‘Beautiful, young. And she could be yours. Only yours. Register your interest and buy your seat at our next auction to get your hands on our latest prize. Discretion promised, satisfaction guaranteed.’
Now I understand why Jake’s puking in the corner.
He turns and stares up at me with haunted eyes. “If she’s sold, I’ll never see her again.”
I nod. There’s no point denying it. The types of men who would even consider something like this are sick and twisted. Once they’ve had their fun with her, she’ll disappear without a trace.
“Kozlov changed his plans for her.” I keep my voice neutral as I work through this in my mind. We’re missing a piece of the puzzle. “First, he wanted her as an escort, but now he’s putting her in an auction. Why?”
Everyone turns to look at Jake.
“I don’t know,” Jake says, but his lips clamp together, and his gaze slides off to one side. “He wants to make more money, I guess.”
Well, obviously, but that’s not it.
“You’re lying.” I set the photo down, my fingers lingering on her image, while I pin her brother with a hard look. “She’s beautiful, but Kozlov would have seen that the moment he saw her. So, what’s changed?”
Kozlov isn’t stupid. There’s a reason he changed his plans for her. Why he’s not remotely concerned about getting his money back.
Chase leans forward, eyebrows drawn down. “Jake. If there’s something else, you need to tell us.”
Jake stands with his hands in pockets and his head down.
“I’m not going in blind.” I growl, having no patience for keeping secrets, not in a situation like this. Not with people’s lives on the line. “What made her go from collateral to merchandise?”
Jake looks up to the ceiling and mumbles, “She’s never going to forgive me for this.”
“Jake, spit it out.” Chase warns, tone edging into pissed-off territory. Does he not realise how lucky he is to have Chase and his team of experts at his disposal?
“She’s going to kill you anyway,” I state bluntly. After this, he’ll be lucky if she ever speaks to him again. “Tell us what we need to know so we can do our jobs.”
Jake breaks, stretching across the counter to drag the laptop nearer. He taps the screen and grinds his teeth.
Only Yours. Bold. Underlined.
“She’s a virgin,” Jake whispers. “And when Kozlov found out, he said that changed everything. Then Van found this site, and I knew. That’s why.”
I go very still.
My bear doesn’t.
He explodes inside me with a roar of fury so loud that I’m amazed no one else can hear it. Red edges into my vision. My claws threaten to punch through my fingertips. The urge to shift, to destroy, to hunt down every man who’s ever looked at her wrong is so overwhelming that for a moment, I’m not sure I can stop it.
They want to sell her first time to the highest bidder.
A pencil in my hand snaps in two. I don’t even remember picking it up.
“They’re dead,” I mumble.
The room goes very quiet.
“Bodhi?” Chase’s voice is sharp. Wary.
“This is wrong, so fucking wrong.”
Everyone nods, equally horrified, but not filled with the same violent rage that I am.
I force myself to breathe. To push my bear down. To remember that I’m in a room full of people who are already questioning my sanity and my ability to do this job.
