And here we are, the three of us... united by a higher cause, facing our fate in an operation born from a bloodbath. Here we are, and I can feel their protective hands on me at every moment. As for me, I am determined to keep my word and save every last one of them.
We descended the stairs beneath the stone bar to a locked door. Killian threw himself against it like Hercules himself until it finally gave way. Before us lay a narrow corridor. I knew instantly something was wrong; I could feel it in my gut.
"It smells different," I whispered. "Whatever it is, it's not good. Not good at all."
To the right was a darkened room. As we stepped inside, the lights flickered on automatically, and we saw them: three women in chains, wearing orange uniforms. There was nothing there but the bars, a toilet, and them—except for the signs posted in front of each cell. They were dietary instructions for George to follow. It was sickeningly clear: the giant was in charge of keeping them alive so that family of psychopaths could enjoy them in whatever twisted way they saw fit.
One of them screamed the moment she saw me. "Get us out of here! Get us out before Vandereck comes back!"
Lucius stepped forward to calm them. "That's not going to happen. It's okay. You'll never see the Vanderecks or George again."
I asked for their names.
"I'm Irene."
"I'm Rose."
"I'm Pam."
All three were young and beautiful. One was blonde, the other two brunettes. In her desperation, the blonde—Pam—swore to me they hadn't done anything wrong. She said she'd had a brief fling with Mr. Vandereck, and that was it; the bastard simply wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Of course you haven't done anything wrong," I assured her. "We're getting you out. Do you know if there are more? Does anyone know if there are more?"
She pointed toward two darkened cells. "Not in this wing. At least, not alive. Virginia and Ellen are in there. They died almost four years ago when Vandereck got angry because they tried to escape. He ordered George not to feed them. We only know from him that his daughter, Annia, collects women too. The bastard was proud of it. But no, he didn't say where she keeps them. Only the ones who rejected him are down here."
Killian approached the dark cells and recoiled in horror. The corpses were indeed there, slumped on the floor, shriveled and covered in a white and blue substance that gave off that strange odor I had noticed.
Pam told us they had been forced to listen to the story of how the women died of hunger and thirst. Vandereck had left them there as a warning: don't try the same thing.
The keys to the cages and chains were in a drawer, just like in the other room. We unlocked them, and the women threw their arms around me. They wouldn't let go, even as I insisted we had to hurry. They were sobbing with a raw grief I had never witnessed before. Once they finally calmed down, we headed back up the way we came.
The moment we stepped into the Coliseum Hall, we ran into two more guards. One demanded, "What are you doing coming out of there? Only Big George and Mr. Vandereck are allowed in the mechanical room of this wing. It's off-limits to everyone else. I wasn't told you had authorization to go down there. Don't move until I check with command."
It was obvious these men had no clue what was actually happening beneath their feet. One even asked the other, "Who are these women?"
A few seconds later, he recognized one of them. "Wait... aren't you Ms. Pam? Yes! You were Mr. Vandereck's girlfriend when I started working here."
Killian pulled his pistol and forced them to put their hands up. Lucius disarmed them. They were debating whether to take the guards with us or shove them down the stairs and trap them under the stone bar when a third guard appeared. He was shouting into his radio, asking why the hell they weren't answering. The moment he saw the scene, he bolted, calling for backup.
"Hostiles on the top floor! We are under attack!"
Killian didn't shoot him. I think it was because of his big heart, or maybe because it just didn't matter anymore. A loud alarm began blaring throughout the entire mansion. Looking through the top-floor window, we saw armed men from the perimeter flooding the gardens. The place was swarming with uniforms. We were cornered.
We hurried the women down the stairs as fast as we could. We could already hear the thundering rhythm of boots—Vandereck's private army sounding like a terrifying herd of horses. When we reached the room where we'd left Evangelina and the redheads, the newly freed women joined them in tears.
Bruce asked, his voice clipped and professional, "What's the situation?"
"A hundred men or more will be down here in a minute," Killian replied. "Ten minutes max. The entrance is likely swarming with them by now. We can't go out that way. That option is off the table."
Evangelina chimed in. "Wait. Annia showed me how to open the bunker. Only we had the code. Once it's closed, no one from the outside can get in. It's either that or die here. The perimeter guards have orders to shoot to kill."
