Relentless Read online

  I was plenty nervous about meeting them. They didn’t know me, and they didn’t have any reason to believe I’d really let them go. In particular, they couldn’t appreciate that I hated magical slavery as much as they did. But if they wanted to vent, and I sure as hell would in their situation, I felt a duty as their new master to listen. Not that any of my owners back in the day had shown me the same courtesy.

  I followed Thao out to the barn. My twelve new slaves were lined up in a row. Two-thirds were men, but four were women. About half were Hispanic and the rest white. A few of them clapped when I entered, and others had tear-stained cheeks. To give them a full opportunity to say whatever they wanted, I first had to tell them it was all right. “You are free to speak your mind, but before you do, understand that I was once in your situation. I know how badly you yearn to be free, and you will be, very soon.”

  A tall, thin Hispanic man with white hair said, “I’ve been sold by one owner after another for over thirty years. The Vietnamese guy says you plan to release us in a couple of days and might even pay us for our past troubles. Is that true?”

  They didn’t need to know the details, but I felt like I owed them some explanation. “I’m sorry that I can’t let you go right away, but I have an important project in the works with your former owner. It’s critical that other sorcerers think he’s doing something under his own free will. My little trick should work out in a couple of days, if it’s going to at all. Then I will set you free. And I expect to be able to pay you each a lot of money from Turnbull’s assets for the suffering you’ve been forced to endure. And no more work in the pill factory.”

  They clapped and cheered, and that put me at ease. I mingled with them for a few minutes, and each thanked me personally. I basked in their glow and remembered the day Ian had freed me. That had been the happiest day of my life, at least until a few days ago when I wrapped my arms around Dana.

  They told me stories about how hard their lives had been. They’d been treated like farm animals, forced to live in the barn with two people per stall. Luckily, the barn had been heated, but not for their sake. The pill manufacturing process required warm temperatures. On the downside, they’d lived and worked around dangerous chemicals that had produced toxic fumes. That part of their horror was over at least.

  Shortly after they collected their pitifully few possessions, the rented van arrived. I helped them stow their stuff and told them about the clan’s fancy digs on the coast.

  I wanted Turnbull to travel with them, but I didn’t want them to kill him. He’d beaten most of his workers and raped several of the women. He’d deserved whatever they did, but I still needed him alive to finalize the sale with Wang.

  When they were all sitting on the bus, I stood in front. “I’m sending your former owner with you. You can yell at him and spit on him all you want, but do not physically hurt him. I need him alive and in decent condition for my little project. Understood?”

  With one voice, they yelled, “Yes, Master.”

  One of the workers drove the van, and Thao, Raphael, and I followed in the SUV. I’d taken Turnbull’s phone so that if Wag wanted to negotiate, I’d know right away.

  -o-o-o-

  WE WERE TWO-THIRDS of the way home when a message came through on the sorcerer’s network. Wang only asked, How much are you offering?

  I’d been thinking about that question for hours, and I’d talked it over with Raphael and Thao. None of us had a good notion about the value of a harem slave. So, I called Ian. Not that I expected him to know much about that world, but he did keep very close tabs on sorcerers in general. I hoped he might’ve heard loose talk about slave auctions.

  After I summarized my afternoon in Fresno, he said, “Great job, as usual. As far as a price for Cara goes, not really sure. I did beat a pimp in Merced a few months ago, and he told me his most expensive magical hooker had cost him twenty grand. She was pretty, but not nearly as stunning as your sister is supposed to be.”

  “I don’t want to lowball Wang,” I said. “I think I’ll offer thirty-five thousand bucks for starters.”

  “Sounds reasonable,” Ian said. “The thing is, you don’t want to offer too much or you’ll make him suspicious. Sorcerers sell women all the time, and Wang probably has a decent idea of what Cara should bring. If you go crazy, he’s likely to wonder if you’re a legit buyer.”

  That gave me a lot to think about. “Okay, I won’t offer the moon.”

