Back in her cell, Maggie lay on her cot. Max and Cali tried to find out what happened upstairs, but she remained silent; her arms and hands were limp; her jaw hung loosely. Finally, she leaned up on one elbow. "I had to tell them everything. Our chance of getting out of here is gone, and it's all my fault," Maggie said bluntly.

"That's not true," Cali countered. "John William was looking for something when he came down here. Shana was the only one who was with him. She must've overheard us talking and told him about the notes."

Max nodded his head. "Look, Mags, you did what you had to do. They would've killed you if you didn't tell them everything."

Maggie curled up on the dirty cot. She thought about what she had just done. The odds were that they would never allow Sabrina to come and see her again. She liked Sabrina. Then she wondered if that spooky Bernie would come back to see her without Sabrina. She hoped not.

Little Maggie didn't know what any of this meant. But she would soon find out.

Chapter Twenty-One.

That night, Bernie was called into a private meeting with two high-ranking cartel members. They explained what had transpired. They didn't need to explain the consequences.

The next morning, while walking her dog in Penn Treaty Park in Fishtown, a woman in her late thirties saw Sabrina's bare foot sticking out from under a large bush. She moved closer to get a better look, thinking her eyes had deceived her. That's when she saw Sabrina. She was naked and lying on her back. Her eyes were open; her pupils flat. Her throat had been cut so deeply that the woman could see her neck bone. Sabrina's head remained attached to her body only by the skin on the back of her neck. The woman started to scream and wave her hands wildly. Her dog was barking, unable to handle the sudden burst of emotion from his owner. Others flocked to the spot where the woman was screaming. Hands flew to mouths and throats as they took in the death that lay before them.

The forensic team studied Sabrina where she lay lifeless in the park. Sabrina's furrowed brows created long lines on her forehead. Her eyes bulged slightly, and her lips were locked in a tense pucker. Cuts and bruises on her inner thighs made the detectives certain that she'd been sexually assaulted even before the coroner had a chance to examine the body. Sabrina's grotesquely contorted facial features showed a combination of terror and pain. Based on all of the evidence they found on the body, the forensics team determined that she had been tortured for many hours before being killed.

Back at the prison, the cartel moved quickly. The five children were blindfolded, shackled, and loaded into a van. The van was driven at a high rate of speed for thirty minutes, and then parked. The back doors were opened, and several men roughly pulled the children out and escorted them into a farmhouse owned by the cartel in Skippack, Pennsylvania. There was a dilapidated barn several hundred yards from the equally broken-down house. There were no neighbors or other buildings for at least five miles.

The children were taken inside and led down to a basement twice the size of the house above it. The children looked around at the cinderblock walls and dirt floor. Soot from the old coal-burning furnace covered every surface like a thick layer of tar. In place of cells, each child was put into a large dog kennel. The kennels, constructed of chain link fencing with a door and a key lock, had been used for other children three years ago. Each contained a crib-size mattress. The only improvement to the children's living conditions was they could now see and speak to each other freely without the stone walls separating them. The downside was that they would share one open toilet in the corner of the basement.

When the children were left alone in the basement, Cali spoke first. "Shana! What did you do? What did you tell John William?"

Shana was feeling sick; she wanted more hillbilly heroin. "What does it matter? At least we got out of that nasty fucking place we've been living in. I don't know why the fuck you care where we are. It's all the same shit."

"What did you tell him, Shana? How the fuck could you do this to us?" Max asked.

"I told him about the notes that woman gave to Maggie. So what? It doesn't mean anything. Nothing happened to little Miss Wonderful over there," Shana stated, pointing to Maggie.

"We don't know what's going to happen to any of us now. That's the point, Shana. You put us all at risk. Why would you do something so stupid?" Max pressed.

"Because I wanted to get fuckin' high, OK? I need to get high so that I don't chew my own fuckin' arm off. You don't know what these pricks are doing to me. They hurt me, really, really bad! I just want this to end! I can't live like this anymore," Shana yelled.

Cali raised her voice. "We know it's hard, Shana. We all know you're going through really bad shit. But telling John William things that are none of his business won't help any of us. They could have killed Maggie for keeping secrets. You know that!"

