Chapter 3

Nanette straightened up.

"Yolanda Joyce, whether you want to cooperate today or not, you will."

"As mall management, we have a duty to handle sudden incidents like this."

"If you keep refusing to cooperate, we'll have no choice but to escort you to the office for questioning by force."

She waved her hand, and four security guards closed in around me.

"What do you want?"

I took a step back.

"This is unlawful detention."

"You're suspected of child trafficking. Take her away."

Two guards reached out to grab me.

One held down my left shoulder, the other seized my right arm.

A third pressed the bar of a riot fork against my chest, pinning me hard against the wall.

"Let go of me!"

I struggled, and my shoulder blade went numb under the pressure.

"Stop struggling."

Nanette stepped up in front of me.

"Are you going to walk on your own, or do you want them to drag you out?"

The pain was so bad I couldn't speak.

Lola stood off to the side, stamping her feet in a panic.

"She's just stalling for time. Hurry up and take her away, hurry up and find my son..."

"I'm not going."

I forced the words out through gritted teeth.

"I'll accept an investigation by the law, but I won't accept an investigation by you people."

Nanette gave a cold laugh.

"Talking tough, are you? Fine, then drag her out."

Two guards hauled me hard toward the staff corridor.

My left shoulder was nearly dislocated from the pressure, and blood ran down from the cut on my earlobe, trickling down my neck.

The onlookers followed behind, holding up their phones to film.

A young girl shouted.

"You can't do this! She hasn't been convicted!"

Nanette turned around.

"Ma'am, if you're going to disrupt order in the mall, we have the right to ask you to leave."

The girl fell silent at once.

I was dragged three feet, then five...

Any second now I'd be through the staff corridor.

The on-screen comments went wild.

Call the police now! Don't let them take you away!

There's a white van in the back alley. Those people have already been paid off. Get in that van and you'll be killed!

Behind the staff corridor is the stairwell. Go down, take the fire escape, and in five minutes you'll be at the back alley.

I shouted in a rush.

"Call the police! Somebody call the police for me!"

"Everyone here, listen carefully! My name is Yolanda Joyce, ID number 4401. I'm being unlawfully detained! If I don't make it out of this mall tonight, please remember this name!"

Nanette's face changed when she heard it.

"Shut her up!"

A guard's hand came down over my face.

Just then, someone in the crowd shouted.

"The police are here!"