26. Chapter 26

“Guarantees? Does my reputation not precede me? Dozens of successful auctions, and you want proof? Fine.”

The Collector didn’t sound upset, but Chloe was well aware of the fragile ego of psychopaths, and the mechanical voice hid more than an identity.

Trixie disappeared from the central video screen. Chloe’s heart froze between two beats, until a flickering showed that The Collector had just turned the camera around rather than anything more drastic.

“Get that replayed frame by frame,” she heard Agent Johnson order quietly, “He didn’t plan that switch. There could well be something identifiable in the background. Labels, windows, reflections, you know the drill.”

The new picture showed what had to be the other half of the extra large shipping container, or maybe it was some sort of warehouse? The walls were that same corrugated metal, but there were darkened windows set high above, and the floor looked more concrete than metal.

There were also over a dozen masked men standing flush against the wall.

They were dressed head to toe in ominous black tactical gear and carried some serious firepower. Security? These would be the men Amir warned them about then, Chloe thought, Castello men or some other breed of mercenaries.

It was a not a sight that inspired much hope.

Professional criminals were the worst. They were disciplined enough to ignore a child’s tears, armed enough to make rescue difficult and experienced enough to keep quiet about it all afterwards.

Her poor baby girl.

“The Lord of the Underworld does not rule all of L.A. I have my own connections here. Do not forget that he’s just one man. Good enough?”

Chloe split her attention between the chat room and her peripheral vision - and the FBI agents swarming in it.

Lord of the Underworld – fuck her life. Lucifer’s reputation had definitely gone down the drain. Nobody would forget that description any time soon. Heck, she wasn’t going to be forgetting it either, but now was not the time, so into the box at the back of her mind it went.

[BigDaddy] fucking get on with it man, ive got sum serious blue balls here.

[Princess] bro bring th girl back!!

[batman] Good enough for me.

[83246952] Accepted. I believe you were discussing price?

“My prize is not just a forbidden thrill gentlemen, it’s not a momentary pleasure, it is priceless leverage against your less than benevolent overlord, and I know some of you carry a grudge. An appropriate treat to celebrate the first anniversary of my little business!”

Price frowned, “A year?” she muttered to Agent Johnson, “our earliest intelligence puts him at eight months since the trigger event.”

Chloe ignored the following rapid-fire orders to focus on Trixie. Every tear she shed was a drop of acid on her heart. Would she ever be able to look at her daughter again without seeing the ghost of handcuffs on her wrists? That chain bolting her to the wall?

“This may very well be your one opportunity for revenge. As such, I will start the bidding at one million dollars.”

[HschlHTub] da fuck?

[McMuffin] U r out of ur fuckin mind. No whore is worth that! Fucking rip off you cunt cunt cunt!

[batman] 1 million dollars is acceptable.

[83246952] 1 million, done.

Agent Michaels choked, and Chloe noticed all the FBI agents exchange glances, which told her more than enough.

“That’s way too high,” Michaels said heatedly, speaking to his colleagues although Chloe could hear every word. “A decade of nightly underage prostitution and then selling her organs at top dollar would only just hit that level of cash and that’s assuming she survived that long. She’ll be dead within six months, a year tops.”

“And that’s a decade of high risk on a depreciating asset. Only an idiot would keep her that long, assuming the drugs, injury or pregnancy didn’t do it first.”

“Then The Collector speaks truly. It’s not about paedophilia, it’s about Morningstar. Or at least, it’s become about Morningstar. There’s been surprisingly few taunts aimed at him. I doubt that he was the original target. So far The Collector’s psychosis has always been focused on the mother. It’s a specific fantasy, they don’t change obsessions like this.”

“What if The Collector didn’t know about the connection to Morningstar? Or he didn’t realise that Morningstar was a… local celebrity. What if this switch is due to him faking it? Better to pretend that it was the plan all along than admit it was an accident. He may not know what the audience is reacting to.”

“We don’t know either, even if I’ve got a good guess. If it wasn’t in our briefing, there’s no reason for The Collector to know either. It could well be an in the know thing.”

“The Collector still had time to hire extra security somehow though. It doesn’t fit.”

“Maybe he’s always had it. Might explain his earlier successes too? Or again, he’s faking it. No matter the potential threat, bodyguards are a good deterrent. We know he’s quick on his feet.”

The Collector’s voice interrupted the brainstorming session.

