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I roughly tip her chin up with my finger so she’s forced to look into my eyes. The huge bruise on her cheek reminds me of my earlier question.
“Who hurt you, Alexis? Was it Mark?”
Alexis squeezes her eyes shut but quickly nods.
I stamp down the anger rising in my chest. We’re finally getting somewhere, and I’m not about to let this moment slide.
“Tell me everything that happened before Edo and I found you on the street,” I growl. “And leave nothing out. I will find out if you do, and I don’t think you’ll like what happens if I find out you lied.”
She flinches at that statement but takes a steadying breath. Suddenly, it’s like a dam has been unleashed and she tells me everything. From her mother’s death to being placed with the Carters to meeting Mark. When she tells me how Mark hit her while her foster parents and foster sister did nothing and how they all conspired to sell her to The Brotherhood, I have to clench my fists in order to not hunt them down and take them out myself.
“So I escaped from the basement,” she whispers. “And I was so, so close to freedom when that guy attacked me. That’s when you found me.”
Her story is horrifying, but it still doesn’t answer the question as to why she’s so important to Mario Rafa. She only shrugs helplessly when I ask her.
“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that I don’t know,” she says tiredly. “This is the first time I’ve ever heard the name Mario Rafa.”
For whatever reason, I believe her. Nat would kill me for that, but there’s a resigned hopelessness to Alexis right now that can’t be faked.
It’s not exactly a secret that The Brotherhood dabbles in human trafficking, but this is the first time I’m actually interacting with a potential victim. My stomach twists as I wonder how many other Alexises have been sold to unsavory customers.
Uncle Vinny would tell me to turn Alexis over now so we can get our cut, but I don’t want to. Whoever The Brotherhood sells Alexis to will do their best to permanently remove that fire from her. I don’t buy for one second that Alexis is naturally meek and mild. She’s quick to anger, as demonstrated by her slapping me when I accused her of being a prostitute, and she’s cunning and intelligent, as evidenced by the fucking rope ladder she created.
No, this timidity is a survival technique. Bland people fly under the radar much easier than passionate ones.
“What are you going to do with me?” Alexis asks, her voice trembling. “Please don’t send me to The Brotherhood or the Carters. I’ll do anything.”
I really don’t know what I’m going to do. While I don’t want her to be sold, I also know keeping her here is dangerous. If Mario gets wind that his missing person has been hiding out here, he’ll declare a war to get her.
And we can’t afford a war, not when Invicta would probably join up with The Brotherhood to ensure our destruction.
“I don’t know,” I admit, frowning as I watch her face fall and as she shrinks into herself. Why does my honesty make me feel like a piece of shit?
My phone suddenly rings, a welcome distraction from some potential unpleasant introspection. I swiftly bring my phone to my ear, turning my back on Alexis so I can’t see her crestfallen and scared expression.
“Damian,” I say shortly.
“Boss!” A frantic voice bellows, and I have to pull my phone back so my eardrum isn’t blown out. “Boss! Invicta is here and shootin’ up the place!”
I can hear a round of gunfire in the distance, and the man yells before the line goes dead.
“FUCK!” I shout, causing Alexis to jump in fright, but I don’t care right now.
I need to get to my warehouse now and end this fight before the police get wind of this. The last thing I need is for the pigs to find our drugs.
The door bursts open, and Edo and Nat appear, their faces white and their cell phones in their hands. They must have also gotten phone calls as well.
“Edo, let’s go,” I order, grabbing the guns that Edo tosses at me. “Nat, you stay here and keep an eye on Alexis.”
“What?” Nat hisses, dropping her phone to curl her hands into fists. “I’m not a fucking babysitter, Damian! I’m your underboss. Are you having me watch her because I’m a female?”
Is my sister really accusing me of misogyny? Fucking seriously?
I gesture toward Alexis who is cowering at the wall. “She just tried to fucking escape using a goddamn rope ladder. You’re the only one who could potentially stop her if she decides to be stupid enough to try again.”
Nat looks unconvinced, but I really don’t care. I have more important things to worry about.
I jerk my head toward Edo. “Bring the men and get the car ready. We have no time to lose.”
