by J. L. Beck
Fear and just overall sadness reflect back at me. I knew she was scared, knew she wanted to go home, but all she had to do was make it through tonight. Then she could’ve made a run for it and escaped. Now, I feel she’ll never escape, and that leaves my heart bleeding.
I’m dragged from my dreadful thoughts when a man’s voice comes over the speakers announcing the start of the event.
“Gentlemen, can I have your attention, please. Our auction will begin momentarily. Tonight, we only have four girls for sale, but believe me, it’s quality over quantity. Enjoy, and may the highest bidder win.”
The sound vibrates through me, and the words hit their mark dead on. It’s now my turn to start shaking, the fear almost overwhelming me.
Four men walk into the little room we’re in a second later. They gawk at us, slimy smiles on their faces, and you can basically see the wheels turning in their heads. If given the chance, they would take from us right now. Without blinking their eyes or caring. Each one takes a girl. The guy I get walks over to me and grabs the chain connecting my collar with my hands, tugging me forward and off-balance.
“You’re lucky you’re a virgin because if you weren’t…” He licks his lips and drags his gaze down my body. When he speaks next, he’s leaning into my face while I lean back, trying to put as much distance as I can between us. “I would have fucked you good before sending you off.” His rancid breath fans against my cheek, and I have to stop myself from puking, swallowing the bile in my throat.
The darkness in his beady eyes tells me he isn’t lying, and the pressure of the collar on my neck becomes tighter as I try to escape him.
“A little fucking slut, that’s all you are. A fuck toy.” He tugs me out of the room. In that singular moment, I question if I can do this without losing myself. I know I’m strong, but how strong do I have to be to survive this? If I ever do escape this mess, will I be the same person I was before?
I already know the answer is no. Whatever is going to happen, I don’t think I will ever be the same. I will never again be the college student whose biggest concern is her grades. I will never be the careless daughter who gets annoyed by her mother calling twice in one day. And I will never be the little sister who is jealous of her sibling getting to travel the world.
Yes, I know I will never be me again. The real question is, who will I be after this?
That question lingers in my mind as I’m led out onto a stage like a dog. The shining bright lights above make it hard to see anything, but I can hear the hollers and catcalls nearby. Feel eyes on every inch of my exposed skin. My lips start to tremble, and I squint against the harsh glare of the lights, looking for an escape, a way out.
There is none.
As my eyes adjust to the brightness, I scan the crowd, over the men eager to get their pound of flesh. In the midst of all the chaos around me, my gaze clashes with that of a man across the room. The world stops. My lungs expand, and a different kind of fear grabs onto me. Its claws sink deep into my skin.
He’s a man with eyes as dark as the night, and a soul that’s just as dark.
2
Markus
A ghost. That’s what I see when I spot her on the auction block. The spitting image of a girl I once knew, once loved. The air expels from my chest, and I almost drop the drink I’m holding in my hand. The voices and movements around me become silent.
Hair the color of spun gold, and even from a distance, I can see the color of her eyes, ocean blue, just like… Victoria.
I suck in a breath, noticing how uneven it is. I haven’t let myself think her name in so long. I’ve tried everything to keep those memories buried. To keep her buried. Not that I want to forget her but thinking about her is simply too painful. The guilt is overwhelming.
I look at the girl again. She looks to be barely legal, more proof that it isn’t her. The question still remains: why does she look so much like her?
The crowd of men congregates around the stage as the girls are each put up on a little pedestal. The space fills with whistles and loud hollers while rage seeps slowly into my veins. These events aren’t my kind of thing, and generally, I ignore the women on stage, not caring how they got here or what’s going to happen to them. It’s easier that way. Not to think about them as people. I know it’s fucked up, but it’s the world we live in.
Unfortunately, I can’t bring myself to do that today. I can’t ignore the woman who looks so much like my past. I can’t let anyone touch her or have her.
She has to be mine, no matter the cost.
The four girls on stage look wide-eyed and shocked, their bodies shaking, and the chains around them rattling with every move they make. There are collars around each of their necks, and a chain hangs down that’s connected to their hands.
My eyes are glued to the Victoria lookalike. She is the only one not crying, even though she is clearly scared shitless. I can see her knees knocking together from across the room.
The host starts talking, introducing the blue-eyed beauty I’m about to buy. “First up is this long-legged blonde, her name is Fallon, but of course you can name her whatever you want. She is untrained but well worth the money since she is untouched.”
Fallon… I whisper to myself, trying out the name. It feels foreign on my tongue, but that doesn’t stop my desire for this woman from growing even stronger.
“We’ll start the bidding at ten thousand.”
Shit! I didn’t plan on bidding. Where is my fucking ticket? Frantically, I search every one of my pockets until I find the folded-up paper with my number on it.
In the time it takes me to find my ticket, three people have already put in their bids. Unfolding my damn piece of paper, I lift it up in the air, waving it like a white flag of defeat. The auctioneer looks up and points to me. “Forty thousand.”
“Fifty!” One of the men up front yells.
I take a few steps closer to the stage before making my next bid. “One hundred thousand.”
