"It's okay, Quinn." It wasn't okay, but she needed to hear the words. She needed to believe we had a chance if she was going to stay strong for Bailey. Quinn wasn't weak, but she panicked. I was on the other end of the spectrum. My recklessness usually got me in trouble. Watching Quinn's and Bailey's terrified faces turned the knife of guilt already in my gut. I was to blame for everything. I was the one who was spotted. I was the one who brought the traders back so many times in one month.
"No more talking." The first man put a cloth over my mouth and another bound my hands. I didn't fight it. It wasn't going to do any good with an entire line of men outside. Especially not when Bailey was being held by one of them. I needed to get Bailey back to Quinn. Then we could plan escape.
Quinn got the same bindings. She struggled hard, reaching out for her daughter.
"Stop squirming, you bitch." A man slapped her across her face, knocking her over.
My body lurched forward, reacting on instinct, but I was pulled back.
"You should be more like this one. She didn't fight at all." He ran a finger over my cheek.
I recoiled. If he only knew the fight I had in me just waiting to come out.
I tried to send Quinn a wordless message. To reassure her and let her know I'd make sure we got out. She didn't look at me; she was watching Bailey.
We were led to a line of trucks. They were separating us. Quinn's panicked expression said it all. Bailey started crying.
"Shut up, kid!" A man snapped.
The first man got a little sense. "Keep her with her mama. That's what babies want. She probably still drinks from her tits."
I swallowed down my fear and felt a surge of relief when Quinn and Bailey were put in the same truck. I was picked up and thrown into a different one. I stumbled into the back cab between two men. My throat constricted, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. Both men looked at me with such hungry eyes, eyes I'd rarely seen thanks to my father's protection.
The truck lurched forward, and I was nearly thrown from my seat.
"You can take that cloth off her mouth now, can't you?" Bolton turned around from the front seat.
"I don't see why not." One of the men next to me pulled the cloth down so it hung around my neck.
"What's your name, pretty?" he asked.
I expected these men to hurt me, not talk to me. I wasn't sure what to do.
"Can't she talk?" The man on my other side asked.
"Yeah, she talked to me before." Bolton grinned, proud of himself.
"Tell us your name." The man next to me asked, this time less politely.
I swallowed. Maybe it was worth playing nice. "Will you all tell me yours?"
They broke into laughter.
The driver turned around. "You'll have plenty of new names to learn soon."
"You mean all the doctors at Central?" They needed to sell me to Central. The likelihood of it waned now that I had been separated from Quinn, but I needed to change their minds.
"Central? That's not where you're going, honey." The guy on my right picked up a piece of my hair and rubbed it against his face.
"What do you mean? Quinn's a breeder, you have to sell her to Central. I'm her sister."
"She and that baby are on their way there now."
"On their way? What about the auction?"
"New rules at Central. They'll pay you more if you transport directly."
"Then bring me there too!"
"You're not a breeder." He responded calmly, not raising his voice to meet my screaming.
"But I could be." My chest tightened. I couldn't be separated from Quinn and Bailey.
"You're a blonde. The Reine will pay, besides we need to keep them happy."
"The Reine?" My body shook. I had heard enough stories about the notoriously ruthless club to know it was the last place I wanted to be.
"I suppose someone else might pay more, but I can't imagine."
The younger man turned around again. "I hope you survive them." There was something real in his eyes; a mix of regret and guilt and something else I couldn't place.
I tried to swallow. "I will." I had to. I'd have to escape and get to Quinn. Failure wasn't an option.
Three
We drove for over an hour. After leaving the paved roads behind, I felt every bump of the gravel road we traveled. Every minute I was getting further and further away from Quinn. I cursed my recklessness. If I'd only listened to Thomas and waited, I wouldn't be in this mess. I could have made it to Central. But there's no way I could have stayed quiet. I couldn't have sat back and watched Quinn and Bailey taken away.