The Stølen Girl

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Theodore wasn't above calling the police. In fact, the only thing stopping him was the fact that he would also be arrested, and he didn't want that.

He paced the bedroom. He knew where she was. He knew he had to send in someone. Someone he could trust.

When he was in military school, Theodore met some very resourceful friends. Friends that owed him. Friends that could help him out in this very situation. Friends that had connections.

Theodore held the phone to his ear, listening to the ring, his heart beating in his chest. He usually didn't feel paranoid or nervous, but this whole situation was making him panic. His father was in jail, his mother had nearly disappeared, and Keith was having mental breakdowns over a girl.

Theodore had some work to do in this family.

"Hello?" The voice on the other line made Theodore sigh in relief.

"Don, hello. It's Theodore, and I need a favor from you. I know of a sex trafficking warehouse."

There was a beat of silence. "Really? Where? Why are you telling me instead of calling the cops?"

Theodore laughed. "You are the cops, remember? Besides, I need a favor from you."

This was the world Theodore lived in. Favors meant everything. Favors were what got Theodore far in life. He had hated his parents for sending him to military school, but when he got out of it, he became a powerful man.

"What do you need?"

"A girl that is there. But, I need her to not go to the police. She's with me."

Again, Don paused, almost uncomfortably. "Theodore, you know that sounds illegal. What are you up to?"

Theodore banged his head on the wall, cursing the mess his brother got him into. "I'm up to nothing. My family, however, was up to a lot when I left. I need the girl, or else I'm in trouble. You owe me, Don."

Don knew just how much he owed Theodore. He also knew Theodore was a good man, not the type of person to put people in harm or at risk. While the intentions sounded bad, Don knew he could trust Theodore.

He didn't have a choice. "Fine. Okay. Give me the address."

Theodore smiled to himself. "Perfect."

* * *

Meredith cowered in the basement. She had to use the bathroom, and her wrists were bleeding from being tied up. The other girls were nearly dead and never talked, save for the one beside her.

She talked too much.

"Just go to the bathroom. We all do." She offered, smiling through crooked teeth. "See? I just went about an hour ago."

Meredith already knew that because the girl's pee had pooled by her feet and Meredith's feet got soaked unpleasantly.

She didn't know the last time she ate or took a shower. She couldn't remember the last time she left the basement, which was so much worse than the Chamber's basement. She hated it here.

Meredith hung her head in shame. She moved from basement to basement. She was nothing but a little pet, chained up.

Her stomach growled in protest, and she was sore all over. She wanted to be in a real bed, with real food and drinks. She wanted to feel useful and important again.

She missed Keith and his brother. She hated to admit it, but she did.

"You know, it isn't so bad down here." The girl beside her chirped. "Better than my old location. What was your last location like?"