Page 79 of Cruel Promise


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Personally, I may have reservations about what we’re doing from time to time, but I get the importance of it. If we let Gil Gates slide on his obligations, everyone will do it. The respect our father worked so hard for will have been for nothing. When it comes down to it, respect is worth more than what Gates owes us, and more than what anyone else owes us too. It’s our most valuable asset.

Charleigh is an important part of keeping all that moving forward. After all, it wouldn’t do to have a failed business, especially one that flourished so well under my father. My brothers and I would look weak and ineffectual. That’s the kiss of death in our world.

And yet when I look at Charleigh, I see something I think I’ve lost in myself. I don’t know what to call it except some sort of happiness. A belief that life is fair. There’s a freedom in that. A lightness. Anything is possible.

I once had that.

When Charleigh’s around, I can taste it again. As if it’s within reach. Attainable. Maybe even likely. And yet we’re selling her. Fucking selling her.

What’s wrong with this picture?

As she requested, I do spend the night with her, my arms wrapped around her slender body, and it’s goddamn heaven. Her sighs and girl-snores enchant me, as does the way she flips from one side to the other and back. I’ve never shared a bed with someone so restless.

And yet, in the middle of the night, I wake up and we’re clasping hands. She must have taken mine at some point. Or did I take hers? Without even waking, our fingers found each other’s as if we’ve been doing it for years.

I know Vadik was dismissive of Charleigh’s request that we keep Dimitri and Alexei from bidding on her. Hell, I don’t blame her for asking. Alexei is a disgusting old lech and Dimitri is a loser, but those two men can provide a fuck of a lot of cash to cover what Uncle Mikey took out of the business.

That doesn’t mean I’m okay with the plan as it stands, though. I’m going to do what I can to keep Charleigh not only out of those men’s hands but also out of the hands of any other club member. I just have to tread carefully. Vadik is my brother and I love him, but this is one time I won’t hesitate to go against him. I don’t know whether I’ll win, but I’ll give it my best shot. I need to proceed carefully. Make him think it’s his idea. That it’s for the best of the club. And all of us.

Relocating Charleigh to the compound will be a big help. In my opinion, the further we get her away from here, the more likely we are to keep her away.

And fuck Dominika. I don’t care if she’s bent out of shape that Charleigh’s getting some sort of treatment other girls around her don’t get. Is it favored? Maybe.

But Dominika has had a good ride here. She has nothing to complain about.

She better start realizing that.

* * *

CHAPTERSIXTY-FOUR

Charleigh

I spent only one night in the club’s suite, and now I’m in the third room I’ve had since the guys took me from the pawn shop.

Actually, I’m in a house. A very large house. And not surprisingly, it’s just as beautiful as the rooms I stayed in at the club. Actually, more so.

While there is a central house on the property, or should I say compound, each guy has his own cottage. Although they’re not very cottage-y if you ask me. Each one’s bigger than where my whole family lives. They are modern with lots of glass, metal, and slanted roofs. I can tell from the outside they have their own stone fireplaces. I bet they have amazing kitchens too, the kind I see of celebrity’s houses on Pinterest.

I am to stay in the central house, or the ‘big house,’ as I have named it. It’s palatial, with a gigantic, curving staircase in the foyer, and more rooms than I can count. The house is full of the fragrance of flowers, something I wouldn’t expect the guys to care much about, and there are housekeepers and other staff milling about.

They smile at me politely and don’t say a thing.

The guys briefly show me around and then to my room, which is even bigger and nicer than what I had at the club.

And yes, once again someone moved over my belongings, placing them just where they were in the previous room. So strange.

“Is my room here a safe room? Can I lock it like the other one?” I ask, sitting on the edge of the bed.

I have to say, these guys spare no expense when it comes to beds. This third one is just as heavenly as the first two I slept on. And the sheets are an incredible silky cotton…

But I remind myself I’m here for just a few days. Best not get used to it. Who knows what kind of hell-hole I’m going to land in on the other side. Just because the guys are auctioning me to the man who will pay the most for my virginity, that doesn’t mean he’s going to be using his fortune to make me comfortable.

“You don’t need a safe room here,” Vadik says. “We have several guards and the perimeter is secured with an electric fence.”

“Wow. That was an electric fence?” I ask, thinking back to the beautiful black gate we entered the property through.

“Yup. Doesn’t look like it, does it? That’s the whole idea. The security team also flies drones several times a day to check things out. So you’re safe anywhere on the property.”

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