Damnable Grace
Page 77
“Fuck my life!” Ky groaned and took the doll from her hand. Lilah laughed at her husband, and my heart ached at how perfect they looked. She had found it—true happiness.
“Orrrrr,” Grace sang. “We could play hide-and-seek again?”
“Again?” Lilah said in exasperation. “What is it with you and this game?”
“It’s my favorite!”
“Done.” Ky got to his feet. “Anything but this doll horseshit.”
I backed away from the edge of the backyard when I saw Grace head toward the woods to hide. I dashed through to the path, never looking back. I knew it would be nearly time, if Ky’s information had been correct. I kept running until I broke through the trees and onto the edge of the road. There were no cars or trucks yet. It was quiet, so I stood and waited.
I fought my nerves. I knew what would be waiting for me. But I had to do it. AK would be safe, and I knew she was there. The dreams were too real to be dreams. He had her. I knew it. Something in my gut told me I had to find her.
I had felt something click into place last night as AK slept, holding me close. A truth that I knew was real.
He had her.
I heard the sound of an engine coming from the bend in the road and took a deep breath. A white van—the one Ky had told AK about last night—approached. I steeled my nerves. This would be my only chance to get to Sapphira. Ky had said they came once a day. This was my only chance. AK read me too easily. If I left it any longer, he would know something was wrong. If I told him what I had remembered, he would never let me do this. But I would not risk his life, or the lives of his brothers. I fisted my hands in an effort to stifle the trembling. The van came to an abrupt stop.
A man I did not recognize came out of the van, smiled and shook his head. I did not know him, but it was obvious he knew me. He quickly looked around the woods suspiciously. “It can’t be this fucking easy.” I tried to take a step back. A gun was suddenly aimed at me, two more men coming out of the van with their guns out too.
“Get in,” the first man ordered, and another man opened the back door of the van. Terror held my legs in place and I stayed rooted to the spot. The man nearest me lurched forward, wrapping his arms around my waist. I held back my instinct to scream for help. My captor dragged me toward the van. We were only a step from the back doors when I heard a sound that made my body jerk in horror and the blood drain from my face.
“Found you, Aunt Phebe!”
I turned my head, only to see Grace burst through the trees and stumble to a stop at the edge of the road. Her blue eyes widened when she saw me in the man’s arms. “Run!” I screamed, sheer terror seizing control of my body. “Run, Grace! RUN!” A hand slapped over my mouth, stopping my frantic order. Grace turned, face pale, and moved to run back into the woods. She had barely made it five yards before the second man had grabbed her by her hair and slammed his hand over mouth.
She fought.
Little Grace fought, kicked and thrashed against her capture, but the man was too big and too strong. I tried to break free. I scratched and clawed at my captor’s arms. Then the end of a gun plowed into my face, making my vision blur and my head spin. I was thrown into the back of the van, my cheek smashing against the hard floor with a thud.
“Aunt Phebe!” I lifted my head, ignoring the lights dancing across my vision to see Grace being thrown in beside me. I scrambled to where she was and took her in my arms.
“Grace,” I said, tears beginning to pour down my cheeks.
“Wh-Who are these men? I thought we were playing hide-and-seek.”
“We’ll be okay,” I said, not knowing what else I could say.
“Call Meister. Tell him we got her,” one of the men said as they slammed the doors shut and plunged us into darkness, all except a small light above us. I heard the front doors open and close and the engine turn on.
“Aunt Phebe?” Grace’s small, scared voice asked from in my arms.
“Come here, sweetheart.” I pulled her into my arms.
“You’re bleeding,” she said and I heard her voice tremble.
I smiled. “I am fine.”
“Where . . . where are we going?”
I held Grace tighter, fighting back my tears. “It will all be fine,” I said softly, knowing that every word was a lie. “I will not let anything happen to you, I swear.”
Then the van drove away.
Chapter Eighteen
AK
“AK! You here?”
Someone was hammering on my cabin’s door. I got up from the table and opened the door. Tanner stood there, rocking on his feet.
“She here?” he asked as he came inside.
“Phebe?”
“Yeah.”
“No, she’s gone to see Lilah. Why?”
Tanner pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket. He held it in the air. Ash came out from his bedroom, looking on. “No such thing as a fucking old folks’ home in that cult.”
My jaw clenched as Tanner sat down. I sat down opposite and waited for him to continue. “Though I’ve found a Sapphira. Age fourteen. Blond, brown eyes, ninety pounds, Five foot one.”
I frowned, wondering how he knew so fucking much about her. “Where?”
He slammed down the paper and pushed it toward me. It was a spreadsheet, like an inventory or some shit. Shipping forms to Mexico, private accounts.
“Meister ain’t just trafficking these bitches as hookers in the ghost town. The asshole is selling them. He gets them, uses them as whores, then ships them to Mexico to be sold to who-the-fuck-ever for whatever-the-fuck-ever” Tanner pointed to a row on the sheet. “Sapphira. Cult bitch. Sold by ‘Prophet Cain’—Judah—to Meister months ago. Meister has reels and reels of these order sheets. And he’s making a fucking mint selling these whores off to some dick in Mexico. Sapphira is getting shipped out soon. She’s on his latest form.” I felt the anger sweep through me like a storm. “Guessing the date Meister purchased Sapphira is about the time Judah told Phebe he’d sent Sapphira to the old people’s home, yeah?”
I nodded, unable to speak. Then I got my shit together and slammed my fist down on the table. “She was in that ghost town with her all that time? She was there with Phebe and neither of them fucking knew it? Drugged. Out of their fucking minds.” Then the storm turned into a motherfucking hurricane. “And I was there! I could have gotten her out too!” I pushed my chair back, jumping from my seat. “Fuck!” I roared and ran my hands through my hair.
