Chapter 38
Groggily, I peel open my eyes in a squint. The light burns, and I close them again, wincing in pain. My body aches from head to toe, but the dull cramping in my abdomen is the worst. I clutch my stomach and pray the baby is okay. Fucking Enzo kicking me right in the stomach like he fucking knew I was pregnant.
Silky fabric slides under my fingers, and I realize I’m not in the clothes I passed out in. I’m in a long dress, something constrictive and fitted. When I hear the sound that woke me in the first place, my eyes fly open. Someone is sobbing not too far away from me. I sit up in a rush and regret it immediately when my head spins. My stomach clenches again, cramping terribly. I groan, clutching it. What the fuck.
On the opposite side of the room, I spot another girl with long dark hair curled up in a ball on the carpeted floor. She’s the one crying. I stand on wobbly legs, the heels on my feet sky high and my dress slinky with a train, the emerald fabric shimmering under the low lights. Tentatively I move toward the girl. My skin goes all prickly when I realize who it is. “Dani,” I whisper through my tears.
“Stay the fuck away from me, Lana,” she mumbles, her words a distorted mess through her sobs.
“What the fuck is going on?” I ask her, but instead of answering me, she covers her face, sobbing harder than before.
Oh God. I scan the room, looking for answers. Finding a door, I run toward it, checking the handle, but it’s locked up tight. “Fuck.” It’s then I see a TV monitor showcasing the casino ballroom. Beautiful women taking the stage in stunning designer gowns, one by one parading down a long catwalk then returning to the stage, all lined up like a beauty contest. My heart races erratically. This isn’t any beauty contest. This is the fucking charity auction Valentina and Enzo were organizing. I recognize those designer dresses and even some of the girls’ faces from the garden party. On the ballroom floor, men in suits stand around with bidding paddles. An auctioneer takes the stage and starts talking, but I can’t hear what he’s saying. The volume of the TV must be muted.
From across the room, I catch sight of myself in a mirror. I look just like one of those girls on the stage. And I know exactly why I’m trapped in this room. Fucking Enzo is going to auction me off. That’s what Marco was talking about when he said they have a way of dealing with troublemakers like me. Panic takes off throughout my body. No way in hell will I let this shit happen to me.
I move back toward Dani, touching her arm softly. “Dani, we have to get out of here.”
“A little late for that, don’t you think. We’re locked in here. Marco made sure of it.” She sniffs.
I grab her by the shoulders with more force this time. “I’m not letting that piece of shit sell me or you to some asshole in a fucking suit. Get the fuck up now and stop crying. I’m getting us out of here.”
She blinks up at me, shocked by my harshness, but it seems to stop her tears immediately. “There is no way out. He made sure of it.” Her sad eyes meet mine.
“Fuck that, I’m not staying here waiting for them to come and take me onto the stage.”
Slowly she stands, moving toward the screen. “You won’t have to worry about that, they will probably auction us off right from this very room. They’re not going to risk you running.”
We both watch in horror as one of the beautiful girls is bid on. She looks so ecstatic when she wanders off arm in arm with the winning bidder. I feel sick for her.
I swallow hard, feeling bile rising in my throat, my hand resting on my belly. I didn’t come this far to be sold. “No. I’m getting out of here or I’m going to die trying,” I tell Dani. “You can either try with me or wait to be sold.”
“This is all my fault.” A fresh wave of tears streams down her face. “I trusted him. I thought he loved me.” Her face scrunches up, and she buries her face in her hands.
I place a comforting hand on her back, trying to calm her. “Marco?” I ask.
She nods sadly. “He got me to teach him how to hack computer servers and how I have been accessing security footage. He got me to teach him everything I knew. I thought he was trying to find you because he was worried about you. He fucking played me.”
I take her hand in mine, giving it a squeeze. “He’s not who you think he is.”
“He’s a Moretti, and he intends to live up to the awful name.” Her head drops, defeated. “He’s the one who locked me up in here with you. He had no use for me anymore now that I helped him find you.” Her scared eyes meet mine. “You have to understand, I never wanted you to get hurt. I thought I was helping find you to bring you home safe.”
