Finding Serenity Read online

  “Jenna,” she whispers back.

  Before I can respond, the man on the phone shouts, stalling my conversation with Jenna. “I said I’d take care of it, boss. We got the girl you requested, plus one more. What the hell is the big deal?”

  Requested? I highly doubt this child is a prostitute or an escort the dude found online and hired for a date. Not only is she incredibly young, but she’s also terrified with clearly no idea what the hell is happening.

  I don’t hear what the man on the other end of the phone says, but I can tell he’s yelling even from the back seat. “Yeah, okay. I’ll log her in like the rest of them. She’s a little older, but I’m sure she’ll sell fine.”

  “Sell!” My voice reaches an octave I didn’t realize I was capable of. “What the hell do you mean sell? Are you seriously that crazed? What the flying fuck is wrong with you? Let us out, now!”

  The guy hangs up his phone and shoves it back into his pocket as he addresses me, completely ignoring my questions. “Do you have a cell phone on you?”

  “Do you really think I’d tell you if I did?” I roll my eyes, though he isn’t paying attention.

  He spins around and pins me with an evil glare. “If you don’t answer me with the truth, I’ll search every part of your body until I’m satisfied you don’t have one.”

  My spine stiffens and chills race through me, but I refuse to show this bastard any fear. “I left it in my car. If you let me out right here, I can go grab it.”

  “Maybe I’ll search you when we get to where we’re going anyway, just in case.”

  Bile rises in my throat, and my stomach twists.

  “What about you? You got a phone on you?” he halfheartedly asks Jenna as if he knows her answer before she speaks it.

  “No.” The poor girl can’t speak above a whisper. Reaching my hand out, I grab hers and hold it tightly in silent assurance she’s not alone.

  The douchebag nods, turning back to face front. “Figured as much. You street rats never have shit except for a good enough body.”

  Jenna shrinks in her seat. The fucker clearly upset her more, and it pisses me off. “Ignore him, he’s probably just acting all high and mighty because he has a micro-dick.” Jenna’s eyes widen, and I smirk.

  The sides of her mouth turn up slightly, my mission accomplished. The poor girl is terrified out of her mind, and if I succumb to my fear, she’ll have no one. My whole focus remains on her so I don’t break down.

  We don’t get a chance to say anything more because the car comes to a hard stop, and we lurch forward. Glancing around, I find us in a deserted parking garage, a plain white van parked beside us is the only other vehicle. The men get out of the car and stand on Jenna’s side to talk. They start out at a normal volume, but quickly escalate in volume, hollering at each other. It’s hard to make out what they’re saying, but I manage to get, “unexpected problem,” and “boss was mad.” I assume they mean I’m the unexpected problem and their wonderful employer wasn’t all that happy I came along for the ride. They probably won’t be getting their Christmas bonus this year.

  Before long, they settle their little tiff and turn back toward Jenna’s door. I ready myself for them to open her door, pushing her behind me, and sneering at them. They simply smile back. One nods to the other, and the door swings open. I kick out hard, landing a good shot in one idiot’s gut. His buddy slips around the door, and a painful pinch in my thigh draws my attention. Glancing down at my leg, I find a syringe sticking out of my pants.

  “Oh, shit.” My speech slurs, and my mind clouds almost instantly. I have no idea what they put in my body, but it can’t be good. The last thing I remember is Jenna screaming as my eyes close.

  2

  Taylor

  “Totally worth it,” I spit out, blood trickling down my chin from my split lip.

  Jenna shakes her head sadly, her eyes welling up with tears. “If you keep that up, they’re going to kill you one of these times, Taylor.”

  “You’ve been saying that for two weeks. It’s not going to change anything.” Pressing my bare back against the cold, hard wall, I slide down until my butt meets the ground. My body hurts, and I’d give my entire savings for a nice hot bath.

