Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
And as we walked into the compound, the night enveloping us in its embrace, I knew that no matter what obstacles we encountered, we would overcome them together.
Chapter Sixteen
Veda
I’d waited two days for this moment. Two long, excruciating days of pacing Griffin’s apartment and pretending to sleep while my mind raced. Now I stood at the back of the underground warehouse, arms crossed over my chest, watching as Judge Isaiah Marlin squirmed in the metal chair they’d zip-tied him to. His suit jacket was gone, his collar soaked with sweat and not a small amount of blood. Blood dripped from one corner of his mouth from whatever Tonio’s men had done to him before we arrived. I didn’t feel an ounce of pity. I’d have done worse if they’d let me.
Tonio and Seth Miles stood near the wall, their faces blank as they watched Marlin with bored indifference. Knuckles and Hannah looked on a few feet from me. Griffin stood at my shoulder, close enough that I could feel the heat of him through my jacket. I kept my eyes fixed on Marlin.
Knight worked from a folding table covered in my printed ledger pages, pen-cam stills, and decoded buyer lists, all organized and weaponized.
“The money went through the Vossberg account on the twelfth,” Knight said, voice flat. “But the girl wasn’t delivered until the fourteenth. Iron’s usual time lag for special handling merchandise.”
Marlin shook his head, a drop of sweat rolling from his temple down to his jaw. “I already told you. I don’t know anything about the transportation schedule. I just hosted --”
“You paid upfront,” Knight cut in. “Twenty-two thousand, routed through Vossberg Catering LLC. That’s not a hosting fee. That’s a purchase.” He tapped a line on the ledger printout. “Buyer code I, March 14th, special handling, twenty-two thousand dollars. That’s your signature on the agreement contract, Judge.”
My jaw clenched so hard I thought my teeth might crack. Every time Knight read a line with Tessa’s coded designation, something hot and vicious twisted in my chest. I’d spent months staring at those ledgers, at the cold, mechanical record of what had happened to my sister. Hearing it read aloud made it real in a way I still wasn’t prepared for.
“That could be anyone,” Marlin said, but his voice had gone thin. “The letter I -- it’s not specific. The codex changes monthly.”
“Except you initialed the special handling form,” Knight replied. “The one that specified age, condition, and service parameters. You wanted a virgin, Judge. You paid for a virgin. Iron delivered a virgin.” He flipped to another page. “Her name was Tessa Garrison.”
I shifted, the need to grab the nearest object and break the guy’s knees. Griffin settled his hand at the small of my back, grounding me.
“Where is she?” I demanded, taking a step forward. “Where’s my sister?”
Marlin’s eyes darted to Seth, then back to me. “I don’t -- I never kept them here. They came in, they went out. Sometimes I never even saw them.”
“You’re lying.” I took another step, close enough now that I could smell the sour reek of his fear. “You know exactly where she is because you’re the one who bought her.”
“I didn’t --” Marlin swallowed, Adam’s apple bobbing. “Look, I don’t know what Iron told you, but I never purchased anyone. I just provided a location for transactions. A neutral ground.”
“Bullshit.” Knight flipped to another page. “The Vossberg account shows six deposits matching six special handling purchases over the last eight months. The routing numbers trace back to a trust in your daughter’s name. The trust your ex-wife doesn’t know about.” Knight looked up, face impassive. “The trust that owns the property on Lake Radnor where you keep the girls between transactions.”
Marlin went very still. “You can’t prove that.”
“We already did,” Tonio said, speaking for the first time. “My father is a patient man, Judge. He let you use his territory because you were useful. You are not useful enough to justify the risk you’ve created.” He glanced at Seth, who nodded once, a small dip of his chin. “Now, either you tell us where the Garrison girl is, or I call my father’s specialist back in. She was just getting started with the pliers when we pulled her off.”
Something in Marlin’s face crumpled. “Iron moved her,” he said, the words coming out in a rush. Clearly, this specialist had made an impression on the judge. “After the raid on the club. He said she was leverage. Bait to draw the sister out. He moved her to Renee Vossberg’s place off Route 9. The restaurant that’s been closed for renovations.” He looked at me, eyes wide. “I’m sorry. I swear. I should never have --”
“No, you shouldn’t have,” I cut in, my voice steady despite the rage boiling under my skin. “But you did. You’re not sorry, you bastard. You’re scared. There’s a difference.”