The fuckers didn’t bother cleaning the cuts, stitching them up, or bandaging them before they brought her out.
Maybe they think she’ll be dead before they need to worry about any of that.
Maybe they just don’t care.
I don’t know.
But then her eyes meet mine and I realize that maybe today, maybe I am a hero.
Maybe just for today.
And for the first time since I arrived, I bid.
I bid on the woman.
I bid on the human.
Suddenly, I have to save her.
Chapter 4
Quinn
The rich VIP wants her, too. I can see it in his eyes. He’s looking at her with a predatory look in his eyes. He’s looking at her like he’s going to completely devour her. He’s looking at her like he’s going to acquire a new toy.
The bidding begins and he’s the first one to press the bid button on the remote in his hand. I quickly counter with another bid. The man on stage continues talking about what a beautiful woman the girl standing on stage is. There’s a screen on the wall behind her that lists the current bid. The number doesn’t stay the same for very long.
It swirls and spirals and shifts until it’s higher than any other girl sold for tonight. The monster bidder wants this girl more than any of the others who were here tonight. I bid, too, and soon I can tell it’s just the two of us going at it.
Many of the attendees are getting up and leaving. Once it becomes obvious this bidding war has become impossible for most people to keep up with, the attendees begin to file out. They grumble as they move, but my focus is on the button in my hand and the girl on the stage.
I don’t care what it costs.
I have to have her.
The number goes higher and higher, though, and suddenly, I realize I might not be able to afford her, after all. A million thoughts race through my head. What am I going to do if this asshole gets her? She’s hurt. She’s injured. He’s not going to take care of her and he’s not going to be kind. She needs someone who is going to be kind.
She needs someone who is going to be gentle.
How do I know this?
Something about her just calls to me, cries out to me, and I know I won’t be satisfied until I have her.
I need her.
We’re nearing the end now. One of us is going to drop out soon, and I’m not sure which of us it’s going to be. The number is dangerously close to my total number of credits and while I can probably earn more while I’m on Dreagle, I don’t have more now. I need more now if I’m going to win this girl.
But then I notice something.
The man next to me is starting to sweat and look anxious. He’s startin
g to look like this is the end of the line for him. He’s starting to look like nothing else matters but winning. He’s starting to look like he’s about to lose, and he doesn’t like it.
I click my button and raise the bid even more, and this time, he stands and growls.
“She should be mine, damn it! You told me, Eret. You said she was a sure thing.” These words surprise me, but they don’t seem to be what the man overseeing the auction wanted him to say. The auction manager climbs down from the stage and begins to whisper to the man, but he just pushes Eret away.
“You’re the worst auctioneer I’ve ever seen,” the man spits.