"I wish they would kill her!" Shana responded. "Then maybe things would go back to normal."

"There is no normal for us," Max stated.

The three of them went silent, and the air grew thick with tension. "Shana, I know you hate me, and you think I did something to you on purpose. I really didn't do anything, I swear. And I don't blame you for telling John William what you heard. I know you're in a lot of pain, and the medicine helps you feel better. I just wish you didn't want me to die. All I want is to go back to my family. I'm not mad at you for what you did," Maggie said.

Shana stood and paced the kennel. She rubbed the back of her neck, trying to loosen her muscles to relieve the headache she'd had for hours. Now, in a sober moment, she regretted telling John William about the notes. She thought about the implications; maybe that woman was for real, and they would have been rescued. Did she just blow it for all of them? What would John William and Myles do to that woman? What'll they do to Maggie? Shana collapsed on the mattress and covered her face with her hands. She rubbed her temples but wouldn't make eye contact with anyone. She was too embarrassed to face the other kids. She may have blown their only ticket out of this nasty game.

With the children in their new location, only their long-term clientele, those who could be trusted, were told about the farmhouse. That night, the reconstruction of their business began. All of the children, including Seth, were taken upstairs. They were all to participate in a new feature film.

Chapter Twenty-Two.

Detective Harker rang the Clarkes' doorbell. It was early in the morning, and Lorraine answered it with her hair and nightclothes in disarray.

"Harker. What are you doing here? Did you find Maggie?" Lorraine barked.

"No. But we think something significant happened. Can I come in?" Harker asked.

"Sure." Lorraine led him into the kitchen. She started a pot of coffee and then sat at the table across from Harker. "What happened?" she asked.

"The FBI contacted us. Early this morning, an agent was found dead at Penn Treaty Park. Apparently, the agent has been undercover for several years. Her mission was to find a way into the sex-trafficking ring," Harker explained.

"Wait, wait." Lorraine stood quickly, knocking over her chair. Her skin felt like it was burning. "Sex trafficking? You think my daughter is being sold for sex?"

Harker stood up next to Lorraine. He put his hand on her shoulder and looked directly into her eyes. "We don't know, Lorraine. But if she is, this agent infiltrated further than anyone in the bureau has before. The thing is, she was so deep undercover that she didn't talk to anyone at the FBI about what was going on. She sent very cryptic notes to her commander-almost a hundred notes over the last three years with only a few words on them. Her commander said they've pieced together most of the story. They knew she was living in Pennsylvania, and her last note, which he received after she died, vaguely mentioned a prison."

Lorraine felt her insides come to life. Her heart was pumping, and she was filled with an energy she hadn't had in a long time. She fidgeted as she considered the possibility that Maggie was forced into sex trafficking, a thought that made her knees weak. "So, what you're telling me is that you think Maggie could still be alive?"

"What I'm telling you is we still have nothing to indicate that Maggie is alive. However, we are waiting on further instructions from the FBI. Hopefully, they will provide us with useful leads. We may be able to find out where they are holding children. There's a chance that Maggie is being trafficked. I don't want to give you false hope about her being alive. I just want you to know there's a possibility," he stated.

My Maggie is still alive, she thought. My baby is still alive!

Lorraine sat at the kitchen table and put her hands around her mug. She took a long sip of the rich coffee. It had been a while since she'd actually tasted anything. That morning, the sugar and cream she mixed in her coffee filled her mouth. The flavors played over her taste buds, creating a sensation she hadn't felt in a long time...being alive. Her faith ignited and began a slow burn that warmed her heart.

Chapter Twenty-Three.

All of the children were taken upstairs that night. The stairway from the basement was narrow and creaky. When they reached the main floor, the house was dark, and it was hard to take in their surroundings. They were led into a large living room. A bed had been set up in the middle with black lights overhead. Seth clung to Maggie's leg, his fingers burrowing into her thigh.

"It'll be OK, Seth," she whispered to him.

It wasn't long before the music started, and the children were told what to do as a group. Maggie held tightly to Seth's hand, and as Max pulled her onto the bed, she took Seth with her. The child was lying on his belly, and Maggie straddled him to keep his upper body out of view of the camera. She subtly reached her fingers into Seth's mouth and quickly shoved them as far down his throat as possible. Seth vomited all over the other children. John William came storming in on them. "Little fucking jerk off! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Seth looked uneasily at Maggie. She responded for him. "He's too young, John William. He's nervous and doesn't know what's going on or what's happening to him."

