling her down to the foot of the bed.
Hannah started to wake, and mumbled, “Wha?”
“Wake up, Hannah, we’ve got to go.”
I looked around the room and saw nothing that would help in this situation, so I dropped to my hands and knees and looked under the bed. When I saw that the bed was held up by wooden slats, I stood and pushed the remaining girls to one side, then crouched down and called for Alani to help.
“When I lift, you pull out a couple boards,” I ordered. “Quick.”
Alani left Hannah leaning against the wall in a daze and did as I asked.
Once we had a couple boards, I handed one to Alani and indicated she should go back by Hannah, then I waited by the side of the door, two wood beams in my hands.
I felt the adrenaline coursing through me, and gave myself a mental pep talk as visions of Bran and what he taught me filtered through my brain.
“You can do this,” I told myself, then lost all capability of thought when the door swung open.
Running totally on instinct and adrenaline, I swung high, as hard as I could, and made contact with the nose of the first guy in. Blood splattered and his hands flew to his face as the sound of bone breaking filled the small space. Taking advantage of his bent-over form, I lifted my bare foot and kicked, pushing him over and onto his side.
I waited a breath for the second man to enter the room, and when no one did, I moved swiftly to the door and looked around the corner, fully expecting him to come out and clock me, but there was no one there.
Unsure if he had gone to tell Yusuf, or would be following behind momentarily, I turned back and gestured for Alani and Hannah to follow me. With their eyes trained on the large man writhing on the floor, they hurried after me.
Once we were all in the hall, I turned in the direction that we’d originally come from, figuring it would be better to go back, rather than the way they’d been leading us. Hannah was still a little out of it, but with Alani’s help, she was staying on her feet.
We were running down the hallway, almost to the door at the end, when all hell broke loose.
The ship lurched forward, causing us to fly toward the wall, at the same time three goons came barreling at us down the hall.
“Oof,” Hannah managed as she slid to the ground.
“Lila, they’re coming,” Alani called out, her tone conveying her total panic.
The only problem, I didn’t hear a thing. I was paralyzed by fear. Yes, I’d known I was getting on a large ship, but the reason I was there had given me the fortitude to climb aboard. Now, the ship was moving.
I was on a boat in the water and it was moving out toward the possibility of sharks, glaciers, and other dangers. I hadn’t been lying when I told Cade I wouldn’t go dolphin watching because I was afraid of boats. I was terrified. And to top it off, my sea legs were non-existent, and I was suddenly overcome by nausea.
“Oh God,” I cried, one hand on the wall trying to keep myself steady, the other covering my mouth.
“Lila, Lila.”
I could see Alani’s mouth opening and even understood that she was calling my name, but I didn’t hear a sound.
The men were upon us, one lifting Hannah off the ground, while the other snatched Alani by the waist and lifted her up. I could see what was happening, and it registered that the girls being taken by the goons was the opposite of what I was trying to accomplish, but I was helpless to stop it.
My stomach twisted painfully as my old friend the oaf grabbed me and threw me up over his shoulder, and I was once again being jostled around while he took me to a place I did not want to go.
My panicked mind could not let go of the fact that we were, in that very moment, sailing away from land. Away from the island of Hawaii, where Elin, Elena, and Cade were. Away from the three people who meant more to me than life itself, and not only would they have to live through losing me, but I’d failed to keep Cade’s sister safe.
Will he ever be able to forgive me?
One moment we were in the hallway, the next we were in a large room with a desk, a well-stocked bar, and a man in a sharp suit who I knew was Yusuf.
Hannah and Alani were put on the couch against the wall. I was dropped on the floor, adding more bruises to my already banged-up backside.
“Should we give them the liquid, boss?” one of the goons asked Yusuf.
“No, give the girls Molly instead. Let’s get them in the mood to meet their new owners,” Yusuf replied with a sneer.
“What about her?” the oaf asked, and I knew he was talking about me, but I knew I was about to lose the battle to keep the contents of my stomach, so I ignored him.
I could feel all eyes on me as I retched all over the floor, and I had to admit, the red velvet cupcake no longer seemed like a good idea. It looked like I had internal bleeding. I was assuming that, coupled with my nausea and the perception that I’d peed myself earlier, did not make me the best candidate for the auction block.
“She ain’t going nowhere,” Yusuf replied. “And with the merchandise we’re already selling, we’ll probably have to pay one of the clients to take her off our hands.”
God, these guys are a bunch of assholes.
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, then leaned forward as my stomach tried to expel everything inside, including the lining. I was bent over dry heaving when they put the little pink pills on Alani and Hannah’s tongues, then held the girls’ mouths closed as they tried to wiggle away.
“Keep moving and I’ll punch you in the stomach, that way I don’t mess up your pretty faces before show time,” one of the goons threatened, causing the girls to go still.
