“Where are we going?” I asked as I straightened my dress. Although very short, the dress was entirely black and wasn’t see-through, and I actually got to keep my underwear on. Still, I didn’t want to walk out of the room without knowing what to expect.
“Does it matter?” Aaron snapped. “Just come with me, stay in the background, and make sure you don’t catch anyone’s attention. Got it?”
I pressed my lips into a tight line and made a grimace. “Fine, but why are you so secretive? I don’t know how you expect me to trust you if you won’t...”
He sighed and ran his hand across his face, then pinned his blue eyes on me. “My father’s picking out a new slave for himself and he wants me there, too. It’s best if you keep your eyes on the ground and ignore what’s going on.”
“Easy for you to say.” I cocked my head at him. “Why don’t you tell me your secret? You seem perfectly capable of ignoring everything around you and I wonder how you do that.”
His shoulders tensed, but his face remained cold and collected. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Quit stalling and come with me. Whatever happens, don’t react. Unless you want me to give you something to help you relax.”
My eyebrows shot upward. “No thanks. I’m fine.” Had Aaron taken some drug before so he could control himself? I doubted it, but he clearly wanted me to think that was what had been going on.
Without another word, he opened the door and we walked out into the hallway. The guards were there, ready with their guns, and if I wasn’t wrong, there were even more of them than usual. I didn’t know how Roberto chose his new slaves, but I suspected he wasn’t standing over a pile of photos of unsuspecting girls. He must have had the girls brought here, hence more security.
A lump formed in my throat. If the girls saw his face or anyone else’s and if they weren’t chosen, what happened to them? Were they shipped off to someone else or taken somewhere to be killed? My stomach did a little flip when we walked into an overly bright room. Squinting my eyes, I barely managed to see Aaron stopping next to Marco and whispering something to him. I lingered near one of the walls, as far as possible from the guards who might shoot me.
When my eyes finally adjusted, a gasp got stuck in my throat. My chest constricted and my head started to swim. No, it wasn’t possible... except it was. Six naked girls were lined up in front of a wall, and among them was a face I recognized despite the bruises, messy hair, and glazed blue eyes. Katya. My cousin was here, barely standing on her feet, her back heavily leaned against the wall. She was staring in front of her, her skin thinly pale, dark circles surrounding her red-rimmed eyes.
The other girls weren’t in any better condition. Drugged. They had all been drugged. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Katya. Roberto casually made his way up and down the room, his hands in the pockets of his pants as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He was eyeing the girls while the man who was probably the seller groped them, lifting their breasts and inspecting every inch of their bodies.
Aaron stepped into my view, almost imperceptibly shaking his head at me. I looked down at my hands and realized I’d clenched them into fists. Taking a deep breath, I tried to block out what Roberto and the man were saying, but it didn’t quite work. I’d found Katya, and I had to do something. I couldn’t just let them do this to her.
“Aaron, what do you think?” Roberto asked, and I forced myself to lower my gaze. “This one’s pretty tight.”
“Choose whichever you like, Father,” Aaron said in a detached and cold voice.
“Hmm.” Roberto sounded amused. “Eeny, meeny, miney, mo...”
My nails cut into my skin, but I couldn’t keep my head down any longer. If Roberto chose Katya, I didn’t even want to imagine what would happen to her, and if he didn’t... There was just no way out of this, except... I quickly glanced around the room. One guard, Marco, Aaron, Roberto, and the seller... Marco was standing not too far from me, shielding me from the guard’s view, and his gun was attached to his belt. If I got the gun, I could take out the guard and Marco, and hope everyone else would be too slow and surprised to get their guns out. It would be impossible to get out of this building alive, but... maybe I could take Aaron as a hostage. I had to try something. Anything.
“This one has gorgeous breasts...” This time Roberto reached out to stroke Katya’s nipples, and I couldn’t just stand there anymore. My mind was like mush, making it impossible to think about anything except reaching for Marco’s gun. Maybe death was a better option than being touched by that piece of shit. In one swift move, I stepped forward and snatched the gun, but as I wanted to raise my arm, Aaron’s hand closed over my wrist, squeezing so hard I gasped. He pulled me toward him, trapping me into his embrace and extracting the gun from my fingers with ease. Shit. I let out a frustrated groan as Aaron held me in a tight grip.
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” he hissed into my ear. “Do you want everyone in this room to die, including you?” He slid the gun into his suit jacket.
“Aaron, what’s going on?” Roberto asked with curiosity in his voice.
“I thought you were busy picking out your new pet,” Aaron said calmly, letting go of me. “Or do you want a detailed report about what I do with mine?” There was a hint of annoyance in his voice.
