She pulls the covers up over her body, immediately changing her demeanor when I talk about Julian.
I finish gathering my wallet and keys—not worried at all that she will still be here when I return. But I pause at the door, because I don’t want a repeat of yesterday.
“I’m renting this place from Julian. And he sees everything that goes on in his house,” I say, eyeing the camera in the door.
Siren’s eyes go wide. I hacked the camera last night when I couldn’t sleep to see what she did yesterday when I was gone. The sight of her pleasuring herself drove me insane. I deleted the footage, hoping Julian or his guards hadn’t seen it yet. It was a risky move; Julian could notice my hack and the deleted footage. But I couldn’t stand for him to see Siren like that.
I don’t tell her that, though. Maybe it will get her to behave today to know Julian is watching her, not just me.
“And if you get bored, you can always start cleaning up the mess you made yesterday.”
She snaps back to life. “You aren’t going to hire someone to clean up and get you new furniture?”
I shake my head. “I’m really not. Why would I when you would just destroy it again?”
She pauses. She doesn’t have a smart retort for that.
“Have a good day, Siren.” And then I’m gone to go meet Oscar and hope I can find a way out of the mess I’ve found myself in.
Oscar smiles at me as I pull up at the warehouse where he holds the women. The same warehouse Siren was held in just a few days ago. It makes my stomach flip to think about it.
Siren deserves so much better. She deserves to live the life she wants. She deserves to be happy with a man who can give her everything. She deserves to have the big house and two-point-five kids with a dog, if that’s what she desires. I don’t even know her well enough to know what she wants.
Is she a dog or a cat person?
Does she want kids? How many?
What was her job before she was captured? Does she want to return to that career or start something new?
Where does she want to live?
Does she want to get married?
No, none of those questions matter. Because I will never be the man to give her any of those things. There are only a few questions that actually matter. What is her relationship to Julian? And where does she want me to drop her off?
“Zeke? Are you listening?” Oscar asks.
“Yes, sir.” Fuck, now I’m calling Oscar ‘sir.’
“Good. Follow me.”
I follow Oscar back into the depths of hell. I have to force my legs to follow him instead of running back to my truck and getting the fuck out of here.
But once inside the warehouse, there is a new stillness in the air. I don’t hear the heavy breaths of the women afraid to breathe, let alone move. I don’t hear the hustle and bustle of his men moving supplies around. It’s almost eerily quiet.
Oscar notices my change in expression. “Our other shipper picked up the women last night.” He grins. “It’s a great feeling to know all my hard work paid off, and the money has hit my bank account.”
I squeeze my teeth down to keep from chewing him out before clobbering him into the ground with my fists. I’m grinding my molars so hard I’m sure I’ve rubbed off a layer of enamel, and Oscar can hear the sound of my teeth destroying each other. But if he notices, he doesn’t react. He just continues to talk about the women he sold like they were cattle.
I need to get out of here. “When will you have a shipment for us?”
He smiles. “Two weeks.”
Shit.
That’s not enough time for me to form a plan on how to save them. That’s barely enough time to make a real plan to try and sell them.
I’m screwed.
And so are the women he’s about to take.
My soul will forever be tarnished. There is no forgiveness for men who sell people. I’ll be banished to eternal damnation. I won’t be able to look at myself in the mirror. And I sure as hell won’t be worthy of a woman like Siren, even to kiss her. My lips alone would burn her like fire. She’s pure; I’m evil.
“How many?” I ask, needing as much information as possible.
“We should be able to do two-hundred easily.”
Fuck, it’s worse than I thought. Two hundred women. I’m having a hard enough time saving one woman; there is no way I can save two hundred.
I slam the door as I return to the house. I need a drink—no, I need six. This is hopeless. There is nothing I can do. I don’t have the money to buy two hundred women while secretly letting them all go free—no one does.
Fuck, I’m spineless. I should be going into Oscar’s warehouse guns blazing, trying to kill every man who works for him. That’s the only way to save the women.
I’d have to kill Julian too, but he’s been very careful. He has more men working for him than he lets on. If I attack him, I need to know every single one of his men, or I’ll spend my life running and looking over my shoulder.
It’s too late, anyway. Most of Oscar’s men are already out somewhere kidnapping women. I don’t know who they are or how to stop them. In two weeks, the women will be mine. And I’m still clueless as to what I’m supposed to do.
“You’re back,” Siren says, leaning against the door of the kitchen as she holds a high-ball glass filled with amber liquid.
“Where did you get that?”
She grins. “I made sure not to break all of your glasses and liquor.”
I walk to her.
She doesn’t retreat. She stands her ground.
I stop inches from her. So close, yet so far. I take in a deep breath. I can’t even smell the liquor. All I smell is her—a fresh, citrus, watery scent.
She wags her finger in front of me. “You aren’t getting any of this. This has to last me the entire time I’m here, since you refuse to restock the liquor cabinet. I’m not sharing.”
“You destroyed my liquor and glasses! And most of my fucking house! I shouldn’t be the one to replace any of it, you should.”
She bites her lip to hide her growing smile. She likes riling me up.
I hold out my hand. “Drink.”
She scrunches her nose and makes an adorable purse of her lips like she’s contemplating it. And then she goes to pour the contents into my hand.
I stop her before she tilts the liquid into my hand.
“Don’t play with me—I’m not in the mood for games.”
“That’s too bad, because you already agreed to play our game tonight.”
I huff as I pry the glass out of her fingers. “I need a dozen drinks first.”
I down the liquid as I release her hand. When I glance back, she has two more full glasses in her hand. She quietly holds one out to me.
I set down my empty glass and take the new one, noticing the sparkle in her eyes. She likes playing games. And this time, she’s out to win. She’ll either learn more about me or get to commit another sin. And I have a feeling last night’s sin was child’s play compared to the plans in her head.
“I shouldn’t have bought you.”
“Oh? Why not?”
“Because you are going to be the death of me.”