I cried out, trying in vain to do something to make them stop messing with the girls. I even went so far as to try and stand up, but the floor was slippery with my puke, and I fell back down to my knees.
“Jesus, you’re fucking disgusting,” Yusuf said, and I assumed he was talking to me. “Go get her cleaned up, then deliver her to the stage. You, take Hannah’s friend to one of the rooms. I’ll be taking the star of the show to the front of the house. Some of the gentlemen want to get a little taste before bidding starts.”
I flopped around like a ragdoll when I was lifted off the ground. This time, the oaf didn’t through me over his shoulder. Instead, he held me out by the armpits, away from his body so he wouldn’t get puke on him.
It was an uncomfortable and awkward way to be carried, but I was pretty impressed that he was strong enough to hold me like that all the way to the clean-up room. This time, they left my clothes on while spraying me down, and even though I knew what to expect, the first hit of spray was shocking enough to make me gasp.
Once I was again freezing and dripping wet. I was escorted into the dre
ssing room, where the old Filipino woman was waiting.
“Here,” she said when we approached, her hand outstretched.
I turned my palm up and she dropped an individual packed of Dramamine in it. It was sealed, and my stomach was still queasy, so I opened it and popped it in my mouth. I did worry momentarily that they were tricking me, like they’d done to the others with the water, and were giving me Molly instead of Dramamine, but at that point it was a risk I was willing to take.
Once I was changed and my hair was tweaked to get the escaped pieces back in the braid, I was feeling a bit better and knew the Dramamine was working. With my stomach pains no longer ruling my ability to think, my mind started reeling with possible ways to escape.
“I’m taking you to the stage,” the oaf said, coming to stand next to me, then placing his hand on my arm. “If you try anything stupid, I won’t hesitate to beat you down. I don’t care that you’re a woman. You’ve already been a pain in the ass, so don’t try anything funny, and I won’t be forced to drop you where you stand. Got it?”
I nodded, feigning submission, even as I was mentally prepping myself to take any opportunity that arose. There was no way I was allowing Alani, Hannah, or myself to be sold to anyone on this ship.
The room that had been empty was now filled to capacity with men in suits. Men of all shapes and sizes. Men of all races and all ages. All with one thing in common: they were the scum of the fucking earth.
The fact that there wasn’t an open seat in sight made my stomach threaten to revolt, and it wasn’t due to sea sickness. I was filled with such rage that I swear, if I could, I would Hulk it up and smash them all to pieces.
Instead, I was being carried around like a baby doll, while I took in my surroundings.
All of the curtains were drawn back, revealing the beds with young girls strewn about them in different drugged-out stages. Some girls were still sleeping; some were staring out the window vacantly, with no idea what was going on; and in the room on the end, Alani was dancing around the room, a small smile on her lips.
I lurched, as if to jump out of the oaf’s arms, but he tightened his hold like a vise, keeping me in place.
“Let me go,” I growled, gasping with shock when I was dropped to the ground.
I looked up to see him cocking his arm back. “I warned you,” he said, and then I saw fireworks.
His fist contacted with my cheekbone and I stumbled back, falling to my butt as my hand came up to cradle my face. I closed my eyes, trying to block out the pain somehow, but it didn’t work.
“Take her up by the stage and secure her in a seat,” I heard the oaf say, but I didn’t know or care who he was talking to. A hand grasped my bicep and urged me to my feet, then dragged me toward the stage.
My eyes were watering when I opened them to see where I was going, not wanting to stumble and fall again. At this rate, I was going to be covered in bruises from head to toe by the time I got out of this place.
I looked to my left, and my heart stopped, then leapt to life with hope and joy.
Jun was sitting in a seat on one of the ends of the rows, looking almost unrecognizable with a tailored dark suit and expensive glasses. He moved his head slightly left, then right, telling me to be cool and not give him away.
Not lifting my head, I let my eyes search the room, and I noticed both Chris and Ripper were also in place, acting as buyers. I almost sagged with relief, but knew I needed to brace myself and get ready for whatever was about to come.
Once I was shoved in a seat with my arms pulled behind me as they were tied, I looked around the room freely, careful to keep my expression fearful as I searched for Cade.
I didn’t see him yet, but I knew he was somewhere on this ship, and felt totally confident that he had a plan to get us out of this mess. While I waited, Yusuf took the stage and the auction began.
I heard him talking about the great crop of girls he had available, and the shining star who would be the final girl on the block, but did my best to block out his bullshit.
One by one the girls were showcased. A goon would enter the rooms and pull each girl up off of the bed, then walk them closer to the window to give the men a chance to look them over. The girls were like rag dolls, allowing the men to turn them, lift their hair back to show their faces. They didn’t even flinch when their dresses were lifted, showing off their young, still-developing bodies to the perverted assholes who were there to ruin them.
