The temperature climbed as the guests began to mill amongst the ladies. Tala and I kept a low profile, the guests too distracted to notice us. By the time the food arrived, most of the men had paired up with a companion or two. It was then that a late guest made his appearance.
"Aya, don't look up," Tala warned.
Despite her warning, I looked up in time to see my old nemesis, the demon Mr. Terrence, enter the room wearing a white suit that showed off his haughty grin and dark tanned skin. His eyes flashed when they spotted me and I quickly averted my gaze.
"This is the last thing I need tonight," I whispered, only loud enough for Tala to hear. "Mr. Terrence had better get his entertainment elsewhere.
"Be careful, he keeps looking over here," Tala whispered. "I think he's going to approach one of us tonight."
Sure enough, he glanced over two seconds later, his dark eyes landing on Tala's athletic figure. The meal was almost done; the dessert dished out. If the HQ didn't get her
e soon, Tala might become another victim of Wesley Blake and his sick sex house. I couldn't let that happen.
I fingered Athena's Jewel around my neck. No one had noticed the long chain that fell beneath the top of my dress. All the other girls had piled on jewelry from the stock room, so my piece wasn't suspicious. If push came to shove, I'd test out my psychic powers again tonight. I prayed I wouldn't have to.
"Aya, could we please talk?" My mother snuck up behind me and pulled on my elbow. "Now?"
I didn't have time for another argument with her, but it didn't seem like I had a choice. Wesley would notice if I snubbed his assistant, and I wasn't interested in drawing his attention.
"Fine."
I let her lead me away, but kept one eye on Mr. Terrence's back. Amongst the dark suits sitting around the dining table, he wasn't hard to miss.
"I made arrangements for you," mother whispered. "Arrangements to get you out of here. Tonight. We'll have to be quick about it."
This caught my attention. "What do you mean? You're sneaking me out of here?"
She nodded. "I can't watch you become Wesley's slave. I pulled a few strings."
I pulled my arm out of her tight grip. "Why would you do that?"
She stared at me as if I were stupid. "Because you don't belong here."
"No one belongs here," I hissed. "Not even you. What about the dozens of other girls you've seen come through here? Did you ever even think about helping them escape?"
She stuttered over her words, turning red. "Well... no... but this is different. You're my daughter."
"And all of those girls are someone's daughters." My cheeks began to heat up. "I'm not leaving them behind. I wouldn't leave for Gideon and I'm not leaving for you."
Mother was about to reply when I saw Wesley stand up at the table. He put his arm around Mr. Terrence and led him over to the dessert table where Tala still sat. They both leaned over her, their conversation mumbled. But, I knew all I needed to hear from the look of horror on Tala's face. Mr. Terrence had made a request Wesley would no doubt supply, even if Tala was days away from completing her training.
"Don't interfere." Mother pulled on my arm as I tried to storm forward. "He'll kill you this time for sure. You won't stand a chance."
I huffed and snatched my arm away. "You don't know anything. I've got an advantage that you can't see. I can stop them."
My powers had been growing so fast, I was sure I could take on Mr. Terrence again. But to take on Wesley - that was another question. Plus, the half dozen other guests in the room with mysterious abilities and powers. But, I couldn't just stand there and do nothing.
"I'm not going to let them hurt her," I swore.
I pulled Athena's Jewel out from under my dress and clasped it tightly in my palm. Maybe Ruth hadn't meant for me to use it this way, but I saw no other choice.
My hand began to stretch toward Wesley and Mr. Terrence, when I saw a flash of color light up my hand. Peeling open my fingers, I saw the faintest light in the middle of the jewel. It danced within the stone, reflecting off the sharply cut facets. The enchantment! It must've worked. The HQ was on its way.
A loud bang shook the Ranch. Wesley looked up from his conversation with Tala. A confused frown played on his lips. He excused himself from Mr. Terrence and hurried out of the dining room.
"What was that?" Mother asked. She looked at me with fear in her eyes. "That's not...?"
"That's our rescue."