We all understood there was no other choice. I explained it to the other women. Except for a few who were crying, the others just asked if they'd be able to see their parents and siblings, almost as if they didn't fully grasp what was really happening. I wanted to tell them I was sorry, that I had tried, that everything was about to get worse, but Evangelina came back, determined.
"Quickly, let's go. Get up and—"
The shouts of the guards echoing down the corridor cut her off. They were already beginning to sweep the rooms. We didn't have time. We locked the door, and Killian, Bruce, and Lucius signaled for everyone to stay quiet. Then we killed the lights.
The footsteps drew closer. We heard shouting: "Over here! My God!"
One of the guards ordered the others to be quiet. We could hear his footsteps moving away from the group and toward our door. He keyed his radio.
"Command! This is Falcon 3. Annia Vandereck has been murdered. We found her in her room. Her former bodyguard is wounded and gagged. I repeat, Annia Vandereck is dead. We are moving in. Orders are to shoot to kill."
The response was immediate. "This is Command. Do not advance. The situation has changed. Hold your position."
The guard complained, "They're in here! In one of these rooms! Give me a few minutes and the people who did this will pay!"
"Cordon off the area and hold your position," the radio crackled. "Something has changed. They're sending someone important. Obey now!"
The guard's voice, thick with fury, barked to his men, "New intel. Everyone to the ends of the hallways and the stairs. No one in, no one out, until a negotiator arrives."
Once they retreated, Killian whispered to his brother, "It must be because of us. They don't want to just open fire on a Longfield. They'll want to torture us first."
In the darkness, Evangelina's voice spoke up. With an incredible calm, she told the women, "I promise nothing bad will happen to you. They're going to come for me. You'll get out of here, but I won't."
"Don't talk like that," Lucius said. "We're going to protect you. We'll use everything we have. It won't be that easy for them. Now, everyone stay quiet."
Killian settled beside me and took my hand. Lucius took the other. I whispered, "Is Vandereck going to kill us?"
Almost at the same time, they both said, "No. Not him. We're sure of that."
Half an hour later, we heard the helicopter.
Lucius stood by the door and spoke with authority. "We're going to turn on the light. We'll leave the guns on the floor. Killian and I will do the talking. We're Longfields, and they're here for us. Stay quiet, and we'll explain everything."
The light blinded me for an instant. Like a bolt of lightning striking my mind, every image came rushing back, and that's when I finally understood. No matter how powerful the Longfield brothers were, the Vanderecks were their enemies, and they weren't going to let them get away with this. They had even told me they would have to go into hiding afterward because people would be hunting them. Remember that, girl? And now they were standing there by the door, telling us to stay calm.
Then I knew.
The brothers weren't going to solve anything by talking, and they knew it. They were going to sacrifice themselves to try and get us out alive—offering themselves as scapegoats to settle the score and let us go free. But as I looked at the women sitting on the carpet, huddled together, I felt sick. Was the empire really going to let them go home? Were they going to set them free to tell their stories to the press? I didn't think so.
At least I'll die with them, because I'm not leaving them alone. I promised to get them on that plane. How stupid I was. How sure I felt that everything would turn out okay...
Footsteps echoed in the hall. Killian shouted, "We're in here! We are the Longfield brothers. There are innocent women inside. We want guarantees that they won't be harmed!"
The footsteps stopped at the door. An elderly voice spoke from the other side. "I am Simon Rihan, legal counsel for the Vandereck empire. I am accompanied by Dr. Almirón, the family's head of business affairs. Before we continue, I need you to tell me who is inside."
Lucius said, "I am Lucius Longfield. My brother Killian is with me. Also Bruce Bance, his cousin Evangelina, Miss..."
But Simon Rihan interrupted him. "That is enough, thank you. I'm going to ask you to open the door. And please—I am a very old man, and I do not fear death, but I was recently given a puppy and, well... I'd like to get home to feed him. Don't take it the wrong way; I know you are gentlemen, but given the circumstances, I would like your word of honor that no one will shoot me."
"You have our word," Killian replied.
I watched with my own eyes as those two beautiful Longfields used their bodies to cover the width of the door, shielding us. They looked at each other, and then both looked at me—as if they were saying goodbye to the love of their lives. I whispered a single I love you meant for both of them, looking down. I wasn't going to choose now, not after everything Clara the psychic had said.
Then they opened the door and, I swear on my soul, girl... our world changed forever.