My throat burned with unshed tears and rage as the men in front of me raised their paddles to bid on the girls.
One by one the girls were sold off, and as I watched, I worked on loosening the rope that held my hands together. I kept my eyes on the crowd, hoping it looked like I was terrified and unable to keep them still, when in reality I was watching Jun, Ripper, and Chris for signs.
My eyes were on them, so I saw when Chris’s jaw hardened and his entire body got taut. I followed his gaze and saw they were entering Alani’s room, and were about to bring her up for inspection.
“No!” I shouted, unable to stop myself from calling out, or from surging to my feet, the chair coming with me.
“Sit back down or I’ll make you do it,” the oaf threatened, coming up from my side.
I didn’t know if they’d been waiting for a distraction, or it was just good timing, but before the oaf could put his hands on me the back doors opened – and chaos rushed in.
Cade came roaring in, a ton of men at his back, his hair flying behind him as he rushed forward with a gun trained on Yusuf. He looked like an avenging angel, ready to wreak havoc on the men in this room.
I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in all my life.
Some of the men were wearing cuts, signifying the local Motorcycle Club they were a part of; the others were in some sort of a uniform. I couldn’t make it out at first, but once they got closer, I saw they were Coast Guard.
I watched Cade stride toward Yusuf, never taking his eyes or gun off the man, who was obviously very, very pissed off at the interruption.
“Tell that guy to get his hands off my sister, or I’m shooting you in the dick,” Cade threatened, his arm lowering in promise.
Luckily, the man in Alani’s room hadn’t touched her yet, but when I looked over, I noticed that she was no longer dancing around. Instead, she was leaning into the goons’ side and appeared to be sweating profusely.
“Untie me,” I ordered, turning my head to the oaf who was still standing beside me. He appeared to be contemplating whether he could take Cade down or not. “Don’t even think about it,” I warned, then turned my back toward him. “Let me out, something’s not right with her.”
I don’t know if he understood what I was worried about or not, but he seemed to realize that they were no longer in control, and he quickly untied the knot that I’d loosened.
As soon as I was free, I took off running through the chaos and back to the hallway where the rooms were. When I got down to the end of the hall, I opened the door I hoped was Alani’s and hurried inside.
She was still leaning up against the goon, who was watching the scene in front of him unfold with fear in his eyes. I didn’t know if he’d been in shock or what, but as soon as I entered the room, he came out of his trance and shoved Alani at me, then ran from the room.
“Alani,” I called out as I caught her. She was on fire, with sweat pouring off of her.
“So hot,” she managed, then collapsed against me.
She’d passed out cold.
As I was trying to figure out the best way to cool Alani down, the memory of being hosed down hit me, and I did my best to half carry, half walk Alani out of the room. Just as we hit the door, Ripper turned the corner.
“Is she okay?” he asked, looking at the limp girl.
“I think it’s the Molly,” I replied. “There’s a room down that way with a hose. I was thinking I could get her body temperature down.”
“Here,” he said, stepping forward to lift Alani into his
arms. “Lead the way.”
I took off at a jog. I knew Cade, the MC, and the Coasties probably had a handle on things in the other room, but still, I didn’t feel a hundred percent safe yet. I was totally expecting a goon to jump out and knock me over the head.
We made it into the dressing room, then to the spray-down room without any goon sightings. Ripper laid Alani gently on the floor, then looked to me for guidance. I lifted the large hose and said, “It doesn’t have a gentle stream,” then opened the valve and unleashed the cold water on Alani.
I cringed when she bucked with shock as the freezing spray hit her fevered body, but felt relief when her eyes opened and she started sputtering.
“Stop!” Alani cried, and I turned off the spray, dropping the hose as I rushed to her.
I lifted my hand and shoved the sopping-wet hair from her face. Her skin felt better, more normal, and her eyes didn’t appear glassy as they glared at me.
Unfazed, I flashed the first grin I’d given in hours.
“How do you feel?” I asked.
“Wet,” she replied snarkily, causing Ripper and me to laugh.
God, it feels good to laugh.
“C’mon, let’s go find the others,” I said, taking one side while Ripper took the other, until she was standing on her own two feet.
As we walked through the dressing room, I grabbed a towel and handed it to Alani. She wiped her face, then threw it around her shoulders and hugged it to herself.
“I’m never wearing a white dress again,” she said as we passed the rows and rows of dresses.
“I hear that,” I replied, thinking white was going to be completely deleted from my wardrobe forever.
When we made it back to the auction room, the men were getting their suits dirty as they knelt on the floor with their hands behind their backs. Everywhere I looked I saw leather vests and Coast Guard uniforms, but no Cade.
I searched the room, then my eyes landed on Chris and Jun, who were in the room that held Hannah, and I sighed with relief that she was safe in their hands.
“Darlin’,” I heard from behind me and spun on my heel.