My heart aches with sympathy for her. I was so wrong. All this time it was him using her, not the other way around. And she thought she had the man of her dreams. A fresh wave of determination comes over me. I’m not going to let her be sold. “You can fight, right?” I ask her.
She blinks back up at me, confused. “Yes, Geovani showed me.”
“Good. Take off your heels.” I undo the buckles on my shoes, tossing them carelessly onto the plush carpet. Then I grasp the hem of my dress, ripping the seam until the lower half tears away, separating right at the bias-cut stitching. Now I can move.
Dani discards her shoes, and her dress is already short, so she should be able to run in it. I take her hand in mine. “I fucking hate my brother for what he did to you. But right now, I need you to focus on surviving, okay? We will get out of this place alive. And you will show him he doesn’t define you. Got it?”
She nods once slowly. She looks weak right now, but I know this girl has fight in her. I have seen it before.
“Good. Look for anything you can find as a weapon and be ready to fight,” I encourage her.
She takes a metal lamp base, pulling the top off it and the cord from the wall. “Will this do?”
“Looks good to me.” I pick up my heels and take one in each hand. Why the fuck did they dress me in such perfect stabbing tools? “Okay.” I give her a nod and move toward the door. I knock on the door and wait.
Nothing.
But I know there has got to be some asshole right out there guarding us. There must be. So I knock again. “Help, please, help me, the other girl in here is having some sort of fit, she looks really sick. I don’t know what to do,” I wail in a panic, trying to sound as dramatic as I can be.
A low, indistinct mumbling of voices drifts from the other side of the door, hinting at a hushed conversation. Two voices, at least, are talking, but their words are lost behind the door. In a rush, the door swings open, revealing two suited guards.
Dani smashes the heavy metal lamp over the first dude’s head, the one holding the door open.
In one swift motion, I reach for his gun and pivot, aiming it at the second guy. One of Enzo’s goons, I recognize him from last night. Without missing a step, I quickly shoot him before he can even comprehend the situation he’s now facing. He’s slammed backward into the wall, a bloody mess, the sickening thud echoing in the room and up the hallway outside.
“Get his gun and drop that fucking lamp,” I call to Dani.
She does as I say, and the two of us take off up the long corridor, ducking into an alcove to catch our breath while we wait to see what damage all the commotion we just caused has created. I glance around the side, looking for a way out. “There has to be an emergency exit around here someplace,” I whisper to her.
“Lana, you’re bleeding.” She takes the silky fabric of my dress, showing me the back.
My heart sinks, and I suck in a sharp breath. I can’t let my head go there. If I do, I will lose all will to fight. The baby has to be okay; I have to just keep praying it is. “It’s okay, don’t worry about me.” I force a smile, its edges tight and unnatural while I utter the words, hoping I can hide my pain. One of us has to stay strong. If we both fall apart, we’re truly fucked.
“You’re pregnant, aren’t you? I heard Enzo say something to Marco about it when they were locking us up in here.”
“What? How would he even...” I clutch my stomach as another horrendous cramp cripples me.
“Harley, you need medical help,” she whispers, panicked.
I take her hand and move slowly down the corridor, gun drawn. “I’m fine, Dani, we just need to get you out of here.”
“Us. We have to get you out of here.” She looks back at me as if I’m crazy.
There at the end of the long hall I spot an emergency exit, and a small burst of hope takes off in my body. “Dani, there,” I tell her, and we run for the neon green sign.
“Not so fast, you little slut.” From behind us I hear Valentina’s cruel voice. I glance over my shoulder to see her approaching with two men in dark suits.
For fuck’s sake, her timing is impeccable.
I pull Dani’s arm, shoving her in front of me while I protect her with the gun in my hands. She pushes open the heavy door, the cool evening air whooshing over my clammy skin as she rushes to safety. I shoot in their direction, not caring which one of them I hit. A muffled cry fills my ears, but I can’t see past the dude coming right at me. His hand comes around my waist, and I’m hauled off the ground. I cry out, a guttural sound flying from my throat as agony tears through me.