“Orrrrr,” Grace sang. “We could play hide-and-seek again?”
“Again?” Lilah said in exasperation. “What is it with you and this game?”
“It’s my favorite!”
“Done.” Ky got to his feet. “Anything but this doll horseshit.”
I backed away from the edge of the backyard when I saw Grace head toward the woods to hide. I dashed through to the path, never looking back. I knew it would be nearly time, if Ky’s information had been correct. I kept running until I broke through the trees and onto the edge of the road. There were no cars or trucks yet. It was quiet, so I stood and waited.
I fought my nerves. I knew what would be waiting for me. But I had to do it. AK would be safe, and I knew she was there. The dreams were too real to be dreams. He had her. I knew it. Something in my gut told me I had to find her.
I had felt something click into place last night as AK slept, holding me close. A truth that I knew was real.
He had her.
I heard the sound of an engine coming from the bend in the road and took a deep breath. A white van—the one Ky had told AK about last night—approached. I steeled my nerves. This would be my only chance to get to Sapphira. Ky had said they came once a day. This was my only chance. AK read me too easily. If I left it any longer, he would know something was wrong. If I told him what I had remembered, he would never let me do this. But I would not risk his life, or the lives of his brothers. I fisted my hands in an effort to stifle the trembling. The van came to an abrupt stop.
A man I did not recognize came out of the van, smiled and shook his head. I did not know him, but it was obvious he knew me. He quickly looked around the woods suspiciously. “It can’t be this fucking easy.” I tried to take a step back. A gun was suddenly aimed at me, two more men coming out of the van with their guns out too.
“Get in,” the first man ordered, and another man opened the back door of the van. Terror held my legs in place and I stayed rooted to the spot. The man nearest me lurched forward, wrapping his arms around my waist. I held back my instinct to scream for help. My captor dragged me toward the van. We were only a step from the back doors when I heard a sound that made my body jerk in horror and the blood drain from my face.
“Found you, Aunt Phebe!”
I turned my head, only to see Grace burst through the trees and stumble to a stop at the edge of the road. Her blue eyes widened when she saw me in the man’s arms. “Run!” I screamed, sheer terror seizing control of my body. “Run, Grace! RUN!” A hand slapped over my mouth, stopping my frantic order. Grace turned, face pale, and moved to run back into the woods. She had barely made it five yards before the second man had grabbed her by her hair and slammed his hand over mouth.
She fought.
Little Grace fought, kicked and thrashed against her capture, but the man was too big and too strong. I tried to break free. I scratched and clawed at my captor’s arms. Then the end of a gun plowed into my face, making my vision blur and my head spin. I was thrown into the back of the van, my cheek smashing against the hard floor with a thud.
“Aunt Phebe!” I lifted my head, ignoring the lights dancing across my vision to see Grace being thrown in beside me. I scrambled to where she was and took her in my arms.
“Grace,” I said, tears beginning to pour down my cheeks.
“Wh-Who are these men? I thought we were playing hide-and-seek.”
“We’ll be okay,” I said, not knowing what else I could say.
“Call Meister. Tell him we got her,” one of the men said as they slammed the doors shut and plunged us into darkness, all except a small light above us. I heard the front doors open and close and the engine turn on.
“Aunt Phebe?” Grace’s small, scared voice asked from in my arms.
“Come here, sweetheart.” I pulled her into my arms.
“You’re bleeding,” she said and I heard her voice tremble.
I smiled. “I am fine.”
“Where . . . where are we going?”
I held Grace tighter, fighting back my tears. “It will all be fine,” I said softly, knowing that every word was a lie. “I will not let anything happen to you, I swear.”
Then the van drove away.
Chapter Eighteen
AK
“AK! You here?”
Someone was hammering on my cabin’s door. I got up from the table and opened the door. Tanner stood there, rocking on his feet.
“She here?” he asked as he came inside.
“Phebe?”
“Yeah.”
“No, she’s gone to see Lilah. Why?”
Tanner pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket. He held it in the air. Ash came out from his bedroom, looking on. “No such thing as a fucking old folks’ home in that cult.”
My jaw clenched as Tanner sat down. I sat down opposite and waited for him to continue. “Though I’ve found a Sapphira. Age fourteen. Blond, brown eyes, ninety pounds, Five foot one.”
I frowned, wondering how he knew so fucking much about her. “Where?”
He slammed down the paper and pushed it toward me. It was a spreadsheet, like an inventory or some shit. Shipping forms to Mexico, private accounts.
“Meister ain’t just trafficking these bitches as hookers in the ghost town. The asshole is selling them. He gets them, uses them as whores, then ships them to Mexico to be sold to who-the-fuck-ever for whatever-the-fuck-ever” Tanner pointed to a row on the sheet. “Sapphira. Cult bitch. Sold by ‘Prophet Cain’—Judah—to Meister months ago. Meister has reels and reels of these order sheets. And he’s making a fucking mint selling these whores off to some dick in Mexico. Sapphira is getting shipped out soon. She’s on his latest form.” I felt the anger sweep through me like a storm. “Guessing the date Meister purchased Sapphira is about the time Judah told Phebe he’d sent Sapphira to the old people’s home, yeah?”
I nodded, unable to speak. Then I got my shit together and slammed my fist down on the table. “She was in that ghost town with her all that time? She was there with Phebe and neither of them fucking knew it? Drugged. Out of their fucking minds.” Then the storm turned into a motherfucking hurricane. “And I was there! I could have gotten her out too!” I pushed my chair back, jumping from my seat. “Fuck!” I roared and ran my hands through my hair.
