I did as I was told, my legs trembling beneath the satin dress they’d forced me into. The material was tight on my skin, making me feel more vulnerable than if I’d been naked. I was being sold like cattle, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
As for Dante, he didn’t look at the announcer or the guards. Just me.
There was no hesitation in his eyes—just that same magnetic pull that once made me forget how to protect myself.
God, I hated that I still felt it.
And suddenly I was back in that apartment where I’d last seen him, the sheets still warm from our bodies, his words cold as ice: “This isn’t working anymore. We’re done.”
There was no other explanation and no sweet goodbye. Just the click of my door as it closed behind him.
Now he stood in front of me, close enough that I could smell his cologne—the same spicy, woody scent that used to linger on my pillows.
“Miss Montes,” he said, his voice exactly as I remembered it, deep and rough around the edges.
I stared back at him, tried to keep my face blank, and prayed he couldn’t see how fast my heart was racing. “Mr. Lebedev.”
The announcer stepped between us with a wide smile and placed his arms around both our shoulders in an ugly display of showmanship. “Congratulations on your acquisition, Sir. We trust you’ll find her… satisfactory.”
Dante didn’t even look at him when he walked up right next to me. “We’re leaving.”
Dante took my arm then, and the announcer stepped back,thank god. The only person in this room who didn’t seem like he’d be capable of dumping my body into a river the next day was Dante, and the fact that he was in this room itself made him just as dangerous.
But still, his hand on my arm sent electricity up my spine, and I hated myself for how my bodystillresponded to him like a flower turning toward the sun.
The two guards who’d been flanking me stepped aside.
Just like that.
Seven million dollars, and I was transferred from one owner to another.
How the hell did I even end up here in the first place?
One minute, I’d been bringing my father a surprise—fresh blueberry muffins from his favorite bakery. I knew he was working late on a big case, like he always did. He was the Federal Prosecutor, Marc Montes, of course; The incorruptible hammer of justice, working tirelessly to keep New York safe.
At least that’s what I had thought.
I’d been about to knock on his office door when I heard my father talking to a couple of men. I figured he was still in a meeting, so I stayed put to wait until he got free.
“The shipment comes in on Tuesday. My people will handle the paperwork, but I need your guarantee that the port authority stays clear.”
“You’ll have it,” my father had said, his voice lower than usual. “But I want my cut up front this time. After that business with the Petrovs, I’m not taking chances.”
“And what would… taking a chance cost?”
My father took his time to give a number. “A hundred grand.”
I stood frozen as I noticed his voice didn’t even quiver. My father sounded confident, like this was just another day on the job for him and he’d done it a million times before. The box of muffins suddenly felt heavy in my arms, and my heart was pounding so loud I couldn’t hear the rest.
My father… he was taking a bribe without batting an eyelash.
I backed away in shocked disbelief and turned to leave. My face was burning. My hands were numb. It felt like the ground under me had cracked wide open and everything I believed had just… fallen through it.
I couldn’t believe my father was cutting deals with criminals. I didn’t remember the hazy, panicked walk back to my car. What I do remember is that just as I was about to open the door, a van pulled up beside me.
Two men.
A cloth over my mouth.