Dani looks back over her shoulder, realizing I’m not right behind her. “Harley, no,” she screams.
“Let the other girl go, I don’t need her,” Valentina calls to her remaining goon.
But I’m not taking any chances, it’s my fault Dani was caught up in this mess. With all my might, I rear my foot up backwards, kicking the asshole in the junk. He lessens his grip on me, and I stumble forward. “Fucking run, Dani,” I tell her. “Get the boys.”
My hands grab at the handle of the door, and I pull it closed, knowing she won’t be able to open it from the outside. She’s safe. They won’t go after her if they have me. I already know it. And I’m not done here. I raise my gun, ready to shoot Valentina and her goon, just as a new dude appears, yanking me by my hair and forcing me into the hard brick wall, knocking the gun from my grip. Fuck.
“Got you.” He laughs, cruelly. “Enzo will be pleased.” He smirks at Valentina, all sorts of deranged, like he’s expecting her to pat him on the head and tell him what a good boy he is for capturing me.
Valentina comes to stand in front of me, her smile cruel and twisted. “You will make a pretty penny for us tonight, Harley Havardi. You thought you could fool us and marry into our family, but no one makes a fool of Enzo Moretti and gets away with it.”
I lash out, doing my best to fight off the asshole digging his fingers into my skin, but pain radiates through my body in a way I have never felt before. Nausea followed by a terrible cramping. I’m suddenly so weak.
“Not even your beloved boys will save you now. They are quite preoccupied down at their club, you see. Too busy putting out fires to be concerned with you.” Her cackle fills the air, sending a fresh wave of fear coming over me.
“What did you do?”
She grins back at me then reaches out to run a finger down my cheek. “Don’t mess up her face. She still needs to look pretty for the man who buys her,” Valentia says, running her eyes over me in disgust. And my brother’s words come back to me; he said something similar to his goons. It was his intention to sell me all along. “Such a shame too, you look so much like her, I could have gotten used to having you around.” Her eyes are sadder now, she looks lost for a spilt second.
“You loved her.”
She blinks back at me. “You can’t afford to love in this world, honey. My son will learn that lesson the hard way, just like I did.”
“But they don’t have to. You can change this world. Stop him.”
She bursts into laughter, and it’s then I realize she’s high as a fucking kite. “We? You and me can’t change anything because we were born without one very important appendage. Give up the fight and be thankful he spared you.” She spins off her heel and marches down the long corridor.
The two thugs manhandling me roughly drag me down the long corridor and shove me into the dimly lit wings of the stage, following behind her.
I see an image of myself flash up on the screen, and Enzo takes the stage. He looks toward me with the most sadistic grin on his face I have ever seen. That asshole knows I’m married to his son, he fucking knows I’m pregnant with one of his sons’ children, and he’s still going to sell me off to the highest bidder. There was never going to be any way they could save me no matter how hard the four of them tried. Evil always wins. It did in my ma’s case, and it will tonight as well. He motions to the men to bring me onto the stage.
They drag me as I fight them with everything I have, but it’s no use. My body is too weak to fight them off.
There is an audible gasp as the gathered crowd sees me. I must look an absolute horror compared to the stunning women who came before me. I’m sure it is shocking to see the way they’re manhandling me. Maybe now some of them will finally see how much of a monster this man really is.
Enzo drops his head closer to my ear. “Stand up straight, show the men bidding on you how damn pretty you are, Harley. I want to get my money’s worth out of you.”
My eyes narrow in on him. “Fuck you,” I spit back. I might not have any energy left to fight them off, but I sure as hell can still talk, and I intend to make sure they all know who he is.
He motions to his goons, and one of them forces me to look up into the crowd with his hand under my chin.
