Page 50 of Doxed
At this point, I'm accustomed to the pounding headache and scrape of the cold concrete beneath my cheek when I unfortunately start gaining consciousness. My eyes open and scan my surroundings. A cold, dark room, thick metal bars, and soft whimpers and hushed pleas.
Tears fall from my eyes, run over the bridge of my nose, and drip onto the rough concrete. The traffickers found us, kidnapped me—again—and killed Miles.
We weren’t on great terms before everything happened, but I was letting him in again, and now… it hurts that he’s gone. More than I could have imagined.
I’m crying for multiple reasons, for my capture, for my future, but also for the loss of Miles. I’ll grieve for him for a long time, I can feel it.
After laying here for a few hours, I finally muster up the strength to sit up and assess my surroundings properly.
The room is different from the last. The walls are made from wood logs, but the floor is concrete, like they ripped up the carpet and this is what was under it.
The wall sconces are dim bulbs nested between a fake set of antlers.
Where the fuck am I? They’re smaller this time, since they only hold one person each, but they’re no less weak.
My head feels like it’s going to explode as I lean forward on my hands so I can move my legs underneath me.
“Briar?” A meek voice breaks through the throbbing pain in my head and I turn my head in the direction the voice came from.
“Kate?” My eyes widen and I crawl on all fours to the cage on my left.
Her frail hands grip the bars hard; dirt dusts her knuckles, and her greasy brown hair hangs in strands around her head.
The shadows under her eyes are dark, even under the dull lights.
Her cheeks are more hollow than I remember, and her skin is a few shades paler than normal.
I don’t care about the grime. I wrap my hands around hers, noticing how cold she is.
“Selfishly, I'm happy to see you.” Tears spring to her brown eyes and she blinks them away. “But I’m sorry they brought you to this hell too, Briar.” She drops her forehead to rest against the bars, a streak of dirt smeared across it.
“Are there any more girls from the club here?” I ask, leaning my head against hers. We were never good friends, but I think we’re both in need of some sort of affection with a familiar person, and I think this situation allows for it.
I feel her head move against mine. “Nova and Maya are here, too. I haven't seen anyone else.”
Pulling away, I let go of the bars and sit back on my butt on the dirty floor. “I helped Luna, Camila, Fran, and Grace; they were in a place like this in Miami. But Reyna, Charlotte, Serena, and Mia are still missing. Did you ever see any of them?”
Kate moves away from the bars too, swaying before she lays down on her side.
“Yeah, Charlotte and Serena were with us at first, but then they took Char somewhere else.
Serena had severe injuries when I woke up and she didn't make it much longer. I never saw Mia or Reyna.” Tears pool in my eyes at the news of Serena.
She was the one who warned me in the club.
I wonder if the injuries she sustained were ones she got when she fled to her room before warning me.
Miles saved me and got me out of the club, but if it hadn't been for Serena, I would have gone down to the lobby and they probably would have taken me before Miles could find me.
“How did you help the other girls? Can you help us?” Her voice is losing strength.
I shake my head and lay down with her, sliding my hand through the bars and reaching for her.
Her cold hand clasps mine and I squeeze it gently.
“A man saved me at La Lujuria and we were looking for all of you guys so we could help, but they found us after Miami and they took me and killed him. I don't know how we’d get out of here now.”
Kate nods, letting a single tear fall from her eyes. “I stopped thinking I’d get out a long time ago.”
“I’ll fight for us, Kate. I won’t stop looking for a way out,” I promise.
She closes her eyes, but keeps her hand in mine. “Yes, you will, but that’s okay. It’s easier to give up than it is to hold on to hope.”