Corded (The Corded Saga Book 1) Read online

  “Absolutely. I’m going to go check on the animals.”

  “Want help?” His offer sounded forced. He still didn’t have his full energy back.

  “No. Have some lunch. I’ll be back soon.”

  I walked out toward the barn but didn’t make it even halfway there before I heard the sound of a truck coming down the dirt road. I doubled back to the house, hoping I could reach my hiding place in the attic. I looked for Thomas in the kitchen but he’d left. I prayed he wouldn’t be hurt again. There was no way the traders would spare him a second time.

  I searched the house top to bottom when I heard Thomas calling from the front door. “We need to go!”

  “Why? Where’s Father?” I hadn’t heard the bell. My father always rang the bell.

  “He’s trying to hold them off. I promised him I’d get you out.” He ran upstairs to where I stood frozen with fear.

  Thomas may have been younger, but he was much stronger. He dragged me down the two flights of stairs and out the back door.

  “Come on!” Thomas pulled on my arm again, leading me through the cotton fields.

  “What about Quinn and Bailey? I'm not leaving without them.” I dug my heels in the dirt.

  “We have to leave.” He pulled on me harder. “Benjamin is with them. We have to get you away.”

  “No.” Self-preservation meant nothing when Quinn and Bailey were at risk. I'd promised myself when Bailey was born I’d do anything to protect her. I wasn't changing my mind.

  We crept through the fields, taking the longer but safer route to Quinn's new home. She'd been living there with Benjamin for over a year now, but I still wasn't used to it. Quinn had left willingly, eager to start a more exciting life. I wondered if she would have been as willing if she’d know how quickly she'd become pregnant. Bailey was a blessing, but raising a girl in our society was torture. If our future was bleak, hers was terrifying. Things were only getting worse.

  Even before we reached the barn, I knew we were too late. The loud male voices carried far over the otherwise silent landscape.

  Thomas's hand tightened on me. “We have to turn around.”

  I shook my head. I needed to find Quinn and Bailey. "No."

  The men were congregating around something, laughing as they smoked a substance that I knew wasn't the tobacco Benjamin grew. The smoke smelled earthier.

  We needed to get closer. I tried to step forward, but Thomas pulled me back.

  "No. Turn around," Thomas hissed. His fear came through in his voice and his shaking arm. The fear wasn't for him.

  Quinn's screams moved me to action. I elbowed Thomas with enough force to release my arm from his iron grip. “Look for help. They'll kill you if they get you.” I prayed he wouldn’t try to be heroic. He'd be of much more help, and might stay alive, if he ran back the way we'd come.

  I made a dash for the back door of Benjamin’s house but didn't get far. This time it wasn't Thomas holding me back.

  “What do we have here?” A low and gravelly voiced asked. I froze, hoping beyond hope he wouldn't believe it was possible to find another girl. They'd found Quinn, and I prayed they hadn't found Bailey.

  He pulled off my hood, causing my long wavy blond hair to fall down my back.

  “Another blonde, and a young one too.” He yanked on my hair, pulling me back into his chest.

  “We've hit the jackpot, boys.” The men broke out of their circle and moved toward me. In the process they revealed two bodies. I fell to my knees, heaving as I watched a man kick the bodies of my father and Benjamin.

  “Kayla,” My father crocked out my name.

  “A fighter, eh?” One of the men grinned, and I knew what was about to happen. My body convulsed as I watched him step on my father’s neck, snuffing out the last bit of life he had left.

  “No!" I screamed. My entire body shook in anger, hurt, and loss.

  The man holding me laughed. “Sorry little girl, they were in our way.”

  The cruelty in his words and eyes made everything worse. How could these men have no remorse for killing the innocent? Something died inside me that day. I knew I’d never view the world the same way again.

  Despite the agony of loss, I needed to keep a clear head. I'd be of no use to Quinn or Bailey if I fell apart. Father and Benjamin gave their lives protecting them, now it was up to me to make sure their sacrifice wasn’t in vain.