  “Actually, Moira, I hate to say this, but one thing just occurred to me. You know, Wang has probably already sold Cara. That would explain why he canceled the last two matches on her schedule. In answering you, he might just be looking for a better deal than the one he’s already accepted.”

  That thought blasted a twinge of fear through me. I could buy her today and lose her again tomorrow. Then I calmed down. “The bottom line is the sorcerer is still willing to negotiate. I don’t care who he screws over as long as he keeps telling me when he gets a better deal.”

  Ian snickered. “Good luck.”

  After I hung up, I sent a message as Turnbull offering thirty-five thousand dollars to Cara’s owner.

  -o-o-o-

  WHEN I DIDN’T get a response, I began second-guessing myself. Should I have offered forty? I asked the guys, “Do you think I should up my offer before I hear back? The money is nothing in comparison to her.”

  “Poor negotiating tactic,” Thao said. “Never bid against yourself.”

  He was right, but after a half-hour of waiting, I was sure my chance to get my sister back was slipping away. While I struggled to figure out how much I should raise my offer, Turnbull’s phone beeped again.

  Wang’s reply made me shriek. I already have forty-five from another buyer. You’ll have to do much better, you horny bastard. And know this, she’s fantastic in bed. The best piece of ass I’ve ever had.

  I slammed my fist on an armrest. You son of a bitch! You’re going to be sorry for talking like that about my sister.

  The guys were as silent as mice.

  “Sorry,” I said. “He’s making me furious.”

  Then I fired back to Wang, I’ll give you 55K tonight or tomorrow.

  -o-o-o-

  NO RESPONSE. I seemed to hold one breath the rest of the way home.

  When the van pulled into the Seabreeze Inn, we were met by the usual welcoming committee.

  Thao dropped Raphael and me off and congratulated me again on my victory. Gracie and a couple of the clan staffers helped the slaves off the van. One of the staffers hosed down Turnbull whose face and clothes were covered with spit.

  I thanked Raphael for taking such good care of me. He patted me on the cheek. “You deserve the best. Ciao!”

  With a wave, he walked inside the inn.

  Dana and Ian stood nearby waiting outside the fancy front portico. She ran up to me. “Did you have any trouble?”

  I’d given Ian a full rundown on the fight, including my injuries. He obviously hadn’t told my sister. That was perfect. “No more than usual. I think I made three million bucks today, so you’ll have to help me spend it.”

  She ignored my attempt to distract her and said, “Ian told me you might be close to a deal for Cara.”

  I summarized the haggling for her and told her how frustrating it’d been. Then I said, “The boss is right. Wang has probably sold Cara to somebody else, and he’s kicking himself for not telling more people he wanted to sell. I think he’s embarrassed about his financial situation.”

  Ian nodded. “Since we last spoke, I dug into the gladiator forums and messages deeper. Wang informally put Cara up for sale about two weeks ago, vaguely mentioning a cash flow problem, but he didn’t tell too many sorcerers. He got no offers for her as a gladiator. Then, a few days ago, he dramatically lowered her price and suggested to a few of his buddies that she’d make a great girlfriend. That led to a single offer, for forty-five grand, from someone in Oakland. That’s apparently t
he deal he told you about.”

  Dana scowled. “Now Wang wishes he’d offered Cara as a harem slave to more sorcerers. Maybe he’s worried that the switch in approach makes him look desperate.”

  It did, as far as I was concerned, but somebody was obviously attracted to my little sister. Forty-five thousand dollars was a huge price for a harem slave, particularly since Cara wasn’t nearly as personable as many of them. She had the looks, in spades, but when we were growing up, she never held onto a boyfriend for long. The most valuable harem slaves were both gorgeous and charming.

  “To us,” Dana said, “she’s priceless, but we can’t bid much over Wang’s current high bid without making him as suspicious as hell.”

  My stomach churned as I realized I should’ve thought about buying her weeks ago. Now, too many sorcerers were interested.

