Vinnie tugged on the right strap while Carmine pulled down the other. It was no use. If I didn't cooperate, they would only make this worse for me. One way or another, the clothes were coming off.
Men raised numbered cards on sticks.
Money changed hands.
They placed bids on me.
When I didn't move fast enough, Carmine removed a gun from his back pocket and held the cold metal to my forehead. "Let's go. We don't have all night, princess."
Biting my bottom lip, I unhooked the bra straps, biting back the tears. It was degrading and horrifying, and I was scared for my life. I held the material over my nipples, which only pissed off the audience even more.
Men screamed obscenities.
Some yelled at me.
My ears rang from so much noise, and I could hardly focus on them. The room spun around me, the drugs still wearing on me. I wasn't sure how much time had passed from when they drugged me until now, but I still didn't have good balance. So when I lost my footing, Vinnie hooked his arm around me.
Johnny kept his eyes on me. "Take it off. Now!"
He was losing his patience with me. With tears sliding down my cheeks, I let the fabric fall to the floor at my feet, baring myself to this monster and the pigs in the room. Men whistled and howled, shouting for me to keep going.
Johnny tapped his fingers on his thigh. "Dance for us."
A song blared through the overhead speakers, piercing my eardrums. I was too tired, hungry, and scared to process the song's name. It sounded familiar, a rock beat I'd heard before, but I couldn't place it.
I moved my hips back and forth, holding back the tears that welled in my bottom lids.
Johnny snapped his fingers. “Look at me. Smile for the camera."
“The Luciano brothers will give you whatever you want," I said, hoping to persuade him. "Just let me make a call."
He gave me a shit-eating grin. "If the Luciano brothers want you back, they have to bid like everyone else."
I sucked in a deep breath, telling myself I could do this. It was just skin.
Carmine took photos and video and handed the phone to Johnny for approval.
He skimmed through the footage and nodded. "Let's see how much trouble she's worth."
ChapterEight
NICO
When I stepped off the elevator with Paulie, half the men in the waiting room had cleared out. Pete and Tony propped up against each other, sleeping. Three guys who worked for Angelo were on the opposite side of the room, eating sandwiches from the wrappers.
“Hey, kid.” Paulie tapped my arm. “I’m going to run down to the cafeteria. You want anything?”
I looked at the cheesesteak in Mike’s hand, my stomach rumbling from the delicious scent of steak and onions. “Yeah, get me one of those steaks.”
Paulie slapped me on the back to acknowledge my request. He got back into the elevator. I headed in the opposite direction, past the waiting room and the nurse’s station.
I poked my head into Dante’s room, surprised to find Ava missing. She was at my brother’s side a few hours ago.
If Ava wasn’t with Dante, she had to be with the twins. So I entered their room, but Ava wasn’t there.
What the fuck?
I checked the entire floor, stopping to ask the nurses and doctors if they had seen her. She was beautiful and hard to miss. By the time I inspected every room, including the bathrooms, I was breathless.