  “Bolton, put her upstairs with the other one. This load is going to bring us a fortune." The first man handed me over to a younger man who happily took hold of my arms.

  The man who'd kicked my father grinned. "Yes it will. I'm glad we held onto those other two women. Having them together at auction will bring in the crowds."

  Bolton led me toward the front door. He pushed me down the hallway and closed us into the den. His orders had been to take me upstairs, and my skin prickled with fear. I needed to get to my sister, and this man stood in my way.

  "I've never seen girls with this color hair before." He pushed me down on the couch, kneeling in front of me as he ran his hands through my hair.

  I said nothing.

  "This is my first capture. I was beginning to think I’d signed up for a dumb job."

  He looked at me like he was waiting for an answer, but I had none to give him.

  “Was that your man out there?”

  I shook my head. "No."

  “You weren’t given to anyone yet? Married off?" Bolton knew about our traditions, which meant he wasn’t from the city. The concept of being given to one man had all but disappeared outside the countryside, more often referred to as the Rurals.

  I kept my mouth closed. No answer would change anything. Even if he was from the Rurals, he didn’t care about me or my family.

  He stared at me the way someone would stare at a ghost or apparition. It was like he was trying to determine if I were real.

  His face suddenly turned serious. “If I had the money I’d buy you for myself.”

  There was an ounce of compassion in his expression, and I decided to see if that could get me anywhere. “Where’s my sister?”

  “The other yellow haired girl?”

  I nodded. “Where is she?”

  “What’s it worth to you to find out?”

  “I need her.”

  "Bolton! What are you doing in there?" A voice boomed from outside the door. Whoever it was tried to force the lock.

  “One second,” my captor murmured. “You probably have such a nice body under there.” His eyes moved to my chest. “I really want you for myself.”

  “Have you touched a woman before?” I knew it was the right question to ask. The trick would be winning him over to my side. It was the only chance any of us had of escaping before auction.

  "No." He gave the answer I knew he would. He couldn't have been more than a couple years older than me. Twenty at most. As a low level trader he'd probably have to wait a long time for his chance. The upper echelon raped their captives, but they didn't share with the new blood very often. At least that’s what I’d heard.

  Desperation made me say words that turned my stomach. "You can have me later if you help my sister and niece escape.”

  A look of excitement crossed his face then faded to disappointment. “No. I'd be killed for that.”

  “Bolton!” The door burst open, and the first man wrenched me off the couch.

  “What were you doing, boy? I told you to go upstairs."

  “Oh. Sorry sir. I got confused." Bolton cast one more glance at me before bowing his head to his superior.

  "Go out and help the others. I'll watch this one while we wait."

  I needed to see my sister and Bailey but showing emotion wouldn't help.

  “Are you a breeder too?" The man's eyes roamed over me, as though the outside of my body held the secret of whether I could bear children.

  "Not confirmed." Suspicion was enough for Central to buy me. I needed to stay with Quinn.

  “Have you tried?” He chewed
on something with a sweet aroma. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a sweet.

  Tried? He was asking if I’d had sex. I was in dangerous waters. Admitting my untouched status might be worse than admitting I was less likely a breeder.

  I chose my words carefully. “I’m not untouched, but I might be a breeder.”

  “Either way you’ll bring a good price.”

  Loud motors sounded outside, and I stiffened. Our chance of escape was narrowing.

  "Time to move, pretty one." He took my arms and pulled me back outside.

  “Kayla!” Quinn yelled, and I turned to watch her being rushed down the stairs by one man. Another man held my niece. Less than a year old, Bailey looked so tiny. Her light brown hair blew in the breeze, and I wanted to rip her from the dirty man’s arms. I’d have given up my life without hesitation to save her. She deserved more than this. She deserved a chance.

  “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.