  “I know that look.” My sister stared with her emerald green eyes into mine. “You’re feeling guilty for not solving this problem faster, right?”

  I threw my arms around her and hugged her. “Dammit, I could never fool you. I was working so hard to get ready to fight Eichmann that I pushed aside everything else. If I’d moved faster, we could have poor Cara already.”

  My throat tightened so much I couldn’t speak, could hardly breathe.

  Ian patted me on the back. “Don’t give up hope. Wang is one greedy bastard. If you offer him enough money, he’ll take it. Just move your offers up in stages.”

  For some crazy reason, that gave me comfort. I didn’t care how much I had to spend to outbid everybody else, just as long as I freed my sister in the end.

  -o-o-o-

  I’D MISSED THE normal dinner hour, but Philippe, Dana, and Ian sat with me in the gazebo’s bar. While I wolfed down chicken fingers, steak fries, and a glass of beer, I laid out the details of my negotiations with Cara’s owner. Then I said, “If I’ve screwed up, the sooner someone tells me, the better our chances will be to salvage a deal.”

  Philippe said, “Who knows what the right strategy is here? If this were a business transaction, I would say you sound too eager. But you know sorcerers better than anyone here, except maybe Dana.” He smiled at her and patted her hand.

  I smiled, too. At least, I’d done one thing right. Then I leaned back in my padded leather chair and thought through how a sorcerer would act in this situation.

  “My guy is right,” I said. “Dana and I were raised by one of the bastards, and we’ve been owned by a handful of others. For most of our lives, we’ve been immersed in their culture. We should know what Wang wants most.”

  Dana responded immediately. “Money above all. He will get the most for her that he can, whether he’s made a promise already or not. And he’ll take all her power before he gives her up.”

  That was another mistake I’d made. “I should’ve included that in my offer. He can’t have her power. Should I contact him to say so?”

  The words were barely out of my mouth before Turnbull’s phone buzzed. My lips trembled, and I could barely convince myself to look at it. Seventy, and she’s yours to do whatever you want. She’ll be as feisty or docile as you please. Bring the cash to the fight on Sunday and take her home.

  For the first time, a shiver of anticipation ran down my body to my toes. “This crazy scheme might work.”

  Dana grinned like it was Christmas. The men smiled and nodded.

  “I’m afraid he might change his mind again,” I said. “What if I offered to go to him tomorrow morning?”

  Ian sipped his beer for a moment. “He keeps his location secret, and I’m sure he’s worried about being attacked by stronger sorcerers. That’s probably why he wants the meeting in a neutral place.”

  That made sense. “What can I do to keep him from marketing her to anybody else?”

  “Nothing,” Philippe said. “He’ll definitely try to find someone else crazy enough to pay more. I doubt he can, though.”

  I hoped he was right. “This back and forth has been disgusting enough already. How long should I wait before agreeing?”

  The others talked that over, and I mostly listened as I basked in the glow I felt at being so close to getting my baby sister back. We three might be able to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day together for the first time in six years. Then we could all focus on finding Mom. Dana’s eyes gleamed, and I could see she was thinking the same thoughts.

  Eventually, the four of us agreed that the answer to my last question didn’t matter. Wang wouldn’t keep his word, no matter when I finalized the deal. Cara would go to the highest bidder, and he had two more days to shop her around. I needed that time to strategize about how to get to Las Vegas with Turnbull and put on a convincing show that I was his sidepiece. At a minimum, I’d need a new identity.

  Fifteen minutes after Wang’s last message arrived, I sent my response. Agreed. I’ll bring the money to your owner’s box a half-hour before her match begins. She has to keep all her powers so they’re available for me to use as I wish. I’ll match any legitimate offer that’s made for her and add ten percent.

  I considered Cara mine. I only wished my stomach would settle. Two goddamned days.

  Chapter 4

  Friday, February 26th

  A HARD MORNING run cleared my head, and after breakfast, Dana and I followed Maureen Danaher in her studio. She was a tall redhead whose glamor could turn us into the most beautiful women in the state. Instead, though, we wanted to become nobodies.