  Jenna plops down next to me, resting her head on my shoulder. Even though I only met her two weeks ago, I already care about her a lot. When I started to come around from whatever drugs the fuckers gave me, I realized they shoved me into the van with Jenna. She was unconscious, but neither of us were hurt. A quick glance at my wristwatch revealed little time had passed. Jenna didn’t wake up for several more hours. My guess as to why I woke quickly was my high tolerance for medications. I remember getting my tonsils removed when I was twelve, and the doctors told me I needed more pain medicine than the average person. Who knew it would come in handy?

  I stayed awake the rest for the ride, but my body was weak. When they opened the van door, I wanted badly to sock one of them in the balls, but I could barely lift myself into a sitting position. They dragged us into different rooms, stripped us to our bras and panties, took every piece of our jewelry, including our earrings and my watch. They took pictures of our bodies, threw us into a tiny room together, and left us.

  Jenna woke not long later, and I managed to keep her calm while I explained what happened during the time she was out. Most days since the first follow the same pattern. We get fed once a day—a horrid microwave dinner meal they cook until it becomes rubbery. They give us one bottle of water to last us the whole day. Three men come in and out of the rooms every day. They call each other by name—Track, Randolf, and Lopez. The boss from the phone call never shows up.

  They won’t allow us to wear any clothing aside from our bras and underwear. We have access to a bathroom, if you can call it that—just a toilet and a broken sink. We use watered down hand soap in the sink to wash our bodies and scant amount of clothing.

  Three other girls have been in the room with us over the last few weeks. All of them come from similar backgrounds and supposedly have no one who will look for them. I suspect it’s why the douchebags picked them to kidnap and bring here. While they’re with me and Jenna, I’m able to protect them somewhat from the three perverted men, but eventually, they team up and take the girls away. Despite my efforts, I can’t fight them off. Jenna worries about me every time it happens because the men get some good hits in. I end up in bad shape, but it’s worth it to keep the girls safe even if it is just for a moment.

  Today, they came to take Jenna away. I made a big enough fuss they gave up for now, leaving me with a fat lip and a few bruised ribs. Jenna easily became the little sister I never had. I’ll do whatever necessary to protect her.

  They have yet to separate us since the first time when we got our pictures taken. They wanted to on the first day, but I managed to get a good nut shot in with Track, the idiot taking pictures. He fell to the ground, and I did my best to run while my body was still sluggish. If Jenna couldn’t get out on her own, I’d find help and get her. I took a few turns and ended up in a makeshift office. An older man with salt and pepper hair, in a pressed suit and loafers stood with his back to me. He yelled at one of the other guys who I now know as Randolf. I didn’t catch his words, but when Randolf noticed me, he turned white. His widened eyes tipped the older man off to an intruder. He spun around, and I caught a quick glimpse of his face before Track tackled me from behind and dragged me back to the picture room.

  Since then, Jenna and I stay together, and I’m glad for it. Unfortunately, the three men continue to mention their boss’s interest in me. According to them, I’m not his normal type, but he liked what he saw. The whole situation disgusts me. I don’t know how, but I need to get Jenna and me out of this hell hole.

  “Do you have family?” Jenna asks, seizing my thoughts of getting out. We’ve spent a good amount of time talking about ourselves and escape ideas, but nothing about family. Anytime the subject would come up, Jenna would change it.

  Her abr
upt question surprises me, but I nod. “Yeah, I have family. Do you?”

  “Nope.” She sighs, lifting her head from my shoulder. “My parents abandoned me when I was small. I’ve been in the system since then. Honestly, my current foster family probably doesn’t even know I’m missing. I would spend a lot of time on the streets. I always found it easier and less stressful than staying in the foster homes.”

  “That’s horrible, Jenna. No wonder you don’t want to talk about family.” I wrap my arm around her shoulder and hug her to my side. I figured her situation was similar to the other girls we met so far, but I held a small bit of hope I was wrong and she had a loving family at home. “You’ll have me from now on, though. I’ll help you out. I’ll be your family.”

  “If we ever get out of here,” she counters, her chin wobbling.

  I make a tsk noise and squeeze her gently. “We’ll get out of here. I’m sure my Grumpy has already called the national guard and my two best friends, Michelle and Evelyn, will be looking for me, too. They’ll find us, and I’ll keep us safe until they do.”

