This girl clearly had no clue our world even existed. If I got out of this alive, I’d whoop Tyran Callahan’s ass for giving her hope where there was none.
“I’m going to need therapy when all this is said and done.”
“Maybe,” I agreed, wondering if therapy wouldn’t be such a bad thing for the women and men caught up in the underworld. “Until then, are you up to learning some self-defense?”
She still had the will to live, a burning fight in her eyes despite her weak state.
“Bring it on.” Her gaze darted from me to Reina’s sleeping form in the cage next to ours. “I want to become as nuts as that lady.”
“Alright, then, Sienna. Let’s kick some ass.”
Her lips curved into a soft smile despite the despair in her eyes. “Don’t cry to me when I puke all over you.”
“Don’t cry when I kick your ass.”
Reina Romero gripped my hand as we were pushed across the dock, up a flight of stone steps, and into a filthy courtyard. We were shuffled around like cattle, and all the while, I kept my eyes trained on the girls.
“Don’t make eye contact,” I warned Sienna and Reina in a soft whisper, shuffling them both deeper into the moving crowd. Both were shell-shocked, their faces white as a sheet. I tugged them along to the podium and led us onto the stage.
Sienna’s gasp captured my attention, and I found her staring at the rows of men. To my surprise, she was smiling, tears glistening in her eyes. I followed her eyeline but didn’t see anyone aside from the leering faces of those eager to witness our degradation and humiliation.
“What is it?”
“That’s my dad,” she whispered, her lip trembling. “My… stepdad.”
A pinch of relief hit me, knowing this girl would be okay. Her parents—unlike many others—had come to save her.
“Dim your happiness,” I murmured in a hushed tone. “Keep your expression stoic, and don’t let on that you know him.”
Her eyes found mine, confusion clear in them. “But—”
I took her hand and squeezed it tightly. “Trust me. And stay away from that douchebag Tyran. I’ll take care of him for you.”
Something in her eyes flared, strength I sensed in her all along hitting me head-on. “Don’t. I’m gonna make him pay myself.”
I smiled proudly. “Good girl.”
A guard came behind her, pushing her forward, and I gave her a reassuring nod. I watched with bated breath as the bidding for Sienna Baldwin started. With each number thrown into the mix, the tension in me grew, and it wasn’t until she was escorted toward her father that I took a full breath.
Until it was my turn.
Chapter 33Kingston
Life was an abstract concept. It was what you made of it. The perfect one was an illusion that could be shattered in the matter of an afternoon at the zoo. Or a betrayal that you never saw coming.
Every human on earth had an agenda. We were all waging our own wars. Some were losing and some winning. I’d had enough of losing—my family, my friends, the one person who’d helped me see the light in my darkest moments, and later, her sister.
Louisa made me vow to keep her twin safe.
So whether it was my excuse or simply my way of getting back something I’d lost, at that very moment, I knew my mind was made up.
Liana Volkov would be mine.
I stared across the square at her defiant expression, and I started to see it. Not the enemy. Not the facade that she thought she’d mastered. It was the face of a lioness protecting the innocent. It was the girl who’d been broken by the loss of her sister. Just like me.
Standing among the square in Porto Alegre in Brazil, I watched women being auctioned off, one by one, and kept a gaze on the only one who mattered to me. She hadn’t noticed me yet, all her focus on the girl by her side.
My stomach churned watching the terrorized women being sold in this creepy-as-fuck portside town.
The cobblestone square reeked of brutality, despair, and death.
I glanced at Kristoff Baldwin as he bid for his daughter, hot fury emanating off him. Another notch and he’d set this entire place on fire. The tic in his jaw alone announced it to the world, but thankfully, these greedy motherfuckers were too blind to see.
Finally, he won the bid, paying a pretty penny for his stepdaughter. As if she understood the wordless warning, she kept her expression blank as she was shuffled to him. Kristoff’s hand rested on his weapon, ready to fight if need be.
“Here’s your bitch,” one of the armed guards spat.
Kristoff caught her as she stumbled forward, eyes never leaving the man.
I read his lips as he reassured the girl. “It’s okay. We’ll talk about it on the plane.”
He slowly slid his gaze to me and, with a terse nod, disappeared from this fucked-up place. My attention was quick to shift back to the person I was here for.
Liana Volkov.
I clenched my teeth, noting the flimsy material of her white nightgown that revealed too much yet not enough. Her curves were fucking centerfold-worthy. Her hair was long enough to wrap around my fist twice.
But it was her fierce expression that burned through my skin and straight to my dick. I had to look away though, because it hurt to look at her. I flicked a disinterested glance to the second-to-last girl on the stage clutching Liana, and was taken aback in surprise. Reina Romero stood in line, next up on the butcher’s block.
My mind worked at lightning speed. The girl looked like she’d been to hell and back. Fuck, Reina wasn’t part of my plan, but I couldn’t leave her.
The guard yanked Liana by the arm, dragging her to the front. My jaw clenched and my teeth ground down, earning me a few curious glances. It took all my restraint not to lunge forward and kill all these motherfuckers. But if I did that, I’d risk the lives of others too.
I pulled out my cell phone, scrolling through my contact list for Dante Leone. He could get the information to his brother and figure out the best way to rescue Reina.
Fuck—no signal. They must have jammed the servers.
I attempted his brother, my brothers—all four of them—to no avail. It seems Perez Cortes owned the cell towers around here too.
Goddammit. This was the last thing I needed right now.
A movement on the stage caught my attention, and even though Liana refused to let her fear shine through, I could still note her pale face and stiff posture.
Someone threw an egg, but she was quick to duck, so it landed on a guard behind her instead. The woman had impressive reflexes. Another thing that set her apart.
The bidding started. One hundred thousand. Two. Three. It was time I ended it all. I raised my hand, flashing a two and six zeros.
“Two million to the man in the back!”
Everyone’s eyes turned my way, half of my face hidden behind aviator glasses. Not that too many people would recognize me. There were benefits to being a ghost and sticking to the shadows. Nobody ever saw you coming.
Liana’s eyes snapped to me before widening. It was the only reaction she let slip before freezing her expression. The rage burning through her golden eyes told me she wished she’d put a bullet through my head when she had the chance.
My cheek twitched.
I was going to enjoy her banter.
A part of me froze, realizing I was looking forward to spending time with her. Yeah, one taste of her pussy and she’d rewired my brain. Goddammit!
I stood, waiting for her to be brought to me, and with each step closer, her expression turned icier. She glared at me with deep malice, as if I’d murdered her entire family. I hadn’t, but I might. Sofia Volkov had it coming.
The moment she was near me, she hissed, “What the fuck, you sick bastard. Give me back to Perez.”
What was she talking about? Didn’t she know Perez was a million times worse than I could ever be?
“No.” My jaw tightened underneath my practiced smile. Her face flushed and blotchy red marks traveled down her neck and under her flimsy nightgown. “You’re mine now, ice princess.”