She lolled in her chair, eyes glassy and unfocused, as they groped her tiny breasts and pulled her thighs apart so the men at the front of the room could ogle her private parts. Through it all, a voice discussed the girl's attributes, her purity, and then, once she'd been thoroughly violated and removed from the stage, a different girl appeared. This one seemed even younger, much to the delight of the perverts in the room.
My stomach churned with nausea, but I concentrated on clearing dirty glasses while listening to snippets of conversation. I wasn't badass enough to do anything crazy, like help these girls, but if I picked up enough information, I could pass it on to Thea.
She wouldn't stand for something like this. Nor would her husbands. All of them abhorred people trafficking in any shapeor form. While I was no expert, it was obvious these girls had been trafficked and plied with drugs to keep them quiet.
The door at the rear of the room opened and a balding man walked in wearing a pale gray suit. Instead of taking a spare seat, he wandered over to the bar. Unlike the other men in the room, he didn't seem interested in the twisted 'show' still happening on the stage.
When he reached us, I spotted a tattoo on his neck - a distinctive black scorpion. He half-smiled.
"What do you recommend this time?"
I swallowed hard. This man was more dangerous than I'd originally thought. The fact he was here, in this hellhole of a room, told me he was no normal business man enjoying a night out.
"Cat got your tongue?" he chuckled when I didn't reply.
My legs shook, but I schooled my face into a polite smile. "Tequila?"
On stage, the latest girl cried out, but I didn't look. Thank God the bar hid my lower half from view, as there was a chance I might piss myself given how scared I was right now.
"I prefer vodka. Avram Marku, pleased to make your acquaintance. And your name is?" He held out his hand politely.
I stared at it, noting the scars on his knuckles and the tufts of thick, black hair peeking out from his shirt cuff. My stomach curdled. Nothing wrong with some manly chest hair, but this guy did a good impression of a gorilla.
And why the friendliness? I worked here. None of the other men in this room had talked to me like a person, so why did he give a shit who I was?
"Ah, so shy. Nothing like your sister." He chuckled again, but the predatory gleam in his eyes chilled me to the bone.
"My sister?" Danica slunk off; her self-preservation instincts were spot on. This man was a snake in a suit, and he had mein his sights. Danger emanated from his every pore. And yet he probably wasn't the most dangerous asshole in the room.
"Thea. Such a lovely,viciousgirl." His jaw ticked. "My brother, God rest his soul, rued the day he ever agreed to marry the whore. But luckily for your father, you are more aligned with my needs."
"My father?" I repeated, still not understanding. What did Thea have to do with his man, and why was he talking about my father?
"Yes, your father," Marku replied patiently. He leaned in. "Francesco wants to correct a wrong, and you're my prize." He grinned and licked his lips. "I couldn't believe my luck when I saw you in Naples, thenpoof, you'd gone before I could steal you away. Taken from me." My heart pounded in my chest, but paralysis had me glued to the floor like a fly caught in honey.
"But now you're back, having once again serendipitously crossed my path. It seems fate is on my side. And also on your father's side, seeing as how he needs you to make things right with me."
None of this made sense. How did he even know my sister? And why was my father working with him?
"My father doesn't want me." He'd never wanted me. Only Thea.
"Oh, I beg to differ. You're valuable to him, my dear, and he's been searching for you ever since he got his lucky break. Looks like tonight is a good night for both of us."
"I don't want to see him!" My voice rose as I ducked around the bar. The exit wasn't that far away. Nobody would notice if I left. Danica shot me a sympathetic look, but instead of helping, she disappeared into the stock room. Not that I blamed her. We'd only met a few hours ago; I hadn't earned her loyalty.
Marku's hand gripped my shoulder, yanking me back when I tried to scoot past him. All the moves Conal taught me backin Ireland flew out of my mind, leaving behind nothing but a crushing sense of panic laced with defeat. I couldn't remember anything useful. His lessons had all been for naught.You're fucking useless, like always. The weakest link,my brain told me.
Declan's voice echoed in my head. He'd warned me returning to Italy was dangerous, yet I'd ignored his advice.
This time, I couldn't rely on the Kelly brothers to rescue me.
The sound of a scuffle broke through my paralysis. Gunshots pinged off the walls and ceiling. Several men dived off their chairs and ran for the stage, while others pulled phones out, presumably to call for backup.
When I looked up, three tall figures stormed across the room, guns in hand. The tallest of them looked like he wanted to murder everyone in this room, including me.
"Let her go," Declan growled as Marku spun around, still gripping my shoulder hard enough to leave finger-print bruises.
Marku scoffed, but his eyes flicked from Declan to the two intimidating men stood nearby with semi-automatic weapons in their hands. "She's leaving with me." He pulled me close enough that I gagged on the sickly stench of his heavy cologne.
