Free From Burning Ashes (Collector Series #4) by Stacey Marie Brown Page B

there was profit
to be made from Duc’s and Marcello’s old business. Fae were already
there. Why not profit off them as well as the humans? He killed Duc
and his men and took it over.”
    I struggled to take in air. A demon now ran
the fight club, and the girls who couldn’t fight had become escorts
to the fae? “Vadik? Vadik is in charge of the underground fighting
ring?”
    “Yes.” Ryker nodded. “He’s made it an open
arena for fae to pay and take advantage of humans. Feed off their
sins. Drain them of their life and energy.”
    “Vadik moved them to a more secured place.
Somewhere you would never look.” Amara’s smugness billowed off
her.
    “How do I know you aren’t lying to me?”
    “Go check the old place if you want. It will
be vacant. If you want to waste time, be my guest.” She
shrugged.
    “How do you know where they are?”
    “I just happened to run across this
information in Vadik’s office while stealing the keys to his
boat.”
    “Boat?” Croygen perked up.
    “It’s how Ryker and I escaped Vadik. You
know, when I saved his life.” Amara nodded at Ryker. “Not that he
remembers much. He was out cold, bleeding all over the deck from a
gunshot and a knife wound.”
    “What?” My mouth fell open.
    “Not important right now.” Ryker waved his
hand. “What’s imminent is it’s not only those girls you need to
worry about. Vadik wants you. He wanted me to find you so he could
take you away from Rapava.”
    “What does he want me for?”
    “At the time, he thought if I didn’t kill
you, you would make the perfect fighter and thief to add to his
collection, especially with having some of my powers along with
your reputation as a fighter.”
    I jerked my head from side to side. “But as
far as he knew, if you didn’t kill me, you would die.”
    “Actually, he preferred it that way. You were
more valuable to him.”
    “But he’s your father!”
    Ryker’s shoulders stiffened as he changed his
footing and clenched his jaw. “That’s not important to him. Or
me.”
    I wrapped my arms around my torso. Even with
this new threat to me, I could sense Ryker’s pain. No matter what
kind of relationship you had with your father, it had to hurt.
Vadik would rather have Ryker dead so I could earn him a larger
profit.
    “Whatever conditions the girls lived in
before, their lives will be much worse under Vadik’s hold. They’ll
be leeched off of by fae every week and die slowly. Then he’ll toss
them away and get new girls.” Ryker confirmed the truth I knew
inside.
    Annabeth’s face swam in my head. The thought
of her being forced to submit to these men filled me with
revulsion. Annabeth had a kind soul. She would never recover,
especially if fae were feeding off her.
    Duc wouldn’t have done things much
differently. Humans and fae could both be vile. But knowing Vadik,
he would enjoy stealing her innocence and end up selling her to the
top bidder. Vadik’s evil had no limits. Bile gagged my throat.
    “Look at you.” Amara wrinkled her nose.
“You’re disgusted by Vadik, but you’re okay with what your own
doctor is doing to fae?”
    My hand shot up, my fingers circling her
throat. “Don’t. You. Dare,” I seethed. “Neither is all right. And I
plan to take down both. I only hope somewhere along the way you’ll
get in my way.” That dark, crazy, unbalanced part in me lit my skin
with energy.
    “Zoey.” Ryker swiftly reached my side, and I
shot him a deathly glare then turned back to Amara.
    “Why don’t you tell me where he is keeping
them?” I squeezed down.
    “You want to end me? Go ahead. Do it.” She
pushed against my hand, moving till I had to take a step back.
“What are you waiting for, Zoey? Do it now.”
    She was baiting me. My hands shook with the
need to squash her larynx.
    “Come on.” She heaved forward, leaning her
weight on my arm. “Your threat of doing something to me before you
know the location is bullshit. Plus, you won’t hurt me. Not