because Lori shot me an irritated look. “You must think I don’t know my business, Alexander,” she said curtly. “I do. Her story checks out, but somehow, I don’t believe it.”
I waited for her to continue.
“I need a safe place for her while I dig deeper.”
Lori had enemies. She had no idea how much money went into keeping her safe, but she’d been my friend through some difficult times and that wasn’t a debt that could be measured in dollars and cents. “Am I the safe place then?”
She gave me a direct look. “If you assure me that Sylvia won’t be able to get her hands on Jenny, yes.” I started to say something and she held up her hands. “I find it hard to believe that Alexander Hamilton, the man I’ve known for eight long years, would find Sylvia Anliker attractive. I don’t know what you are planning; I don’t want to know. Just keep her safe.”
I smiled. “I can do that,” I told her. It didn’t completely surprise me that Lori would diagnose my relationship with Sylvia so accurately. She had many sources of information, she was well-connected and she was extremely intelligent. She looked like someone’s grandmother, but it would never do to take her for granted. Many people had underestimated Madame Lorraine, all at their own peril.
***
I settled myself on a chair off to the side. There was a fair bit of theatre in this auction. The makeshift stage lights switched on, cloaking the bidders in darkness as each girl walked on stage. I saw a flash of red hair and as always, my pulse began to race, until I looked at the girl’s face. She wasn’t Rachel. They never were.
Then I saw a thin dark-haired woman walk to the stage. The crowd stirred with interest. This was the woman Lori had told me about. Everyone had been talking about her, intrigued by her extremely short list of hard and soft limits. True painsluts were hard to come by, but this woman, Jenny Fullerton, appeared to be one. According to her fact sheet, she was game for anything. I could almost smell the audience’s collective arousal in the air.
She kept her eyes on the floor as she moved into position and then, she raised her head. The lights were blinding; I knew she couldn’t see anything.
My head snapped up in shock. It was her. Rachel, who had vanished without a trace two years ago. Her hair was different and she was noticeably thinner, but as I stared into those green eyes, filled with a familiar mix of defiant fear and unshakable confidence, there was no doubt in my mind.
I was elated to see her. But a prickling of unease swept over me.
One by one, the damning facts pounded at my brain.
Lori’s auctions were notoriously secretive. Rachel would have to be well-connected into the shadowy underground world of human trafficking to even know about them. And she had a cover story that had passed the scrutiny of Lori’s investigators.
Whoever she was, she wasn’t an innocent.
She’d been a redhead in Paris. Now, she was a thin, waifish brunette who looked similar to the last two women I’d bid on in Lori’s auction. Was I the target? And two years ago, had I been a target then too, and to what end? I would have sworn that that night was serendipity and that our connection was magical. Now, I had to re-evaluate everything. She was a player in this dangerous game and I needed to know whose side she was on.
A million dollars to find out and cheap at the price. I placed my bid.
She was going to be mine for the next three months. I was going to get to the bottom of this. And if she was on the wrong side, I was going to make her pay.
***
Bought ( Assassin’s Revenge Book 2 ) is coming April 29! Pre-order it today to get it delivered to your Kindle as soon as it is available!
His name is Alexander Hamilton. He is supposedly the billionaire financier of Dylan McAllister, the man I’ve sworn to kill.
But when Alexander is revealed to be Marc, my one-night stand from two years ago, worlds collide in ways
I waited for her to continue.
“I need a safe place for her while I dig deeper.”
Lori had enemies. She had no idea how much money went into keeping her safe, but she’d been my friend through some difficult times and that wasn’t a debt that could be measured in dollars and cents. “Am I the safe place then?”
She gave me a direct look. “If you assure me that Sylvia won’t be able to get her hands on Jenny, yes.” I started to say something and she held up her hands. “I find it hard to believe that Alexander Hamilton, the man I’ve known for eight long years, would find Sylvia Anliker attractive. I don’t know what you are planning; I don’t want to know. Just keep her safe.”
I smiled. “I can do that,” I told her. It didn’t completely surprise me that Lori would diagnose my relationship with Sylvia so accurately. She had many sources of information, she was well-connected and she was extremely intelligent. She looked like someone’s grandmother, but it would never do to take her for granted. Many people had underestimated Madame Lorraine, all at their own peril.
***
I settled myself on a chair off to the side. There was a fair bit of theatre in this auction. The makeshift stage lights switched on, cloaking the bidders in darkness as each girl walked on stage. I saw a flash of red hair and as always, my pulse began to race, until I looked at the girl’s face. She wasn’t Rachel. They never were.
Then I saw a thin dark-haired woman walk to the stage. The crowd stirred with interest. This was the woman Lori had told me about. Everyone had been talking about her, intrigued by her extremely short list of hard and soft limits. True painsluts were hard to come by, but this woman, Jenny Fullerton, appeared to be one. According to her fact sheet, she was game for anything. I could almost smell the audience’s collective arousal in the air.
She kept her eyes on the floor as she moved into position and then, she raised her head. The lights were blinding; I knew she couldn’t see anything.
My head snapped up in shock. It was her. Rachel, who had vanished without a trace two years ago. Her hair was different and she was noticeably thinner, but as I stared into those green eyes, filled with a familiar mix of defiant fear and unshakable confidence, there was no doubt in my mind.
I was elated to see her. But a prickling of unease swept over me.
One by one, the damning facts pounded at my brain.
Lori’s auctions were notoriously secretive. Rachel would have to be well-connected into the shadowy underground world of human trafficking to even know about them. And she had a cover story that had passed the scrutiny of Lori’s investigators.
Whoever she was, she wasn’t an innocent.
She’d been a redhead in Paris. Now, she was a thin, waifish brunette who looked similar to the last two women I’d bid on in Lori’s auction. Was I the target? And two years ago, had I been a target then too, and to what end? I would have sworn that that night was serendipity and that our connection was magical. Now, I had to re-evaluate everything. She was a player in this dangerous game and I needed to know whose side she was on.
A million dollars to find out and cheap at the price. I placed my bid.
She was going to be mine for the next three months. I was going to get to the bottom of this. And if she was on the wrong side, I was going to make her pay.
***
Bought ( Assassin’s Revenge Book 2 ) is coming April 29! Pre-order it today to get it delivered to your Kindle as soon as it is available!
His name is Alexander Hamilton. He is supposedly the billionaire financier of Dylan McAllister, the man I’ve sworn to kill.
But when Alexander is revealed to be Marc, my one-night stand from two years ago, worlds collide in ways
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