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My hand tightened into a fist. “Human trafficking is an international crime.”
“Murder is an international crime too.” He gave me a threatening look. “And I didn’t traffic her. I paid for her.”
“Same thing.”
“Is your husband a trafficker, then?” he asked coldly.
It wasn’t comparable.
“You enjoy getting fucked by a rich man. That’s why you stayed. Perhaps Adelina will feel the same way.”
How did Cane work with this man? He was lower than scum. “You’re going to release her.”
“Why?” He took a drink, seeming bored.
“Because keeping a human is a crime.”
He shrugged. “I commit worse crimes every day. Don’t expect me to care because I never will.”
Was I foolish enough to expect this conversation to go any differently? Tristan stared at me with the same disdain I showed for him. He didn’t have an ounce of compassion, not a drop of human dignity. I thought Crow was cold when I first met him, but I quickly saw the softness he tried so hard to hide. That was how I knew I would be okay. He was nothing like Bones, and with him, I was safe.
But Tristan was a real piece of work. He thought he owned the world and everything in it. “I’ll buy her from you. What do you say to that?”
He took another drink then licked the wine from his lips. “She’s not for sale.”
I wanted to shoot him right between the eyes. “Everything has a price.”
He wiped his mouth with the back of his forearm then looked me up and down. “Very true. The price for Adelina is you.”
A chill ran up my spine, and not the kind that Crow usually caused.
His eyes roamed over my body in a sleazy way, eye-fucking me right where I stood. “You care about her so much, so take her place.”
“You know I’m married to Crow.”
“Exactly. That’s why you’re so valuable. I’d love to fuck another man’s wife.”
I’d hate to imagine what Crow would do if he heard that. “I’m not a bargaining chip. I’ll give you cash for her.”
He shook his head. “She’s not for sale. I won’t tell you again.”
I had nothing better to offer since I refused to give up myself. Taking her place wouldn’t accomplish anything in the long run. Both of us deserved to be free, not be playthings to psychopaths like Tristan.
He crossed his legs as he continued to stare me down. “The only reason why you’re safe right now is because Crow and Cane are great men to do business with. They make an excellent product, and they keep their mouths shut. However, I’m not gonna let you walk out of here without a scar next time, so make sure you don’t come back. Consider that to be your only warning.” He snapped his fingers and signaled to his henchmen to walk me out.
One moved to grab my arm, but I dug my elbow into his side and made him stagger back. “I know the way.” I glared at the other guy, telling him he better not make the same mistake of touching me.
He didn’t.
When I landed in Rome, my phone immediately began to go off.
Crow had figured it out.
He probably came home and realized I wasn’t there. He checked his tracker and saw me traveling from France to Italy at a high speed. Within seconds, he probably deduced exactly what I’d done.
And now he was pissed.
I took the call as I walked through the airport. “I’m on my way home right now.”
The silence over the line was absolutely terrifying. Sometimes what he didn’t say was more powerful than what he did say.
“I’m just walking to the car. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Still nothing. I couldn’t even hear him breathe.
Now I was a little scared. I couldn’t recall a time when he was so angry he was speechless. When he exploded, I knew there would be fire, lava, and ash. “Crow?”
Click.
I kept the phone to my ear just in case I was mistaken with what I heard. But when I eventually got the dial tone, I knew it really happened. He’d never hung up on me before. It was the first time I actually wanted him to scream at me.
I missed it.
When I walked inside, I knew something was different. There was no smell of dinner cooking from the kitchen or a warm greeting from Lars. Some of the curtains were closed, so the place wasn’t filled with as much natural light. It was darker than I preferred, or maybe it was all in my head.
Crow stood at the bottom of the stairs in the suit he wore to work. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he stared at me like his eyes were guns and my face was the target. I could see his tense shoulders shake slightly as he contained his rage.
