Page 102 of Sweet Deception

Among the faces of public officials, I recognize one of the deputies. Green eyes and hair slicked back… Fire ignites in my blood. He’s the one Maya and I spoke with when we reported Lucy missing. He dismissed us and set her case aside. Of course he did. He’s on the payroll of the people responsible.

Rory brings up another window.

A list of upcoming “auction lots” freezes my blood.

Dozens of women and girls, some as young as thirteen.

Each is catalogued with photos and details. Including Lucy.

There’s a note at the bottom of the list.

Those Red Hill bastards moved the summit timeline up again.

As Rory toggles through various bits of pertinent information, the men in the room discuss what it means and how their plans will be amended to meet the greater threats.

I can’t help but notice that, once again, these women don’t come up in the conversation.

Shane still isn’t prioritizing the real victims in all of this. That angers me even more than before.

Seeing all their faces. Knowing how many of them there are…

It fans the rage and determination gathering force inside me. To these men, though, it’s inconsequential. The fates of these women and girls don’t matter as much as the family’s political footing within the hierarchy of New York City’s criminal underworld.

Why would these women and girls mean anything to these mafia men? There are no financial gains to be had from savingthem.The thought is bitter. Men like these are why I’ve been employed for so long, why I’ve helped so many women escape.

They lack empathy and compassion.

I shift to Darren, who seems focused on the conversation pinging back and forth. Meanwhile, I’m actually sick with anger.

In the middle of the meeting, I rise from my seat, mumbling, “I’m going to go wash up,” and disappear without another word. As long as they get what they want, these people don’t care if I exist at all.

My mood only sours further when I venture back to the suite I’ve been assigned and beeline for the bathroom. I look like shit. I feel like shit. And not even a hot shower will change that.

I get naked anyway and sit on the shower floor, hugging my knees to my chest while the water douses me in hot waves.

What am I going to do? How do I get out of this?

Darren risked his life for me today. I want to trust him, to believe that he understands why this is so important, but I’m still not sure he does, and I don’t know how to handle that.

After a while, I climb out of the shower, towel myself dry, and fight with my hair.

I’m not expecting to find Darren waiting in my room when I step out of the bathroom. Hand over my heart, I nearly hit the ceiling.

“Hey…” I exhale as my heart rate slows. “Is everything okay?”

“That’s what I came up here to ask you.” He sits on my bed and faces me.

“I…” I swallow. “I can’t stop thinking about Lucy and everyone else. The women. The girls. We need to save them, but I don’t think Shane cares at all. What can we do to make them a priority in all this?”

“Nika, listen to me. The girls are important to Shane.” Despite the reassuring tone, his words are empty platitudes. “By default, shutting down the summit will save them.”

“Why aren’t we planning to extract them first?”

Darren hesitates before responding. “It’s something I can discuss with Shane.”

His tone implies that he doesn’t think Shane will agree.

And the damage is already done.