She’s it, the one I want. It’s been years since I’ve been with a woman, but if I were to ever find someone, to touch, to be with again, it would be her.
“One fifty.” The same bastard bids again.
“Two hundred thousand.” Someone else bids.
“Five hundred thousand.” I hold up my number, making one of the guys wave like he is out. I don’t smirk even though I want to.
“Six hundred,” the guy up front yells.
“One million,” I call out, hoping that the other guy will bow out.
I have money, but I’m not Julian. I don’t have much more cash on hand, which wouldn’t keep me from bidding higher. She is going to be mine no matter what, even if I have to ask Julian to spot me. A second goes by, then another, and finally, I hear the words I’ve wanted to hear since the moment she was brought out onto the stage.
“Sold, to number six-o-one,” the auctioneer calls, pointing straight at me.
Victory washes over me, and only then do I let myself look up at Fallon again. Her eyes connect with mine. Fear of the unknown flashes across her delicate features, and something deep down in my chest starts to form. It’s a tugging, pulling me into the deepest part of myself.
A part where I revel in the thought of owning this girl, owning her body, her mind, and her soul. Power like I’ve never felt before surges through me, taking over my body in an almost frightening way. I want to own her, to be her sole reason for breathing.
The auctioneer moves onto the next girl while someone else comes and takes my purchase off the stage.
Every fiber in my body is urging me to go back there and take her away from this place as fast as I can, but there is something else I must do before I do that.
Peering around the room, I find Julian and Elena sitting in the bar area. I make my way over there, but Julian is already up and heading in my direction. We meet halfway, still close enough to see Elena.
“What the hell was that?” Julian growls as soon as we are close enough.
“I didn’t plan that, but I had to have her,” I explain. “I’m gonna have to take a little leave of absence to deal with this. A vacation of sorts.”
Julian—my boss and best friend—looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. Maybe I have. I don’t know, but I feel something in my chest, something I haven’t felt before, and I need to explore it.
“What do you mean vacation? You can’t just take a fucking vacation! You are my second in command. You’re in the mob,” Julian growls in frustration.
“I can, and I will,” I tell him, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’ve never asked you for anything like this before. I think I’m overdue a few days off.”
“This is not a 9-5 job.”
“I fucking know. I still need some time off.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sucks in a deep breath. “Markus—” Elena appears out of nowhere, grabbing his arm, and his whole-body tenses as he looks around, ready for a fight.
Her face is pale, her big green eyes are glassy and brimming with fear. Just like Julian, I’m on high alert immediately, knowing something is wrong. Elena is clawing at Julian’s forearm like she is scared he is about to disappear.
Both Julian and I look past her, scanning the area for any danger, but there is nothing, just people at the bar, drinking and conversing. I spot Lev, one of the heroin suppliers, also the son of one, Vladimir Volcove. He is a scumbag, I know that much, and he is looking in our direction, but he wouldn’t be dumb enough to mess with us.
“What’s wrong?” Julian asks quietly.
“I don’t feel well. Can we please go home?” Her voice is meek, and the words come out with a slight tremble.
“What really happened?” Julian insists, refusing to accept her lie.
She shakes her head, her eyes bouncing between Julian and me.
“We will discuss this further,” Julian finally turns his attention back to me.
“There’s nothing to talk about. I’m taking some time off. Lucca is more than capable of stepping up.” It’s true. Lucca is one of our best men and has been handling way more shit lately. He will do just fine.
Julian looks like he wants to strangle me, but with Elena latching onto his arm, I know he can’t deal with me right now. It’s the perfect combination, really.
“Call the car for me,” he orders. I give him a slight nod and pull out my phone.
Julian turns his full attention to the small, barely dressed Elena next to him. She never lets go of him as they walk away, heading toward the exit.
After I call for the car, and we part ways, I make my way to pay and pick up my prize. I’m unsure how to feel. Part of me is worried by the pull I feel toward the girl, while the other part of me is frenzied with need. I have to have her.
The payment process goes through quickly. As soon as the money transfer is approved, I’m being led back to my purchase.
The door opens, and I hear a strangled scream echoing down the hallway. It’s the kind of sound someone makes when they are hurt and trying not to scream, but the pain is too much to bear, and their instincts take over.
All I can think is… if that person wants to live, they better not be touching what’s mine.
I grit my teeth so hard my jaw quakes. Speed walking down the hall, I turn the corner into the open space behind the stage. Something overtakes me, and my blood freezes in my veins when I spot Fallon on the ground.
A man twice her size looms above her, digging his knee into her chest.
His hands are fumbling to unlock the chains around her wrists while she struggles to push him off. I can see her tiny nails sinking into his flesh with vengeance.
She’s a fighter.
Swinging back his arm, he hits her across the face, backhanding her into the concrete. It’s then that I completely see red. I cross the room in a flash, wrapping my arm around his throat. I put him in a chokehold, then use my other hand to twist his head sharply. I don’t think, I simply react. The crack of his neck fills the room with deafening silence, and his body goes slack in my hold almost immediately.
