Chapter 1
November 2005
“I cut him until I felt better.”
The words, in their chilly delivery, caused an icy silence to descend on the
police interview room.
Seconds ticked by before a blonde officer whispered, “Everyone, out.”
Two uniformed men had been the first to arrive on the scene at a penthouse in
the heart of downtown Memphis, where the man called “Daddy” housed a stable
of teens that serviced clients with an array of wicked tastes.
Those officers gave one last lingering look at Kari and a glaring one at the
blonde before trudging toward the door. When it closed behind them a ring
of finality lingered that would only be matched by that of prison bars clanging
shut, separating her from the outside world. Yes, that was what she had to look
forward to because …
I cut him until I felt better
Flashes of his blood spreading on the faded carpet echoed in the corners of
her memory. His gasp of surprise, eyes widened in shock, both mirrored the
horror she felt over the action she’d taken to protect one who could not protect
herself. After two years within Daddy’s clutches, sixteen-year-old Kari Mason
had done whatever it took to ensure that her nightmare would finally end and
someone else’s would never begin. All it took was the appearance of another
innocent to incite her to do the one thing that would stop her suffering and
others.
“Tell me what happened,” the officer commanded, sliding a half-filled notepad
to the other side of the metal table. Then she went to a console and switched
Naleighna Kai Literary Cafe Magazine July/August 2017 67