Price of Freedom

“Why did you offer to help me?” I asked her, looking around the apartment we were in. It was simple yet plush in its own way warm, feminine, and soft, with a kind of elegance that felt foreign to me.

“It’s simple. I want Luca. I always did,” she said flatly.

“You can have him. I never wanted him,” I replied, walking to sit down. My legs ached from the escape. Luca was probably looking for me by now. While I was in the toilet, Anita showed up out of nowhere, offering to help me get away as if she knew I would take the chance. And I did.

She passed me a glass of water. I stared at it suspiciously, half expecting it to be poisoned. Trusting anyone felt impossible now, not after what my so-called best friend had done.

“Don’t worry,” Anita said, rolling her eyes. “If I wanted you dead, you would’ve been already. What’s your deal with Luca anyway?”

“Long story,” I muttered. I wasn’t ready to talk about it. My life was a mess, and my mind was racing with thoughts of my mum how to find her, how to get her out of the hospital Luca had put her in. He might use her as leverage to drag me back, but I wasn’t going to let that happen. I wanted to be anywhere but near him.

“We have all night,” she said, settling down on the couch across from me. I eyed her warily, unsure of her true motives.

I told her everything.

She laughed a sharp, mocking sound. “Girl, you signed up as a courtesan.”

“What’s that?” I asked, frowning.

“Well, there’s this billionaire club called The DC—”

“Just cut it short and tell me what you know,” I snapped, cutting her off. I didn’t care about their fancy names or secret societies.

“You were signed up as a courtesan,” she repeated.

“What?”

“Yes. That’s how Luca was able to auction for you,” Anita said matter-of-factly.

“They auction women?”

“Yes. The highest bidder gets the woman.”

My stomach churned. No wonder he said he bought me no wonder he claimed to own me. What had Zita gotten me into? I just wanted a job to survive, to pay my bills. I never signed up for this nightmare.

My phone buzzed.

Pray tell I don’t catch you, angel — LS.

My heart pounded. Luca.

“Everything okay over there?” Anita asked, noticing my pale face.

Bang!

My breath caught. “He’s here. I need to run. I need to escape he’s here to take me back. I can’t let him have me. I don’t belong to him!”

The rough banging continued on the door.

I jumped up from the chair, startling Anita. She turned toward me.

“Hey, chill. It’s food delivery, not him. He can’t find you here,” she said, standing to answer the door.

“He can’t find me here,” I whispered to myself, trying to convince my own trembling hands.

When I woke up the next morning, the sound of utensils clattering filled the apartment. My head throbbed slightly. I needed to see my mum. I needed to make sure she and Coin, my cat were okay.

“Good morning,” Anita said. She was at the counter, cooking. I hadn’t pegged her as someone who could cook; she gave off more of a spoiled-rich-girl vibe. I guessed I’d judged her wrong.

“Here,” she said, handing me a plate of pancakes.

“Thank you,” I murmured, studying her face carefully.

“Don’t look at me like that, girl—”

“I need your help,” I interrupted, cutting her off before she could joke about poisoning my food. I didn’t trust her completely. She wanted Luca, that much was clear but at the same time, I didn’t know what her endgame with me was.

She stopped and turned to face me. “How can I help you?” Her tone was serious now, her eyes sharp. For a second, I believed she’d do anything to get me out of Luca’s life.

“First, I need to find the hospital my mum was taken to by Luca. I need to see her and get her out of there. Then I need a fake visa out of this country.”

She smirked slightly. “If there’s one place I’m sure your mother’s been taken to, it’s Stone’s Hospital. To see her, we’ll need a solid disguise. And for the fake visa—I have an agency that can handle that.”

I nodded, feeling a flicker of hope for the first time in days.

***

The rhythmic beeping of a machine echoed in the hospital room.

“Avery, is that you?” My mum’s soft, fragile voice called out. She was sitting up, her eyes weak but warm.

“Mum…” I rushed to her, wrapping my arms around her frail body. Tears burned my eyes as I held her close. I was so grateful to Anita for helping me find her.

“Are you eating, my child? You’ve lost weight,” my mum murmured.

“I am, Mum. We need to leave,” I whispered. She didn’t need to know everything not now. The stress had taken its toll on me, but she didn’t deserve to worry more than she already did.

“Why? Did something happen?” she asked, concern knitting her brow.

I glanced around the room, making sure no one was listening. “Mum, I’ll explain later. Now’s not the time.”

She nodded softly. That was one of the many reasons I loved her she understood me without needing every detail. She’d raised me alone, without a father, and all I’d ever known was her strength.

The roar of airplane engines and the chatter of passengers filled the air. My palms were sweaty as I gripped my fake passport.

“Stop fidgeting. You’ll be fine,” Anita said beside me. She had come along to make sure I got out safely.

“I’m just—”

Boom! Boom!

The sound of gunfire ripped through the terminal. Screams echoed as chaos erupted. People ran in every direction.

“Mum!” I shouted, pulling her down beside me as bullets cracked in the distance. Anita was on the floor too, hands clamped over her ears.

A strong hand suddenly grabbed me from behind. I thrashed, kicking and screaming. “Let go of me!”

A handkerchief was pressed over my mouth. A sweet, sharp scent filled my nose. I tried to fight, but my body grew weak. The world spun, fading into black.

Darkness swallowed me whole.