AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I already knew,” the man says, glancing over at me. “The masks keep me from knowing exactly who you are, but I know who I’ve met in this room before. And I don’t recognize you.”
“Seems like there is more security this year, too,” I say, moving on without responding to his previous statement. “Or maybe I was simply less observant back then.”
The man takes a drink, his pointed chin dimpling as he thinks. “You may be right. Our hosts seem to want to show their muscle—indoors, at least. There are always armed guards around the perimeter of the property, of course, but they did try to keep the guns out of sight of the guests last year. One can only guess at their motivations. It tends to be a rather tight-lipped organization, no?”
I lean back in my chair and look into the entryway. The guards who were there before still haven’t returned, but I see a shifting shadow standing on the other side of the fogged glass. They probably just moved outside to man the doors from the exterior.
“I wonder what happened to inspire the change.”
The man hums in mild interest. “One of the women for auction always makes an attempt to escape. It happens every year. Perhaps they want to be more prepared this time. Though, the biggest threat is from the outside, not inside.”
“You mean the police?” I ask.
The man nods. “And people interested in the event who don’t have the funds. There have been threats before. Other cartels who want to come in and take the merchandise for free.”
The man takes a sip of his drink and wanders closer to the center of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts which are growing more and more frazzled with every second.
If this was any other mission, I’d call it off.
There are too many unknowns, too many different threats. I have to be on guard against the men inside, the guards outside, and the possibility of a third-party raid. Plus, I have no idea where Rian Morrison is or what the FBI has to do with any of this. The likelihood of success with the odds so stacked against me is slim.
I should get out.
But I can’t.
Not when Eve and Milaya are on the line. If it meant keeping them safe, I’d strip my mask off in the middle of this room and allow the guards to gun me down.
I’ll do anything to protect them.
So, I finish off the last of my drink and take a deep breath. It is going to be a long five days.
* * *
Edgar walks into the lounge a few minutes later, a pleasant smile on his face. He strolls to the front of the fireplace and opens his arms in welcome.
“Welcome,” he says, nodding to every corner of the room. “I will keep my remarks brief. Now that everyone is here, I know you are all eager to begin, so let’s do just that.”
He takes a few steps towards the screen on the wall and gestures to the screen. “The bidding board should look familiar to those of you who have been with us before. To those of you who haven’t, the board is where all official bids will be logged for each of the fourteen items on show this week. Feel free to bid whenever you would like, but bidding early does not guarantee anything. It is simply a way to express your interest. And in return for doing so, we will make sure you are rewarded each night.”
The man in the fox mask laughs, causing the woman to his right to slide even further away from him on the couch.
From a business perspective, I understand how this works. The Cartel wants people to put in early bids to help increase the overall price by the fifth day. And to encourage early bids, whoever has the highest bid on any woman by the end of the day gets to take her to their room.
It’s a cruel and efficient way to extract wealth from the extraordinarily wealthy moguls in attendance.
As a don, I am impressed.
As a husband, I am enraged.
I want to rip the bidding board from the wall and crack it over Edgar’s head. Then, I’ll use the broken shards to ram Fox-Face through the chest.
Instead, I swallow back the bile that has risen in my throat and try not to crush the glass tumbler in my hand.
“Bidding will end at 4:59 p.m. on Wednesday,” Edgar says. “But until then, enjoy your stay and enjoy the show.”
Like a ringmaster opening a circus, Edgar waves an arm towards a door on his right and strides backwards to the far corner of the room.
There is a beat of awkward silence when nothing happens and everyone is just waiting in breathless anticipation.
