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'This is the eldest child,' a man said.

'Why do you have her?'

'You wanted answers, April wasn't talking.'

'And?'

'And we did what you asked us to do.'

'So she's. . .'

'Yes, do I need to spell it out for you?' I heard a weighted breath, feeling the man beside me shift on his feet. 'But just so we're clear, I'm never doing that again. It's not what we do.'

'Don't worry, you'll be paid accordingly, you'll forget all about it when you're eating caviar and drinking gold. But, what about her father?' Virgo asked, softly lifting a lock of my hair and spinning it around his fingers.

'We still don't know where he is, but we'll find him.'

'You need to find the shit stain, Trent. That's all I want.' His voice was sharp, angry and upset. I felt him slide his hand underneath the crease of my arm, the tips of his fingers ice cold, sending a rush of chills down my spine. 'I'll take her, she might be useful.'

'Are you sure? Because I can take—'

'I told you, I'll take her.'

Leading me down a long flight of stairs, I could see a sliver of the steps through a small crack in the bottom of my blindfold. Reaching the bottom, Virgo tore the cloth off, forcing the light to blind me.

Blinking hard, I tried to focus on where I was. There was a light bulb hanging from the center of the ceiling, dangling back and forth on a thin wire. It smelled musty, like wet clothes that had been left in the washer for days.

Virgo took a step back, his smile thick and coy as he tilted his head and examined me. His fingers ran through my hair, gripping my chin and tipping it up to look at my face. His eyes studied every detail, but he didn't say a word.

'Do you know where your father is, little girl?' I had no words, shaking my head no to answer him. 'Are you sure about that?' he asked, arching a brow.

It felt like I couldn't find my voice. There was no air in my lungs to make a sound, no saliva on my tongue to wet my lips. So I shook my head no again.

'No? Well, let's make this a little easier for you. I know I'm a stranger, so how about I tell you my name, this way I'm not a stranger anymore.' His lips lifted higher as he crossed his arms over his chest. 'I'm Virgo.'

'Where am I?' I finally asked, my voice weak and frail as I spoke. I could feel the tears as they welled up, bubbling over the surface. Blinking once, the large drops fell down my cheeks one after the other. 'Where are my brother and sister?'

'Don't cry, sweet child, your tears will get you nothing here.' Running a thumb beneath my eye, he dipped down so we were face to face. 'I don't know anything about your brother and sister, but what I do know is that you're home now, sweet girl.'

The way he said it made me cry harder. The pit in my stomach exploded into dry heaves as I gagged between breaths. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think, I couldn't run away.

I was trapped in a place that was unfamiliar with a man who scared me to death. A man who would make me the center of his fucked up existence, training me for a future that felt more like being strangled than being alive.

And that feeling, it stayed with me. Every time I was near the basement, or he threw me in the ditch, that feeling would come back. It made me sick, it made me hate him over and over again.

Blue stopped short, knocking on one of the doors. There was movement inside, I could hear rustling and the sound of someone walking around. My heart was beating in my throat and my chest was swelling like a hot air balloon.

The door opened slowly, exposing a sweaty and flushed Virgo. Buttoning up his shirt, he glanced between Blue and myself. “Is it time?” he asked, running his fingers through his hair to fix it.

“You said he would be here at eleven, it's ten of.”

“Mm,” Virgo grunted, checking his watch. “Well, perfect timing then. I'm done here anyway.” Looking over his shoulder, he spoke to someone else. “Now you're ready.” His eyes moved back to me, his smile bold and sinister. “Give the new girl a nice smile, Berlin, she's just been inducted as one of our own.”

Virgo turned sideways, allowing me to see inside. There was a young girl curled up in a ball on the bed, her tears fresh and streaming down her cheeks like roaring rapids. Her gaze was wide and full of sadness as our eyes connected.

Another one. Another poor girl who will have to suffer until she is bought or worse.

This was his ritual, it was how he showed his power and authority, letting you know he was in charge. Virgo always had the first turn with a new girl. He got her before anyone else, and he liked to joke at times about the men in club getting his sloppy seconds.