Ashes (Web of Desire #3) - Aleatha Romig Page 0,31
clenched, yet my gaze remained on her. “I’m so sorry. It was my job to keep you safe. I’m the one who failed.”
“Since I saw you at Club Regal,” she said, “I’ve been remembering things I’d blocked away. When Ruby was missing, I was so afraid that she’d end up in a place like the cell house.”
“The cell house?” I asked.
“There was a basement where we were kept until we were called.”
“You weren’t alone?” Mason asked.
Madeline’s eyes were still on me. “No. The number of girls varied, but usually there were about ten or twelve.”
“Madeline,” Sparrow said. “Please turn back.”
I reached for her hands and squeezed. “I love you. I did. I do and I never stopped.”
Though her eyes were red and cheeks damp, the tips of her lips curled upward. “That’s what kept me going.”
“This information doesn’t take any of that away. I’m so fucking in awe of your strength.”
Freeing her hand, she used the back to wipe her cheeks and spun toward Sparrow. “I won’t darken your door. I know that despite what Patrick is saying, my welcome is no longer in question but revoked. I just ask that you and Patrick take care of Ruby.”
He sat taller. “That’s it. After surviving the horror of forced prostitution and being sold to Ivanov all for Ruby’s sake, you’re going to walk away from her?”
“I have always done what was best for her. I believe that with Patrick and…” She gestured around the table. “…all of you, she will be safe from Andros and Marion. Marion said he was going to marry me to adopt her. He wants that power over you. I pray you won’t allow that.”
I reached for Madeline’s hand as I scanned my two friends. Sparrow was unreadable while compassion oozed from Mason. For a tattooed, scary-looking big man, he had a weakness for anything having to do with trafficking and exploitation. We all did.
“I’m taking Madeline in the back. This interrogation is over for now.” I met Sparrow’s gaze. “She’s coming home with me to my apartment. The other floors are negotiable.”
His dark gaze zeroed in on mine. “If you fucking call Araneae, I’ll kick your ass.”
I grinned as Madeline stood. “The thought never crossed my mind.”
“Bullshit.”
“Maddie, let’s go.”
Opening the partition, we started to move forward until Madeline stopped and turned. “I’ve never told anyone those particulars. Andros knew enough, but he never asked.”
“Thank you for your honesty,” Mason said. “We’ve all been touched by this issue.” His head shook. “That isn’t meant to minimize your trauma; it’s only to let you know that we’re familiar with the subject.”
“I wish I wasn’t,” Madeline said.
“How much did Ivanov pay?” Sparrow asked.
I stood taller, blocking Madeline from Sparrow. “Done for now.”
Madeline’s hand came to my sleeve. “A million. He told me he saw my worth. It made it seem… I don’t know...better. Until…”
“Madeline, you don’t need to—”
Sparrow was now standing. “Until?”
“Until last night. Last night after I was informed that I’d been sold again, to Marion…”
What the fuck?
“…I learned my worth wasn’t in me but in my blood—your blood.”
“The ten-million-dollar transfer,” Mason said.
Madeline’s chin went up. “At least my price has gone up.”
I tugged her hand and led her to the rear cabin. Once the partition was closed, I palmed her cheeks. “Your worth has nothing to do with money or parentage, Maddie. Your worth to me and Ruby is beyond measure—priceless. I will fucking spend the rest of my life proving that to you.”
She looked around. In this cabin, there were two clusters of soft seats with two chairs each and a small table between. On the wall to the front was a large screen. Each side had three rectangular windows. Her shoulders shuddered as she wrapped her arms around herself. “I need to shower. I feel…dirty.”
Sitting, I lifted my hand. “Come sit with me.”
She shook her head as her arms squeezed tighter around her breasts. “I’d rather sit over here.” She moved away to the other cluster, sat and turned toward the window.
Helpless…that’s the feeling that overwhelmed me.
Helplessness wasn’t a feeling I was used to experiencing.
I was a doer. I fixed things. Though I had experience with victims, with Madeline, this was beyond my capability. Following her, I moved to the chair near her. “Maddie, I can’t erase what happened. If I could, I would stop at nothing to do it.”
Her eyes glistened with tears as she continued staring out the window.