The man I recognize from my first night here in the casino, the one who shared his winnings with me, Sebastian Huxley, is front and center in an expensive suit. He looks confused, like the girl before him wasn’t what he had been promised. Beside him is Police Commissioner Palmer, and I swear when our eyes lock my heart nearly stops. He has a filthy grin painted on his face, and I know he’s not shocked at my condition like the rest of them. He’s every bit as vile as Enzo is. He was waiting for me, just like he told me he would be.
“What do you say we start the bidding for this loverly creature at one mill?” Enzo touches my chin, and I lash out at him. “She’s a little damaged, but don’t let that turn you off. She still has some fire in there.”
I’m surprised when Sebastin raises his paddle to place the first bid. Is he actually okay with this shit? Can’t he see I’m not on board?
“One and a half,” Palmer counters, making my blood run cold.
At the back of the room, I make out my brother. Marco. He’s watching this shit show, letting his papa do this to me. My hatred for him runs deep, like a virus infecting my soul. Any last piece of me that was still good is now rotted away, and I know the only way to fight evil is to truly become one of them.
I raise my head defiantly toward him, blacking out the rest of the room. “Are you really going to stand by and let this asshole sell me?” I shout loud enough for him to hear. There is an audible gasp amongst the people in the room, and I realize not everyone in here knew exactly what is going on. Marco’s eyes lock with mine. The determination I see is scary as fuck. He’s not my brother anymore.
“You’re a fucking coward,” I yell toward him. Then I turn to Enzo. “So are you. You’re a fucking spineless piece of shit hiding behind the police commissioner so you can get away with all the hell you rain down on this town and its people.”
“Get control of her,” Marco mutters to the goons on the stage, suddenly right in front of us, while Enzo tries to keep a straight face for his adoring fans.
One of them gags me with his meaty hand, and I bite into his flesh, tasting the tang of blood.
Marco moves toward the police commissioner. “What will the winning bid be, men? Are either of you willing to tame her?”
He’s up here talking about me like I’m a fucking dog.
A filthy smile crosses the commissioner’s face. “When I’m done with her, she will be an obedient little lamb.”
Sebastion takes a step back from him, looking disgusted on my behalf. “Three.” He holds up his paddle. He might be disgusted by the commissioner and Enzo, but he’s not giving me up without a fight.
In a panic, I look back toward Valentina. She smiles smugly from her position on the side of the stage. Sweat pours off my face and trickles down my back. My vision spins, a terrible sickness coming over me.
“Four,” the commissioner snaps, losing his temper at Sebastion. “You’ve had your fun, now it’s time for you to walk away,” he demands.
Sebastion takes a step back, bowing his head in defeat.
Every bit of hope I had in me that I could escape this hell vanishes. I had no idea what his intentions were with me. But however terrible it was, couldn’t compare to the horrors the commissioner will put me through. Every other girl he and Enzo have wanted to disappear have. I know I won’t come back from this. I will never see the boys, Dani, or Sloane again.
The sound of Enzo’s laughter echoes off the walls, making him sound even more deranged than we already know he is. “Sold,” he says, grinning toward the commissioner as he brings the gavel down.
Marco is right there as well, patting the old creep on the back as the two of them move onto the stage.
Again, I try desperately to pull free of the tight grip their goons have on me. Tears blur my eyes, and my heart races in panic. I know I’m out of time, but I won’t give up fighting, not now, not ever. If he gets me out of the casino, I will fucking kill him in his sleep. Anything to escape him.
The men holding me force me to stand up straight, even though the crippling pain radiating through me won’t allow it. The commissioner approaches me, the look in his piercing eyes pure evil. “You will be my most prized possession yet.” He reaches out and runs a finger down the side of my face. I flitch away from his touch, mortified.
Without warning, gunfire sounds, sending the two men holding me flying. I scramble away from their crumpled pile of limbs, searching the room for any signs of where the shots came from.
The heavy back double doors fly open with a bang, and there in the open space stands Alessandro, Ricky, and Maddox. My heart bursts with gratitude. They found me.
“Everybody get the fuck out of here if you want to live out the day.” The cold, detached boom of Alessandro’s voice reverberates through the space.