Sold to the Cartel: My Mother is the Border Queen

I ran jade on the Burmese border for fifteen years. Tonight was just a routine pickup at a private auction. Up front, they moved stones. In the shadows, they moved flesh.

I stepped into the back room. A girl huddled in the corner, her skin covered in raw bruises. She jerked her head up. Her eyes locked onto mine in a desperate plea.

A second later, lines of text materialized in my vision. [This is Maeve, the fake heiress of the Vance family!] [Framed by Blair, the real heiress.

Vance shipped her out here to learn a lesson.] [Brutal. She already survived the tasers and whips.

Now she's about to be stripped bare and auctioned off.] [Blair and her crew are sitting in the auction hall right now, waiting to watch the show.] Rule number one of the trade: mind your own business.

I turned on my heel to walk away. The floating text flashed. [Holy shit, the jade dealer is Maeve's biological mother!] Chapter 1 My ribs clamped down on my lungs.

The floating text hit me like a physical blow. I did have a missing daughter. Fifteen years I’d hunted for her.

But out here on the border, scams were the only currency that never devalued. I dragged my gaze away. I weighed a chunk of raw jade in my palm, keeping my face deadpan.

I looked at the boss, Victor. "Good color on this one. Victor, any fresh inventory lately?" Out of my peripheral vision, I scanned the corner again.

The way the girl curled in on herself, the brutal spread of the bruises across her skin… that wasn't acting. Victor chuckled. "Yeah, a new batch just rolled in.

If you want a look, Petra, go right ahead." The floating text flashed again. [The boss lady is biting!

Did she remember her own kid?!] Feigning interest in the merchandise, I drifted toward the girl and crouched. A tremor racked her frame.

Her eyes were hollow, locking onto me like a cornered animal. I clocked her swollen knuckles. Black grime was packed deep beneath her fingernails. Those were claw marks.

The desperate thrashing of someone tied up for days. I dropped my voice. "What's your name? Where from?" Blood crusted across her cracked lips.

Her voice was barely a scrape of sound. "Maeve… from the capital…" "Who dropped you here?" Tears cut tracks through the dirt on her cheeks. "Vance… my brother… no, the heir…" The text rolled over my vision: [Blair, the real heiress, pushed herself down the stairs and framed Maeve for it!

Even claimed Maeve hired thugs to ruin her innocence.] [Vance bought the lie.

Shipped her to the border to 'learn a lesson.' Said he'd bring her back when she learned how to behave…] A fresh wave of tremors wracked Maeve's body.

Her eyes glazed over, trapped in whatever hell they put her through. I didn't push. I just stood up. That was enough. The details lined up perfectly with the floating text.

It confirmed the one thing I needed to know. This was no scam. This girl was my daughter.

I walked straight back to Victor. "I'm taking the girl." Victor winced. "Petra, that's a tough ask.

Vance dropped a massive pile of cash." "Gave specific instructions to 'entertain' her.

Just told us to keep her breathing." I pulled out a premium chunk of raw jade and slammed it on the table. "This rock buys her out." Victor’s eyes glued to the stone.

His Adam's apple bobbed. But he shook his head. "Petra, it's not about the money." "His family runs things back home. I let her walk, Vance comes knocking.

I can't shoulder that heat." I locked eyes with him, refusing to yield an inch. "Victor. Fifteen years on this border.

When have I ever shortchanged you?" He let out a bitter laugh. "Petra, don't put me in this position. The auction starts soon.

His people are out there waiting for the show." "Vance was clear. She goes on the block. He wants a frontrow seat to her humiliation." My fingers curled inward.

My nails dug into my palms until the skin threatened to split. Victor turned to leave.

I clamped my hand down on his forearm. "And if I take her anyway?" The color drained from his face. "Petra, you know the rules here.

You take her by force, you declare war on us." I released my grip. I smoothed out my expression, freezing the panic out of my voice. "Look at it this way.

Give her to me." "I handle Vance. Any fallout, it lands on me." Victor hesitated. "Petra, can you?

His family's reach back home…" Chapter 2 I let out a dry laugh. "Fifteen years out here.

I’ve scrubbed blood off my hands and pulled bodies from under the knife." "His family might own the capital, but their reach doesn't extend to the jungle." He just shook his head. "No deal.

You don't get it. Vance's orders are absolute." "Walk away, Petra." I didn't waste another breath.

I turned and walked straight back to the holding cell. [Maeve has been locked up for seven days. Tasered three times. Whipped every single day.] [She's covered in wounds.

If this keeps up, she's going to die.] [Vance has no clue how the border works. He thinks a few days in a cell is just a scare tactic.] I pulled my phone and hit speed dial.

Five minutes later, my five security contractors stormed in. I walked straight into the cell. Maeve pressed herself into the corner, staring at me blankly.

I dropped into a crouch and inspected the damage. Up close, it was worse. Whip marks tracked across her back, the edges black and festering.

Circular taser burns dotted her arms, fresh blisters overlapping old scabs. "Can you walk?" She nodded. She forced herself up, but her knees buckled. I caught her under the arm.

