Page 12 of Sold to My Ex's Brother
“Anyone want to top that?” Artem continues, but there’s only silence in the room.
Nobody dares to one-up me. No doubt a few of them have realized who they’re dealing with, and don’t want to stand between me and something I so clearly want. But that kind of money, it’s clearly bigger in number than almost anything else they have seen here, and my brother, as hungry as he is for cash, will take whatever he can get if it means securing payment.
“Sold,” he announces, and he puts his arm around Maya again. Even from where I’m sitting, I can see her shudder in his grip, her face paling as she tries to come to terms with the fact that someone has just paid money to take ownership of her.
I need to convince her that she can trust me, as hard as that might be for her to believe right now.
Shit, after everything she has been through, it doesn’t surprise me to see the fear in her face. It strikes me, all of a sudden, that the man who went after her before could have been trying to secure her for sale in Artem’s sick little game…
Whatever it takes, I will keep her safe.
And I will make sure that Artem pays for what he has done.
5
MAYA
Two hours earlier…
In the pitch-darknessof the room I’m being held in, I can make out next to nothing. I feel around, trying to make sense of where I am and what’s going on here, but God knows I’m as lost as when I first arrived.
I’ve been trying to string the pieces together ever since I woke up. I can recall being on the phone, having the pregnancy confirmed, and then ducking down that side street to catch my breath, only for the same man who came after me before to close the distance between us and force something into my system.
There’s a foul, bitter taste at the back of my throat, and I’m parched, sickness roiling in my guts—though that might be more due to the fear than anything else.
I know that Artem must be behind this. He’s the only one who would ever dare try and pull something like this off, and I’m certain it’s revenge for daring to turn my back on him before.
Before I can think on it any further, the door swings open before me, and I lift my hand to block the blinding light that pours in. But, even as my eyes adjust to the shock, I hear a voice I recognize at once.
“Enjoying your new quarters, Maya?”
It’s Artem. I don’t even dare to look up at him. Now that there’s some light in the room, it seems like this place is part of the bar. I can see a few stacks of beer at the far side of the room, the same kinds we serve.
But… What the hell is going on?
“Let me go, Artem, please,” I beg him desperately. “I just... I need to get out of here. I don’t want to?—”
“You’re not going anywhere, Maya,” he replies, his voice laced with a twisted amusement. “I’ve already given you far more freedom than you deserve. And now... Well, now, you’re going to make yourself worthwhile to me.”
“What are you talking about?” I demand, though I’m not sure I actually want to hear the answer. My heart pounds in my chest as I wait for a response, staring at him and chewing my lip, praying that he’ll see sense and stop this before it goes any further.
He stoops down in front of me, reaching out to take my chin in his hand. His touch burns my skin, and I want to pull away, but I know it would be pointless. He’s in total control here, and he wants me to know it, in no uncertain terms.
“You really don’t know what’s been going on at the bar?” he asks me, a mocking tone to his voice.
“Artem, I have no idea what you mean,” I tell him, and he finally lets go, releasing me at last. I hurry to the back of the room, putting as much distance between myself at the man before me as possible.
“You will,” he replies, simply. “There’s plenty of men waiting to meet you, Maya. And I’m sure you’re going to make one of them very happy.”
The sickness claws its way up my throat, and I try to fight the urge to cry. “What does that mean?” I plead with him. “Artem, I don’t understand...”
“There are plenty of men in this city who would pay good money to have a girl like you,” he continues calmly. “And I intend to give them the chance to show that tonight. You’ll be put up for auction. And if nobody ends up paying enough for you...”
He moves closer to me once more, shoving his face close to mine, a cruel grin on his face. “Then you’re going to be mine, Maya. Like you always should have been.”
He straightens up as the words settle into my mind, my head spinning as I do my best to make sense of them. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I can’t decide if I’m going to pass out or throw up or burst into tears.
“Artem, just let me go now, please,” I call after him, as he heads for the door. “I won’t tell anyone about this, nobody has to know...”
