Found Obsession

Chapter 56: Greco's case VII: Bracelets

Rose lay frozen on the cold examination table, her body stiff with tension. The woman tied up next to her continued thrashing, her muffled cries filling the room. Rose's heart raced as she glanced over, about to tell her to calm down when the door swung open. A man stepped in, followed by the same cold-eyed medical woman from before.

The man sauntered toward Rose with a leering smile, and instinctively, she pressed her legs together, her body going rigid.

"Sorry, Seb," the woman said, her voice flat. "She's off-limits. Her price is too high. Plus, she's already beaten up. Let her rest."

Rose's stomach churned at the word high. What did they mean by that? What made her different?

"How about a blow job?" Seb sneered, his eyes glinting with vile intent. "She really gave me a hard one when I saw her."

Rose's blood ran cold, her face draining of color. She fought the urge to scream, her knuckles tightening into fists. The rage that surged inside her threatened to explode, but she forced herself to stay still.

Suddenly, the woman next to her broke free from one of her restraints. In a desperate move, she grabbed a medical instrument from the tray beside her and plunged it into Seb's shoulder, screaming for help.

Seb roared in pain, his attention instantly torn from Rose. He yanked the instrument out, blood dripping from the wound, and without hesitation, he delivered a brutal slap across the woman's face, sending her reeling.

"Stupid bitch," he spat, pinning her down as she sobbed and thrashed beneath him.

Rose's hand twitched, her body tensing as she prepared to move, to help the woman. But before she could act, the medical woman's icy grip tightened on her arm, pulling her back down.

"Stay still," the woman hissed in her ear, her breath hot against Rose's skin. "Unless you really do want to give him that blow job."

Rose froze, her pulse thundering in her ears. Her wide, tear-filled eyes locked on Seb as he unbuckled his belt. She turned her head away, unable to bear the sight, her vision blurring with tears as the woman's screams echoed in the room.

She felt her world closing in, suffocating her. Why can't I stop this? she thought bitterly. I'm a detective, damn it.

But a voice inside her whispered coldly, You're infiltrated. Suck it up. This is for the children.

The grunts grew louder, more savage. Rose squeezed her eyes shut, her entire body trembling as her own tears slipped silently down her face. She wanted to scream, to fight, to rip the man apart, but she lay there, her body paralyzed with the overwhelming weight of her mission.

The medical woman broke the silence. "Sorry, forgot you're a virgin," she said mockingly, pulling Rose off the table. "As a prize for your purity, how about we get you laser hair removal instead of waxing? Sounds good?"

Virgin? Purity?

Rose was shoved out the door, her legs weak, her mind spinning. Behind her, the woman's agonized screams mixed with the man's grunts of pleasure. The sounds seemed to echo in her skull, burning themselves into her memory.

A dark fury welled up inside Rose, deeper and more consuming than any rage she had ever known. It clawed at her chest, filling the hollow space where fear had lived moments before.

I'll make them pay, she thought, her tears now dry, her eyes cold and steely as she was pushed down the dimly lit hallway.

I'll make them all pay.

For Margaret, for Brianna, and the many others who suffered, Rose had to keep herself in check. The rage pulsed through her, begging to be released, but she reminded herself again and again, taking justice into your own hands has consequences.