I looked up at my men. "Get her out." We barely cleared the holding block. A wall of muscle flooded the far end of the corridor.

Victor stood dead center, his face like thunder. "Petra. What is this? You're raiding my territory?" I stepped in front of Maeve, shielding her. "Victor, I told you.

The girl is mine. You'll get every cent." Victor laughed. There was zero warmth in the sound. "Cash? The Vance family is offering a longterm pipeline." "You're one woman, Petra.

How do you stack up against an entire dynasty?" Nash and my men drew their Glocks. Victor’s crew racked their slides. The hallway locked into a standoff.

Victor lit a cigarette. "Petra, I'm giving you one last out, for old times' sake. Drop the girl and walk. The auction is starting." "Vance's people are on the floor.

If you take her, I've got no answers for them." I didn't blink. "And if I walk her out anyway?" His smile flatlined. "Then we're done playing nice." Nash kept his eyes down the sights, his voice a low rumble. "Boss, we're outnumbered…" The text flared across my vision, flashing in a frantic panic. [Oh my god, the female lead only has five guys, Victor has at least thirty!] [Vance and Blair saw the fake heiress wasn't on the block, they brought their own security!

They're at the door!!!] Right on cue, footsteps echoed behind us. Leather dress shoes clicking against the concrete. Steady. Unhurried. A new crew breached the corridor.

The guy taking point was young, sharp in a tailored suit. His face was carved out of ice, scanning the room with absolute authority.

The girl clinging to his side wore a pristine white dress and flawless makeup. The look she shot Maeve was pure, unadulterated venom. [Here they come!

Vance and Blair!] [Blair is such a good actor. Anyone else would think she's here to save her sister.] Vance swept his gaze over the standoff.

His eyes caught mine, and a hard crease formed between his brows. He dismissed me and turned to Victor, his tone dripping with impatience. "Victor.

Why is our 'merchandise' still in the back?

The auction is starting." Victor instantly dropped his hardass act and rushed forward, plastering on a salesman's grin. "Vance, didn't expect you back here. Just a minor hiccup.

I'm handling it now." Vance’s eyes dragged back to me, then slid to Maeve cowering behind my back. He looked at her like a piece of meat on a butcher's block.

Chapter 3 "Who's this?" Vance asked Victor. "Petra. She moves jade," Victor scrambled to answer. "Petra, this is Vance.

His family runs the capital." Vance finally gave me a real look. His eyes raked over me, his upper lip curling. "Boss Petra? Slumming it on the border?" I didn't take the bait.

I reached into my pocket, pulled out the stone, and rested it on my palm. Under the harsh fluorescents, the jade was flawless. Pure, translucent, imperial green.

A unicorn piece. "Word is you came down here hunting for premium stock, Vance." I extended my hand. "Imperial Green.

Eight million market value." "I'm trading it for the girl." Vance’s eyes snagged on the stone. A muscle jumped in his jaw.

Anyone who knew the trade knew you couldn't just buy a piece like this off the street. He ripped his gaze away, his face freezing over again. "Generous.

But my family isn't hurting for cash." I pocketed the rock. "Then what do you need? Veins? Distribution?" I took a step forward. "Or border access?

You might play god back home, but out here, cash doesn't fix everything." Vance narrowed his eyes, reevaluating the threat.

Blair popped out from behind his shoulder. "Vance, don't listen to her bullshit! She's obviously working with Maeve!" I blanked her completely.

I kept my eyes locked on Vance. "You dumped her here to teach her a lesson." "I'm giving you an eightmilliondollar exit strategy. You walk away rich, and your point is made.

Take the win." Vance went quiet, the gears turning in his head. Victor stepped into the silence, his face tight. "Petra, it's not about disrespecting you.

He's not offering a onetime payout. It's a permanent pipeline." "I let the girl walk, my reputation is dead." I slowly turned my head. My voice dropped to dead calm. "Victor.

Fifteen years. Who built your shipping routes into the capital?" The blood drained from Victor's face. "Do the math," I pressed. "He gives you cash.

You can always make more cash." "But if the ledgers I hold see the light of day, you don't just lose money. You catch a bullet." He broke eye contact, staring hard at the floor.

Vance scowled. "Are you threatening us, Petra?" I pivoted back to him, my posture relaxed. "You're misunderstanding the situation, Vance.

I'm just negotiating." "You own the skies back home.

But this is the border." I pulled out my phone and tapped the screen once. "One call, and every shipment bearing your family's name rots in customs for three months.

Want to test me?" Vance's face turned to stone. His eyes narrowed into twin lasers. "You are threatening me." "Not a threat." I met his glare, unflinching. "A reality check.

You brought her here to sell her like meat." "So I'm buying." "You refuse the sale, I take her by force.

You call down your private army, I make sure you don't make it out of the jungle alive." I took one last step closer. "You might be a dragon back home, but out here?

You're just a tourist." The corridor went dead silent.

