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“Someone listed you on an action site right before we left for The Mansion. We took you there to get you out of Devil’s Creek. Now, men from around the world want to take you from us to claim the bounty on your head.”
I rested my elbow on the armrest and looked over at him, mouth hanging open in surprise. “Auction? Like the one we watched at The Founders Club?”
He shook his head. “No, this kind of auction is different. There are almost no rules, no limits to how much you can spend. But there is one rule they enforce. If you list a person for sale at an auction, you must produce them.”
I covered my face with my hands and gasped. “I can’t believe this. How could you let someone list me for sale?”
“I’m sorry, baby.” He reached over and squeezed my thigh. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. I kept you away from Devil’s Creek to protect you. To shield you from this side of our lives. That’s why I let you go for five years. It was easier that way.”
“Why do they want me? And please don’t say it’s because you have enemies. I’m getting sick of hearing that!”
A dark chuckle escaped past his full lips. “You are worth more than you realize, Drea.” He looked at me out of the corner of his eye. “Has your grandfather mentioned the Wellington dowry to you?”
I bit my lip and considered his question. “I don’t think so. He’s mentioned his legacy and that he wants Aiden to take over for him when he retires.”
“Your grandfather is the third richest man in the world. But the dowry is about more than the money. It’s about the power. If one of my enemies were to get their hands on you, make you their wife, they would get the dowry. Carl would have no choice but to hand it over.”
My eyes widened. “Exactly how much am I worth?”
“Billions,” Luca said, as if it were ten dollars. “But like I said, it’s not the money that interests most of us.” Luca looked in the rearview mirror at Marcello’s blue Maserati behind us. “Generations of Wellingtons have collected secrets on presidents, heads of state, bankers, Fortune 500 companies, secret societies… You name it, and your grandfather probably knows about it.”
“Where does my grandfather keep his secrets?”
“In a vault would be my guess.” He rolled his broad shoulders. “No one, not even my father, knows where he keeps the black book.”
I lifted an eyebrow at him. “That’s why you want to marry me? To get access to a book?”
“Initially, yes. That was my motivation.” His lips pressed into a thin line as he glanced over at me. “But now… I have other reasons for wanting to marry you.”
“Such as?”
“Do I really need to spell it out for you, Drea?” He sighed. “I think it’s obvious why I want you.”
“Not to me.”
“Because the thought of losing you fucks with my head. I’ve never been afraid of anything in my life. Not until they listed you for sale atIl Circo.”
“What’sIl Circo?”
“A club where anything goes. It’s by invitation only. They hold monthly auctions on the Dark Web. Men from the depths of the criminal underworld bet on anything from women to the outcomes of death matches.”
My stomach churned at his confession, and I was almost afraid to ask, but I had to know the truth about our situation. I turned in my chair so I could see his face. “Have you ever placed a bet?”
He shook his head. “I have a lot of vices, but there are some lines I don’t cross.” Then he placed his hand on my thigh, his fingers inching up to my core. “I’ve been doing everything in my power to stop the auction. I won’t rest until I get you off that fucking site. Unfortunately, the Volkov Bratva has a long-standing relationship with the owners ofIl Circo.”
“What happens if they succeed?”
“I won’t stop until I have eliminated the threat.” He tapped his fingers on my leg to the beat of the rap song on the radio. “The Knights are working around the clock to ensure your safety. We won’t let anyone hurt you, Drea. I promise.”
“I know you will protect me, but I’m still scared.”
“It’s okay, baby.” He smoothed a hand over my thigh. “We will get through this together. You have the Knights at your disposal, which means you have an army of men willing to die for you.”
“I don’t want anyone to die for me.”
“Knights defend their queen at all costs. It’s one of our most sacred laws.”
“Luca, you’re not dying for me. I can’t lose you.”
