Exactly what she needed.
“I have to get you prepared for surgery. I'm sorry,” the young man added as he approached her bed, refusing to make eye contact with her.
Darn.
She’d been hoping for longer before they were going to put her under the knife again. She should have expected this, though, they'd likely already matched her organs with someone on their buy list. The ring was losing ground every time Prey raided another of their facilities, they had to move quickly if they wanted to keep their business operational.
“It’s okay, it’s not your fault,” Teresa assured the man.
Surprise widened his eyes as his gaze snapped up to meet hers. “Normally they … they think … they blame me.”
“I'm not them. I know about the ring, and I know they force some of the doctors and nurses to do their dirty work. They abducted my friend and kept her for seven months, trying to force her to comply. Is that what they’re doing to you? Making you work here? Are they hurting you when you try to say no?”
What she needed the most right now was an ally, and this young man could be it. All she needed to do was gain his trust, then convince him to release her hand long enough for her to activate the tracker. Then all they had to do was wait for Prey to arrive.
Slowly, the man nodded. Then quickly spun in a circle as though expecting someone to pop up after having witnessed his confession. When he reassured himself that no one was there, he hurried over to her side, leaning in close as he whispered. “They tricked me. Told me it was a legitimate job, it was meant to bewell-paying. When I got here, they locked me in a room, put an ankle monitor on me, and told me what they wanted me to do. I told them no, but they don’t care.”
“How long have they had you?”
“What day is it today?”
“Umm …” Teresa’s mind whirled as she tried to figure it out. “It was May 7thwhen I was taken, and I don’t think they’ve had me more than twenty-four hours.”
“They haven’t,” the man confirmed. “They took me in early April, so I’ve been here a month.”
“They hurt you.” She nodded at his face and the darkening bruise, which was recent if the swelling in his eye was anything to go by.
Another nod. “I keep telling them this is wrong, but they never listen. All they care about is money. Well,shecares about more than money, but the rest don’t.”
“Who’sshe?” Teresa asked. Could he be talking about the woman in the skirt suit with the bun that both Ava and Isabella had mentioned?
“Ms. Tilly,” he whispered, leaning in even closer.
“Is she the woman who runs the ring?”
“She’s the one who offered me the job. I did some work for her, real work, legitimate work, taking care of her daughter. Her daughter is sick, with some genetic issue that causes her organs to start shutting down. Ms. Tilly has already lost her husband and three sons to it. She was determined not to lose her daughter as well.”
“That’s why she started the ring? Organs for her daughter?”
“I think so. She’s very determined, she loves the money and power as well as keeping her daughter alive. But I never would have signed up for this.” The man’s voice grew urgent. “I thought it was another job like caring for her daughter, if I'd knownwhat they wanted me to do, I swear I would have turned the job down.”
“Shh,” she murmured. “I believe you. If you’d turned it down, they would only have kidnapped you anyway. What's your name?”
“William.”
“William, I'm Teresa. I think you know that already.” When William nodded, she continued, “Do you also know that I work for Prey Security?” Another nod. “I knew the ring would try coming after me again, so I came prepared.”
“Prepared?”
“I have a small tracking device implanted under the skin of my wrist. It’s something I was working on. It remains inactive until my fingerprint wakes it up. Only my fingerprint will activate it. But to do that, I need you to loosen the binds on my wrist.”
“I can't,” William hissed, shaking his head desperately. “If they know I helped you, they’ll hurt me.”
“They’ll hurt you either way,” she reminded him. “Prey knows I have this tracker on me, they’re waiting for me to turn it on so they can come. Sooner or later, they could decide to switch you from nurse to patient. They could take your organs as easily as they’re taking mine. This is our only hope. Yours as well as mine. Prey will come, and if you know information about how to get in touch with Ms. Tilly, then they can shut down the trafficking ring for good.”
“Will I … will I be punished for helping them?” William asked.
“No. Absolutely not. You aren't here by choice, and you were coerced into working for them. You’ll be treated like all the other nurses and doctors who were rescued, like the victim that you are. Please, William. All you have to do is loosen the strap longenough for me to activate the tracker, then you can prep me for the surgery like you were sent in here to do.”
