Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 61101 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61101 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
“I can’t face him right now,” Harper confesses. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to after the party last night. It was one of the most challenging situations I’ve ever been in.”
Nodding, I say, “It won’t be too long before we find him again. You’ll come face-to-face with the bastard, and this time, you’ll be the one in control. I can promise you that.”
Dante scoops me up in his arms and carries me to his office. He’s like my own personal safety net. Even when they found me imprisoned in the cells, I was intrigued by the man with the cold eyes that reminded me of the icy ocean I once swam in.
One of the men who bought me lived on a small island. I don’t know where it was. If anyone asked me now, I wouldn’t be able to pinpoint it on a map, but the water that lapped the shore was freezing cold. It was the only time I felt anything other than fear or pain. I welcomed the icy sensation of the waves against my legs.
Once in the office, Dante settles in his large chair and pulls me into his lap. His strong arms wrap around my middle, and he holds me close, inhaling deeply as his nose tickles my neck.
“What are you doing, Dante?”
“Just reminding myself of your perfume,” he says without any emotion in his voice.
Sometimes, I wonder if Dante feels anything for us, but then I see how he looks at us and how he acts if there’s danger around. When it comes to Harper and me, his protectiveness is like a cologne he exudes, filling the air and sheltering us.
Dante opens his emails and scrolls through some of them. There are hundreds. All containing intel on the men and women we intend to stop.
I don’t know how long we sit there together, but at some point, I must fall asleep.
When my eyes flutter open again, I’m in bed. A noise captures my attention, but I can’t put my finger on it. Rolling over, I find Dante’s warm body beside me. In the dark, I can’t see Harper, but I’m pretty sure she’ll be on the other side of Dante. It’s our usual position while sleeping, and I know when we wake in the morning, the two people I love will give me the comfort and pleasure I so desperately need.
My eyes close again, and I allow my hand to rest on Dante’s stomach as sleep steals me once more and a nightmare beckons.
The auctions that are held monthly are the reason I’m here. My current owner is no longer impressed with me, so I’m going to be sold again. He’s convinced I’ll fetch a good price. I’m all dolled up in a pretty white dress. My long blonde hair is pinned in a tight ponytail, and my bruises have been hidden by makeup. I don’t look like the broken toy he calls me. Deep down, I would rather be dead, but he hasn’t afforded me that luxury, and now that he’s selling me, he never will.
“The next item is a beauty. She’s been trained for several years, and she’s as obedient as a dog that’s been beaten into submission and willingly serves its master.”
The words bring about a roar of laughter, and the tears that sting my eyes are threatening to spill. The problem I’m facing is that these men would enjoy seeing me cry, so I bite back the fear and heartbreak.
“Five million,” a deep rumble comes from somewhere in the crowd.
I can’t see who it is, because of the bright lights. But I’m not sure I want to see the faces of the men who are bidding. I’ll be going home with one of them soon enough.
“Ten million.”
The new bid gets a few gasps and shouts, but no one else calls out a higher figure, and I realize my new owner is richer than all the other men in attendance.
“Sold, to number one four eight,” the auctioneer shouts as he hits his gavel on the wooden block.
It doesn’t take long for me to be tugged from the stage and replaced with another girl. I’m waiting in the back room when the door flies open, and there on the threshold is a man with the blackest, most evil eyes I’ve ever seen.
“You’re a pretty one,” he says to me. “I’m nothing like your previous owner,” he murmurs as he leans in and runs his nose along my cheek. “I love to make pretty little things, like you, break.”
Anger flares through me, and I bite out, “I’m already broken. Nothing you do can shatter me more.”
The harsh swat of his large hand against my cheek sends me flying onto the floor. My white dress, like my virtue, is no longer pristine. I’m tainted. I should have known I’d get punished for talking back, but I couldn’t help my anger taking hold of me. That’s why my previous owner doesn’t want me anymore. I’m too fiery for him.