When the little girl realized they planned to separate them, she cried out, “Becca, please don’t let them take me. Please, Becca.”
Rebecca didn’t reply. One word might mean Megan’s death. Her cries grew faint as Jim took her somewhere else in the house. Tears pricked her eyes as the guard opened the door, shoved her inside the dark room, and locked her inside. She felt for the wall and slid down. Pulling her knees to her chin, Rebecca let out her grief. Her soul broke into pieces for the kids, especially the little girl who stole her heart.
Lowering herself to the floor, Rebecca gave up. Soon, Hassan planned to come for her, and she’d disappear forever. The fight within her dimmed and she no longer heard Julio’s voice telling her not to give up. He probably considered her dead at this point. When Jim came to dole out his punishment, she made up her mind to let death take her.
Julio enteredthe library and nodded to the two men. He scanned the room, noticing the guards stationed at every door.
“You’re lucky. We have an excellent selection this evening. Of course, if none of these are to your liking, you can leave your deposit with us and we’ll invite you to our next dinner party,” Mr. Presley said, handing him another whiskey. He motioned for Julio to have a seat in one of the wing-backed chairs while Gerard took the other. Julio raised an eyebrow at him, wondering why they gave Gerard a private showing.
“When you host, you get special perks,” Gerard said, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
The door opened and one of the men nodded to Mr. Presley. “Here you go, gentlemen.”
Julio fought to hide his astonishment as they herded a group of children in nightclothes toward the middle of the room. Fury filled him as he saw the fear and desperation in the poor kid’s faces. He gripped the glass tightly in his hand as the kids lined up and peered at him as if he were a monster. Jameson entered the room and shut the door. Julio gave him a brief glance, noticing the tick in his jaw, and it appeared like he gritted his teeth.
This must be what he tried to communicate to Julio earlier.
Gerard clapped his hands in delight, making Julio want to pound him to the floor.
“What the hell is this?” Julio growled. “Do you think to test me?”
One of the little girls sobbed in fear and one of the guards backhanded her across the face.
Julio couldn’t take it. He slammed his drink on the table and knelt before her. He picked the little one up and rubbed her back. “It’s all right, he won’t hit you again.”
“I see you’ve picked your prize, may I?” Gerard asked.
“I didn’t choose anything,” he sneered. He felt the little girl tense and he turned his attention to her as the butler handed him a plate of petite fours and other small desserts. He picked up one of the tiny cakes. “Do you like chocolate? It’s my favorite.”
The little girl sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. She glanced at him warily before accepting his offering. “Bring me some milk. In fact, bring all of them a glass.”
The butler turned to Gerard, who glanced uneasily at Mr. Presley.
“Why not?” the snake replied.
“While you’re at it, get them some of these cakes,” Julio demanded.
Mr. Presley nodded.
The butler returned, handing him a glass of milk.
“Here you go. Be a good girl and drink it all. The chocolate’s rich and we don’t want it to hurt your tummy. Do you feel better?” Julio asked.
The little girl nodded, glancing at the dessert plate. Julio guessed her age to be around six or seven, but she weighed hardly anything. The bastards barely fed any of them.
Jameson coughed, gaining his attention. Shit, he went off script. “Why don’t you take the plate and sit with your friends?” The little girl slid off his lap and cautiously took the plate as if she expected him to yank it back from her hands. When she settled on the floor, Julio stood.
“May I have a word?” he asked Mr. Presley.
Mr. Presley walked to the other side of the room. “Do we have an issue, Mr. Garcia?”
“I expected women, not children. Give me my money back,” he said, his voice going deadly. “I don’t have this particular taste, and Gerard knew this before bringing me here.”
“Sometimes, our clients don’t know the extent of their needs. Children can be pliable, and you can mold them to what you want?—”
Julio grabbed him by the throat, “I didn’t order a child. Let me be clear, I paid double for a first viewing ofwomen. If you can’t fill my order, then I’ll find someone who can.” He pushed the man away from him in disgust.
“I have another auction next month. You can have first choice, and I guarantee you’ll win,” Mr. Presley said, not wanting to lose his money.