I don’t feel remorse, pain, guilt. Nothing.
Pushing his body to the side, he falls onto the ground next to Fallon. His face is tilted to the side, and his mouth is open, a look of terror stuck permanently on his face. I drag my attention away from him and back to her.
She sucks in a shaky breath, her chest moving rapidly as she struggles to get air into her lungs. Her eyes are wide, and some small veins inside have ruptured, making the white part blood red.
Staggering above her, my chest heaves as war rages inside of me. I want to bring that fucker back to life and kill him again, this time a little slower. I’ve never felt this way before, never felt this possessive need.
“What the fuck?” Louis, the guy who escorted me backstage, yells.
Turning on my feet, I glare at him. My fists are clenched, and I’ll kill him too if I have to.
“Yeah, what the fuck? I already paid for her, and I paid for what I saw on stage! If I wanted someone beat up and broken, I would have found a girl on the nearest street corner. Is that how you do business here?”
His face pales. “What? No, not normally, but I mean, you didn’t have to fucking kill him. We could have just knocked some of the price off or something…”
Or something? This guy must think I’m a fucking idiot.
“Fuck you,” I spit. “Would you rather I tell everyone else how you fuck people over and deliver damaged goods as soon as you receive payment?”
“No, no, we’re good. Just take her. I’ll deal with this mess.” He gestures to the dead fuck lying on the floor.
“Damn straight, you will.” I dismiss him altogether before turning my attention back to the woman on the floor. “Give me the key for those. I’ll keep her chained up for now.”
He steps around me and kneels down next to the guy with the broken neck. He pries a set of keys from his hands and tosses them to me.
Leaning down, I undo the chain on the front. I try not to let my eyes linger on her exposed skin. Her barely-there dress, which looks like lingerie, has been pushed to the side, causing her nipples to peek out, and my dick is already at war with my zipper. Better to look away as much as I can so I don’t lose control and fuck her in the back of my car, not that it would matter if I did.
She doesn’t struggle while I move her restraints around. Of course, I don’t have my knee pressed into her chest, either.
Rolling her over slowly, I pull her arms back and re-hook the chain to the collar, so her hands are tied behind her back. Her dress is pulled up in the back as well, exposing her perfectly shaped ass. I want to rip my shirt off and tug it down her body so no one else can see her.
No one else should be looking at what’s mine.
But I don’t have time for that. I need to get her out of here as quickly as possible. I shove the small key into my pocket for safekeeping before I grab her and lift her up with me.
Hauling her off the floor, I throw her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Louis gives me one more disapproving look about killing his friend but doesn’t dare open his yap. He knows I’m right. He shouldn’t have touched her.
Knowing Fallon’s ass and pussy are on full display the way I’m carrying her, I quickly make my way out of the building. Thankfully, without many people seeing her or any further mishaps. I use the side door that leads straight to the parking lot. Cold air wisps around us, making her shiver in my hold.
Grabbing the car keys from my pocket, I hit the key fob to unlock the car, and pull open the door with my free hand. I hate how light she feels and how she doesn’t even struggle or say anything. It’s almost as if she has accepted her fate.
Where is the fighter I saw just moments ago? I’m sure she is in there somewhere, ready to come out at any given moment. Placing her in the backseat, I lay her down, facing the trunk. I stare at her for a moment. She looks so fragile, a piece of glass that might break with the slightest movement. I shoul
dn’t have bought her, but I had to.
“If you try anything stupid, I’ll gag you and put you in the trunk. Stay like this, and don’t move unless I instruct you to,” I order, my voice a little harsher than necessary.
“Okay.” She nods, her voice hoarse from screaming.
I give her one final once over. I know her face is already swelling, and I bet she’ll have a killer headache from her head bouncing against the concrete. I’ll have to give her something for the pain later.
Climbing into the driver’s seat, I start the car, wondering where the hell I’m going to take her. For a moment, I just sit there, weighing my options. If I take her to my place, I have to keep her chained up because there isn’t a secure room to put her in.
Fuck, the thought of keeping her tied to my bed to use whenever I want makes my cock harder than steel. I know I’m a sick fucker, but I didn’t even know that part of myself existed until this very moment. I’ve killed people without batting an eye, tortured men until they told me whatever I wanted to hear, but I’ve never taken a woman against her will.
I’ve never bought someone or owned someone like I’m going to own this woman. And that thought excites me more than I’m willing to admit.
I wouldn’t be that cruel to keep her chained up. Especially since I plan on keeping her long term, and in order to do that, trust is going to have to be built. I want her to want me the same way I want her, and that won’t happen if I keep her chained up like an animal.
I think a little while longer, considering my options. Julian has a few safe houses. One is a cabin up in the mountains, secluded and away from the rest of the world. If she escapes me, which I doubt she will, all that surrounds us is nature. There won’t be anyone coming to her rescue, not out there.
Choosing the cabin in the mountains, I put the car in drive and head out to the highway.
It will be perfect not only for its secluded location but especially since I know it has a cell in the basement.
“What’s your name?” I ask after we’ve been driving for a few minutes.