“Where’s Darby?” Matias asked the men waiting on us inside the warehouse. “He said he would be here.”
“He will be here shortly. Darby wanted to make sure he wasn’t walking into a trap.”
“Fine. Call him. You can see there is no funny business.”
Bastian and Matias walked toward a table and sat down. Cristian stood closely to Everly, feeling uneasy with the men in their presence. She knew he was smart to keep her in his sights—Darby wasn’t exactly an honest man. He could have told his men to snatch her and run, even if it meant risking their lives to do so.
“It’s nice to see you again.” Everly shuttered at the sound of Luis’ voice. He had been Darby’s right-hand man, and on several occasions, tried to take advantage of her.
“I wish I could say the same.” Everly sneered. She wanted to spit in his face, but that would only set him off.
“Ah… don’t be such a bitch. If things go as planned tonight, I’ll finally get a taste of that sweet pussy.”
Cristian growled and started toward him, but Everly placed her hand on his chest. “Don’t. It’s not worth it.”
“Listen to your bitch, Silva. Coming at me would seal your death faster.”
“Enough.” Matias slammed his hands on the counter. “Get your boss in here or leave. We aren’t here to entertain your comments.”
Luis pulled his phone and typed something on the screen. “Darby wants to meet with the girl.”
“No,” Cristian barked as Everly stepped in front of him.
“I’ll go.” She glanced back at Matias, knowing this had been the plan all along. He nodded and stood.
“He will meet with her here on the property.”
“He’s at the docks now. I’ve been instructed to bring her down there alone.”
“That’s not happening.” Cristian grabbed Everly’s arm. “You can’t do this. It’s not safe.”
“I’ll be fine, Cristian. I need to do this. It’s the only way to be done with this monster.”
Matias pressed his hand to Cristian’s shoulder. “We will be watching from the end of the dock. He can have his moment, but not without us seeing what is happening.”
“Fine. Follow me.” Luis grabbed Everly and half drug her out of the room.
“You don’t have to fucking yank on me. I said I would go with you.”
“Shut up.” Luis hurried toward the dock where she could see Darby waiting. “You three wait here.” He pointed at the three brothers who were watching him.
“Don’t fucking try anything or I’ll shoot you.” Bastian flashed his gun. “I’m a dead shot.”
Luis grunted and stormed down the massive boat dock with Everly in tow. As soon as Darby came into view, Everly wondered if she had made a mistake. A speedboat was running against the edge, waiting for a quick escape.
“I see you followed orders. You haven’t changed since being gone.” Darby stepped forward and brushed his hand down her cheek. “Tell me… is it true? Did you give yourself to that fraud?”
“Yes. I belong to him.” Everly flinched beneath his touch. “Why are you here? I can’t bring you top dollar now. I don’t understand what the issue is.”
“He lied to me. Did you know your keeper killed the man who was supposed to come to the auction?” Everly tried to hide hersurprise, but Darby saw her expression and snickered. “I see you didn’t know he was a cold-blooded killer.”
ShestilledasDarby’sdevious laughter raked through her body. He sensed that she’d been shocked from knowing that Cristian had killed Alessandro. Her heart jolted as the memory flashed in her mind of the time that he returned home with a shirt covered in blood. Things weren’t adding up, and she only had known Cristian for a short period. What if she’d misjudged him to be a good person? At this point, she didn’t know what to think, but she was visibly shaken by the news. Darby realized that Everly wasn’t as smart as he thought she was. He’d given her too much credit. She was totally naïve and didn’t understand that Cristian wasn’t a saint. Although she wouldn’t bring him top dollar anymore, she could warm his bed, and he would use her as a pawn in his game against the Silva family.
“Poor you. I guess you really thought an angel had come to save you. But you had no idea who you were dealing with.”
He grunted and continued to snigger. Everly remained calm. She turned her back on him and stared at the lapping wavesof the water, wondering if there was a side to Cristian and his family that she didn’t know about. A sick feeling crept up her spine. Were they part of a crime organization? Why had he been so bold to walk into Darby’s auction even after knowing that he could get killed? What was the reason behind that level of confidence? She also observed that during her stay at the mansion, there weren’t any officers of the law hanging around, so whatever Cristian was doing with his family didn’t seem legal. Had she been deceived? Did she escape from a fire to be thrown into an inferno?
Her back stiffened when she felt Darby’s chubby hands on her hip. Disgust welled up in her throat as she tried to fight it. She realized that she was in the middle of a game that she didn’t understand, and she needed to save herself somehow. She felt hurt that she’d fallen for Cristian, yet he kept secrets from her. Maybe he still saw her as that vulnerable woman who couldn’t have a mind of her own and needed his shielding even at the expense of honesty.
