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PROLOGUE
BERNADETTE
My blood pounds in my ears with every step I take. Swallowing nervously, I glance out at the crowd.
At the men.
Men who want to buy me.
Men who want to use me.
One man will win me, and I’ll be at his mercy.
Ford said the contracts last for an entire month.
Ford Montgomery...
I exhale with mixed feelings for the man who dropped me into this world in order to help me.
Even with the lights in my eyes, I spot him on the edge of the crowd. His height, broad shoulders, and powerful stance make him instantly recognizable.
I shudder, wishing he’d bid on me.
But he can’t.
The question is, staring out at men devouring me with their hungry gazes...
Who will?
ONE
BERNADETTE
One Week Earlier
All the documentaries,Datelineepisodes, and television shows about Rikers Island were way off. This place is more terrifying in person, and I’m just visiting.
I stand out like a sore thumb in my crisp trench coat, gray knee-length fit and flare dress, paired with high heels. Clothes I wore to my job at Prada before I quit to develop my own plus-size fashion line.
People look at me like I’m a lawyer, so I keep my head down in case someone hounds me to represent them.
The administrators who process visitors must have been bullies in high school. Or maybe the scowls are from being treated like trash here.
In line to register at the Central Visits desk, I keep my expression neutral and try not to look like I’m ready to throw up.
“Name,” the female clerk barks when I get to the head of the line.
“Bernadette Armstrong.”
With hair that’s pulled back so tight I see her scalp, she looks up at me. Her dark eyes peer down at my designer shoes.
“Inmate’sname.” She shakes her head, recognizingthatclearly,I’ve never been here before.
I’ve never been to any jail. Or prison. Heck, I’ve never been inside a courtroom.
“Michael Kinsey,” I say with a shaky breath.
The woman’s brows knit together as she scans a monitor.
