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I close my eyes, grimacing when I hear the other bidder’s name. Liam, as perceptive as ever, questions me on it. “Have you heard of The Baron before?”
I nod, taking a sharp breath before I explain. “I know there are a lot of leaders in The Aristocracy, and most aren’t known to each other, to help keep the identities of the leaders hidden. However, some of them know each other and interact regularly.
“Obviously, you all know The Sheriff. He’s sort of like a middleman. He runs Club Crimson, which is essentially where perverts come to have their illegal desires met. But he’s most well known for his auctions. He sells us to the right people, but he’s not the person who finds us. He has partners who do that.”
I take a deep breath, trying to ignore the weight of the three sets of eyes on me at the moment. I’m startled for a minute when I notice Liam and Evan have matching green eyes.How have I never noticed that before?Bree’s are bright silver, a shinier version of my own grey ones.
“One of his partners is called The Duke. He’s a sick and twisted individual, from what I’ve heard. I’ve never met him, but Lilly has told me a lot. He acquires children at a very young age, and he trains them to become whatever he needs from them.
“Lilly and her guys were taken by him at around six-years-old. At first, they were just trained in things like pick-pocketing, and burglaries. Little kids can get into smaller spaces, and they’re less likely to be prosecuted if they’re caught.
“But as they got older, The Duke trained them for different purposes. Lilly was trained to be the perfect woman—or sex slave would be a more accurate term—though she was trained to cook and clean, too. Whereas her guys were trained in combat, assassinations, and deception.
“The Duke keeps them for a few years until he’s sure what the kid’s strength is. That’s how he’s able to make the most money from them. He sells them when they get to be too old to be of any use to them. Apparently, his wife, The Duchess, is just as cruel and sick, and she’s the one who punishes the kids,” I explain, recounting as much of Lilly’s story as I can, without giving away the personal details she shared with me.
“I had no idea these men’s wives were involved too,” Bree snarls, anger making her eyes flash dark, suddenly looking very deadly.
I almost shy away from her, but Evan’s voice beside me calms me. “What about The Baron?”
“I don’t know much, only what I’ve heard in passing. He buys from The Sheriff regularly. From what I’ve heard, he doesn’t exactly look after his purchases, and once they’re damaged, he’s quick to just replace them. The Sheriff used to threaten us by saying the ultimate punishment would be if we ended up as The Baron’s doll. Nobody lasts very long as one of his dolls.
“He joked with us that The Baron doesn’t know how to play nicely. He’s so rich that if one of his dolls gets broken, he just replaces them, since he’s not sentimental. Although, I’ve heard he has one doll he’s sentimental about, but nobody has ever seen her. We were all terrified of going to his Dollhouse. We’ve never known a girl to go there and be seen again.”
“Fucker,” Evan and Liam both snap, before looking at each other in shock that they both spoke at the same time.
Bree squeezes my hands, pulling my attention back to her. “We will talk about this more in a few days. I promise, we willdo everything we can to help your friends. I will take down every leader of The Aristocracy, even if it takes me forever. But, for now, get some rest. I expect it’s been a long few days for you, so just try to take it easy. Evan will show you around and to your room. There’s a phone in there, and my number is programmed in already. Text or call me anytime you want. I’m always here,” she says, before pulling me into a hug.
At first I’m a little startled by her overly friendly gesture, but as the little fiery redhead wraps her arms around me, I can’t help but match her gesture. I can feel my body relaxing, as for the first time in a long time, I feel safe.
I may have judged a book by the cover with Bree, and I severely underestimated her. I’ve never heard of a female crime family leader before, and I know she’s had a lot of people challenging her reign because of that. The feminist in me is appalled, but the realist kinda knew where they were coming from.
But that was before I got to see what Bree is really like. I’ve only spoken to her a handful of times, and today hasn’t been a particularly long conversation, but she already has me sold. I can see why so many big, strong, bullheaded men follow her. She’s a natural leader, and anyone who underestimates her will regret it.
As she pulled me into a hug, she mutters into my ear that I’m her family now, and she protects her family. I feel my heart beat for the first time in forever without causing me pain. For the past few months, every beat of my heart has felt like it was stabbing against an already gaping wound, but now, with Bree’s help, I’m not in pain. Maybe this is what hope truly feels like?
Once Bree and Liam leave, and Evan closes the door behind them, I’m suddenly very aware that we’re alone together in this house, in the middle of nowhere. Evan must have the same thought because he maintains eye contact with the floor as he shuffles from one foot to the other.
“Erm… Maybe I-I should…show you around?” he asks, sounding more unsure than I think I’ve ever heard him.
I give him a small smile, even though he can’t see it, as he’s still not looking at me. “Yeah, okay.”
His eyes flick up to meet mine with a grimace. “Unless you’d prefer not to. Then I can just show you to your room,” he adds quickly.
“No, honestly, it’s fine. I’d like to see the house, so I know where everything is,” I explain, and he nods like he understands.
There’s a moment where we’re both just looking at each other, the silence in the room is suddenly deafening, and it’s like the energy around us is crackling. My nerves are on edge, and my heart’s racing.
I’m not sure if it’s because we’re strangers now, and we feel uncomfortable in each other’s company, or if the chemistry we had just never went away.
Or maybe you’re just sleep deprived and over thinking things?I chastise myself, remembering that I’m not supposed to be reading into anything with Evan.
Without saying a word, he begins walking towards the main corridor in the house, gesturing with his hand for me to follow him. As he leads me through each room of the cottage, he tells me what it is, and if there’s anything essential I need to know. He shows me around the kitchen, letting me know where all the important things are, so I can help myself.
“I want you to be comfortable here, Tee. Treat this like it’s your house. If you want to move things about, or generally do something to make the place more homely…then do it,” he explains as he leads me up the stairs to the first floor.
It’s not a large cottage, but it’s plenty big enough for two people. Downstairs there’s a large open plan living room and dining room, with enough seating for the whole Doughty clan. There’s a large kitchen just off from it, and although there’s a table in the corner, the island in the centre is surrounded by stools, making it a more relaxing place to eat. There’s also a small office and a toilet downstairs, as well as a large storage cupboard.
Upstairs, the decor is very similar. It’s modern and clean with white walls and wooden flooring. There are some features that give away how old the building really is, like low ceilings and doorframes, and the beams that run along the ceilings. I can’thelp but chuckle to myself every time Evan has to duck slightly to get under a low door frame without hitting his head.
