Saving Simona (Alone In The World Trilogy) (11 page)

Gia watched as she left before taking her hot cocoa and retiring to her room as well.

***

The moon was high in the sky when Gia roused from her rest. The bell atop the Saint George’s Church echoing a single chime throughout the town, alerting Gia that it was one in the morning. She slid the thin wool cotton sheets off of the heavy skirt of her gown that she had changed into when she had retired for the night. It was a simple black frock that would make her a lot less noticeable that she would be had she remained dressed in Rosamond’s elegant gown. She had also removed the crinoline. She would be able to move much faster without it. However, she still wore two petticoats beneath it so,
if she did get questioned, she would look as if she was wearing the proper clothing.

Gia had hoped that she would wake in time to go and find one of her sisters to see if they had heard of, or seen, Simona since the brunette had last been in Leander’s care. She smoothed out her skirt before forcing her window open, thankful that the guest rooms were located on the first floor of the house. She moved a chair from the corner of the room so that it was below the window before stepping up and sitting on the window ledge, swinging her legs around so that her feet were facing the grass and dirt below the window. She took a deep breath before propelling herself forward, landing with a soft
thud
on the ground below.

Gia crept away from the house, making sure to stay within away from the dim oil lamps that lined the street every ten or fifteen feet. She breathed shallowly as she walked, casting her eyes over the darkened factories and apartments that began to appear just two blocks away from the Matthers’ home. There was a clear difference between the upper-middle class and the working class, but Gia was always surprised at how close the people who
lived on the outskirts of either neighborhood lived to one another.

The
further that Gia got into the land of the working class, the more nervous she began to feel. All around her was the sound of crying children and angered parents, still awake after
finally
getting their children to go to bed after hours of fighting and arguing, the parents exhausted from their twelve-plus hour shifts at the factories. Gia had only been into any of these apartments once, when she first became a working girl. She remembered how an entire family would cram into a single room, making their bedroom, kitchen, and family room all into one. The apartment complex that she had entered was three stories, and fit forty-three families into the fifteen apartments that made up the building. The building itself was rectangular in shape, and surrounded a square courtyard that was filled with trash and held three privies that served each family in the complex.

God, t
he smell! Gia had thought that she was going to pass out from the smell alone, and that was with the corset that was still laced tight against her rib cage. The man had not smelled much better, either. Leander had his girls bathe regularly as to not pass anything from customer to customer, which Gia knew was a luxury reserved normally only for the wealthiest of families. The biweekly bath was something that Gia looked forward to. Being in water that often was unhealthy, she knew that.
Everyone
knew that. Regardless, it made Gia feel like a new person every time she had that bucket of water dumped over her body. This man, though! Gia was not sure that he had ever bathed.

Gia flinched as the memory came back to her. Fortunately, she did not have to deal with this range of life for very long. Once she was a luxury girl, it was very rare that someone from the working class would be able to afford her. This was the area where most of her sisters worked, though, and she was sure that there would be at least one, if not more, roaming the roads when coming back from pleasing a paying customer. She kept her face down, much like she had done when walking from the train station to Vertiline’s. She was thankful that she had made the decision to take the black dress she was wearing from Rosamond’s closet when she borrowed the room the previous night. How Lucie did not notice it in the trunk, she was not sure, but Gia was extremely lucky that she had not. Gia
would have stood out like a corn stalk in a potato field in that other dress.

Gia finally took a deep breath once she left the neighborhood. She wrinkled her nose when the smell of urine and feces came downwind to her. The air had been still when she was walking through the neighborhood, the apartment buildings successfully blocking any path that the wind had been making. The lack of wind meant that Gia was beginning to sweat despite the slight chill in the air. It also meant that the smell did not begin to grow strong until Gia had moved into the more open air. She opened her mouth to breath in hopes that it would stifle the smell. However, it did not work, and it ended up just leaving a sick taste on her tongue. Fortunately, though, she was close to her end goal: the park at the end of the street, where her sister Abigayle remained posted.

