Chapter 42
Lorenzo
Over the years, I’d witnessed the shady shit that Andrey Antonov was a part of.
But Matteo made it a point to keep me out of as much of it as possible.
And when Andrey was killed and Dominick took over, I knew they still had connections to the underground world.
Matteo mentioned on more than one occasion that because their father had been in too deep, they could never completely walk away from that life.
We’ve dealt with a lot of fucked-up shit the past few years—from Bri being forced to abort her baby to my sister being taken and held captive. But as I walk through the compound, it hits me just how much Matteo and Dominick have shielded and protected their loved ones, including me.
The auction is being held in a warehouse, where a makeshift runway has been installed for the women to walk down and showcase what they have to offer while the men sit behind a one-way window and bid.
We’re wearing masks to keep our anonymity, and every transaction will be run through an offshore account that can’t be traced back to Leysa.
But this is more than an auction. Businessmen from all over the criminal underground world are drinking, conversing, and making deals. I recognize their names from over the years.
Arms dealers, drug traffickers, loan sharks. If the authorities were to find this place and arrest these men, it would go down in history as the biggest sting operation that ever existed.
But Leysa’s made sure to cover her bases. No weapons are allowed. She has armed guards everywhere. And everyone entering has been scanned into a biometric system, using their thumbprint.
Thankfully, Rosa thought of everything, including giving me his son’s identification.
As I walked up to the guard and pressed my thumb against the system, my heart pounded in my chest. All it would take was one thing going wrong, and we’d be fucked.
But I quickly realized the system wasn’t an authenticator, but an identifier.
Based on the ID and thumbprint Rosa provided me with, I’m Arturo Rosa, his son.
“Gentlemen,” a woman with a Spanish accent says, stepping onto the platform, “please take your seats. The auction is about to begin.”
From the other side of the window, I stare at the bitch, wishing I had my gun on me. I’d shoot her in the head so fast that she wouldn’t know what happened.
But I’m not armed, and Matteo made it clear that my only job was to keep eyes on Vanessa. And the first chance I get, I need to get her out, and Matteo will handle everything else. There’s a vehicle waiting for us, and the plane is on standby.
I reach for my phone and then remember I don’t have it. Rosa warned that phones would be confiscated, so I had one of Matteo’s men deliver it back to the plane, along with my luggage.
“Tonight is about starting fresh and creating new allies as well as connecting with old ones,” Leysa says.
“Many of you were friends and associates of my late grandfather, Carlos Santiago. He believed that everyone played an important role in society and that women were especially important. They are beautiful creatures who were put on earth to serve man. And as Carlos’s only living heir, my goal is to continue his legacy.
“The women you are about to meet are the highest of the breed. Smart, beautiful, trained to please a man. Their sole purpose is to serve. Their only downfall is that the family they were born into doesn’t understand loyalty. But we won’t hold that against them.”
She cackles at her shitty joke, and the sound causes goose bumps to prickle my skin. This woman is fucking nuts.
“Each woman has been given to me by their owner and is available to be purchased by you … as long as you’re the highest bidder.
” She winks, and it takes everything in me to not jump through this glass wall and choke her to death.
“Remember, tonight is a mere sample of what I provide, so if you walk away empty-handed, please know that I will be working hard to replenish my stock. My grandfather’s motto was, A happy customer is a returning customer, and I want everyone to walk away happy. ”
Jesus fucking Christ.
The auction begins, and each woman walks down the runway, stopping at the end.
Despite them looking scared out of their mind or clearly drugged, they’re pretty, and so far, every one of them is sold for millions of dollars.
Leysa doesn’t even attempt to hide who the women are, calling out their first and last names—many of which I recognize.
Her strategy is clear—to out the men who wronged her and stick it to them by selling their loved ones to other powerful men.
With every woman who enters and exits, my stomach fills with lead. What if Vanessa isn’t here? Or what if she’s not up for auction? We assumed this was where she was, but what if Leysa has other plans for her?
Her necklace shows her last location was here, but what if it’s wrong? What if it’s no longer on her and she’s been taken and I’m sitting here like a dumbass, waiting for—
“And the last, but certainly not least, woman up for sale is … Vanessa Russo.”
I suck in a harsh breath as my beautiful wife slowly walks toward me. I scrutinize every inch of her I can see, and there doesn’t appear to be any marks. Her eyes are filled with fear, but she seems to be lucid.
She’s dressed in see-through white lace lingerie that I would find stunning in a different circumstance.
Leysa talks more bullshit about Vanessa, and then the bidding begins.
I’ve thought about how I would handle it.
So I don’t call attention to myself, I let the other men bid.
At one point, a bidding war breaks out between two men.
I’m about to use my clicker to place my bid to ensure, if nothing else, I’m able to buy her when shots of fire ring out, followed by an explosion.
Everyone is unarmed, so they either run or hide, but my goal is to get to Vanessa. So, grabbing the chair, I throw it into the glass, praying it’s not bulletproof.
It shatters, and without waiting, I grab a shard of glass and jump through the open window.
I want to take Vanessa, but the only way we’re making it out is if I’m armed, so with the glass in my hand, I run straight for the guard in the corner. I stab him in the throat and then snatch the gun out of his hand. With blood spurting everywhere, he drops to the ground.
As I head toward Vanessa so I can get her the hell out of here, our eyes meet, and hers fill with fear. And then I remember my mask is on.
“Stop, please!” she begs when I hook my arm around her waist. “Please!” she screams, forcing me to cover her mouth with my hand, not wanting her to draw attention to us.
“Shh,” I murmur into her ear as I haul her through one of the doors. “I’ve got you.”
She sighs into my hold, and pointing the gun in front of us, I guide us out of this hellhole. I’m forced to shoot a couple of people on the way, but for the most part, by the time we make it outside, most of the men have been taken out.
When we make it into the bulletproof SUV, I take off my suit jacket so she can cover herself while Sal calls Matteo.
“What do we do?” I ask when he doesn’t answer.
“He said to leave if we couldn’t reach him.”
“Fuck. I knew he would say that.”
I want to argue, but I promised him that no matter what happened, the moment I got Vanessa to safety, we would leave with or without him.