Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95049 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95049 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
She pouts like a fucking child, and it takes everything in me to keep my mouth shut.
“But then your husband followed you to Seattle, and I was able to collect what was owed to me.” Her smile returns.
“Please,” one of the women begs, standing from her cot. She wobbles as she approaches Leysa, unsteady on her feet, most likely due to drugs. “Please let me go. My father will pay you whatever you want.”
Tears slide down her cheeks, and my heart breaks for all these women, including myself, because we don’t stand a chance against this psycho. She’s got us locked down in some fortress with dozens of armed guards. Even if Lorenzo or Matteo could find us, how would they ever get past all these men without being killed?
“Your father had his chance to pay me, but he called my bluff!” Leysa hisses, getting in the woman’s face. She squeezes her cheeks, and the woman whimpers. “He thought because I was a woman, he could take advantage of me. Now, he will learn his lesson.” She steps back and smacks the woman across the face, then glances around the room. “The auction is in two days. Be on your best behavior, and you will go home with a powerful, rich man. Embarrass me, and you’ll spend the rest of your short life regretting it.”
“Why are you doing this?” I blurt out. “You’re a woman. Just like us. Why would you do this to us?”
Leysa stares at me for several seconds, and I think she’s going to ignore my question, but then she speaks. “I’m a businesswoman. Import and export have been part of my family for generations. Some people deal in weapons, drugs, alcohol. My family deals in women. At least, we did until the Antonovs killed my grandfather.” Her eyes darken. “I considered taking the Antonov women, but they keep getting knocked up and sullying their worth. It’s not personal.”
She glances around the room. “Every one of you is here because the men in your family didn’t take me seriously. But now they will. And every time they hear my name, they’ll remember what happens when they fuck with me.”
A devilish grin spreads across her face before she saunters out of the room. Once she’s gone, several of the women start to cry, but I hold it in, knowing if I let myself go, I’ll have a panic attack, which can lead to me passing out. And that can’t happen. Not here, not now. Where I’m vulnerable and I need to be clear-minded to try to figure a way out of this.
Even if a huge part of me knows there is no way out.
40
Lorenzo
It’s been damn near two days since Vanessa was snatched from my hotel room. During that time, Matteo was able to confirm they had flown into a private airstrip in Colombia, but he hasn’t been able to pinpoint exactly where she is.
Since I couldn’t do shit in Seattle, I flew Leo and me back to Harbor Point to stay with Dani and Alba while we waited to hear from Matteo. Dominick, Kane, and Matteo have all upped security for their families, not wanting to chance Leysa coming after us while Matteo is away.
“Please eat,” Dani says, placing a plate of food in front of me.
“I can’t,” I mutter.
Knowing that Vanessa is probably not being fed makes me feel guilty for doing anything other than trying to locate her. Not that I can do much, but I’ve been searching for anything that might help lead us to where that bitch took her.
“Lorenzo, if you—”
My phone rings with a call from Matteo.
“Hey, any news?”
“Hold on. I’m conferencing my brother.”
A few seconds later, Dominick comes on the line. “Matteo, what’s going on?”
“This shit is serious,” Matteo says in a tone I’ve never heard from him before. “There’s a compound in the middle of nowhere, and SUVs are arriving. I can’t get close without risking them seeing me, but from the drone we’re using, along with the satellite images Eddy was able to get his hands on, some important people are here. Fucking diplomats and powerful people. Our business associate, Victor Rosa from the DR, arrived and left a few minutes ago. He’s got an entire fucking entourage, bro.”
“Fuck,” Dominick hisses.
“Yeah,” Matteo agrees. “Whatever is going down is big. And from what I could gather, it’s invite-only. I need you to reach out to Victor, see what you can find out. You have a good relationship with him, so maybe he can get us an in.”
“Have you seen Vanessa?” I ask.
“No,” Matteo murmurs. “My plane arrived after theirs, and they pulled into what looks like an underground garage. But I won’t stop until I get her back,” he vows. “My men are working on a backup plan, but if we could get an in to whatever is going down, it would make it a helluva lot easier.”