Abigayle was a luxury girl, but Leander liked to leave her by the tree that looked like a hugging couple so that the high payers who wanted her knew where to find her. As Gia entered the park, she immediately saw the path that lead to the tree. She made her way down the path as quickly as possible, her shoulders slumping when she realized that Abigayle’s spot was empty. Gia reached the tree and moved behind it, crouching down while she waited so that she would not be seen if someone were to enter the path.

Gia’s legs had just begun to go numb when she finally saw a hint of a pale blue dress in the moonlight, Abigayle’s wider-than-normal skirts jumping into view. Abigayle had never been the most womanly of girls, and Leander had decided early on that Abigayle needed to triple the number of petticoats that she was wearing in comparison to the rest of the girls, along with making her corset tighter, so that she would appear at
least a bit more curvaceous than her body truly was.  She was the only one of the luxury girls built in that way. However, she was also the most beautiful, which is why the exception was made in the first place.

As soon as Abigayle reached the bench near the tree, Gia straightened and stepped out from her hiding place, putting a hand on Abigayle’s shoulder. The blonde jumped, her eyes going wide as she spun around in fear. When she saw who it was, her eyes grew even wider, and she gasped. “Gia!” she exclaimed. “I thought you were dead!” She pulled Gia into her arms and hugged her tightly. “Oh, Gia,
when Raymond alerted us that you were missing, I thought that the worst had happened!”

Gia shrugged. “Well, Raymond tried to kill me, but I was found before I bled out, if that is any cons
olation.” She shook her head. “I really do not have time to explain right now. I had a few questions, and I need you to answer as honest as possible.” She sat down on the bench and pulled Abigayle down next to her.

Gia took a deep breath before starting her questioning. “It is about that night,” she began. “You know… the night that Isaiah and his men had us help him pull in more girls for Father. Do you remember much
from then?”

Abigayle shrugged, twisting her lips to the side as she tried to remember things about that night. “I remember very little… I had been so tired that evening. Raymond had kept me up very late, and refused to let me rest much during any down time from my observations.”

Gia nodded. “I understand that, but I need you to try. Can you recall the faces of the girls from the London trip?”

Abigayle leaned on her hand thoughtfully, her elbow pressing against her upper thigh.
“Somewhat… Gia, where are these questions coming from?”

Gia shook her head. “That does not matter. I just need you to answer me. Did you stay with the girls? Do you know which ones arrived safely home? Especially from London.”

“We stayed with the girls from the time they got into Isaiah’s carriage until they arrived in Leander’s care. He had hoped that that would keep them quiet and less panicked, but it did not work. They were still scared, and spent most of the journey crying and pleading for us to take them back to be with their families.” She shook her head. “It nearly broke my heart… I remember how hard it was for me when I left my family at that age.” 

Gia nodded. “Yeah, me too,” she said softly. She shook her head, trying to shake the thought away. She sniffed, straightening her back. “Do you remember a girl with light brown hair, around the age of twelve or thirteen? She is not very tall, and is very lithe. She is very pretty.”

Abigayle thought back before nodding. “Yes, I do remember a girl like that. She was the only one around that age that looked that like… she was very feisty when Father took her in. Why are you so concerned about her wellbeing?”

“She is a friend’s sister,” Gia admitted after a moment of debate. She smiled grimly at her sister. “I just need to know that she is still alright.” Gia knew Abigayle would understand how difficult concern for someone in the ring could be. The blonde had a blood twin in the ring, as well as one of her cousins. They watched out for each other as much as they could, making sure to check in with one another every morning at Abigayle’s spot before they walked back to the hideout.  Both of the girls had joined Leander’s family two years previously, during a raid much like the one that took Simona.

A dark blur in the moonlight at the corner of Gia’s vision caught her eye, and she leaned forward, looking to the right. She craned her neck, trying to gauge if there was someone there or not. After a moment, Gia decided that it was nothing, and returned to her seated position next to Abigayle. She cleared her throat. “The girls from that night. Are they still being broken, or have they moved up in the home?”

Abigayle shifted, turning so that she was staring back out into the park. She crossed her
ankles, placing her hands on her lap. “Most of the girls are either in training or out among the town, but I believe that the girl of which you speak is still in the breaking phase.” She shook her head. “She was very tenacious, I will give her that. I know that when I was her age, I did not have the courage to stand up to any of the men. I still do not have the courage to try to get away or defy a one of them.”

