Her eyes water almost instantly, and the small smile she gives me afterward somehow makes it worse. “You would grant me that?” she asks softly. “After everything I did to you?”
I dip my head so my mouth is near her ear. “I told you once I would never hurt people the way you and Nolan hurt me.” I pause. “And I meant it. So yes, I will grant you that.”
A tiny sound escapes her, a breath mixed with a sob, and she lowers her head until her cheek rests against my chest while we continue to sway with the music. “I’m so sorry,” she whispers, so quiet I barely catch it.
My hand moves slowly along her arm. “I know.”
We stay like that until the song ends. Applause rises lightly through the room as the music fades, and then Vlad’s voice cuts through the speakers, announcing that themain eventwill now be taking place in the private hall behind the ballroom.“Interested buyers,” he says with a faint laugh. “Please join us with your cards.”
Adriana lifts her head immediately, fear flashing across her face. Before we can even consider staying put, Alexei appears behind us, one hand lightly gesturing toward the hallway.
“Come,” he says. “You should see what tonight’s all about.”
I tighten my grip on Adriana’s hand and guide her forward with me. The private hall is smaller, colder, and dimmer. Rows of men are seated before a small stage. There’s a steady flow of conversation that feels less like a party and more like a transaction already underway. Women are led out one by one in plain dresses, some trying to keep their faces blank, others already broken enough not to try. Some are dressed in black dresses, and others, white. A few in white look like they’re in their early teens...
Oh, fuck.
I’ve barely been able to feel fucking anything the past few days, but I feelthis.
No, no.
Numbers are called. Paddles lift. Prices climb. My heart pounds in my chest so hard that I can barely breathe. I feel Adriana’s nails digging harder into my palm. Alexei stands near us, watching the bidding like a man admiring art, making sure neither of us moves. We’re forced to stand there and watch this depravity unfold until the last young woman is auctioned off.
“You two are certainly closer than I thought,” he hums. “So long as you don’t lose your head with this one…she won’t end up like them.” He points to the stage. "Us men need a woman around to fuck."
I glare at him, remaining silent. The hand not holding onto Adriana is clenching because I just want to beat his fucking face in. After Vlad thanks the buyers and tells them that they canclaim their purchases in their hotel rooms, Alexei finally steps forward again.
“There’s one more area I want you to see,” he says, his tone eerily casual.
Chapter twenty-eight
JUDE GRAVES
The hallway opens into another section of the building, and the difference is immediate. The luxurious elegance of the ballroom disappears, replaced by low neon lighting, heavy bass vibrating through the floor, the smell of alcohol, sweat, and drugs lingering in the air. Women in barely-there outfits dance against men slouched in leather chairs. Some of the girls move mechanically, eyes glassy, clearly high. Others laugh too loudly, drunk enough not to care, or pretending to be.
I feel Adriana shift closer to my side as we step fully into the room, my hand still wrapped around hers.
Alexei approaches us again, that same serpent smile curling at the edges of his mouth. In his hands are two plastic cups filled with bright pink liquid and two small pills resting in his palm.
“Relax,” he says lightly. “Enjoy yourselves.”
I don’t take them at first. I just stare at him.
His expression doesn’t change. “Drink.”
I glance at Adriana. She looks back at me, already knowing we don’t have a choice. Slowly, I take one cup and one pill, handing the other set to her. We swallow them down under Alexei’s watchful eyes. The liquid is sickeningly sweet.
After he makes sure we actually swallowed the pills, he grins. “Good. Have fun.”
He disappears back into the crowd.
Adriana exhales shakily. “Oh shit…what did we just take?”
I scan the room, watching the slow movements, the glossy eyes, the loose bodies swaying under the lights. “Likely MDMA.”
She lets out a small whimper. “They fucking sold those girls, Jude,” she whispers. "The underage girls wore white."
My jaw tightens. “I know.”