“I would love to kill you for all the things you’ve done,” Reed says. “But you’re going to die in prison, where you belong.”
Then the storm breaks out — the thunder of descending helicopters fills the air, and a river of men and women with bulletproof jackets over their suits stream the cell block, weapons raised, shouting.
“We need a doctor!” I shout, pointing at Jacqueline. Blood runs down her side, but she’s awake, holding her hand against the wound in her side.
One of the agents radios for medevac while another handcuffs Prescott.
“Are you okay?” Reed asks, pulling me into a hug and holding me tight.
My body aches in every conceivable way, but in his arms I don’t mind at all. “I will be.”
“I’m so sorry for everything,” he says. “I wanted to get here sooner, but there was something I had to do.”
“Isa…” croaks Jacqueline as a pair of paramedics load her onto a stretcher. “Did you…”
“She’s safe,” says a woman stepping through the sea of agents. She’s followed by two other women, all of whom wear vests over their clothes.
“Thank… you,” Jacqueline says before they place an oxygen mask over her face and cart her away.
Reed accepts a blanket from one of the responders and drapes it over me. “Quinn, this is Carson Bennett, Marla Angel and Helena Bloom. They’re the ones who arranged all this.”
“Thank you, Reed,” says Carson. “You did good work here.”
“It’s good to meet you, Quinn,” adds Marla. “We’re sorry for everything you’ve gone through here. We’ll be making resources available to you and all the other prisoners. Counseling, legal representation, temporary housing — we have a network that can provide anything you need.”
“Thanks,” I say. Turning to Reed, I ask, “Jacqueline told me about the deal you made with her. You were able to help her sister?”
He nods. “I got her to a hotel and hid with her until Bennett’s company arrived. Then I came straight here. Thank you for trusting me,” he says to them.
“You’re welcome,” says Marla. “Thank you for helping Isabel. We know you risked a lot to do that. If Prescott had noticed she was missing before you got away…”
Reed squeezes my hand. “I didn’t want to put you in danger, but I thought-”
I kiss Reed, holding his cheeks in my hands. “You did a good thing. I understand. She deserved to be rescued as much as anyone else.”
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” says Marla.
Reed picks me up and carries me out. The women lead us outside, and it feels like an exodus — a couple dozen prisoners, countless FBI agents, paramedics — all marching into the bright light of day. I break down as I feel the sun’s warmth on my face. I tap Reed’s shoulder to let me down so I can feel the cool, dewy grass between my toes. It’s over, finally.
“Excuse me, Ms. Harris?” says Carson.
Reed and I look up to her.
“I know you and the other prisoners have been through a traumatic ordeal and right now you need to rest and recover, but I was wondering if we could ask some of you for a favor. We would need a few volunteers.”
“What for?” I ask.
She smiles, looking out at the auction stage. “It’ll be worth your while, I promise.”
—
Except for Jacqueline, who’s in stable condition at NEPA Regional Health Center, the women of the Walker Work Center watch as wealthy men from around the country take seats on lawn chairs. We’re all naked and tied to the posts, but we have hot meals in our stomachs and painkillers numbing our aches. Tape over our mouths keeps the growing assembly from seeing our smiles. My neck itches like crazy where the medics removed my tracker implant, and I wish I could scratch, but it’s a small price to pay to participate. Not a single one of us declined to volunteer. After everything we’ve been through, who would want to miss this?
Edwin and Hunter have been arrested and taken into custody, so a handful of FBI agents have donned their uniforms and patrol the premises.
“Hello again, Quinn,” says one of the men. As he comes into vision, I recognize him: Mr. R. The sponsor I kneed in the balls, what feels like years ago. “Still feeling feisty?” he asks, noticing my bound ankles.
Unable to speak, I glare at him. Was Hayden not enough? He needs a second slave? Or is he just here to keep up appearances?