  “Tell me about them,” she urges, clearly aiming to change the subject. “What’s your family like?”

  A smile lifts my lips as I think of them. “Michelle and Evelyn have been my best friends for so long I hardly remember life without them. They’re amazing. Michelle is the responsible one and wiser than her years. Evelyn is fierce and closed off from most people, but once she comes out of her shell, she’s the funniest person you’ll ever meet. My Grumpy is the best man I’ve ever known. I gave him the nickname because everyone else sees him as an asshole and sometimes they’re right. He is constantly bitching about something, but he also has the biggest heart, and he’d do anything for me.”

  “You don’t have parents?” Her question is straightforward and without hesitation.

  It doesn’t hurt me to answer, not like it used to when I was young. “I do... somewhere. My biological father took off the minute he found out my mom was pregnant. She was only nineteen, and he was in his twenties. He never wanted kids, and he refused to have anything to do with either of us after that. I’ve never met him, and I don’t want to.”

  She frowns. “What a jerk.”

  “Yeah.” I chuckle. Shifting a bit in my seated position, I wince at the pain in my side. Jenna notices, but before she can scold me again, I continue, “My mom tried, I think. She was sort of there for the first few years, but she loved her social life. She wanted to spend time with her friends and date. She didn’t want to be tied down with a kid. She left me with babysitters a lot. At first, it was just during the day, then overnight. The overnight stays became weekends, and before long, she was away for weeks or months at a time. My grandparents figured out what was happening when I was around five or six, and they took me in. They always let my mom see me when she came around, but they kept me with them. My mom never protested. I think she was glad to be free of the responsibility. The older I got, the worse she became, though.”

  “I’m glad you had your grandparents.” Jenna softens. “You had a happy home for the most part it seems.”

  “I did. They were the best examples I could have ever asked for.”

  She frowns. “Where are they now?”

  My smile fades slightly. “Grammy passed away three years ago. My mom barely stayed long enough for the funeral and the reading of her will. She left everything to my grandfather and me. Mom was pissed, and I haven’t seen her since.”

  Jenna’s frown deepens. “What about your grandpa?”

  As I open my mouth to answer, the door swings wide and draws our attention. Track and Lopez come into the room with evil smirks. “Okay, bitch. It’s time.”

  “Aw, is it your time of the month? Having some cramps?”

  Track wraps his disgusting hand around my bicep and jerks me to standing. Lopez backhands me as soon as I’m on my feet. I assume it’s because he doesn’t appreciate my sarcasm.

  With a bruising grip on my arm, Track drags me through the open door. “You’re coming with us, you stupid shit. The boss decided he’ll keep you for himself rather than put you up for sale. He’s on his way here to pick up his newest pet.”

  “Do I look like a fucking chihuahua? I don’t have a damn owner. Now, get your nasty hands off me.” I tug on my arm in hopes of breaking free. The only thing I manage to accomplish is bruising myself further, but I refuse to give up. Pulling with all the strength I have, I finally manage to twist hard and free my arm from his grasp. He spins toward me, grabbing at the air in hopes of catching me. I’m smaller and faster, though. I duck down and elbow him in the groin. It’s an old trick, but it works wonders. Track bends at the waist and screams out like a little bitch.

  Spinning on my heel, I race in the opposite direction that Track dragged me. I’m only three strides into my sprint when a sharp sting in my arm startles me. Stumbling over my feet, I seek out the source of the sting. A syringe sticks out from my upper arm, and the moment the needle registers in my mind, my feet refuse to cooperate with me.

  Of course, the douchebags would drug me again. They’re probably afraid I’ll hurt or outsmart them. I’m not sure if I say or think the string of profanities that runs through my mind, but they’re cut off by strange sounds coming from the other side of the building. Without giving me a second thought, Track and Lopez take off in a rush toward the noise. In their haste, they leave the door to our room unlocked, and Jenna is able to get out.

  She hurries to my side, holding me up as I sag toward the ground. My limbs become heavy fast, but I do my best to push through the lethargy that threatens to overtake my body. “Jenna, get out of here. Run fast and don’t stop.”

