“Please, come in, dinner will be ready soon.” He waves his arm, motioning for all of us to come inside.
“We would like to discuss what we came here for as soon as possible,” Ivan tells Xander as we walk inside. My grip on Sophie's hand tightens as we walk into the mansion.
“Of course, let’s go sit down and have a drink. Damon should arrive shortly, and since this is his birthday dinner. I would be more than happy to discuss things before they get here.”
“They?” I interrupt… I don’t want even more people I don’t trust around us. I'm already losing my shit.
“Damon, his wife, and his best friend,” Xander explains, like it’s no big deal at all. I take the mansion in, which is designed tastefully, and the children’s toys littered across the living room as we pass.
We sit down at a large wooden dining room table. I glance over at Sophie and find her with wide eyes looking around the room as if she can’t believe how big and fancy this place is.
“So, I’ve done some more digging,” Ivan announces, getting straight to business. He's not the least bit phased by any of this.
“It looks like there is a small group of people within my share of the business that doesn’t agree with how I run things. They were loyal to your father and his ways.”
The moment Ivan mentions Rossi senior I see a disgust and hate flicker across Xander’s face and for the first time I think I might be able warm up to him after all. He seems to hate his father as much as anyone at this table.
“I couldn't find out who it is exactly but I did find out that there are other people from outside the business involved. I heard rumors that the auctions in Vegas are still going on but I couldn't find out when or where. Which means that someone else is supplying the girls.”
“I’m not surprised to be honest. I know my father had some dedicated followers and the auction was a very lucrative business for a lot of people. You take their sole income away you're going to have some upset folks.”
“Someone tried to take Sophie from my house, they had someone disable my alarm from the inside, and they paid him a lot of money to do so. Also, she's been seeing her father, as if he's watching her, maybe even trying to get to her…he was the one who sold her in the first place. I think he still wants to enter her into the auction, but I can't be sure and I don't want to risk her safety by using her as bait,” I tell Xander while trying not to show my anger over all of this. Getting mad doesn't change what needs to happen, or all that Sophie has endured at the hands of her father.
It’s hard to say these things out loud, especially with Sophie sitting beside me. I want vengeance for her. I want her to finally be free of the pain, the memories, and the fucking fear.
I want her to be free of her father.
Xander shakes his head fisting his drink in his hand. “Believe me, I know what you’re going through right now. You have my full support in finding the people responsible for this, and her father will pay for messing with my people.”
I’m about to thank him, when I’m surprised to hear some high pitch giggles coming from the hallway. I turn to look at the door, a moment later Damon appears in the doorway with a young women who I assume is his wife on his arm. Following closely behind them is another couple.
“There you are.” Xander beams. “You’ve met my brother Damon,” he starts introducing us. “This is his wife Keira and this is Damon’s best friend Hero and his girlfriend…”
“Elyse!” Sophie gasps beside me, standing up so suddenly that her chair falls backwards and crashes onto the marble floor. I stand at the same time every single hair on my body standing on end. I’m on high alert looking for the target of my rage. All eyes are on Sophie now. She’s looking at the doorway as if she is seeing a ghost, her face pale white, her eyes bugging out of her head.
“Sophie?” This other girl calls her name, sounding just as shocked to see Sophie here as Sophie is to see her.
“Oh my god, Elyse,” Sophie runs toward the girl, throwing her arms around her. I take a couple steps forward, unsure of who this woman is. “I thought you were dead,” Sophie admits, her voice straining. They both start to cry and I wonder how they could possibly know each other. Looking around at the other people in the room I know that they all are wondering the same thing. Hero I think is his name, eyes me cautiously as if I’m going to hurt the woman with her arms wrapped around Sophie.
“I-I thought…you were d-dead,” Sophie sobs.
Elyse looks puzzled. “Dead? Why would you think I was dead?”
Sophie pulls away just a little and I want to reach out and pull her into my chest. It’s obvious they know each other on some deep level. Maybe they’re friends?
“That’s what Mom and Dad told us. They said they went to your school to pick you up, but when they returned without you, they told us you had been killed.”
Mom and Dad? The pieces are starting to fall together. I look at the two girls again. Sophie has her hands on Elyse’s face, cradling her cheeks. Elyse has her arms around Sophie's torso. They both share the same heart shaped face, same button nose, and mousy brown hair.
Could they be sisters?
“No, no I’m fine. I don’t know why they would say that. I mean…they did...” Elyse trails off, like it’s hard for her to talk about whatever she’s trying to say.
“Oh my god, did they try to sell you too?” Sophie asks, concern written all over her face.
“Sell me?” Elyse’s eyes go impossibly wide. “What are you are talking about? They had me kidnapped, but…is that what happen to you? Did they sell you?”
“Yes, they did. They wanted me to marry someone, but I refused. I ended up in the same place Violet was. But like I said, I’m fine now. Tell me about this kidnapping. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’ll explain everything, but first, I have to know, how are you here? Did Damon find you?”
Damon throws his hands into the air, a dramatic look on his face. “Damon didn’t do anything,” he says, talking in third person. “I don’t even know who this is chick is.”
“This is my sister,” Elyse explains, confirming my suspicion. She looks back at Sophie, concern marring her features. “If Damon didn’t bring you here, then who did? Are you okay? Is something going on?”
Sophie twists around to look at me. “Roman did, he brought me here. He and Ivan saved me…”
Tears start to form in Sophie’s eyes as she relives the memories in her mind and I can’t help but reach out to her. She lets go of her sister and comes over to me. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her against my chest. She turns her head to the side so she can still talk to her sister.
“After I refused to marry, dad was so furious with me, he told me that they were counting on the money and that I was going to bring it in some other way. Some men picked me up the same day. They held me prisoner for a few days, and then Ivan took over the place and he let me go. I didn’t have any place to go so Roman let me stay with him.”
I remember the day like it was yesterday. Her trembling body, her eyes that pierced mine, staring straight into my soul. She owned me that day, and with nothing more than a single look. When she should’ve been cowering in fear she was burrowing into my chest. She had been through so much since then and had only grown stronger with each day. I was sure she had no idea how amazing she truly was.