Gia nodded in understanding. She had been the same way. “Thank you, Abigayle. You have been a great help.” Gia pushed herself up off the bench. As she walked back down the path, her mind began to wander. Now that she knew that Simona was still alive, she felt a lot more confidant in her choice to lead Lucie to Leeds. Now the only problem would be trying to figure out how to break in to the hideout and rescue the poor girl.

Before she knew it, Gia was out of the park, back in the main street. Her stomach dropped as she realized that she was in open light. She let out a gasp as someone grabbed her arm and spun around, her heart racing wildly as images swirled in her head of what Leander would do to her when he saw that she was still alive. The grip on her arm got tighter the fastest that she spun.

“Solomon?!”

12

Solomon’s face contorted with rage and he swung his arm forward, the back of his hand making its way across Gia’s face and forcing her to the ground. He spat at her as she fell. He pushed her back down when she tried to stand back up. “How dare you do this to my family?” he growled, his eyes narrowing as he ground his teeth. “Lucie trusted you, and you betray her like
this
?”

Gia pushed herself up so she was leaning on her forearms, her mouth agape. “Solomon, what are you—“ She scrambled to her feet as Solomon interrupted.

“You are a toffer, hm? Did you steal Simona so that you could spread your legs a little less often? Are you trying to get my Lucie to do the same?” He glared as he threw insults, pushing her around. “Are you a tom? Are you trying to steal my Lucie from me and force her into your band of Sodomites?”

Gia’s eyes widened and she stepped back. She arched her body as Solomon came close again, his eyes bright with fury. “Solomon, I have no idea what you are talking about! Why are you even here?”

Solomon began to circle Gia like an eagle going in for the kill. “You know
exactly
what I am talking about, Georgiana. Or is that even your real name? Did you and your little pinchcock of a friend team up to take my girls?” He pointed back in Abigayle’s direction. “I saw you making conversation with that
wench
in the park only moments ago. You and her were pretty chummy. Is she helping you swindle money from Lucie and her family?” He brought turned his finger back towards Gia accusingly. “I followed you from Vertiline and Eugene’s home. You knew
exactly
where you were going. Were you planning on bringing Lucie to her in the morning?”

Gia’s mouth fell open once again. “I would never betray Lucie or you like that, not after all that you
both have done for me!” She began to cry softly, her throat growing tight around the lump in her throat. “I did work with her once, yes, and yes, I was the reason that Simona was taken.” She cowered as Solomon raised his hand again. She threw her hands up in defense, crouching down behind her palms. “I had no choice, you have to listen to me! They said that they would kill me if I did not tell them of any girl that I saw during their assignment. They were going to rob the homes of the wealthy, but they took Simona instead!”

Gia let out as a sob as she met with the ground once again, her cheek stinging wildly. “I’m sorry,” she sobbed, curling up into the fetal position to push her palms against her eyes.

“I should have just let you die,” Solomon ground out, nudging Gia flat onto her back with his foot. He reached down and pulled her up, pulling her towards the direction of the Matthers’ house, stopping at a chestnut mare. He pushed her up onto the horse before jumping on behind her, kicking his heels into the horse’s flank as it sped off. He held her in place, his nails digging into her skin in a mixture of anger and keeping her in her place. Gia sniffled loudly as they rode, the wind making her already-wet eyes water even more than they already were.

At the pace that the horse was moving, it only took a few minutes for the horse to reach its destination. Solomon jumped off the horse before pulling Gia down, yanking hard at her arm until she fell to the ground. He dragged her to the door before turning to her. “Do not move until I tell you to,” he instructed angrily. He turned back around and banged his fist on the door loudly. When there was no response, he tried again, louder. This time, there was a response, and Lucie and Vertiline appeared in the doorway moments later.

Vertiline squinted her eyes at the figure in the doorway. “Can I help you?” she asked, narrowing her eyes farther as she tried to figure out he was.

Lucie looked over the woman’s shoulder, her eyes widening before she stepped around Vertiline. “Solomon? What are you doing here?” she asked in confusion before her expression switched to irritation. “I thought I told you that I did not want you to follow me.”