  I explained Cara’s situation to her while she stroked her chin with her fingers. “So, exactly how would you like to appear at the gladiator match?” she asked.

  I’d given that question a lot of thought overnight. “The arena will be packed with dark magicians, so it’s basically impossible to avoid brushing against other people. That means I’ll have to wear long sleeves. If someone touches my skin, they’ll recognize my light aura. Dana will be fine as she is. As far as looks go, we need to be inconspicuous but pretty enough to be arm candy for a sorcerer.”

  Dana nodded. “Pretty, but not so much that we draw any stares.”

  Dana laughed. “Then I have to jazz up Moira, which I wanted to do before, and tone you down. The strawberry blonde hair has to go.”

  Maureen was joking, but that was exactly what we needed. “Go for it.”

  My sister rolled he eyes. “The sacrifices I make for family.”

  Was that the way I sounded? Probably, and that needed to change. Why would I complain about sacrificing everything, if I had to, for family?

  Maureen rubbed her hands together and wore a mischievous grin. “Who do I get to torture, I mean help, first?”

  I pointed at Dana. Her face was all over the Dark Web as a supposed slave runaway.

  She sat in Maureen’s fancy chair that leaned back until it was almost horizontal. The older witch stood over my sister whispering incantations and dosing her with potions. Dana’s pale skin darkened until she looked like she spent all her days at the beach. The blonde hair changed to auburn.

  Maureen scrunched up her nose. “Not enough,” she muttered to herself.

  With long, light strokes of her fingers, she lengthened Dana’s body. For a moment, her left arm was four inches longer than her right. Slowly but surely, she evened out and her body became taller. Somehow, Maureen managed to adjust Dana’s clothes to fit her new body.

  Even though I’d watched the transformation, I had a hard time believing Dana was still in there. “Are you okay?”

  Her old voice answered me back. “Yep, and I’m really looking forward to the new me. Too much time in the public eye. It’ll be great to become a private person again.”

  I knew the frustration well. I’d found it incredibly comforting to be inconspicuous after getting so much attention from the gladiator world. There weren’t that many fighters working the circuit, and it had been difficult for either one of us to go anywhere without being recognized by sorcerers. Worse, in those days, I was expected to flatter c
reeps who’d loved to watch me fight.

  When our glamor queen finished changing Dana, my sister walked over to a full-length mirror and ran her fingers over her new, rounder face.

  “You’re not as pretty,” I said, “but that’s what you asked for. What do you think?”

  After a moment, she said, “This is better. Maureen, I love the wave you put in my hair. Maybe I’ll stay this way for a while.”

  That depended entirely on what would happen in Vegas. If we ran into trouble, her new look could end up more famous than her old.

  The least of my worries. Maureen could always change us both again. So, I tried to relax in the salon chair and let my mind wander.

  I’d always hated gladiator matches. My fans, mostly men, loved to complain about how I’d fought in my last match, or they’d ask the same old questions, like how I spent the small fortune in prize money my owners had earned from me. I couldn’t tell them the truth, that I didn’t get any of that. The only reason I was willing to revisit that horrible world would be to save Cara.

  Maureen whispered in my ear, “Relax, Moira, this is the easy part.”

  She was always telling me that. Part of the time, she worked as a masseuse, and we’d developed a friendship over the last several weeks. I looked forward to her treatments after a hard day’s training.

  This time was different though. Maureen was changing my looks. She constantly nagged me to let her “add some sizzle” as she put it.

  I didn’t care, and Philippe didn’t seem to either. “Keep me far different from Bloody Mary. If sorcerers at the arena would recognize me, the strongest ones will line up for the chance to take me on.”

  “Trust me,” was all Maureen said.

  By the time she’d finished, I was a dark-skinned Hispanic woman, stouter and shorter than my normal self. It was a body I could fight with if I had to, and much different than any of my other looks.

  “Cute face,” Dana said, “like a cherub.”