Siege (The Warrior Chronicles, #5) - K.F. Breene Page 0,67

through a tight throat. “I just want something else to wear. I can pay. I don’t need money.”

“He make big offer,” the woman persisted with a fist on her hip. Her eyes flashed, but not out of greed. “You pretty girl and pure. He want you bad.”

“What are they saying?” Maggie asked.

“He wants to buy me.” A weight had settled on Ruisa’s chest as the man continued to survey her body. He spoke again.

“He just raised offer. He probably be gentle. He might make offer to save you for just him. That big money, girl. That big dream.” The woman shifted again. The glimmer in her eyes said she was having fun.

Ruisa’s body tightened up as a strange kind of fear worked through her. “Please tell him to go away.”

“You need to stay strong, Ruisa,” Maggie muttered. “Harden up. You look vulnerable. This kind of guy is going to thrive on that.”

As if he heard Maggie’s comment, the man grabbed Ruisa’s arm and yanked her toward him. His breath, a mixture of stale alcohol and vomit, coated her face. She gagged and panicked, struggling against that strong grip and the hardness pressing through his pants and into her stomach.

The woman made a comment to the man. He smirked, and then jerked Ruisa’s arm as he turned. His grip tightened as he pulled her toward the staircase.

“I said no!” Ruisa yelled out, tears coming to her eyes.

“Do you want me to kill him or are you going to do it?” Maggie asked, following. “Say the word, Ruisa.”

“No one miss that man,” the woman said, stepping to the side to watch the progression. “No one be looking for him.”

The man shoved Ruisa toward the stairs as the woman’s words soaked into her. Gritting her teeth, fighting a fear like she’d never known, she ripped out her knife and spun, sinking it into the side of his fat neck.

The woman rushed forward, yelling. She reached the door and threw the bolt, locking it. Women of all nudity levels rushed out of the parlor.

“Leave in the knife!” the woman called as she dragged a piece of black material from the parlor.

Ruisa paused in shock of what she had done without meaning to, before jerking her hand. The knife came out just a little, but slid back in, following the woman’s commands.

Maggie stood in the center of the hallway with a knife in each hand, her eyes on fire. She was ready to kill anyone who came at her.

The man gurgled as his knees gave away.

“Grab him!” the woman called.

Two women rushed up, one to each side, and directed his convulsing body toward the black fabric now spread out in the entryway. He hit the ground face first as the gurgles died away. Red seeped from the wound and pooled, a glimmering, deep red.

“Sloppy. Now we have to strain our backs.” The woman rolled her eyes and waved her finger at a few of the girls. “You know what to do.”

A woman with exposed breasts sighed expressively, showing with her whole body how annoyed she was, before slipping out of her silk garment. The others stripped too, revealing well-maintained hair around their lady bits. Working together, they heaved the man up while two other girls pulled on the black fabric, moving it until just his boots were off the fabric.

The handle on the door jiggled.

“Hurry up, girls!” the woman said.

Maggie jumped out of the way as a barrel rolled out of a back room. A girl wearing a sheer red negligee followed behind, directing it to the entryway. Once there, she popped off the top and turned it, maneuvering the opening toward the man. “He’s not going to fit.”

The woman put her hands on her hips as the door jiggled again. Someone knocked.

“Quick, get him in the back. We might need to cut something off.” The woman got down on her knees and cut the fabric. She flipped the roll, tightening the loose fabric, then pushed it to the side. Two of the women grabbed it and dragged it back into the parlor. Two more women grabbed the man, each taking a hand, and tugged toward Maggie. She jumped out of the way in bewilderment. A thick line of blood followed the progress of the body as it disappeared from sight.

A harder knock sounded at the door.

“Let’s go, ladies!” the woman clapped as a woman with a mop splashed water down. Two other women spread what looked like oil on their bare skin. As the