Solomon made a whimpering sound before clearing his throat as he tried to reassert his masculinity. “It is my duty as your betrothed to make sure that you are safe. I paid Oliver to keep me updated on you from where I was two cars back, then I followed you here to make sure you did not meet any trouble on your way here.” He turned and glanced at Gia, sneering. “It is a good thing I did or I would not have seen this one sneaking out and roaming the town.” He turned and grabbed Gia’s shoulder, pushing her forward and into Lucie’s line of vision.

Lucie’s eyes widened before they narrowed in confusion. “Gia? What were you doing out?” She shook her head. “What is he talking about?”

Gia chose not to respond, staring instead at the ground as she began to cry again. She had stopped when they got off the horse, but actually facing Lucie was too much for her to bear.

Silence did not please Solomon, and he pushed Gia on to the ground at Lucie’s feet. “Speak, wench!” he exclaimed, his eyes flashing once again. Gia scrambled to her feet, cowering under the force of Solomon’s glare.

“Solomon!” Lucie chided, throwing the man a dirty look before helping Gia up. Once her friend was standing soundly, albeit still crying, the blonde placed her hands on Gia’s upper arms to comfort her. “Gia, what is it? You can tell me.”

Gia began to cry harder, Lucie’s outline blurring in front of the brunette’s eyes. “I am so sorry,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

“Sorry for what? What is going on?”

Gia took a deep breath before responding quietly. “I am the reason why Simona was kidnapped.”

Lucie blanched and took a step back. “W-what?”

“I was the one who told the men where to find Simona. I was the one who lured her out of the yard, and I am the reason why she is now part of the prostitution ring she is
in now.” Gia dropped to her knees, lacing her fingers together and holding them below her chin. “But Lucie, please, I only did it because they told me that they would kill me if I did not help them.”

Lucie shook her head slowly, her mouth agape as she began to tremble. “Holy gee…”

“And that is not all,” Gia said, interrupting Lucie’s panic. She spoke softly once again. “The only reason I offered to help in the first place was to get the reward money that Simon and Solomon were talking about when I was sick.” The tears began to fall harder, and Gia began to hyperventilate. “But Lucie, I no longer care about the money or being rewarded or anything else, I just want Simona to be safe and for you to have your world back to normal! Please, please forgive me.”

Lucie’s gaze hardened. “Get out,” she mumbled, her gaze growing narrow.

“What?”

“Get. Out!” Lucie pushed Gia onto the ground, her own tears falling. She took off her slipper and threw it at the brunette as she pushed herself up into a standing position. “Get out! Leave!” She took off her other shoe and threw that as well. “I never want to see you again!”

Gia nodded and turned around, making her way down the steps and across the lawn. She could barely see past the blurriness in her eyes, could barely breathe past the shatters of her chest, but somehow, she quickly found herself tripping over the gate in her haste to get away from the family she had destroyed.

Tears continued to stream down Gia’s cheeks as sh
e rushed away from the property and stumbling over her dress. She paused for a moment to lift the hems before resuming her path. However, it did not take long before Gia was so distraught that it affected her breathing, causing her to duck into the woods to try and calm herself down. She leaned against a tree, the heels of her hands pressed against her eyes as she sobbed. The first
real
friend that Gia had made since she was a child, and she lost her in the blink of an eye. If she had just been more inconspicuous, more subtle when talking to Abigayle, then Lucie would still want something to do with her. She had been so stupid. She should have been watching out to see if she was being followed. In fact, she was lucky that it
was
just Solomon that was following her. If it had been Leander or one of his men, Abigayle would get in just as much trouble as Gia would.

Gia shook her head. No. She had not gotten Abigayle in trouble. The only one who was really hurting here was Lucie, and that was all Gia’s fault. There was only one option left now: Gia would have to find Simona and bring her home, tonight.

She shook off the last of her sadness before taking a deep breath and heading back to where she was before. She needed to talk to Abigayle again, see if there was anything else that she could tell her. She hoped that the girl would be alone.

