I sighed and handed her the knife back. “The pointy side goes—”
She let out a shriek then held the pointy side dangerously close to my dick. See? All she needed was a bit of encouragement.
“You better pray to God we don’t get in an accident or slam on the brakes because you’ll lose the smallest appendage you have.”
I barked out a laugh. God, I loved her like this. “Yes, because that’s what girls say when I fuck them. You were on vacation with us last year. Did you hear any complaints?”
Her face fell.
Best friends that can never be together.
Fun story.
Tell me more.
“Children.” Andrei yawned. “Put the knives away. Please.”
Violet jerked away.
I flipped her off.
And the universe naturally restored itself to rights.
With Violet ready to impale me.
And my body wishing it could impale her.
Fantastic.
The car finally pulled up to Andrei’s club. One of his giant bouncers was already opening the front door to let us in.
People waited in the freezing Chicago cold with the hopes to gain entrance when it was nearly impossible after eleven at night.
Shrieks were heard when all three of us made our way to the front of the line. They knew what we were, who we were—the whole world did—but nobody could really prove shit, and when you had people in the FBI, CIA, NSA, and the highest levels of government on your payroll, things just naturally went missing.
Files.
Hard Drives.
People.
We ducked into the club; the techno was a welcome change from the classical music in the car.
We wandered over to the bar, I pulled out Violet’s chair, and then I crooked my finger at the bartender. “Keep her hydrated.”
“Whatever you say, Breaker.” Tank winked.
Not only did the guy work for the FBI, but on really busy nights, he took on a shift at the club to learn people’s secrets, because alcohol tended to make you loose-lipped and because we still had lots of enemies.
“Think you’ll be able to survive without me?” I whispered in Violet’s ear.
She shot me a glare. “Must you stand so close?”
“Must you be so fucking tempting?” I snapped my teeth and then ran a bare knuckle down her shoulder.
Her skin immediately broke out in goosebumps. “Not here, Breaker, don’t.”
“I love it when your innocent little mouth lies while your body shakes for me… literally,” I growled. “One day, I might lose all self-control. I hope to God I’m the one that gets to watch you come undone.”
She gave me a hard shove, but her eyes said something completely different; they always did, they always had, they always would. “If I wanted syphilis, there are more enjoyable ways to get it! And people to get it from.”
I cackled out a laugh. “Yeah, okay, don’t go running off, I’ll be right back.”
I was gone maybe twenty minutes, helping Andrei with the girls as they were introduced one by one, given numbers instead of names—his idea to keep it all about business. Money exchanged hands. And then the announcement was made.
The auction would start in four minutes.
Men of all shapes and sizes started shuffling into the private rooms to watch the women, to watch the show. They couldn’t touch, but they could bid, and all their money was going into setting the women free that we could.
It was a shit show.
All in all, about half the women decided to stay as long as they were given citizenship.
The others wanted to go back.
I yawned behind my hand as I watched it all go down and then nearly shit myself when a group of five men walked into the room who were most definitely not Team Andrei.
Or team Italy.
“Drei,” I barked as my worst nightmare walked into the small room, holding my everything hostage, including my heart. “Problem.”
My life would not be the same after this.
Neither would hers.
For once, I understood the feeling of being completely powerless as I looked into her eyes and knew.
This moment would alter us forever.
And there would be no going back.
I moved to grab her, to kill every last one of those bastards that held her in their arms, but Andrei held out his hand, stopping me instantly in my tracks. “No.”
Rage pulsed in cadence to the heavy drum of my heartbeat as blood roared inside my body.
They had no right to touch her.
Violet locked eyes with me and slowly nodded as if to say, stop, it’s okay, but she didn’t know what these guys did, and she had no clue that the look she was giving me would haunt me into the next life and maybe more.
It wasn’t a look of war.
It was one that said to keep the peace.
And she would be the first sacrifice.
Chapter One
The way a crow shook down on me. The dust of snow, from a hemlock tree. Has given my heart. A change of mood. And saved some part. Of a day I rued —Robert Frost