Seth sat on the bed holding Maggie around the waist as soaking tears fell from his eyes. To Maggie's relief, John William snatched Seth away from her and half carried, half dragged the small boy back down to the basement. She had spared Seth this time.

The next morning, the children were fed breakfast in their kennels. Then, two at a time, they were taken upstairs to shower. Maggie and Seth, the two youngest, went first. The steps from the basement were made of wood logs split in half, flat side up. They walked through the kitchen and into the enormous living room. Wooden beams ran the length of the ceiling. The plaster walls were cracked and chipped from years of settlement and neglect.

Two old chairs covered in red velvet sat where the bed had been the night before. Maggie noticed thin, lace curtains on the windows that overlooked the backyard. She strained to get a glimpse of the outdoors. She hadn't seen the sky or the sun since John William had stolen her. As she walked by the windows, the sun lit up the lace, and she could see there were things in the backyard...abandoned objects.

John William led them down a long corridor with rooms on either side. About midway down, he stopped and instructed Maggie and Seth to go inside. The windows of the bedroom were covered with fabric; no outside light entered the room. A king-size mattress was shoved up against the wall farthest from the door. To their right was a large fireplace; to the left, another door led into the bathroom, where a claw-foot tub sat on old and broken gray tiles.

"Let's go. Fill up the tub. You two bathe together. I ain't got time to take care of that little asshole," John William stated, gesturing toward Seth.

Maggie rushed to fill the tub with water. "Come on, Seth. Take your clothes off. We need to get a bath," she told him.

The small boy looked over at John William and took stiff, jerky steps away from the overgrown brute. The man scared the shit out of Seth.

"Come on, Seth," Maggie coaxed. "Let's get you undressed."

"Aggie, I don't want to take a baff," he told her, keeping his eyes glued on John William.

John William enjoyed watching Seth tremble with fear, "Get your filthy ass in that tub, or I'll give you something to be scared about," he roared.

Maggie used a bit of force on the boy to get him undressed. She lifted him up and placed him in the tub. She was starting to climb in with him when John William spoke again. "Come over here, you little whore," he ordered her.

Maggie walked over to him slowly, acutely aware that she still might be punished for her part in harboring the notes from Sabrina. Standing before him, she put one arm over her flat chest and covered her crotch with her hand. John William forced her hands to her sides and looked her over. "Myles is coming to pay you a visit tonight. I hope you get everything that you deserve. No one does stupid shit behind his back and gets away with it. You thought you were so clever, hiding your little notes, thinking that fucking bitch was going to save you. Well, now you see where it got you. Nowhere!"

Maggie's face dropped to the floor. Looking at John William was almost as painful as hearing his maddening voice. He droned on and on, berating them constantly. Maggie hated him. She stood perfectly still, holding her breath, until finally he slapped the side of her head as a gesture of dismissal. She turned and climbed into the bathtub with Seth.

Maggie washed the young boy quickly and then herself. John William's words played over in her mind: I hope you get everything you deserve. The anxiety of Myles's visit grated on her nerves. By the time she was returned to her kennel, her breath was short, and her throat was tight.

"Maggie? What's wrong?" Cali asked, as she watched her friend lose it.

"Myles is coming to see me tonight. John William said I'm in trouble. I'm scared, Cali. What if he kills me? Then I'll never go home again," she whined, not able to express the depth of her worry with words.

"Good!" Shana yelled. "I hope he beats the shit out of you. Then you'll get a taste of what you did to me."

"Stop it, Shana!" Cali barked. Then she looked back at Maggie. "Mags, everything will be OK. You're gonna have to play dumb. Just tell Myles you didn't know what to do with the notes. Tell him the woman forced you to take them and threatened to tell lies about you. Do whatever you have to do to curb his anger. OK, Mags? Do you hear what I'm saying?" Cali persisted.

But Maggie was lost in her own sick thoughts. She started to shake and broke into a cold sweat. There was nothing for any of them to do but sit and wait for Myles to arrive and dish out Maggie's punishment.

