By the time I reach the car, I’m starting to feel a little like my old self. Otto opens the door without a word. He’s been waiting by the car the whole time. I sink into the backseat and drop my head back.
I can do this.
When I straighten up, I notice that Otto is flicking odd glances into the rearview mirror.Is he looking at me?I’m pretty sure he’s not.
I twist my head to look behind us.
“Everything alright, Otto?” I ask. He gives a curt nod.
“All good, miss,” he says without a hint of emotion. The guy’s as big and burly as most of the men I’ve encountered in Dario’s world. I have no doubt he plays some kind of security role. When he aims several more looks into the side mirrors and then the rearview mirror again, I take another look into the road behind us. There’s a silver sedan there that I’m sure I saw on my previous check. It has to be my imagination.
Otto changes lanes and accelerates slightly. He’s definitely concerned about something. I keep an eye on the road behind us, holding my breath. Otto takes an exit that I know is not part of our regular route. I don’t say anything. I’ve seen enough action movies to know what he’s doing. Several minutes later, I turn to look again and fight down a little surge of panic. The silver sedan is one car behind us.
We’re being followed.
Chapter 11
Nikki Love
Inever thought I’d be grateful to ease up to the entrance of Dario’s home, but I practically bolt up the stairs when Otto opens the limo door. Of course, there’s no way the other car could have come beyond the boundaries of the estate I now live in. The security is unbreachable. But the fact that someone was tailing us has my heart pounding.
What did you expect, Nikki?I ask myself. It’s part of the world I’ve been dragged into.
To make matters worse, the driver didn’t give a hint of what he thought might be happening. When I’d pressed him, I’d received no more than a polite, “Everything’s fine, miss.” It makes sense that he’s one of those “need to know” kind of guys, but it doesn’t leave me feeling any more secure.
I shut the front door behind me and lean back against the heavy wooden panels, waiting for my heart to stop racing. It doesn’t. In fact, it kicks up a notch as I hear raised voices filtering through the house. Dario…and another voice that I recognize.
Dad!
I’m frozen in place. They must be in the study down the hall, but my father is speaking so loudly I can hear him from here.
“Come on, what’s a little more to a man like you?” he’s saying. His tone is wheedling.
“I let you in here because I thought you wanted to make things right with your daughter, Benedetti. You’re not getting another cent out of me.” Dario’s voice is pure steel.
What the hell is going on?
I slip my feet out of my shoes and tiptoe closer. It’s hard to forget what happened the last time I overheard one of his conversations. But I can’t help myself. I need to know.
“She’s worth every penny and more,” says my father. “Surely you can see how much she means to me…my little girl. Hasn’t she been good to you? Five hundred K…that’s all I’m asking. She’s my flesh and blood.”
I frown. I don’t understand. My father told me he lost a poker bet. It’s a crap ton of cash, but we just have to reimburse the man.
Don’t we?
“You don’t sell your flesh and blood,” Dario counters icily.
Wait…he sold me?My fathersoldme to Dario? He said it was out of his control. My mind is reeling. Although it’s fucked up, whichever way I look at it. Gambled, sold – I’m still human chattel.
“It was a business deal,” my father responds. I hear Dario scoff in reply. “There was no harm in it,” my father continues. “I could have got her back.”
“You tried to sell your own daughter to a human trafficker, you sick fuck!” Dario snarls. “Do you know what he is capable of? Do you have any idea what those animals do to women like her? If I hadn’t stepped in, she’d be dead now. Or worse.”
I feel sick.
“That’s pure Hollywood,” my father counters. “The stuff they put in movies. She would have been fine. She’s tough. And she’s worth more.”
Fine?!I would have beenfine?My father is talking about turning me into a sex slave, and he says I would have been fine?
