It wasn’t as long of a trip as I would’ve hoped to get there. I tended to enjoy the lengthy car ride despite my known destination. Despite being luckier than the rest of Delaney’s girls, I still resented the atmosphere of wherever the gross exchanges would take place. I despised that I helped Delaney in his dirty deeds.

Angelica and I were privileged in that way. Angelica had gained Delaney’s trust rather early. She may not have noticed the way Delaney looked at her sometimes, but it was hard to miss in my eyes. I was sure some part of Delaney cared about Angelica in a pure way that he never seemed capable of. I, on the other hand, wasn’t trusted. While Angelica was kind, sweet, and obedient, I had never stopped fighting. Ever since I’d first gotten there I never stopped resisting the cruel treatment.

Perhaps they grew tired of it. Now, Atticus and Delaney used my body in other ways. They used that consistent fight that never seemed to leave my body to help keep both his girls and their clients in check. They didn’t need me. Sometimes, I thought they only kept me around because of the massive hit it would be to their pride if they let me go.

The business was going to be taking place at a large mansion that we’d traveled to before. The owner of said mansion ran a business himself. He was a wealthy man, an owner of a large quantity of land, and a rather intelligent entrepreneur according to Delaney himself. I didn’t know much about him, but I did know doing business with him always excited Delaney because he raked in more money that way.

The man, Nathaniel West, greeted the group of us in the foyer, a massive room with wooden walls and floors and warm yet elegant tones. He was an older man with a head of thick, grey hair and a considerable amount of wrinkles marring his face.

“Finally!” Nathaniel said, reaching out to caress the side of Angelica’s cheek with a grin. “I get to see you again, precious.”

“It’s a pleasure, Mr. West,” Angelica smiled back.

It made me sick.

He turned to me and his friendly smile morphed into a condescending smirk in a heartbeat. “And you—”

“Don’t,” Delaney commanded before I even had the chance. He put his hands on either one of our shoulders and pushed the two of us to stand behind him gently. Nathaniel cocked an eyebrow his way, his expression slightly peeved. “You and the rest of your men don’t lay hands on these two. They’re off-limits. You know this, Nathaniel.”

Nathaniel rolled his eyes. “You’re still on about this?”

“Yes.”

“How about this.” The group of us watched as he pulled a wallet from the breast pocket of his suit jacket. He procured a large wad of cash. Delaney’s eyes lit up and Atticus scoffed. “I’ll give you a hefty down payment of five thousand dollars for both of them. If you stay patient, you’ll have double that amount in a month. What do you say?”

“He says no to your offer,” Atticus spoke up when Delaney hesitated. “The terms we set stand and will continue to stand until we decide otherwise. If you’re truly that desperate you’ll have to settle that with one of our other girls.”

He gestured to the three girls behind us for emphasis and they reverted their eyes to the shiny floors. 

“I wasn’t talking to you, boy.” Atticus glared, crossing his arms over his chest. Nathaniel glared back. “Little boys like you have no business meddling in adult affairs.”

“You’ll get no different answer from me, I’m afraid,” Delaney finally said. “I guarantee you’ll be satisfied with our other girls, however. Feel free to do with them as you wish as long as you and your men pay up a sufficient amount.”

“What are they doing here, then?”

“That is none of your concern.”

Nathaniel hummed, beginning to turn away. “Fine. Treasure the money you’ll be getting tonight because you’ll not receive a cent from me in the future. This is our last time. Pleasure doing business with you, Delaney.”

Delaney sighed, turning to his girls. He made a shooing motion with his hands. “Go along. If I were you, I’d bring in as much cash as I could. I don’t have to remind you all what’s on the line, do I?”

They didn’t move an inch.

“Dove,” said Delaney. Even while addressing Angelica, his eyes remained heavily trained on those of the girls. “Get them comfortable.”

She was on it before the entire sentence left his mouth.

He casually pulled a small pistol out of his suit jacket but not completely. It was just enough for the group of girls to see he had it. Just enough to instill that small amount of fear in them to keep them from disobeying him. To keep them chained in the cage he’d built for them.

“Get to it,” he muttered to them.

I barely caught the exhausted sigh that escaped Atticus’s lips.