Fortunately, Gia was lucky, and when she
arrived back at Abigayle’s tree several minutes later, the girl was still relaxing on the park bench, waiting patiently for the next of her customers to come and find her, per Leander’s instructions. Gia ran to the bench, huffing and puffing as she gasped out, “Are Leander and his men home tonight?”

Abigayle looked up, shocked to see Gia again so soon. “Gia? Are you all right?” She darted her hand out to wipe away a tear hurriedly. “You are out of breath, and your face is red. What—“

Gia cut her off. “Is. Leander. Home,” she ground out, her eyes flashing in irritation. She did not have time for this. Gia felt a flicker of guilt when Abigayle’s face fell, but the brunette needed to find Simona
now.
There was not any time for patience.

Abigayle retracted her hand as if she had been slapped. She shook her head. “No. They’ve gone to Dorchester for a few days to find more daughters.” She narrowed her eyes, clearly worried. “Gia, what—“

“Who is taking care of the house?” Gia asked, interrupting once again. Abigayle said nothing, choosing instead to stare pointedly at the ground. Gia sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. “Abbey, I am sorry I am being so rude, but it is a matter of life and death. I have to get Simona out of there, and I cannot do that if I am not aware what to watch out for.”

“But Gia, you can’t go in there! It isn’t safe!” Abigayle exclaimed, her head shooting up as her mouth dropped open.

Gia shrugged. “I have to. I made this mess, I have to fix it. Please, Abbey, tell me who is watching the girls.”

Abigayle remained quiet for a moment before saying, “They will kill me if they find out that I am helping you kidnap one of Leander’s daughters.”

“Then we won’t let them find out. Please, Abbey. Please,” Gia pleaded, taking her sister’s hand in her own. “Please help me.”

Abigayle sighed. “Mister Fingers is watching them,” she finally said. Gia dropped her hand and pulled her into a hug.

“Oh, thank you! I am forever indebted to you!” Gia kissed Abigayle on the cheek before taking off into the woods behind Abigayle, taking a path that she had grown used to over the years. It only took a quarter mile before she was stepping onto the narrow, overgrown path that would lead Gia to Leander’s hideout. As she stepped into the brambles, Gia lifted her dress and stepped as quickly as she could, her boots sinking into the sludge and pulling up mud with every step. She grimaced as her ankle twisted before lunging forward, pulling her foot up and beginning to take larger steps, hoping that she would sink less that way.

Fifteen minutes after Gia had begun to walk, she came to a section of the path that branched off into eight different directions. To someone who did now know where they were going, this decision would more likely than not throw them off track from finding the hideout. Plus, even if they were to choose the correct path (the third branch from the left), they would have to make another decision a mile and a half ahead where, once again, the path split into several different sections (this time the second to the right was the proper decision). However, Gia had traveled these roads so many times that, even though she had not been home in months, she would be able to find the hideout in her sleep.

Soon, a cabin appeared in front of Gia. It was not much to look at, and did not appear to be very large at first glance. However, when Gia circled the cabin, she recalled just how far back the wooden walls went before the house ended, leading back into the dense woods were Leander’s girls rested, far below the surface.

Long before Leander had ever become the leader, the man who owned this house before him had built the building downwards, much like the Egyptians had done with their great pyramids. Gia was not certain, but she believed that the lower levels only descended four stories. She had lived on the highest of the four, but she knew that the less noteworthy the girl, the lower the level that they inhabited.

If Simona was still, in fact, with the most stubborn wenches, then she would be left in the dark of the fourth level. She shuddered as she thought back to the stories she had heard when she, herself, had been broken. She had been easy, however, and quickly submitted to Leander, without any physical struggle, and she was smart enough to realize that there was not any way that she was going to get away alive. Some girls, however, were more adamant to retain their old selves, and would rather go days or even weeks without food or contact before they would submit to a man. These were the stubborn girls that Abigayle claimed that Simona had been paired with.

Slowly, Gia moved so that she was standing back against the cabin, her
spine pressed against the lumber of the walls. She turned her head to the side, eyeing a window that was a mere eleven centimeters away from her eyes. She palmed the wall, keeping her entire body flat as she moved along the wood one step at a time. She held her breath as she moved, listening for any sound that would alert her that Mister Fingers was conscious and, even less likely, sober.