“I’m pleased that some of you can see the value of my hard work. Do I have one and a half million?”

[Princess] 1.5 mil.

“Delightful. Do I have two million?”

[niggahh69] 2 mil.

[83246952] 2.5 mil.

“At least larger transactions are harder to hide. This might be a good thing.”

“It’s odd to have so many wealthy buyers in one place like this. The Collector must have deliberately advertised to the rich somehow. Previous auctions have never topped six figures. We know he’s active on the dark web and forums – there must be something there we’ve missed or don’t have access to.”

“He only takes cash too. It’s not just wealth; it’s having enough in liquid assets. That narrows the suspect pool considerably.”

“It also gives more weight to the theory that The Collector is wealthy, rather than travelling for work.”

[QWERTY] Darwin awards right here. I’m gone. L – sorry man, didn’t know. Truce?

[QWERTY] has logged off.

[4dawin] $$$??? :@

[4dawin] has logged off.

Michaels rose from his chair and stepped over to hassle Amenadiel, piling the pressure on.

“Does she look unharmed, Amenadiel? Is this what you wanted? Do you like it? Is it kiddies or is it chains that do it for you? You sick freak, don’t you feel anything?”

Amenadiel said nothing, not that Chloe expected him to at this point; he seemed to be having some sort of mental breakdown and or crisis of faith. God, that family. Poor Linda.

“So eager, my dear audience, but do I see three million?”

[Princess] For 3 mil, I want to see what I’m getting.

[BigDaddy] Oh yeah, take it off!

Paralysed, Chloe stared at the little line of text, mentally commanding the words to have a different meaning. They weren’t going to…now? On camera? To Trixie? But…that couldn’t happen, it wasn’t allowed. She –

-could do nothing but sit here. Agent Price was already shooting her a sympathetic look, which gave her the fuck you strength to stay sitting right there, doing nothing useful.

She sickened herself.

“You don’t like the dress, Princess? Really? I thought it would please you. ”

[83246952] Let us not get distracted. The sooner our negotiations are concluded, the safer we all are. Three million, agreed.

“There is no danger! I take numerous precautions against hacking, I’ve hired local muscle, I’ve kept the operation absolutely secure. What on earth do you have to worry about?”

If a mechanical voice could hiss…

Inside her, something dark and ugly was satisfied. Anything that irritated that monster was good. If they were scared of Lucifer, fantastic. She wanted them to be afraid. Let them sit behind their screens and cower. She hoped he painted the walls with their blood.

The Collector was unstable, his ego fragile, and Trixie was at his mercy.

It would not end well.

[batman] It’s not on earth I’m worried about, personally. In Hell however…

Chloe ground her teeth. Not subtle.

[niggahh69] 2 b fair – I’ve seen L laugh at guns.

She had too.

[Ooohlala] That’s nothing. I once shot L point blank in the chest with a .32. He criticised my suit, then bought me a drink. No fucks were given.

“A bulletproof vest is not the stuff of legend.”

[Ooohlala] Yeah, well, that was what I said to him, so he took his shirt off. No vest. No plate. Nowt.

She’d tried that too.

[batman] The man’s not human. Once saw him take three dynamites, three dragon rocks and three neon nods all in a row, then he followed it with 2 bottles of scotch and an orgy that lasted for four days.

“There’s nothing to fear from an addict. Do I have three and a half?”

[BigDaddy] No show, no money. I’m not buying if she’s diseased or secretly crippled under all that.

[niggahh69] Show us the goods!!!!

[abc123] ffs just strip the bitch already. I’m getting bored.

“I don’t know…” The Collector sounded pleased the fucker. No wonder, with the attention back on him. “She’s all dressed up for prom, and we all know what happens on prom night.”

[Ooohlala] Don’t teaseeeee

[Dungeon!Mast3r] I’d like a preview too, especially for 3.5 mil.

“Three and a half is it? Well in that case…”

[Beelzebub] I don’t buy spoiled goods, and have no interest in sharing. Four million, and don’t ruin the surprise.

Her battle with vomiting and or loss of conscious ceased immediately.

“Detective Decker?” Agent Johnson whispered, noticing her shift, “What is it?”

“Nothing,” Chloe replied with a strangled laugh, feeling like she was dancing on the knife’s edge of madness, “It’s just that Beelzebub? It’s another name for the Devil.”