Silence filled the room.

Then, another operative, an older woman, maybe in her thirties with blonde hair, spoke up. "We can do this. For those girls. For all the girls they’ve hurt."

The others all nodded in agreement.

Sarah felt a swell of pride. "Get changed. We leave in five minutes."

The women quickly slipped into their white silk dresses, flowing and beautiful, yet creepy, and put on silver masks that hid their faces.

When they were ready, Sarah led them to three clean, unmarked vans that were different from the ones used for the real girls.

The operatives climbed in, now quiet and already in character. Sarah took her spot in the lead van, and they drove off.

*****

The vans rolled into the parking lot, sneaking in through the back service entrance.

Charles was already waiting.

Sarah hopped out of the van. "They’re all set."

Charles nodded. "The basement’s ready. My men are in position."

Fifteen operatives spilled out of the vans and followed Charles inside. They made their way down the hallway and into the basement.

The five "guards" were already there, watching the operatives without a hint of recognition.

Perfect.

The operatives flopped down in the chairs.

The "guards" zip-tied their wrists and ankles, not too tight, but just enough to look convincing.

The operatives slumped in their chairs, shoulders drooping, heads hanging low.

They looked defeated.

Broken.

Sarah stood by the doorway, a sense of unease settling in her stomach.

They looked just like the real girls had: scared and hopeless.

But it was exactly what the plan required.

Charles pulled out his phone and sent a text to Azalea.

"Trap is set. Good thing Alpha didn’t hear the grenade or the gunshots earlier."

Azalea replied back quickly:

"His building is soundproof. That’s a plus for us."

Charles gave a grim smile and messaged again: "Standing by."

Azalea passed the info along to Zayden.

"Trap is set."

Zayden responded, "Check on Alpha."

*****

Azalea switched between the camera feeds.

She found Alpha’s office again.

Alpha was up now, checking his watch and adjusting his shiny golden mask.

Maksim also stood up, his silver mask back in place.

Alpha talked into his phone, "Bring the cars around. We’re good to go."

Once he hung up, he turned to Maksim. "Time to grab our stuff."

They left the office.

Azalea kept an eye on them through the cameras as they made their way down the hallway, down the stairs, and into another hallway, heading for the basement.

She typed quickly.

"Alpha and Maksim are on their way to the basement. ETA 2 minutes."

She sent the message to Charles, Zayden, and the rest of the crew.

Then she waited.

*****

The door at the top of the stairs swung open.

Footsteps echoed in the air.

The five guards snapped to attention.

Alpha came down first, his golden mask shining under the fluorescent lights.

Maksim followed, decked out in a silver mask and a fancy suit.

Right behind them was Alexander Kane, wearing a black mask and staying quiet.

Alpha took a look around the room.

Fifteen girls were tied up and masked, all looking pretty scared.

He smiled.

"Perfect," he said. "Just perfect."

He walked down the line, checking out each girl.

He stopped at a girl named Rachel, lifting her chin with his finger.

She flinched and whimpered, acting just like a frightened fourteen-year-old would.

Alpha nodded. "This one’s for Harrison. She’s blonde and young. He’ll definitely dig her."

Maksim looked at his own list and stopped at another girl.

"And this one’s for Mills."

Alpha turned to the guards. "Get them free. Line them up in a single file. We’ll head upstairs in ten minutes."

The guards, Charles’s crew, jumped right into action.

They sliced the zip ties and helped the girls get on their feet.

The operatives nailed their roles perfectly.

The girls stumbled, quietly cried, and leaned on each other for support.

Alpha watched with a grin.

"Gentlemen," he said to the guards, "great job tonight. You’ll be rewarded."

One of Charles’s men, a dude named Caleb, nodded. "Yes, sir."

That was the only exchange.

Alpha didn’t notice anything off.

He didn’t see that these weren’t his guards.

He didn’t realize the girls seemed way too calm and collected.

He saw only what he expected.

Merchandise.

Products.

Not people.

The girls got lined up.

Alpha led them toward the stairs, with Maksim following and Alexander bringing up the end.

And the trap closed in tighter.

*****

The auction room was packed.

Seventy-three guests. All rich. All are wearing masks.

They were sitting in comfy chairs, waiting.

Leo was in the third row, perfectly disguised as Victor Marlowe.

Reyes was in the seventh row, perfectly pretending to be James Chen.

Their eight operatives were spread out around the room, all armed and on alert.

The lights went down, and a spotlight hit the stage.

Alpha strolled out, sporting a golden mask and a sharp suit.

The crowd erupted into polite applause, civilized and classy.

Rich men pretending to be gentlemen.

Alpha raised a hand, and silence swept over the room.

"Welcome," he said into the mic, his voice smooth and confident. "Welcome to tonight’s special event."

More applause followed.

"Tonight, we’ve got something really special: fifteen amazing girls. Young. Beautiful. Ready to obey."

The audience leaned forward, eager.

Maksim then walked out and joined Alpha on stage. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"These girls have been handpicked," Maksim said. "Trained and prepped. They’re yours, for the right price."

Excited whispers filled the air.

Alexander was the last one to step out, wearing a black mask and hanging back a bit behind the other two.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a message from Aylin:

"Recording everything. Stay put."

He gave his pocket a quick tap to let her know he was on it.

Alpha waved toward the wings. "Bring them out."

The curtains opened up, showing fifteen girls who walked onto the stage. Their white dresses flowed, and their silver masks sparkled, but they looked visibly terrified.

The crowd went wild with applause, whistling, and cheering.