Page 7 of Traded & Bred By the Bratva
Lang frowns.
Sydney blinks.
I take her hand and pull her to my side. The contact sends an unexpected jolt through me.
Sidney startles, either from the jolt or from the stranger claiming her.
Her skin is cool and soft. Holding her hand unfurls something dangerous inside me. "Number twenty-three is with me."
The auction hasn't started. I haven't officially bid. None of that matters as I stare into Lang's eyes and see him running the calculations before he realizes he can’t afford the confrontation. Not here.
Not with me.
A pulse beats in Sydney’s throat, but she remains silent.
Lang's artificial smile returns, but it is fragile now. "Then I'll see you both later." He walks away.
The second he's gone, Sydney exhales. "Thank you," she says. Her voice is softer than I expected.
I reluctantly release her hand. "You looked uncomfortable."
A shadow crosses her face. "Is it that obvious?"
"To me."
Her laugh is nervous and brittle. "I guess I'm not very good at this."
She's not. And that's exactly why she shouldn't be here. "What brought you to this place, Sydney?" The question slips out before I can stop it.
Her eyes narrow, suspiciously. "You know my name?"
Damn. I should have been more careful. Years undercover and I make a rookie mistake because of a photograph on a garage wall. "Your number profile."
She seems to accept it. "I need the money," she says quietly.
The answer hits harder than it should. Need. Not Want. Ben’s voice echoes in my memory. “She's all I've got, Max. I'd do anything for that girl.” I look at Sydney, standing alone in a ballroom full of predators, wearing a number. And suddenly I know exactly what's going to happen. The realization settles over me with absolute certainty.
It doesn’t matter that the auction hasn't started yet. Or that my target hasn't made an introduction to his accountant. Or that I’m in the middle of a multi-year mission.
None of it matters.
Because when the bidding begins tonight, there is only one outcome. No one else is buying her.
Not Lang.
Not any man in this room.
Sydney Noble walked into this auction looking for the highest bidder.
And that man will be me.
From the corner of my eye, I see Gerald Mercer gesture to me. I look up and nod to show I’ll join him momentarily.
With a slight bow to Sydney, I walk away to put the next part of my mission into play.
She doesn’t know it yet, but she now belongs to me.
CHAPTER 3