  Jenna pins me with a look of disbelief. “I’m not leaving you here, Taylor.”

  “You are. You’re going to find help, and you can tell them I’m here. I’ll be fine. Jenna, this could be our only chance to get out.” My speech slurs, and my vision loses focus. “Please do this for me. I need you to.”

  Jenna breaks down into a fit of sobs, hugging me tightly. “I’ll get help, and I’ll come back for you, I swear.”

  My arm manages to slide around her for a quick hug before pushing her toward the hall. She hurries away without a word. When she rounds the corner and I lose sight of her, I drag my uncooperative body around a corner and down a hallway, finding my way to the makeshift office I accidentally ran into two weeks ago. With no other options, I use the last of my consciousness to drop myself behind the ragged sofa in the corner. My only hope is they won’t find me before I come around, and I can sneak out.

  A loud bang and cursing is the last thing to register before I fall unconscious.

  3

  Syn

  “What a fucking nightmare!” Lowering my weapon, I relax my stance and lean against the dirty concrete wall of the warehouse we raided tonight.

  Maverick, our team lead, pulls his eye protection off and pinches the bridge of his nose. “We took care of the problem. We got the girls out. The Harper-Smith family got their girl back. All we can do is hope Lochlan, Collin, and Parker will pull through and be alright.”

  Marak nods at Maverick, then smirks. “Agreed, but next time Dominic and Lochlan call you and say they need a favor, pretend you lost signal and hang up.”

  “I like that idea, do that.” I fist-bump Marak while Maverick rolls his eyes and Allistar shakes his head with a grin.

  The four of us take a few moments of silence to calm ourselves and catch our breath. After a raid, too much adrenaline always pumps through our bodies. It takes a while to relax and regroup.

  My eyes roam around the nasty room we found ourselves in after the last ambulance left. We told the Harper-Smith clan to get lost, and we’d do a final sweep of the place. When the team we work with constantly called and asked for help rescuing their girl, we didn’t hesitate. We’re SWAT, and they’re like our extended family. It’s what we do.

  Two of their men got hurt during the raid, and the girl they’ve all ta
ken a liking to was in rough shape when we showed up. Their place is at the hospital right now, not here clearing rooms. We took care of everything for them after sending them away.

  Movement in the far corner catches my attention, and I draw my weapon on instinct. The guys follow suit without hesitation, aiming in the general direction I have my gun trained on.

  Maverick curses under his breath, and I know he found what caught my eye. He goes straight into commander mode. “Come out slowly with your hands raised!”

  The foot sticking out from behind the couch doesn’t move. With only a quick glance in my direction, I know Maverick wants me to proceed forward. He and the guys have my six, so I’m not concerned about going in alone. When I’m with my team, I’m never alone.

  “I’m coming to you. If you move suddenly, I will not hesitate to shoot you.” My warning does nothing to the figure behind the couch. The person remains motionless.

  My steps are slow and measured as I continue my approach. My stomach drops as more of the person comes into view. A dirty pair of feet lead up to curvy, bare thighs and hips. Her torso is completely bare and excessively bruised. Her bare arms cover her chest, but it’s clear she’s only got a bra and panties on like the rest of the girls we found. “Holy shit.”

  My gaze locks on a female lying motionless on the filthy ground, and I hope to high hell she’s only unconscious. Immediately, I lower my weapon and rush to her side. The guys follow my lead, coming around the side of the couch.

  Allistar inhales sharply. “Jesus, how’d we miss her?”

  “She’s behind a couch. We didn’t have any furniture to look behind or under in any other room. This one got past us, somehow.” Maverick already blames himself for missing the girl, and I know we’ll need to talk to him later. He may be our leader, but we all take responsibility for the team’s actions.

  Normal protocol for a situation like this would be to pat the person down before checking for injuries. We can skip the pat down for this girl because she’s basically naked. My pointer and middle finger go to the pulse point on her neck, and I let out the breath I was holding. “She’s alive. Her pulse is strong, too.”