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"Come on, Remy." He sighs as if he regrets the conversation we haven’t even had yet. "I'm trying to run a business here. I can't have my customers doubting my commitment to them."
"You can." I say firmly. "Just this once."
"Remington..." He clicks his tongue in disappointment. "You know better than to get attached."
"Davos." I growl his name through clenched teeth, desperately trying to maintain a sense of calm. "Shut it down."
"I wish I could help you, son.” Davos sighs for dramatic effect as if he expects me to fall for his lies. “But it's out of my hands now. This girl has got my buyers in a frenzy. I'm already up thirty percent from the opening bid. I suspect you’ve made an impression on many of my buyers, and they’re eager to make their own impression on her."
My throat threatens to close, it’s so dry. Claire is slipping through my fingers, and I know what fate awaits her if I let go. "Send me a passkey."
If I can’t get Davos to circumvent the auction, I’ll have to gain entry to the listing and win her myself. I’ll gladly bankrupt myself if that’s what it takes to keep her from being turned over to some anonymous predator who probably has a vendetta against my family that they intend to take out on an innocent third party.
"I'm afraid they're all gone. I only sell a limited number of tickets to every auction, you know that. And your little girlfriend has everyone scrambling to come up with funds."
I slam my fist into the hood of the car. It’s a poor substitute for the true cause of my anger, but thousands of miles and a whole army of security separates Davos from me. "If you don't shut it down right now, I will hunt you down, and I will guarantee you the slowest, most excruciating death you could ever imagine. Mark my fucking words, Davos, if you take her, I will bring down your whole fucking empire from the inside out."
"Sorry, kid.” Davos says, but he doesn’t sound very sorry at all. “You can't always get what you want... unless you're me." He chuckles. "In fact, after she sells, I'm gonna offer the buyer a little kickback for first dibs. I am dying for a taste, myself."
Fury rips through my veins, an acrid drug that takes me over.
In my head, I picture him straddling Monica, threatening to have his way with her. That was the only reason he got me to bend to his will all those years ago. Now, he’s going to do the same thing to another person I care for. Only, this time it’s not a threat. This time, he has every intention of following through.
I shift the gun to Jovich's head as the poison turns everything on the edges of my vision black. "WHERE IS SHE?"
"I feel for you, kid. Your old man just dragged you into this life.” He says it as if he didn’t threaten, bribe, and blackmail me into being a soldier for him. “But you're here now, so you're gonna have to learn. Check your texts."
I keep the gun trained on Jovich's pale face as I reach down with my free hand and sweep his phone into my hand. There’s one new text, and when I open it, the video starts playing immediately. The lips that I've been thinking about for the last few days are cracked and bleeding, and when someone runs a finger over them, it smears red on Claire's tear-soaked face.
I watch in horror as the woman I’m supposed to be protecting is pushed around like an object. She’s strong, fighting, trying to keep control and hide just how badly they’re hurting her. But her fear is greater than her resolve, and her cries tear through me, stabbing the pit of my stomach.
When the knife slices into her, I yell too. I try not to vomit when the thicker man holding her captive paws at her breast, helping himself to a handful as his tongue darts out to lick her. I can’t decide what I’ll cut off first when I find this man— his hand or his tongue.
The lanky man presses the blade between Claire’s chest and threatens to reveal her to the camera, and I feel the shift in me as easily as if I flipped a switch.
"Like I said," Davos' voice is cold, all business. "That scream has a lot of men scrambling to pull some funds together. It's too late for this one."
The line goes dead just as suddenly as the video ends. Jovich stares up at me, finally looking like he’s starting to regret his choices.
But it’s too late for that, too.
I squeeze the trigger, emptying the last bullet into his head.
Chapter thirty
Claire
"There she is."
I hadn't heard a door open anywhere in the room. I hadn't even noticed they'd turned the lights on. But now that I do, I find myself blinking past the fluorescent glare at the feet of the three men. Their shapes are blurred, distorted, and I’m not sure if it’s from the sudden light or my swollen eyes.
"Our golden goose." Wes' voice comes closer and then he drops his weight on the back of his legs as he hunches down for me to see him. "You are a legend, baby."
His hand reaches out and strokes my cheek gently. They hadn't ever replaced the tape, and at first, I thought it had been a mistake. I screamed myself hoarse once they left. But that had accomplished nothing other than wearing me out even faster. Now, I barely have a voice to plead with them anymore. "Wes," I whisper, not because I don't want to be heard by the others, but because it’s all the sound that I can make. "Please."
"I really was looking forward to going out with you. But you had to go and get yourself involved with all the Boudreaux family drama. There's a price to pay Claire, and that price? It's you. All of you, until someone decides to put you out of your misery."
He stands up and looks at Mack. "Go get the car ready. We need to have her in Zurich by sunset tomorrow."
