Page 133 of Out for Blood
Understanding dawns on me all at once.
The auction isn’t next week.
It’s not tomorrow.
It’s tonight.
“They go live at midnight.” Tyler discloses.
The words hang between us like a death sentence.
Midnight.
That’s only a few hours away.
I look back at the theater photograph.
One girl stands near center stage.
She’s so tiny and terrified.
Her perfect smile doesn’t reach her eyes, the exhaustion, fear and hopelessness.
She’s nothing more than a ghost trapped in her own body.
The girls in these photos are gone, but the ones tonight still have a chance, and nobody is coming for them except us.
The thought hardens into something solid inside me, unbreakable.
Tyler pushes away from the desk and stands.
His eyes lock onto mine, focused exclusively on the mission.
He states, “There will be a few security guards positioned around the perimeter. We’ll have to take them out before we move in. No cameras. No internal security. The people inside are more than capable of making up for that. Expect the buyers to be armed.”
“How many buyers are predicted to be there?”
“Only three.”
The number sounds miniscule until Tyler continues.
“This auction is exclusive. Invitation only. The kind of people with more money than conscience.” He scowls. “They are given the first selection of the newest inventory.”
I glance at the countdown one last time.
Then at the photographs, the theater, and the stage.
At the women being forced to dance while strangers bid on their lives.
My hands curl tighter.
The anger doesn’t fade; it condenses into something lethal.
I raise my head and meet Tyler’s gaze.
“We move tonight.”
“About fucking time! There’s my little reaper.” He grins at me savagely. “Let’s go save some girls and turn their little show into a massacre.”
