The Legacy Enslaved. William Speir

two of them,” Lynn admitted. “The other two are gay.”

      “That’s going to make for a fun house,” Jamie commented.

      Lynn looked at Jamie. “And what about you? Anything new in the man department? It’s been months since you and Steve broke up.”

      “Steve’s getting married next month,” Jamie said, finishing her scotch. “Apart from that, nothing much.” She didn’t want to mention Hunter and have to answer all of their questions about him.

      The waiter brought another round of drinks and took their food orders. As the four of them ate, drank, and talked, Jamie couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. She glanced around from time to time, scanning the faces in the crowd. She couldn’t see anyone who might be observing them, but the feeling persisted. Finally, she got up, pretending to go to the restroom so she could look around.

      Lori heard her cell phone chime and reached for it. She had a text from Brad. She read it and then texted him back.

      A minute after Jamie left the table, a woman who looked like she could be a lingerie model walked up.

      “Good evening, ladies,” she purred has she handed Lori, Susan, and Lynn a postcard advertisement. “Have you heard of Club Mingles? It’s the newest nightclub in the city, and it’s already the number one destination for people looking to have fun. This card waives the cover charge, and your first drink is free. Just tell the doorman that you want to see Muni.”

      “Thanks,” Lori said absently, sending another text to Brad. She took the card, but didn’t look at it. Another text from Brad arrived.

      “Can we get one more card?” Lynn asked. “Our friend went to the restroom and will be right back.”

      “The hot redhead?” the woman asked. “Sure. Here’s one more.” She placed another card on the table.

      “Thanks,” Lynn said as the woman walked away to talk to another table of young women nearby.

      Lori was barely aware that the woman had left the table. Another text from Brad arrived, and Lori smiled as she sent a quick reply.

      Jamie returned a few minutes later. She had seen the woman stop at the table and then move to other tables where there were young women sitting together. When Jamie sat down, Lori sent one last text to Brad and put away her phone.

      Lynn reached for the card on the table and handed it to Jamie. “Someone came around handing these out. She said to ask for someone named Muni to get the cover charge waived and get the first drink for free.”

      Jamie glanced at the card before putting it in her purse. She hadn’t noticed any one person watching the table while she was walking around the restaurant, but she still felt like she was being watched.

      The waiter brought over the check, and each of the girls settled up with him for her share of the bill. As they walked outside, Susan said, “Anyone want to check out that new club with me?”

      Jamie shook her head. “I have a meeting first thing in the morning, so I’m out.”

      “Me, too,” Lori said, sending Brad a text.

      Lynn shook her head. “Maybe another time.”

      Susan pouted. “Well I’m not ready to call it a night. I’ll talk to you girls later.”

      Susan hailed a cab, got inside, and headed off toward Club Mingles.

      Jamie watched the cab disappear and said “goodnight” to Lori and Lynn.

      Susan slid into the seat of a high-top table for two just off the dance floor. From her vantage point, she had a clear view of the hunky guys dancing to the DJ’s pulsating music. So many to choose from!

      She motioned for the waitress. When Rachael approached to take her order, Susan twirled the free drink card in her fingers.

      “I was told to ask for Muni,” Susan said over the noise of the crowd.

      Rachael nodded. “I’ll take care of that. What can I bring you to drink?”

      “Rum with a Rum chaser,” Susan replied, smiling.

      Rachael entered that into her tablet. “Right. Double rum coming up.”

      In the private office above the dance floor, the technician zoomed in on Rachael’s customer. “She has one of the cards,” he said.

      “Put her up on The Exchange,” the voice from the shadows said. “Make it a five-minute auction. Highest bid when the time runs out wins.”

      “Yes, ma’am.” The technician loaded Susan’s picture to The Exchange, a dark-web site used for auctioning boys and girls to buyers around the world. The Exchange notified buyers via smartphone apps about new auctions that met their criteria.

      A moment later, the first bids arrived. The bids increased rapidly as more bidders joined the auction. The bids continued coming in at a frenzied pace until the action ended.

      “We have a winner,” the technician commented.

      “Good price,” the voice from the shadows noted. “Alert George, Rachael, and the team.”

      “Yes, ma’am,” the technician acknowledged.

      Susan downed her drink as soon as Rachael brought it to her table. A few minutes later, she felt strange and decided to head for the restroom. She never made it.

Auctions and Rescues

      6

      Jamie arrived at SignalCorps headquarters the next morning and saw her mother parking in the front row reserved for senior executives of the company. Even though Emily worked part-time, she was a member of the Board of Directors and oversaw all upgrades to the surveillance system that she had designed years earlier.

      Emily’s arrangement with SignalCorps allowed her to spend most of her time with her family. Every year, she cut back on her hours a little more. Jamie knew that her mother planned to be fully retired from all of her day-to-day responsibilities by the end of the year, but she’d be remaining on the Board for another five years.

      Jamie walked over to Emily’s car. “What are you doing here on a Friday?” Jamie asked pleasantly as her mother grabbed her briefcase from the back seat.

      “Hi, Sweetie!” Emily gave her daughter a hug. “I’m reviewing the latest test results on the new cameras this morning. If they’re as good as I hope, we’ll be able to release the cameras this summer, which means a huge marketing campaign has to be ready in a short timeframe.”

      “Are you here all day?” Jamie asked as they walked toward the main entrance.

      “I should be done by noon. Want to get lunch?”

      “Sure! Stop by when you’re ready.”

      Emily nodded. “Will do.”

      Beth, Susan’s roommate, looked inside Susan’s bedroom at 8:30 that morning. The bed hadn’t been slept in, and there was no sign that she had come home the night before. It’s not unusual for her to stay out all night when she goes clubbing, but she usually sends me a text to let me know that she’s all right.

      She checked her phone again. No texts from Susan. She sent a quick text, but Susan didn’t reply.

      An hour later, Susan still hadn’t replied. Beth called Susan’s phone, but it went straight to voicemail.

      Where is she?

      When Emily entered Jamie’s cubicle, Jamie was just finishing her proposal for SignalCorps’ participation in that summer’s annual Tower Conference and Expo, the premier military and law enforcement event that SignalCorps had attended ever since the first release of Emily’s surveillance system.

      Jamie knew