  Had Thomas stayed to watch? I couldn’t imagine it. He’d been fiercely protective of us for years. I closed my eyes tight and prayed he made it to safety. He was too young to give up his life. He was too important.

  The truck stopped another few miles down the road and the driver opened the door. “Don’t let her out until I get back.”

  The men on either side of me nodded in agreement, and Bolton turned to look at me again. If I wasn’t imagining things his expression held some sympathy. They all knew what they were turning me over for. My guess is they knew even better than I did.

  The right side door wrenched open and the driver showed up beside it. “Let’s go. They’re ready for her.”

  The man on that side tugged me out with him. The man on my left followed behind me. With a man holding both of my arms I was dragged over to an outdoor makeshift stage.

  “Take her around back to wait,” a small wiry man ordered my captors. “We’ll do the older ones first.”

  Blocked by the stage, I couldn’t see how large the crowd was, but by the jeers and screaming, I could tell a woman was being auctioned off. I’d heard of these auctions before but the reality was so much worse than I’d imagined.

  I tried to ignore what was happening. I needed to focus. How was I going to get to Central? Would they have sent a representative to the auction? Maybe he’d notice my age and bring me in just in case.

  “She’ll go for more without this on.” One of my captors unbuttoned the rest of my cloak and tossed it off.

  I wrapped my arms around myself. Without the extra fabric I felt completely exposed.

  “She’d go for even more if we stripped her.” The other man laughed. My stomach churned.

  “But then we’d start a riot. You can see plenty through this flimsy thing.”

  My dress wasn’t flimsy but it was homemade from light cotton. The weather had been unseasonably warm so I’d put on a summer dress.

  “Show time. Good luck, girlie.” The men lifted me up and pushed me forward onto the stage.

  I stumbled, unable to see much of anything as my eyes struggled to adjust to a bright light. The jeering started immediately. The cat calls, the yelling. I lost track of the numbers being offered up as I finally looked out at the crowd. I didn’t recognize a single face. I wasn’t surprised. The men of my village didn’t have the money to buy women. />
  I blocked it out. I closed my eyes and waited to find out where I was going next. Escape was impossible at that moment and running into that crowd would only make it worse.

  “She’s ours.” A tall, dark haired man stepped through the crowd. “We’ll beat any bid.” Without hesitating he stepped up to the stage. “Bring her around.”

  The men from earlier grabbed me from behind and yanked me from the stage.

  “Who was that?” I dared to ask even though I feared the answer.

  “Gregory. He’s a Reine.”

  My heart sunk. “You really are selling me to the Reine.”

  “They always pay the most.” He patted me on the back. “But you seem strong. Maybe you’ll survive.” He shoved my cloak over the bindings on my hands before leading me over to a large black vehicle. It was the type I’d only seen a few times. Large and bulky, Central used them when they drove through town. My father had explained the vehicle offered greater protection from guns and other forms of attack.

  “Well, well, well.” Gregory watched our approach. “Even prettier than I first thought.”

  “We found her out in one of the farming villages. Had a pretty sister too, but she was a breeder.” My nervous captor sputtered out the details.

  “I’d have preferred both, but we can make do. See Marco for payment.” He reached for my arm.

  “Payment first,” one of my captors demanded.

  “That’s not how it works anymore. You know that.”

  “How do I know we’ll get paid? She’s valuable. We could have taken her to Central instead.”

  “You’ll get paid, and I agree she’s valuable.” He licked his lips.

  “I want half now, or we don’t release her.”

  “Fine,” he barked, pulling a thick stack of bills from his pocket. The man was prepared which meant the refusal was just for show.

  With a sickening feeling, I watched the money change hands. Freedom shouldn’t be so easily bought and sold.

  As soon as Gregory let go of the cash, he pulled me roughly against him. “Hello, beautiful.”

  The traders turned without a second glance. They walked right over to their truck. The driver was already at the wheel, and the tires squealed as the truck sped out of the field.