Dynasty (Boys of Winter 1)

“Why me?” I ask. “Do you have any idea how many other girls there were at this place? Why save me? I would have been able to fight them off. Maybe not straight away, but I would have found a way to survive. You could have saved them instead. Why didn’t you save them?”

Guilty expressions cross each of their faces but it’s Cruz who finally speaks up. “Believe me,” he says, inching closer, the guilt in his tone pouring out like it’s his biggest regret. “We fucking tried. We’ve been trying since the day we first found out about it, but Dynasty doesn’t get involved. There’s a reason no one knows who or what Dynasty is. They have a certain set of … rules that they govern by, and they don’t stray, never have since being founded over eighty years ago. They work behind the scenes and keep away from shit like this, and like I told you the other day, things with Sam aren’t clean cut. It’s complicated.”

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “That’s not good enough. You need to go back there and do something about it. You have the money and the skills to make it happen. Who gives a shit about what Dynasty wants? These girls are going to be sold and raped and they’ll never be heard of again.”

King leans forward onto his knees. “I’m sorry, Winter, but we fucking tried. We were lucky to even get in there and find you before it was too late. The most we could do is get our hands on Sam and try to locate every single girl he’s ever sold, but there’s never a paper trail for this shit, never anything to go by. Believe me, babe, if there was something we could have done, we would have done it ages ago.”

“No,” I say, flying to my feet, nearly knocking the plate off the couch as I go. “What about the cops? Call them. I’ll give them a statement if it’ll help. Sam can’t get away with it. You can’t let him get away with it.”

“The cops have been on his trail for years, but they can’t make a move until they have something solid, but he keeps slipping right through their fingers,” Grayson explains. “He’s been in this game for a long time and has too many friends in high places.”

I collapse down on the couch, feeling completely helpless and desperately wishing that there was something I could do to save all of those girls. I pull the plate of spaghetti bolognese onto my lap and slowly start picking at it, knowing that if I annihilate it like my body is begging me to do, I’m going to end up with an aching stomach.

As I pick at my food, feeling like complete shit for the girls whose lives were stolen out from under them last night, I sense the boys’ stares on me. I glance up to find them all watching me closely, but it’s Carver who looks like he’s thinking the hardest. “What?” I snap at him, unable to control the raging emotions flying around my body.

“There’s something we need to tell you,” Carver says, glancing away at the last second, making it seem as though this mysterious thing they need to tell me is something that has the potential to break me, but honestly, after what I’ve already gone through, there’s not much that can bring me down.

My brows drop and as I look around at all the guys and sense their hesitance, nerves begin sweeping through me. “What?” I ask, shooting my impatient stare back at Carver, wishing that he’d just get it over and done with, rip it off like a band aid.

Carver lets out a sigh before holding his head high and giving it to me straight, the only way I’d want it. “Your foster father was paid off by Sam. After all that bullshit at his club, Sam still wanted you and Knox gave up every little bit of information he had.” I suck in a breath, momentarily cutting off Carver, but he continues. “Kurt knew you were about to be kidnapped from your room, he even let the fuckers in, and in the end, had himself a nice little payday.”

My mouth drops, unable to believe what I’m hearing. I know both Kurt and Irene are complete assholes but surely they would not sell their foster child to a sex trafficker. Though, if no one knew I was missing, then nothing would stand in the way of them collecting their check at the end of each month.

I shake my head. “This is unbelievable,” I murmur to myself. “Kurt and Irene are literally the two people who are supposed to have my back during all of this and they’ve done nothing but make my life harder.”