“I thought the money went to Wisconsin?” I looked up at Reynard.
“She has a private LLC in Wisconsin and a bank account registered there under the company name. Once the money is deposited, she wires it to an account in the Caribbean to cover her tracks before she transfers it to her real account.” He nodded. “She’s a smart little bitch, I’ll give her that.”
“Wow.” I looked down at the paper. “She’s only eighteen?”
“Yeah.” He nodded and took a seat. “She’s been on her own for about a year now—pulling this shit on people. Wyatt wasn’t the first or the last, and she’s still doing it—think about all
the people she’s fucking over right now.”
“How did you find all of this out?” I sighed as I realized that Reynard was definitely going to do something about it—and he was going to want me to uphold my vow.
“I spent a lot of money—luckily, we’ve got plenty.” He nodded quickly. “Now let’s talk about what we’re going to do when we get our hands on this little slut.”
I didn’t want to have that conversation with Reynard, but I had no choice. I made a vow—and I would have to honor it. We never broke a vow to each other, even if it was one I made in the heat of the moment, never expecting it to come to something like what was in front of me. Reynard wanted to take her—put her in a cage—punish her. I knew my brother was twisted and his sexual fantasies were quite—diverse—but what he was talking about was cruel, even for him. I started to worry that he was seeking revenge and using it as an opportunity to satisfy one of his own sexual urges in the process.
“Okay, make the arrangements.” I nodded and reached for a bottle of liquor.
Maybe that will buy me some time to change his mind or come up with an alternative. God help us both if I can’t.
Lizzy
Present day
I stared into the darkness and tried to make sense of my situation. The man who put me in the cage definitely wasn’t one of the guys I ripped off. He was too young. I went after older guys—guys that could afford to spend money and would do so to make sure I kept their secret. I also took a lot of steps to protect myself. It would be almost impossible for someone to track me down—unless they wanted to spend a lot more money than what I asked for. After I got the money I was after, I disappeared from their lives. They never heard from me again. Everything associated with the identity that blackmailed them was deleted. I created new identities online constantly and it wasn’t uncommon for me to use dozens of them at one time until I found a mark. Neither of the guys who took me were old enough to land in my scope when I was looking for targets online.
If this isn’t about the people I blackmailed, what could it possibly be about?
The only thing that I could possibly imagine being serious enough to land me in the cage was my illicit online activities. If that was the case, I could easily confess to them—but what if it wasn’t? What if the guys who took me were just sick individuals and I would be giving them more ammunition to use against me? I was terrified of what they would do to me—or at least the one I had seen since I was locked in the cage. He resonated darkness—almost as dark as the room I was in when the light was turned out. There was something sinister in his stare—something behind those onyx-colored eyes that I didn’t understand. I had to figure it out. That was the key to my survival.
I waited in the darkness for what felt like another eternity. I was thirsty again. My shirt got me a glass of water, but it didn’t get to drink all of it. The water that soaked into my clothes had dried, so I knew hours had passed—possibly even another day. If he made me give up an article of clothing for water and food, it wasn’t going to be long until I was naked. Then what would he want? The thought of that terrified me. Would he make me desperate enough to consider it? I wasn’t even desperate enough to sell my body when I left home—not really. I just sold an illusion. I was positive that an illusion wasn’t going to get me out of the cage.
I wondered if the men I trapped in my lies felt like I was feeling in that moment—trapped—with no way out. I gave them one. I gave them a price. The man with onyx-colored eyes hadn’t named one yet. Or had he? Truth—confession—penance. How could I tell the truth when I didn’t know what truth he wanted to hear? How could I confess when doing so could expose things that could be used against me? How could I pay a penance if I didn’t know my sin? I felt myself sinking into the madness of the darkness again, my lips dry, my body weak—and then the door started to open. He was back—and it was time for me to bargain for something else because I hadn’t eaten in so long that my body was in dire need of sustenance.
“Sweet Lizzy.” He walked around to the back of the cage. “My, you’ve made a mess in your bucket.”
“I didn’t have a choice.” I swallowed hard.
“Would you like for me to empty it?” He tilted his head to the side.
“Yes.” I nodded, keeping my eyes focused on him.
“What price will you pay not to smell your own filth?” He leaned down and tapped the bucket. “I’ll even make it worth your while and agree to empty it every time I return—if you meet my price.”
“What price?” I exhaled sharply.
“Your shoes.” He motioned to my feet. “Give them to me.”
If I refuse, will I anger him? I don’t like the smell, but my shoes could get me food—water.
“One shoe…” I squeaked out and hesitated when I said the words, afraid of the repercussion.
“Now it is going to cost your shoes and your socks.” He responded without even blinking at my offer. “Do you want to keep negotiating?”
“I’d rather have food or water.” My shoulders slumped forward.
“Fine, I’ll give you food and water for your shoes, socks and blue jeans.” His jaw tightened. “Then we’ll see what price you have to pay for me to empty this bucket tomorrow.”
This is just getting worse… I better quit while I’m ahead.