Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 67324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
“Yep. Bikers . . .”
“Let’s stop talking about them. Tell me how things are going with Dax. Are you still feeling safe, because the moment you don’t I’m taking you out of there . . .”
“I feel safe, so far. Isn’t Alarick keeping you updated?”
“I know, but I worry about you . . .”
“You’re a cop; you’re supposed to.”
We chat for a few more minutes, and then, with a yawn, I tell Zariah I’m going to get some sleep and promise to see her when I get a chance, considering I may very well be stuck with Dax for the weekend.
Sometimes, I want to just curl up into a ball and hide.
But then I remember why I’m doing this, and I hold my head up high.
Because I’m a goddamned warrior.
5
WAVERLY
“We’ve secured accommodations two doors down from where Dax is taking you. It’s a large lake, people everywhere, so you’re bound to be safe, but we don’t want to leave your side just in case,” Alarick tells me a couple days later as we all sit around a table working out the details for our next move.
Dax is taking me and a few other girls to a lake. He is also bringing some potential ‘buyers,’ though that’s not what he actually calls them. Last time, I recall, he referred to them as good, loyal men looking for love. Snort—it’s not a fucking dating app. It’s real life and those girls are not toys—they’re people. They fall for it, though. Which is exactly what makes it a walk in the park for him and his evil buddies as they carry out their twisted plans.
“I really don’t want to spend two nights there,” I say, rubbing my hands together in a nervous fidget.
I don’t like Dax for a start, but the men he brings around give me full-body shivers that make me want to run and hide.
“You’re going to be fine,” Briella says, squeezing my hand. “We’re going to be there the whole time, and nobody is going to lay a finger on you.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” I say. “What bothers me is how it all makes me feel. Those men . . . they’re creepy. They just freak me out.”
“If you don’t feel like you can handle it—” Alarick begins, but I put a hand up to cut him off.
“I can handle it. I’m just explaining why I’m nervous.”
He nods. “Zariah has put a watch on, and we’re going to be there, too. If you can, take as much information as possible. Now we need to increase our efforts and get the info we need.”
I swallow but nod my head in agreeance. “I’ll get what I can.”
“When do you set off?” Briella asks.
“Dax is meeting me at the bus stop in an hour, so I had better check I’ve got everything.”
I stand and stare at the group of bikers all relying on me, all counting on me, and then I stare at my new friend. Briella has been through so much. She’s lost the only family she has left and the one she did save spends more time hating her than loving her. She’s been through all of this and yet she’s still strong.
“Can I talk to Merleigh before I go?” I ask Alarick.
“Yeah. I’ll get Briella to bring her in.”
Merleigh is a survivor, in the truest form. She has been in Dax’s hands. She has seen the evil that is unleashed when you’re sold to someone. She has been through it all and come out the other side. The club saved her, and Briella’s sister, Cova, only a few weeks back and since then, they have been working on helping both of them recover.
If anyone can understand what I see behind those doors, it’s Merleigh.
I walk out of the room while Briella goes to look for Merleigh, and I gather my things. A moment later, a beautiful woman comes into the room. She’s like a tiny angel, gorgeous, blond and so damned innocent-looking it’s hard to ever think she had been so badly mistreated. How could you treat someone who looks like her badly? It would be like hurting a child.
She’s strong, though.
Her looks are nothing on her ability to get through the worst things life can throw at someone.
“Hey Merleigh.” I smile when she approaches.
“Hi Waverly, how are you?” she asks quietly.
“I’m okay. I was actually wondering if we could have a chat?”
She nods and sits on an old bamboo chair that is beside the one I’m currently placing my bags on.
“I know this probably sounds silly, but I’m a little nervous about spending two nights with Dax and whoever it is he’s bringing in. I was wondering if you’ve had to go through this, and might know some of the things I should expect?”
Merleigh nods and crosses her legs, as if thinking on it for a moment. “We spent a few nights towards the end with Dax, meeting people, interacting with other girls. It’s a huge trust-building exercise, and I know it’s going to be different for you because you already know what kind of monster he is, but I remember not knowing and thinking it was complete paradise. I loved that he took us on mini vacations to the lake or a beach. We got to meet men, and interact, and we got fed well and had fun. That’s where I met . . .”