Page 65 of Unhinged

I must be strong. We all need to be. Because in this world of monsters and men, our survival depends on it.

28

TAREN

Ileana sits on her ‘throne,’ A huge chair at the center of the auction house, oblivious to the storm brewing. She remains a picture of serenity, unaware of the silent blade being sharpened to sever her reign.

And I, the man who will wield that blade, stands by her right side, still playing the part of the loyal servant.

She leans toward me. “Taren, I hope you got that pretty little gringo out of your system last night. I sense she’s going to fetch a healthy sum of money. After all, Manuel Beltran is here. And he loves the gringos.”

I clench my jaw slightly, trying to keep a handle on my emotions. “She was never in my system.”

Manuel Beltran is the worst possible man Alice could end up serving. Ileana’s trying to get a rise out of me, which is concerning. Clearly, she suspects something. What, exactly, I can’t be sure.

She chuckles. “Loosen up, Taren. It’s a party.”

I glance at her, meeting her black gaze. “What kind of party do you go to when you’re alone?”

She growls in annoyance.

“A search party,” I say.

“Why do I bother with you?” she asks.

I shrug. “Because you love torture in all forms.”

A slight smirk tugs at her lips. “You’re correct, for once.” There’s something in her eyes. A warning. Is it possible she knows of my plans?

I ignore the tugging feeling that she might know my intent and try to remain as passive as possible. Ileana is a master manipulator who could easily use any information against me.

“Let the games begin,” she murmurs.

I grind my teeth, knowing that I’m waiting on Damien now. He’s due to pose as the distraction. But his timing needs to be perfect. If he’s too late... I don’t want to think about it. Once those girls are sold, the men who buy them will fight to keep their hold on them. Otherwise, they’ll look weak.

It’s what this life is about. Power and money. The two things that matter and weakness can’t come into the equation.

But for now, I can only wait and hope Damien Vasquez will come through. Our plan hinges on him keeping his promise and promptly attacking this event. It’s a risky move, but we’ve got no other options.

As I anxiously wait for the signal from Damien, my mind is racing with thoughts of potential outcomes. Will we be successful in taking down Ileana? Will we all make it out alive?

But then, amid my worries, a sudden commotion breaks out. Gunshots ring through the air and chaos erupts as the game begins.

Ileana stiffens, glancing at me. “What the fuck is going on?”

I shrug, brow furrowing. “I don’t know.”

“Check it out, now!” she barks, looking panicked. I haven’t seen her panicked many times before. If she suspects me, she didn’t expect this.

I pull my gun from my belt and nod. “I’ll find out what it is. Probably one of the potential buyers getting trigger-happy.”

Her eyes narrow. “Sort it!” she snaps.

A lot of the buyers are looking nervous as they stand, all of them ready to bolt. I nod to a few of the men who are backing us. “You lot. Come with me.” I turn to the audience, making a show. “It’s nothing to worry about. Sit down and relax.”

Most of the buyers don’t relax. They look ready to fight.

Perfect.

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