“I already picked mine.” Roberto caught one of the girls by the arm and she stumbled toward him. “Are you sure you don’t want one for yourself?”
“Actually, on second thought...” Aaron motioned to Marco, who took a hold of me, and Aaron made his way toward the girls, carefully eying them or at least pretending to. My heart skipped a beat when he stopped in front of Katya. “I’ll take this one, but as a gift for a friend. She’s exactly his type.”
“As you wish.” Roberto didn’t look too happy about it, but then he just shrugged and clapped the seller on the shoulder. “We’ll take these two. Get the others out of my sight.” He shoved the girl he’d chosen toward the seller. “Get her ready and deliver her to my room after lunch.” He eyed the girl for a moment. “Her name will be Roxy.”
“Of course. What about...?” He gave Aaron an expectant look.
“No need to do anything else. I’ll take care of my purchase. Thank you.” Aaron inclined his head, taking a hold of Katya’s arm, whose legs gave way, and Aaron picked her up into his arms as if she weighed nothing. I wanted to rush over to her to check if she was fine, but Marco’s grip on my arm was like steel.
“Having trouble with your pet?” Roberto asked, his gaze fixed on Marco’s hand on me.
“Not at all,” Aaron said, cradling Katya. “I forgot to feed her, so she’s a little faint. She’ll be fine.”
“Ah yes, they always need something,” Roberto mumbled. “If you put her with the others, I’m sure someone can take care of that for you.”
“What would the fun in that be?”
“Fine, fine.” Roberto put his hands up. “I won’t say anything else. She’s yours anyway.”
“Take her. You know what to do,” Aaron said to Marco, who had to let go of me as Aaron gently placed unconscious Katya into his arms. Marco nodded, his eyes flashing with worry as he gazed upon her, and a part of me wondered what would happen now. The fact that Aaron had chosen exactly Katya hadn’t been an accident. He must have watched me and seen me looking at her, so he’d decided to pick her. The only question was why he’d done it.
Probably so he could blackmail me. He’d noticed I cared for Katya and what happened to her, so I doubted I could play it off as just being pissed off about what was going on. I didn’t know what he truly intended to do with her, but Katya’s life was more important to me than mine. I’d known what I was getting into and what the risks were, but she’d been taken, drugged, abused... If Aaron knew anything at all about me, then he’d use her against me. Her life in exchange for whatever he wanted. Unless what he’d said was true and he really intended to give her away to someone else just to prove that he could do the same to me.
Marco carried Katya outside, and Aaron’s fingers wrapped around my wrist.
“Come,” he said, and I let him lead me outside, after Marco and Katya, but instead of following them, Aaron took me back toward his room.
“Keep your head down,” he whispered, winding his arm around me, surprisingly gently. As we passed through the hallway, I stared at the carpet and tried to clear my mind, but every thought scattered when I remembered Katya and what she had been through and was yet to suffer. And here I was, so utterly helpless to do anything.
I hadn’t even realized we were back in Aaron’s room until the warmth of his body left me. He checked the door twice to make sure it was locked and turned toward me.
“That was stupid,” he said, but there wasn’t even a hint of anger on his face or in his voice. No, his eyes were filled with something else; I just wasn’t capable of identifying it since my whole body felt heavy and my stomach was churning. “You could’ve...”
“Yeah, yeah, I know!” I snapped and ran a shaky hand through my hair. “But I couldn’t just stand there when...” I looked at his impassive face, shook my head, and groaned. “Doesn’t matter. You’re a Viteri. That whole thing is normal to you.”
“You could’ve come up to me and...”
“And what?” I glared at him. “What would you have done?”
He sighed, his shoulders drooping. “You know that girl. Who is she?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I was sure he could find out on his own. After all, he had somehow found out about me too, even though my father had done everything to keep my existence a secret.
“Don’t lie to me. You wouldn’t have risked your life for her if you didn’t know her. I saw it in your eyes.” He made a step toward me, his eyes flashing dangerously. “I don’t care what she is to you, but if you aren’t careful, you’ll find out just how terrible the consequences can be. This isn’t a game! I thought you understood that, but apparently not.” His nostrils flared as he stopped in front of me, his teeth gritted. And there I’d thought he wasn’t angry.
“What are you going to do with her?” I couldn’t help but ask, my eyes boring into his.
“You’ll see.” He pulled his phone out, turning his back to me, and strolled to the other end of the room. It seemed that was all he was going to tell me for now, probably until he had more information on who Katya was. I sat on the bed, lowering my head into my hands, and wondered what to do next.