“You’re not moving an inch.” His voice is low enough that only I can hear it over the alarm as he sits me back down on the edge of the jacuzzi.
“Wait, what’s happening? Why can’t I—” My words die on my lips as Liam’s expression darkens, his jaw set in a hard line.
“What’s happening, Sara?” he grinds out, his gaze shifting to something over my shoulder. “What’s happening is you decided to fuck with me again! In a world you know absolutely nothing about.”
I swallow, knowing I might’ve pushed the devil to notice me a little too much for one evening. Before I can process what he means, Liam reaches behind his back and pulls out a gun. The sight of the matte-black weapon in his hand makes my blood run cold.
In one fluid motion, he steps around me, his arm extending toward an older gentleman who’s hurrying a young woman toward the exit.
“You,” Liam barks, his voice cold and strong. “Slow down.”
The man, gray at the temples and wearing an expensive suit, freezes. His fingers dig visibly into the young woman’s arm.
“Let her go.”
The young woman yanks her arm free, stumbling backward with wild eyes. Her gaze meets mine for a second, terror mixed with desperate relief before she moves toward the exit. I’ve observed the evening and haven’t seen the veil of fear some of these younger women now bear on their faces. The deceiving acts run a lot deeper than I’m even aware of.
A man I immediately recognize from the sex club that was with Liam, materializes. A tall, green-eyed silver fox, still verymuch in his prime, leaps onto the deck from the dock. He takes his place beside her like a protective shadow, his hand hovering near her elbow without touching.
“I’ll escort her out,” he tells Liam, his voice gentle but firm. The woman flinches when he speaks, but something in his demeanor must reassure her because she doesn’t pull away. They step off the boat and disappear into the thinning crowd, her long brown hair swinging behind her like a curtain closing on whatever nightmare she’s escaped.
The older man’s face contorts with rage. “This is absurd. Do you have any idea who I am?”
Another man I seem to have seen around but can’t place where, and Damien jump on the boat next. Startling me. They function with pure, intimidating confidence emanating from them as they flank the man on the floor, their movements synchronized as if they’ve done this a hundred times before. The yacht’s alarm wails on, and the deck empties considerably. I feel trapped between the jacuzzi and Liam, unable to move and not knowing what’s going on.
“Luckily for you, you’re going to find out who the fuckweare, right Riviera?” Damien smirks with venom, and my blood turns icy right when the alarm stops.
“What should we do with him?” Riviera asks, his black hair falling on his light brown skin, his grip tightening on the man’s expensive suit jacket.
“Take him somewhere private for questioning?” Damien asks.
Liam doesn’t answer. His face is terrifyingly blank as he adjusts his stance. A predator who is maliciously and vehemently considering his next move to portray the risk he poses to his prey. I watch him as he becomes unrecognizable, aims the gun down and fires.
The sound is deafening. Blood sprays across the polished deck as the man crumples with an agonized scream, mixed with my scream when he clutches his shattered knee.
I clap my hand over my mouth to quiet my shock but can’t stop the choked sound that escapes me as the world tilts sideways, my vision blurring as tears well up.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Damien laughs. He actually laughs.
Liam turns around, facing me. His face now shows a map of anguish and vigor with the vein on his forehead proving he’s barely suppressing an array of emotions ready to explode.
“When I told you to be very afraid, I meant it.” He pauses, biting his bottom lip and stepping closer to where I’m standing in the Jacuzzi. “And you should be terrified of the man who promised to keep you safe, whom you continue to ignore. If you ever leave like that again, mark my words, I will hunt you down. And I will drag you the fuck back to me.” A psychotic laugh breaks from him. “I’ll bring you the fuckhome.”
Home.
It sends shivers up my spine. I’ve never truly felt at home until…
As soon as the noise of so many missing pieces shuffles into my mind, the realization of all of it hits me in the face.
The girl from the club the night he came back to Saint-Tropez, her terrified eyes, her desperate glance at the exits, the way Liam watched her with such intensity and gave her identification. And now this woman, with the same haunted look, being handled like property. It all clicks into horrible focus.
Oh my God. This is a human-trafficking operation.
“You’re rescuing them,” I whisper, my voice barely audible even to myself.
Liam’s head snaps toward me, his eyes narrowing. For a moment, he looks almost surprised that I’ve figured it out.The gun remains steady in his hand as he takes a step back, positioning himself more firmly between me and the chaos.
“I told you to not search for answers,” he says through gritted teeth. “I told you to stay away. Why are you even here?”
