Page 1 of Triple the Secrets
PROLOGUE
SCARLETT
Three Years Ago
“Hurry,” she hissed as they ran down the dark hallway. She knew they didn’t have much time, and they needed to get out of there quickly. The sound of their feet hitting the cement floor echoed around them, but they all knew that no one was listening because the guards were all drinking in a room behind them somewhere. Though they didn’t know if someone was monitoring the tunnels by camera. It’s something they knew they had to risk. Especially if they wanted out of here.
The twin girls behind her quickened their steps without a word, and Scarlett felt bad for snapping at them. They were only twelve, but this was, quite literally, a life or death situation. If caught, they were as good as dead.
They finally reached the end of the tunnel and Scarlett slowed, carefully peering around the end to make sure there weren’t any other guards skulking around. She breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw no one, and then turned to nod at the girls. “We need to run,” she whispered to them. “Don’t stop for anything. Okay?” Both girls nodded and Scarlett could see them bracing.
Scarlett looked back at the darkness in front of them, took a deep breath, and then they ran.
There were no shouts of joy or excitement. The only sounds heard were their bare feet pounding on the cold ground. Scarlett tried to make out any markers, but it was so dark that it was near impossible. The barely there moon gave them a bit of guiding light so they didn’t run into any trees in the dense brush, but since they were running with no real direction, it was a guessing game where they would end up. She just hoped that it would be somewhere they could get help.
She looked over her shoulder and saw the two girls were close behind her. Their faces were determined, made out in the flash of moonlight on their faces before it disappeared. Scarlett couldn’t even imagine what they were feeling right now. She had been taken by the traffickers almost three weeks ago, but they had been in those cages for almost two years. Scarlett had begun plotting to escape the moment she had woken up and realized where she was. Then she saw the girls in the cage next to hers, and she vowed to get them out too.
There were so many other women in those cages, but their numbers had quickly dwindled in the past couple of days, and Scarlett knew then that it was time for her to make their move. Their captors were moving everyone, and she had heard some of the guards talking about some scumbag that bought the twins for his own personal harem. There had been no mention of her, but she had no doubt there were plans for her too. She would rather die than be sold like cattle, and she was going to make sure that the girls got away if nothing else.
Scarlett lost track of how long they ran, but they didn’t dare slow down. Not even when their breathing was erratic and their lungs screamed. Neither girl complained; they just kept running. Scarlett knew grown men and women who didn’t have that kind of strength, but these girls had it in spades.
Finally,finally, they reached the edge of a clearing, and Scarlett came to a stop. The girls did as well, and all of them gasped for air. Scarlett looked ahead at a cabin that stood in the center of the clearing. There were a couple of lights on, and Scarlett could just make out the movements of someone inside.
“Do you think they’ll help us?” one of the girls, Sarah, asked so softly that Scarlett wasn’t sure she had even spoken for a second.
“He could be one of them,” the other twin, Sam, whispered back.
Scarlett had a decision to make. She could go to the door and hope for help, or they could keep running. Her body was starting to ache, and her adrenaline was starting to fade. They wouldn’t be able to go much farther without needing a break. She looked back at the girls and said, “I’ll go. You both hide. If it’s safe, I’ll wave. If it’s not, I won’t do anything. Clear?”
“Scarlett,” Sam whispered softly, shaking her head. “That’s not safe.”
“It’s the only chance we have,” Scarlett replied briskly. “If they can help us, then we can get out of here. If they can’t, then it’s only me that will be in danger. If I don’t come out, you run, understand? You run as fast, and as far as you can.”
Both girls gave quiet, subdued nods. Scarlett urged them to hide in the trees, up off the ground, just in case. She helped them shimmy up into a large tree, and then she slowly made her way towards the cabin. She had to hope that whoever lived here wasn’t part of the trafficking ring. Surely someone had realized they were missing by now.
It wouldn’t be long before they were scouring the woods to find them.
As she reached the porch steps, she paused. There was still time to turn back and get the girls, but she knew deep down this was their chance. So she took a deep breath and walked up the steps. She pounded on the door, then held her breath, waiting.
She didn’t have to wait long. The door swung open, and a huge man stood before her, wearing a thunderous expression. She stared up at him, shocked, and uncertain. “Please,” she whispered. “Please, we need help.”
The man looked at her and asked, “Who you running from?”
Now was the moment of truth. Did she tell him? “We were held captive by traffickers,” she rasped out. “Me and two young girls. They’re planning on selling the girls to some rich asshole as personal slaves.Please, help us.”
The man’s dark eyes shifted from thunderous to shocked, then pissed. “Motherfuckers,” he snarled. “Where are the girls?” he asked her.
“I hid them away,” she answered honestly. “I didn’t know if you would help.”
“Oh, I’ll help, alright,” he grunted. “Those bastards come here and they’ll be meeting their maker. Go get those girls and bring them in,” he ordered. “I’ll make up a room, and then you’re going to tell me what the hell is going on so I can figure out what to do next.” Then he turned and walked away.
Scarlett stood there for a second, in shock. The man was huge, grumpy, and obviously pissed, but she didn’t get the sense it was at her. So she turned and waved for the girls, hoping they could see her.
Within minutes, both girls were running across the field, and Scarlett ushered them inside, slamming the door. Before she could warn them about the man, he emerged from a room down a short hallway, stopping when he saw the girls. Scarlett immediately pushed them behind her, staring at him. She dared him to try and touch them because she would make him very sorry.
The man eyed her. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he finally assured her. “Or them. Name’s Lewis. I got a room set up in the back, and it has a bathroom attached. Go get cleaned up, grab clothes out of the closet or dresser, and then we’ll talk.”
None of them moved until he stepped aside and moved into the small kitchen on the other side of the room. Slowly, they made their way towards the room he indicated, and when they entered, Scarlett quickly checked for hidden threats. The twins looked longingly at the large shower. “Both of you get in and get cleaned up,” Scarlett told them. “I’ll wait out here and guard the door.”
