"There's about to be a raid by the Italian military police,” he says. "And I don't want you to be associated with it."
A dull pounding starts at my temples.
"Who told you this?" I ask.
"That's one too many questions, Dante," he warns.
“Okay,” I say, fighting to keep my voice pleasant. "I'll leave."
"Goodbye, Dante." And then he hangs up.
I head back to the party downstairs. The Don wants me to leave, but I came here on a mission.
And I'm not going anywhere until I complete it.
4
GRACE
"You need to know some things about the auction,” Sarah says as she bathes me.
My stomach dips.
"Prepare yourself for the worst," she says. "I've seen glimpses of what happens, and I really wish I could wipe it from my memory. The purpose of these auctions is to give men something they wouldn't have easy access to in the real world."
A knot is already forming in my stomach.
"I don't know if I want to hear this," I say.
“It’s better to be prepared,” she says.
I exhale slowly.
She's right. I need to keep a clear head if I'm going to find a way to escape.
"Fine. Tell me everything," I say.
So she does.
She tells me every little detail I don't want to hear.
"Oh, there's one more thing," she says.
"There's more?" I ask.
"They give some of the girls a little purple pill," she says. "I don't know if they plan on giving it to you, but if they do, don't swallow it. Keep it hidden under your tongue."
"It won't be my first time pretending to take pills," I mumble.
She stares at me, waiting for me to explain. But I wave my hand dismissively. We don't have time to get into all the horrors of my past.
"What does the pill do?" I ask.
"It's an aphrodisiac," she says. "It's a very concentrated form of a tropical fruit. The locals of that island only take it in small doses. It will make you want things you normally wouldn't. It makes you lose your inhibition."
My heart squeezes in my chest.
I don’t even want to think about that. To distract myself, I focus on the Roman numeral tattooed on Sarah’s wrist.
