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I’m vaguely aware of the man in the background raising the bid to three-hundred and ten thousand, as all eyes turn to me. The man holding the gun to me raises his lips into a smirk, thinking he’s won.
I lean close enough so that only he can hear. “Shoot me,” I say, before loudly shouting, “Three hundred and fifty thousand.”
The man growls beside me, shoving the barrel harder against my stomach, making me wince—even though I hide it well. No fucking balls. He’s all threats and no follow through. “Don’t be a fucking idiot. Walk away now, or I will shoot you.”
Now it’s my turn to look smug. “If you were going to shoot me, you’d have done it already. Besides, I doubt your boss wants you to cause a scene in front of all these people. It would be bad for business. But you can tell your boss, no matter what he bids, I will go higher. I refuse to walk away, and I’ve already proven I have the funds to back it up. I suggest you politely warn your boss that he doesn’t know who he’s fucking with.”
Without waiting for a reply, I turn my attention back to the stage, dismissing him completely. The gun is removed from my side, but I don’t bother watching him leave. My attention returns to Teigan, who is looking at me with wide eyes, like she can’t believe how much I’m bidding for her. I want to laugh at the shocked expression on her face, but I need to focus.
The Sheriff grabs my attention. “The bid currently stands at three hundred and fifty thousand. Do we have any advances on that? Any more bidders?” He pauses as he looks around the room, his gaze landing on the booths at the back, no doubt looking for instructions from my rival bidder.
When no other bid is made, murmurs trickle around the room, as everyone speculates about whether I’m about to win, or if the important person bidding against me is going to make a last-ditch attempt. I’m sure his advisor is passing on my words as we speak.
When no further bids are made, The Sheriff looks almost uncomfortable. “If there are no further bids, I will close this Lot. Going once…”
There’s a pause, and I hold my breath.
“Going twice…”
Teigan’s eyes widen as a small smile crosses her face, like she’s just as much in shock as I am.
“Going for a third and final time…”
My heart stops, as my eyes lock with Teigan’s. For the first time in a very long time, she looks relieved…almost happy, and I feel lighter.
“Sold…to number seventy-three,” snaps The Sheriff, looking extremely pissed.
I actually have to look at the number on my paddle to confirm I’m number seventy-three. When I see the number in my hand matches, I breathe a sigh of relief. My eyes are fixed on Tee as The Sheriff drags her off the stage, the same way he did with all the Lots. I’m anxious to get to her straight away, so we can get the hell out of here.
I stand, looking around the room for Dec. I see him standing by the side of the stage, no doubt waiting to collect Esme. Just as I’m about to move to stand with him, a person steps into my line of sight, blocking my path.
A man who looks to be in his early forties is glaring at me. He’s a couple of inches shorter than me, but is just as bulky. His arms are more muscular, and he looks like he lifts weights. His face has a few wrinkles beside his eyes and on his brow, and together with the grey splashes through his otherwise dark hair, it suggests he’s older than me.
His face is contorted into a scowl, and his dull green eyes are glaring at me. He’s dressed smartly in a suit, similar to mine, and the way he holds himself tells everyone in the room that he’s important. He’s wearing a giant signet ring on his little finger, and a watch that’s worth more than most people pay in rent—clearly not bothered about showing off his wealth.
“Who are you?” he snarls, his voice dripping with venom.
“Evan Doughty,” I reply smoothly. “And you are?”
He looks startled, making me think I probably should know who he is…but I clearly don’t. If I were to hazard a guess, given how pissed off he looks to be at me right now, I’m going to say he’s the dick who just lost to me in the auction. Which means he’s the guy who tried to buy Teigan.
“I am The Baron.” He says the words like he just told me I was speaking to the King of England…and I should bow to him. Instead, I roll my eyes.
“Okay…”
His eye twitches as the vein in his neck visibly pulses, his anger at my indifference obvious.
“You spoke to my associate earlier, but he tells me you didn’t fully understand the gravity of the situation. So, I thought it best if I spell it out for you in person. I am The Baron, one of the rulers of The Aristocracy. Everyone who is part of the society knows that what the rulers want, we get.
“I understand you’re new, and not familiar with our rules and customs, which is why I am taking the time to educate you. Now that you know, I expect you to respond accordingly,” he states, silence echoing around us as he waits for me to respond.
“And what exactly does that mean?” I ask, dragging this out to wind him up further.
“It means the Lot you won should be mine. I’m happy to pay the winning bid that you made. You just need to let The Sheriff know that you are forfeiting your win, and pass her along to the next highest bidder—me.” He says the words to me with a smug arrogance that makes me want to punch him.
Instead, I give him the fakest smile I can manage, and use the same tone I adopt when I’m trying to wind up my brothers. “Unfortunately, that won’t be happening. You lost. I won. If you wanted to win so badly, you should’ve tried harder. Since you didn’t, I will be taking my winnings home with me now.”
I move to walk around him, ending the conversation, but he grabs hold of my arm tightly. I growl, looking down at where his hand is squeezing mine, shooting daggers from my eyes as I make it very fucking clear he needs to take his hand off me.