Blair snapped. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" She shrieked, her manicured finger trembling as she pointed it at my face. "Vance! Look at her! She's in on it with Maeve!

Tell your guys to take her down!" Chapter 4 Vance raised a hand, cutting her off.

He let out a dry, hollow laugh. "You've got nerve, Petra." "But all this grandstanding is just to shield the girl. Do you even know her?

Do you have any idea what she did?" I met his gaze deadon. "Do you?" Vance stiffened. I didn't break eye contact. "You claim she hurt Blair. Show me the proof.

You claim she stole." "Where's the stash? You claim it was premeditated. Give me the motive." "Blair points a finger, and you swallow it whole. Did you run a background check?

Did you interrogate Maeve?" "Did you give her a single second to defend herself?" The ice returned to Vance's face. "Vance family business is offlimits to outsiders." I scoffed. "You run a corporate empire, Vance.

Do you sign multimillion dollar contracts off hearsay?" "I'm not overstepping." I took a step forward. "I'm telling you that you're playing the fool." "Do you have a death wish?!" Blair shrieked. "How dare you speak to him like that?!" I snapped my head toward her. "Shut your mouth." Blair recoiled, her eyes blowing wide.

I turned my crosshairs back to Vance. "You call her a fake, so you think she earned this." "You claim she hurt Blair, so she belongs in a hellhole.

You labeled her a criminal, so it's perfectly fine to strip her naked and sell her to the highest bidder." I lowered my voice to a lethal quiet. "Tell me this.

If it was Blair chained to that wall right now, would you authorize the same treatment?" Vance’s pupils contracted. "Are you insane?!" Blair shrieked, the mask of the pristine heiress slipping as her voice cracked. "I am the rightful daughter!

She's trash!" "A stray dog from the gutter!" "She deserves every second of this! She belongs in the dirtiest brothel they have!" Vance whipped around. "Blair!

Enough." [Blair is cracking! The mask is slipping!] [Look at Vance's face. Oh my god, is he actually doubting her?] Vance stared at me. The air in the corridor turned to lead.

The silence stretched until it threatened to snap. When he finally spoke, his voice was gravel. "What exactly is your endgame here, Petra?" I didn't answer.

I reached back and grabbed the collar of Maeve's shredded jacket. I ripped it wide open. Maeve flinched, a sharp intake of breath, but she didn't pull away.

The harsh overhead lights hit her skin. Raw, crisscrossing whip marks carved up her shoulders, fresh blood still weeping from the deepest cuts. But the taser burns were the worst.

Right below her collarbone, the flesh was charred black, the edges peeling back in a grotesque blister.

I shoved her forward, forcing Vance to look. "This your version of 'learning a lesson', Vance?" Vance flinched. The absolute certainty in his eyes finally cracked.

Blair paled, but quickly scrambled to recover. "Vance, you know how these border thugs are.

They don't know restraint." "They just went a little too far—" "Shut up." Vance didn't even look at her. "Blair.

What is this?" Her bottom lip quivered. "Vance… I…" I didn't give her a second to spin her web.

I stepped directly into Vance's space. "You sit in your penthouse, completely untouchable.

Have you ever felt a leather bullwhip rip the skin off your back?" "Have you ever smelled your own flesh cooking from a thousand volts?" I leaned in, dropping my voice to a lethal whisper. "This isn't discipline.

This is a murder attempt." Chapter 5 Vance’s jaw locked. His gaze stayed anchored to the raw flesh on Maeve's chest, the silence stretching out between us.

He finally dragged his eyes up to mine. "Petra. This is internal family business." I let out a dry, scraping laugh. "Internal business?

You butcher a girl and write it off as a domestic dispute?" Vance took a slow, deliberate breath.

The muscles in his neck strained against his collar. "I am done wasting time, Petra. Name your price.

What’s the number to make you walk away?" I stared at the man in the tailored suit, a hollow sense of absurdity washing over me.

He honestly believed he could just write a check to buy his way out of hell. I didn't blink. "Keep your cash. I'm taking the girl." Vance’s composure finally snapped.

He flicked two fingers at Victor. "Take her. I cover the fallout." Victor gave the signal. A dozen cartel goons rushed forward, racking the slides of their rifles in unison.

Nash and my crew locked their sights. The air in the corridor practically sparked. Blair peered from behind Vance’s shoulder, her face twisted. "Get her out of here!

Drag her out!" Two heavily tattooed enforcers lunged forward, reaching for Maeve.

I whipped around and shoved Maeve flush against the wall, planting my body directly between her and the outstretched hands.

I snapped my head back, fixing Vance and Blair with a dead stare. "Touch her, and you bleed." I kept my voice low, letting the absolute certainty carry the threat. "You raised her for two decades." "And now you strip her down, brand her, and sell her like slaughterhouse meat?

Look at me, Vance." "This isn't 'discipline.' It's a goddamn execution." "So here is the new reality." I took a halfstep forward. "None of you are walking out of here with her." A tremor ran straight up my spine.

The words ripped out of my throat, jagged and absolute. "Because she is my daughter." The corridor went dead