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Everything suddenly makes sense. “It was you,” I gasp, “You were the other man. You pushed her.”
“Clever girl. It was all because of him. So now I’m taking you. I want him to suffer, to know what it feels like to lose the one person that you love more than anything. I was changing for her, I was going to be a better man.”
“He went to prison for something he didn’t do,” I yell. “He’s suffered enough. Fuck,” I snap, “I bet it galled you when you knew we were together. You killed her, not him.”
“It was an accident and he caused it. Now he’s determined to make my life hell, stealing my shipments, taking my clients, offering my girls work at his strip club. He brought this on himself, so when you get to your new home with your new owner, think back to this and remember that he put you in this situation, he should have left me well alone.”
“Finn, listen to what you’re saying. I am the mother of your child, are you really going to use me to prove a point to Ryder? What about Harlee?”
“Harlee is fine. She’ll be happy with Mary.”
I bend slightly, the pain in my chest intensifying. “No Finn, no. Please, please don’t take her away from me. You loved me once, how can you do this?”
“I loved you and then you ruined it by having her. You should have kept things the way they were.”
“Think about Alice, would she want this? She wanted you to be better.”
He marches over to me and I scramble back until I hit the wall. I screw my eyes closed, waiting for the blow but it doesn’t come. “Don’t ever speak about her again,” he hisses, close to my face. “Now get dressed, we have to leave in five minutes.” I watch as he leaves, and then the women rush over, wrapping me in their arms.
“Oh Neve,” Adelina says with a sigh, “Poor Neve.”
“I’m fine,” I whisper, my words barely a whisper. “We have to be brave now. When we get a chance, we must run because they are going to sell us tonight to bad men. We can’t let them sell us.” Both women nod, stepping back so that I can pull on the short black dress. “If you get the chance to go on your own, then you must take it, don’t stop to help me or they will kill you. Just run, fast.”
Adelina repeated the same to Malia who nodded, with tears in her eyes.
The door opens again and Finn stands at the top. “Let’s go,” he snaps.
We all take each other’s hands and I lead us up the steps. We have no shoes or underwear, just the short black dress and as we follow him out onto the gravel driveway, I wince as sharp stones stick to my feet.
We’re instructed to get into a black Range Rover. Finn climbs in the front along with the driver. “The doors are child locked so don’t get any ideas.”
Ryder
I blow my warm breath into my hands. We’ve not long arrived but it’s cold with a strong wind blowing off the Thames. Griff hands me a hat and I pull it on, grateful for extra warmth.
The place is dead, and although we’re opposite the entrance to the docks, I’m still stressed thinking we might miss them. We’ve stationed thirty other men in and around the stacked shipping containers. All armed and all just waiting for my order.
I still when my earpiece crackles and Bear announces, “Three Vehicles approaching.”
Two minutes later, three Vehicles turn into the docks and take a right, slowly driving in convoy. We wait until they’re out of sight before Griff taps my shoulder and indicates for me to follow him. We weave in and out of containers as silently as we can until we spot the taillights on the third car, slowing down.
Crouching down behind a barrel, we wait as the vehicle doors open. Two security men in dark clothing step out first and open the doors on a container. They go back to the vehicle and drag a female from the back. She’s struggling and fighting against them. I go to rush over but Griff stops me, shaking his head. “Wait,” he whispers.
The guard slaps the girl hard and she screams. He holds her arms behind her back, “Gag the stupid bitch,” he growls, and the other guard steps forward and proceeds to wrap material around the girl’s face.
A second girl steps from the vehicle, dressed the same as the first, neither looked familiar. It’s only when a third gets out that I gasp. Neve. Griff grabs my arm, smiling with relief. The doors to the other vehicles are opened and security wait with big umbrellas, keeping the men that get out, dry.
Neve
I see my opportunity. Adelina is being difficult, fighting against the man holding her. The other security men step in to help, leaving me and Malia to follow on. I squeeze Malia’s hand and use my eyes to indicate that she should get ready. I glance back, Finn is shaking hands with other men, all smiling and greeting each other enthusiastically.
I give Malia’s hand a small tug, before turning to run. Shouting rings out all around us, and I feel a hand brush against me, letting me know that there’s someone hot on our tales. I daren’t look back, instead I focus ahead. And then I lose my footing, the mud beneath me making it impossible to stay upright and I crash to the floor with Malia landing on top of me. Laughter comes from behind and humiliation burns me. We were so close.
Finn looms over me, laughing hard. And then he crouches, grabbing a handful of my hair and pulling me to my knees. “You stupid cunt,” he hisses.
The click of a gun surprises us both and for a second, I think I’m hallucinating. “Get your hands off my old lady,” growls Ryder, his voice low and menacing. I almost laugh with relief. I never thought I’d see him again after tonight.
Finn yanks me to him, standing with an arm around my waist. I feel something sharp pressed to my neck. “Good evening, Ryder. How nice of you to join us uninvited.”
