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Davos' men?
Rage ripples in me so hard that I start shaking. Davos is an emotionless prick who made his fortune off the backs of women his cronies plucked off the street. He is the most ruthless man in the trade, and also the most powerful. He turned a brothel into an empire with the help of my father. He’s also my employer, my jailor, my debtor. I've seen firsthand what his men do to the women he auctions. If Claire is under his control, she'll be dead soon… or, at least, wishing she was.
Jovich is at my mercy, but it doesn't mean he’s at my command. I push him so hard that he drops to his knees on the pavement. He faces away from me, hiding the agony on his gnarled features as he works on getting his shoulder back into place. That gives me the distraction I need to slip the gun out of the back of my jeans. When he feels the barrel press into the back of his skull, he freezes.
"Don't point that thing at me if you aren't gonna use it." He warns, still with that teasing lilt in his voice, challenging me.
"Don't make me use it." I counter. "Tell me where you took her."
"I told the idiots she was Rhea." He laughs so hard it shakes his whole body and then growls in pain as it pulls on his shoulder. "They'll figure it out, but by the time they do Rhea can have a totally new identity and you won't have to worry about someone busting her door down in the dead of night… or all the things they'd do to her."
I grab his same arm again, twisting it as I tell him, "Hand me your phone."
"You can't stop this Remy.” He bites out, “This is bigger than you."
I raise my arm and strike him with the butt of the gun. "If she dies, I'll kill you. But if you help me find her, I'll let you live.” That offer should be incentive enough, but I’m desperate. “And I'll double whatever Davos offered you to make you flip on me."
Jovich laughs. "I didn't take his money. I just needed the bitch gone, and your father's debt needed paid in flesh. Two birds, one stone, as they say."
I bash him with the gun again, and his free arm covers his face, trying to protect his vulnerabilities. Time is running out, and I can't have Claire’s blood on my hands, on my soul. She’s already been haunting my every thought since I first laid eyes on her. In death, I’m sure she’ll torment me. And that’s to say nothing of Rhea, who will likely kill me herself if everything unravels and she realizes I put her best friend in danger.
I lower the gun, aim where I know I’ll get results, and shoot him right in the back of the knee.
The bang! is closely followed by an earth-splitting scream as his kneecap shatters into a thousand tiny splinters and Jovich’s blood surges out around him.
Jovich has always seemed to get off on the sound of other people's screams. It’s like a drug that makes him giddy. But the sound of his agony does nothing for me. That isn't what I want.
He falls immediately to the ground and writhes in pain, white-faced and sweating. "I'll take that phone now." I cock the gun at his other leg, just in case he tries to deny me.
It takes a minute, but he reaches in his pocket and retrieves his cell, holding it out to me with a trembling hand. "Dial Davos and have him call it off." I command.
"I can't!" Jovich roars. For a guy who likes pain so much, he sure can't take it the way he can dish it out. My finger strokes the trigger almost of its own accord, and he groans. "You know it won't do anything."
I blink. He’s right. I know that Davos is the worst sort of man to walk the Earth, closely followed by his customers. But I don’t have any other option. "Call him."
As he scrolls through the phone, Jovich's whole body quakes with unconcealed agony. When he lifts the phone to his ear, I shake my head. He switches it to speakerphone and drops it on the ground before me as it rings.
Alexandre Davos answers on the third ring. I’m familiar with his guttural Russian solicitation, but it means nothing to me. "English," I demand.
"Call it off, Davos." Jovich yells, his voice hinting at some of the fear he’s trying to keep at bay. "I made a mistake."
"I know you did, Jovich. You thought you could fool me?" Davos’ deep laugh booms through the speaker. "The deal we had was for Rhiannon Boudreaux. I don’t know who you took to my boys, but she’s a hit."
"Let her go." Jovich tries again. "Your boys know where to find me. Just bring her back, and we can forget this whole thing ever happened."
"Are you kidding?" Davos laughs again. "You may have pulled one over on my men, but that doesn’t mean the girl isn’t serving her purpose. The bidding's already begun."
Desperation tangles with rage in my stomach.
The bidding has begun.
I’ve witnessed their depravity firsthand, and it’s hard enough to watch a complete stranger have their life ripped from them. I never thought I'd have a personal connection to someone being auctioned off, but I do. I can’t even begin to untangle the web of ways that I feel connected to Claire.
"I'll beat whatever your highest offer is." I say loudly enough to be sure he'll hear me from a distance.
There’s a pause as my words hang in the air, and Davos considers the offer. "Is that Remington Boudreaux? To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"You have something I want. Cancel the sale. I'll top whatever she's going for."
