The clasp clicks in place, and I take a step back to examine my work. The necklace fits perfectly around her slender neck like it’s meant to be there. She looks claimed and cared for, maybe a little too cared for. I doubt her father will look that far into it, though, not when he sees her in the barely-there dress.
“Perfect,” I tell her, holding out my hand. She takes it, almost trustingly as I walk her out of the room. I walk her through the house, making sure I don’t move too fast. She wasn’t kidding, she can’t walk in these stripper heels for shit.
I’m considering picking her up and carrying her to the car, but it’s not like I can carry her around the party. I mean, I could, but then no one would get the full effect of the dress or lack of it. As soon as we step outside, a gust of cold wind rushes over us, and Elena wraps her free arm around herself, clearly freezing. She makes it to the car in one piece, but not without having an iron grip on my hand to steady herself. I definitely won’t have to worry about her running off in those heels. I pull her into my side and help her into the backseat of the car before sliding in beside her.
When I let go of her hand, she wraps both of her arms around herself in an effort to get warm. Her lips tremble, and goosebumps pebble her flesh.
“Come here,” I say a little too gruffly.
Slowly, she moves across the seat, burrowing into my side. Wrapping a protective arm around her, I hold her tightly to me. Her sweet scent fills my nostrils, sending a zing of red hot pleasure straight to my cock.
She molds to me like she was always meant to be there, the missing piece, and I don’t want to acknowledge that, not when I’m about to show her off to an entire room full of blood-thirsty assholes. Not when this cannot be about anything but revenge.
“What will happen at this event?” she asks once she’s not shivering anymore.
“It’s an auction put on by one of my associates. It’s important that you act the part of my wife. Do not speak unless spoken to. Do not look at anyone, eyes always down, and stay beside me at all times. I have more foes than friends in that place. Markus will be there, he is the only other person I trust.”
“Okay,” she says, her voice shaky.
“If you were to get away from me, and I couldn’t find you, some men far worse than myself could get ahold of you, and believe me when I say, they would make me look like a goddamn angel.”
“You said my father will be there. I can talk to him, though, right?” Hope fills her features while a burning rage rips through me. Even after all we’ve been through, what I’ve done for her, how I hadn’t hurt her even when I should’ve, and still she wants to see the man who handed her to me on a silver platter? Not that he had a choice, though he could’ve put up a fight, which he didn’t.
Gritting my teeth, I barely get a hold on my anger. “No, not even him. You need to remember that what I say goes. You may not like everything I say tonight, or what I do or how I handle you, but you need to trust me. Disobey me and something may happen to Marie and don’t think that I’ll hesitate to do it. I killed the other maid for simply giving you a piece of paper, and I will kill Marie too if I have to.”
Elena pulls away to look up at me, her green eyes brimming with shock. “You killed the other maid?”
Stupidly, the way she’s looking at me, all doe-eyed and shocked, makes me want to tell her that it’s a lie, but it’s not, and I cannot hide who I am from her. Not when I have and always will be this way. I’m a born killer, raised into this life, set to run the family business until the day of my death. A little five-foot-two dark-haired beauty isn’t going to change that.
“Yes. I know about the note she gave you from your father. She confessed.”
“Why… why didn’t you say anything?”
“What’s there to say? Your father cannot save you. You’re bound to me by a contract, so unless he’s going to kill me, which will never happen, by the way, he will never get you back. And you would be good to remember that as well. If you ever run from me, I will find you. There is no place on this planet that you can hide from me that I won’t come looking for you.”
Elena nods, and I swear I can see her gulp. Deep down, I don’t want her afraid of me, but fear keeps people in line, it keeps them from doing stupid shit.
I don’t have to let her know it’s a ruse. I just have to keep her in line, which is what I plan to do.
The rest of the drive to the auction passes by quickly, and Elena remains beside me. When we pull up to the front door, she becomes stiff as a board next to me, her chest rising and falling rapidly, and her hands are balled up into fists beside her.
She nervously looks past me and out the window at the people–mostly men–walking inside the venue.
“I’m scared,” she whispers without looking at me. A small pang of guilt hits my chest, but I shove it away.
“Do what I say, and nothing bad will happen,” I say, taking her hand into mine and giving it a gentle squeeze to let her know I’ve got her.
An irrational part of me wants to take her back home, wrap her up in a blanket, and tell her everything is going to be okay. But none of that would work with my plan. No, I’ve been waiting for this night for a very long time. Elena might not like this, but she’ll be fine. She won’t be harmed, and her feelings will pass eventually. What will last is my revenge.
Lucca comes around the car to let us out, and I release Elena’s hand and step out of the SUV, adjusting my tux. This is an important event for me. There are arms dealers here, friends and foes, and the selling of flesh. This event is where men join together and rise up. Not showing up wasn’t an option, not showing up with her even less of an option, especially with her father being here.
If I’m lucky, I’ll show Romero how much his little girl has changed and end up with a deal or two. All I need is for Elena to stay in line.
Reaching for her, I take her hand once more and help her out of the SUV. She stands on shaky legs, and shivers in the cold wind, before smoothing a hand down the rest of her dress. The venue is at an old casino that was newly renovated but not open to the public. Ahead are the only doors that allow entrance into this place, and they’re guarded by two mammoth men.
Inside this place, any type of fighting is prohibited, and I feel naked having to leave my gun in the SUV, but I don’t need it to deliver damage. There is a reason I work out and why I did illegal fights when I was younger.
Elena leans closer, seeking out the warmth of my body. When we reach the doors, the two men look me over before moving their gazes to Elena. Submissively, she looks down, and the men drink her in, and how couldn’t they in the dress she is wearing.
They look a little longer than necessary, and my jaw tightens as I bite my tongue to stop myself from telling them not to look at her.
What the fuck is wrong with me? I’m the one that put her in the dress, the one that wants to draw attention to her. The reason they’re looking at her is my fault, and yet, I want to stab every fucker for doing so.
After a moment, they open the door and wave us in. Elena clings to me, looking every bit like the helpless, obedient slave I want everyone to see her as. Peering down at her, my eyes are drawn to the diamond ring on her finger that glitters in the light. Mine. All mine. Any man who tries to make an offer on her tonight will die. I’ll kill them, not here but afterward.