Chapter Twenty-Four.

When Maggie reached the top of the ladder, it opened into the attic. She gasped at her surroundings. The wooden rafters were exposed. The walls were the original wooden sheathing of the house. They were water stained where rain had leaked through the battered roof. A small lamp on a desk at the other end of the attic cast an eerie glow, throwing shadows across the room. The dust-covered floor creaked as Maggie walked toward Myles.

Several men stood around the desk where Myles was sitting. He peered over at her, his black mood penetrating her entire being. She could hear the sound of her heart in her ears-boom, boom, boom. Her legs went limp, and she fell to the floor. She didn't want to live, yet the thought of death made her more afraid.

"Take a bow, Maggie. You've managed to put our entire operation in jeopardy," Myles said. He stood and moved around the desk. "You think you're pretty smart, don't you?"

Maggie shook her head, unable to utter a word. It was as if her tongue was glued to the roof of her mouth. She looked up at Myles, her eyes begging for mercy. Myles was wearing a white wife-beater; his tanned arms and shoulders looked as if they were chiseled from stone. His muscles were tense, and his jaw was taut.

"Please, I'm so sorry," Maggie pleaded in a quiet voice.

"Sorry isn't enough, Maggie. What you've done can't be excused. When you do bad things, you'll always be punished. That's what you're about to learn. You're nothing but a rotten kid, and from now on, you'll be treated just like all the others."

Myles's bitter, seething voice had the impact he had intended.

Thoughts of Shana flashed through Maggie's mind. Shana had sustained ruthless brutality. Maggie shuffled across the floor on her hands and knees in a feeble attempt to get away from Myles. But there was nowhere to run.

"That's right, go on and slither into the corner, you little fucking snake. There's nothing that's going to protect you," Myles said, confirming her mounting fear.

Myles turned on his heel and addressed the other men in the room. "Let's go," he told them. "John William, you know what I expect you to do."

The men followed Myles down the ladder and left Maggie alone in the attic with John William. He approached and towered over her. His breath came out in bull-like puffs. His hands dangled at his sides as if they were dead weight. He leaned into Maggie, his demonic eyes alive with craziness. He purposely unbuckled his belt and slid it out of each pant loop slowly to give her the full effect. Then he lifted the belt and brought it down hard on her. The slap of leather stung her skin. The buckle ripped holes in her cheap, thin T-shirt. Maggie curled into a ball and covered her head with her hands. But it was no use. Nothing would prevent the punishment that awaited her.

Three days later, John William delivered her back to the kennel. Cali and Max stood as he roughly carried her in and practically threw her on the thin mattress. She was naked. Her body was covered in bruises, welts, and angry red marks that looked like circles of blood. Maggie never opened her eyes, and the others, with the exception of Shana, hoped that she wasn't dead or near death.

"John William, please let me help her," Cali begged.

"You can't even help yourself, bitch. Be quiet or you'll be next," John William barked. Then he locked Maggie's kennel and trudged up the stairs, shutting off the light before slamming the door. In the blackness of their homemade dungeon, Cali tried to get Maggie to speak.

"Mags? Are you OK? Mags? Can you hear me? Come on, baby, answer me. Let me know you're alive. Sweetie, give us a sign. Tell us about one of the books you've read. Come on, Mags, please," Cali begged. Then she sat against the chain link fence of her own kennel, unable to stop the flood of tears. Feeling helpless and frustrated, Cali allowed herself to let the heavy sobs control her. Cali ached to hold Maggie and willed her to be alive.

Eventually, even Shana began to worry whether Maggie would be OK. After all, Maggie had healed her many times, and she never really wanted her to die. On the other side of the room, Max was consumed with consternation. He tried to be strong for all of them and fill them with an optimism he didn't feel.

"She's going to be fine," he said. "As soon as John William comes back, we'll ask him to let us help her. Maggie is strong. She's a survivor."

But no one believed him any more than he believed himself.

Chapter Twenty-Five.

Cali had just fallen asleep when she heard a small groan escape from Maggie. Her senses sprang to life. "Mags? Mags? Are you awake? Mags, talk to me."