Chapter 25: The Sad Truth.
Talon and Ava sat in heavy silence, their eyes fixed on Lydia as she gathered herself, a flicker of grief shadowing her expression. She took a long, steadying breath, her face a mixture of pain, anger, and something softer—like the affection of old memories that had long since soured.
“Talon,” Lydia began, her voice soft yet carrying the weight of years past. “There’s much you don’t know about your mother, Selene, and how Holts… changed everything for us.” She looked down, lost momentarily in memories. “Your mother and I, we were like sisters once. We grew up together, bonded by survival in a world that was already falling apart. We did whatever we had to, to scrape by.”
Talon’s face remained stoic, but Ava saw the turmoil flickering in his eyes, the restraint in the set of his jaw. Lydia continued, her voice becoming brittle. “Selene was strong, but life forced her into choices no one should ever have to make. She got caught up with the wrong people early on, found herself tangled with the syndicate.” Lydia’s expression darkened, her gaze distant. “Eventually, she had no choice but to work for them. She became one of their top earners as a prostitute… but the price of that success broke her spirit.”
Lydia’s hands trembled slightly as she spoke, her eyes flickering with pain. “Holts was a brutal man. The worst of the lot. He exploited her, degraded her, and when her debts grew beyond what she could pay, he used you as collateral, Talon. He believed taking you would make her more desperate to work, more obedient.”
Talon’s fists clenched tightly, his knuckles going white as his nails bit into his palms. His voice was barely more than a whisper, a quiet storm. “So… he took me to keep her under his thumb.”
Lydia nodded, her own eyes misting over with tears she fought to hold back. “Yes, Talon. He knew she would do anything to get you back. Holts twisted that love into a leash, and it tore her apart. She was never the same after he took you… and she’s never truly healed from that loss.”
Ava placed a gentle hand on Talon’s arm, grounding him, though her own expression was grim. “And what happened to her after he took Talon?” Ava asked, her voice softened but direct.
“Selene… she never stopped working for the syndicate, but she changed.” Lydia’s voice grew softer, barely a murmur as she relived the sorrow of her friend’s decline. “They eventually made her a madam, put her in charge of a brothel, thinking it would keep her in line. She took on that role… and she used it to protect as many of the girls as she could. She tried to keep them from the kind of life she was forced into, to give them a way out.” Lydia’s gaze dropped, her shoulders slumping. “But it wasn’t enough. Every day, she clung to the hope that somehow, someday, you’d come back to her.”
A silence fell over them, thick and suffocating. Talon’s voice, when he finally spoke, was raw. “And where is she now?”
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Lydia hesitated, pain flashing across her face as she struggled to find the words. “She’s still here, Talon. She’s still trapped by the syndicate. She thinks she owes them—Holts never told her you’d cleared that debt. Now, it’s Big Bob who keeps her in his grip.” Lydia’s face twisted with disdain. “Big Bob is… far from kind. He’s heavy-handed, cruel. He uses her as his scapegoat, taking out his temper on her whenever something doesn’t go his way. And he makes sure she remembers that she’s still under his thumb.”
Talon’s face hardened, the rage simmering beneath his expression almost palpable. Ava’s gaze was steely, her anger flashing as she absorbed Lydia’s words. “Big Bob,” she muttered, her voice low. “And she’s had to put up with him all this time?”
Lydia nodded grimly. “Yes. She’s suffered his brutality more times than I can count. But she still does what she can for the girls, helps them escape the life she’s trapped in. She’s tried to give them work around the brothel, small jobs that keep them out of the hands of men like Big Bob. It’s her small way of fighting back, of protecting them in whatever way she can.” Lydia swallowed hard. “But every time one of them escapes, he takes it out on her.”
Talon’s hands trembled with the urge to act, his fury simmering beneath the surface. Ava’s eyes mirrored his, dark and unyielding as her mind worked, weighing the cost of retaliation against the syndicate. She leaned forward, her voice cold and steady. “She’s been punished for her kindness?”
Lydia’s lips pressed into a thin line, her gaze hardening. “Yes. She’s helped dozens of girls get away, and each one comes at a personal cost to her. Big Bob makes her pay for every act of defiance. But she doesn’t care—she’s willing to bear that pain if it means the girls have a chance at freedom.”
Talon’s face was a mask of determination, his voice thick with conviction. “She’s done so much for them… and lost so much for me. Lydia, I need to see her. I need her to know she’s free of this.”
Lydia’s eyes softened, and she reached out, placing a firm hand over Talon’s clenched fist. “I’ll do what I can, but understand, Talon, the syndicate won’t let her go easily. And Big Bob… he’s not just going to let you walk in and take her.”
Ava nodded, her eyes narrowing with focus. “Then we need to be smart about this. What’s the safest approach?”
Lydia considered, her expression cautious but resolute. “The only way to get close without raising suspicions is to approach her under the guise of a business transaction. She handles negotiations for Big Bob. We can arrange for you to meet her, but it has to look legitimate. The fewer people who suspect your intentions, the better.”
Talon’s resolve was unwavering, his voice steady. “We’ll do whatever it takes. I just need to see her.”
Lydia squeezed his hand, her eyes filled with both sadness and hope. “I’ll make the arrangements. In the meantime, stay low, both of you. This place isn’t forgiving to outsiders, especially those looking to disrupt the balance.”
She rose, a quiet determination in her step as she moved away to make the necessary preparations. As Talon and Ava sat in the silence that followed, they absorbed the weight of what they had just learned. The past had resurfaced, raw and merciless, but Talon’s resolve was solid, his anger honed into a purpose. He was prepared to face whatever obstacles lay ahead, determined to reunite with his mother and free her from the shackles that had bound her for so long.
Ava placed a reassuring hand on his arm. “We’ll get her out, Talon. She’s been through hell, but she’s strong. Just like you.”
Talon gave a faint nod, his gaze distant but fierce. He was ready to confront the syndicate, ready to face Big Bob, and ready to help his mother escape the life forced upon her.
Together, they braced themselves for the battles ahead, knowing that the path forward would be treacherous—but for Selene, they were willing to risk it all.