Read Evanesce (The Darkness #2) for Free Online

she would stay alert and sharp. Anything that she could get her hands on as a weapon would be a welcome addition to her arsenal of a little screw.
    The boss stood waiting for her in the center of the room, his hands clasped behind his back. His stance was unthreatening, however Brooke still approached with caution. She knew all too well that his strike was as quick as a snake’s. She would be prepared and ready to fight this time.
    Looking around, it appeared they were in some sort of doctor’s office. Or a lab? There were several stainless steel tables, tall glass door fridges, cages with shelves of tubes with small white labels and a few people in white coats roaming the area. Her curiosity got the better of her and she raised questioning eyes to his.
    “You look well, Brooke. Did you get some rest?” his tone was friendly, a fact that infuriated her. Did he think they were friends? Refusing to dignify his ridiculous question with an answer, she stared at him silently. It had been twenty-four hours since he had attacked her, but looking in his eyes the rape came flooding back as though it had only happened moments before.
    “Ah, well perhaps I should start by introducing myself. My name is Marcus Drake. And this,” he swept his arms wide. “This is my business. I thought it might be a good idea for you to understand why you are here and what my expectations of you are.”
    Taking a closer look at her surroundings, Brooke began to pick up things she missed. The small metal chains attached to the stainless steel tables, the absence of any chatter amongst the workers, the row of tiny bassinets in the corner of the room. Just what in the fuck was going on here?
    “I don’t understand,” she finally answered. “What type of business do you run where you need to kidnap women, and—and,” Brooke couldn’t bring herself to say the words out loud.
    Marcus offered her a smile and crossed the room to her, drawing her into his arms. She stiffened and struggled, but he proved to be too strong for her to break his hold. Releasing her, he slung an arm around her shoulders as he guided her around the room.
    “Well, beautiful girl. I’m a business man. And quite a successful one, I might add. This operation here has proven to be very profitable for me, especially when delivering a pure product, as opposed to one engineered in this room.” His explanation made no sense, although something was starting to niggle at the back of her mind. “They take the tiny lives…”
    Her blank stare must have alerted him that she wasn’t following as he continued. “Consider this house like a factory. We manufacture the best product that money can buy. Our satisfaction rate is 100%, our repeat business numbers are through the roof. It’s quite spectacular,” he beamed at her with pride.
    Despite all her instincts telling her not to ask, Brooke couldn’t keep the words from falling from her lips. “What’s the product?’
    Marcus grinned, a sinister look that sent chills down Brooke’s spine.
    “Infants. My product is infants. My preference is to offer pure stock made between a man and woman, but sometimes the customer prefers a child conceived from their sperm. In that case, we offer a wide variety of women here to meet that request. And should none of that be available, well let’s just say I have other resources at my disposal to make things happen. No customer is ever turned away.” Marcus finished touring her around the lab by stopping at the side of one of the stainless steel tables.
    “You sell babies…” Brooke’s whispered reply wasn’t a question, but a confirmation of what she was hearing. Selling babies, kidnapping women—it was unthinkable; unbelievable. How something like that could be in operation and no one knew about it, was beyond Brooke’s comprehension.
    A man with black rimmed glasses appeared at Brooke’s side, snapping on a pair of latex gloves. Eyeing him warily, Brooke took a few defensive steps