Page 130 of Coal Hearts

And different was fucking terrifying.

“What if I gave you another two mil?” The question escaped me before I censored. “Right now?”

“Oh?” His eyebrows soared upright. “What on earth for?”

“I’ll buy a membership, just like I bought her.”

He didn’t move. Didn’t blink.

Shit, wrong move, Ri.

Had I offended him? Shown my true colours?

The urge to ramble crowded my mouth with words.

I swallowed hard, held his stare, and didn’t back down.

Finally, he asked, “You’d pay me two million to become my official guest?”

“Is it a lifetime membership?”

“It is.”

“Then yes.”

“Interesting.” He tapped a finger against his lips. Looking me up and down, he frowned. “I find myself wondering if you want the utopia I offer or just a single slave currently trapped within it. Because...I must warn you, Henri. If you’re doing this because you feel a warped sense of responsibility—because you baited and trapped Ily on my behalf—those sorts of possessive feelings will only bring you grief. I’ve told you this. I’ve warned you not to covet. We don’t do monogamy in this world. We are promiscuous. We are indulgent. Flesh is flesh. A hole is a hole. And if you can’t tell the difference between an obedient slave and a silly little girl you think you have a crush on, then...my answer is no.”

Ice replaced my organs.

Crush?

I didn’t have a crush.

What a ridiculous notion.

Scrambling to stay in character, I asked, “And if it’s because I can see for myself how much I fit in here? How much freedom I’ll find within your demented castle...what then?”

“Well...” He shrugged. “That does change things.”

“Fine.” I nodded with finality. “I’ll transfer four million and—”

“Not so fast.” Running a hand through his impeccable hair, Victor took his time studying me. “I’ll give you a week. How about that? That’s more than generous. I’m a businessman, so money talks with me, but I’m ultimately a connoisseur of pleasure. Tonight, we will play some games, watch some entertainment, and fuck whoever we want. Then, in a few days, I’ll make my decision on how you can become a member.”

I didn’t miss the open door he’d just given me.

The unsaid welcome that I could become a member—through action or cash. Either way, I could figure out a way to stay, which would give me more time to get the location to Q without having to leave Ily on her own.

“Deal.” I strode to him and held out my hand.

“I look forward to seeing how you react tonight, my new friend.” Shaking my hand, Victor let me go and waved at the laptop. “It’s encrypted to the highest level. All transactions are untraceable. The bank account number is written on the Post-it right there.”

Fishing my useless phone from my pocket, I held it up. “All my banking details are on here. Wouldn’t it be easier to turn off your signal scrambler and let me make the payment from my own device?”

His eyes narrowed infinitesimally. “I’m afraid not. My guests are all aware that staying in my residence means forfeiting their devices and connections. Nothing can be sent in or out unless it’s on my servers.”

Interesting.

My mind immediately launched into a covert mission on how I could break into his office and send GPS coordinates to Q.