A little piece of me broke.
"Would your mothers be proud of you?" I asked softly. "I think they'd be disappointed if they knew what you were doing." I gave them both a scathing look before dropping my gaze to my lap.
If they were my children, I'd disown them.
The car slowed and pulled into a parking garage under what looked like an old firehouse. The kind of building that was later converted into a trendy home, maybe several apartments.
The top looked like a loft in classic New York style. I pictured industrial fittings and fixtures, modern furniture, lots of black leather and steel. Masculine and attractive. Not my style, but sleek and livable nonetheless.
The garage door slid down behind us with a soft clang, cutting off the sunlight that filtered between the buildings outside. Cutting off the rest of the world.
Cutting me off from that last bit of hope.
We headed deeper underground, down a narrow, winding ramp, and into a parking area. Only a couple of spots were empty. The other cars were expensive-looking, some classics, most new, several plugged in and charging.
Silas backed the car into one of them.
Without a word, I walked over to the elevator with Silas and Conrad. Both had expressions like stone walls, no hint that anything I'd said to them made an impact. They were here to do a job, nothing more. Deliver a package.
Sleek, new and smooth, the elevator opened with a gentle, almost mocking ping. A cheerful sound that contrasted with my mood.
I stepped inside.
The doors closed, locking us all in. My stomach lurched when the car did. Rising, taking us to the top of the building.
CHAPTER 21
SABLE
The loft apartment wasn't what I was expecting. The fittings and fixtureswereindustrial, the counter in the kitchen stainless steel. A huge, black fridge dominated a corner. The floors were polished concrete.
But the furniture? It all looked like it was bought for somewhere else. Soft grays, blue here and there. On one wall, a panoramic photo of Vancouver Harbor was hung. The city looked out toward a snow-capped Mt. Grouse, sun glinting off the water.
I wished I was there right now. I wished I was anywhere but here, standing with a matched set of goons to either side of me.
A couple of other men stood near the window with a woman I recognized from the auction.
She glanced at me with mild disinterest.
I gave her the same in return. Didn't she realize she'd be the one the men would turn on first? Or turninif the police came sniffing? We weren't so high off the street that they couldn't throw her under the first bus.
One of the men turned to me and gave me an appraising, appreciative look. "The guest of honor is here."
"I didn't realize we were having a party," I said, my tone flat, not festive. "Shouldn't you be hiding behind the furniture?"
He laughed a little too loud, considering how lame my joke was. "She's too adorable."
I gave him a smirk worthy of Woody before he turned away, back to his conversation.
"What do we do now?" I asked out of the side of my mouth, addressing the question to Conrad. He seemed the most likely to respond without a sarcastic or salacious comment.
"We wait," he said.
I was right, that was neither sarcastic nor salacious, but it wasn't very helpful either.
"Wait for what?" After a moment, I realized my mistake and corrected myself. "Wait forwho?"I gestured towards a couch near the window. "Can I sit?"
It would be a nice place to lie back and read. Much less pleasant to sit and wait for what I knew was coming next.
