Page 50 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 3

“Christophe, stop. Calm down. Breathe and tell me exactly what happened.” I gritted my teeth as Maia’s expression contorted in distress. She clung to my side as the bodyguards barked orders into their phones.

I held the phone tightly to my ear as Christophe reiterated exactly what had happened, finding the dead guards, and then the new car squealing toward them, gunshots, and then finally Emily and Alana having been shoved into one of the SUVs. “So Diego knows who’s behind this. We have to contact him now. Text me his number. I’ll call him.”

“Oui, oui,” he hissed.

“Christo, the moment after you send me his number, call the police and get medical attention. I’m going to track Emily’s phone.”

He spit out several phrases in rapid French, but I ignored him, looking at the messages icon on my display until it showed I’d received his text. I double checked it was the number. “Get help while I talk to Diego. Tell the police everything you can remember. We’re headed your way now.”

“Is Maia okay?” he asked before I hung up.

“We’re fine. I’ll be in touch soon,” I bit out and ended the call. Then I clicked on the message and called the head of the West Coast Latin Mafia. How in the fuck was this my life?

He answered on the second ring. “Salazar. Who is this?”

“Mr. Salazar, I’m a friend of Alana Toussaint. She and my daughter have been kidnapped. Supposedly you know exactlywho has taken them. I’m willing to do or payanythingfor information about this individual.”

“Who am I speaking with?” he asked, cool as a cucumber, while I was fighting to overcome fear and anger and remain calm.

“My name is Rhodes Davenport. My fiancée is Maia Fields. I’m sure you remember that name.”

“SíI don’t make it a habit of forgetting people I owe, Mr. Davenport. Unfortunately, we are both in a predicament. If I tell you who has likely captured your daughter and friend, he will then retaliate against me and my organization. His resources reach quite a bit further than my own.”

“Did Alana not tell you that I’m a very wealthy man?” When shit hits the fan, and you’re backed into a corner, throw money at it. At the very least it was worth a shot.

“She did, in fact, share that. Money cannot help a man who is dead,mi amigo.”

“From what I understand, you owe Alana this information at bare minimum. And she is not here to defend herself. She is in the clutches of someone you are hinting is a very powerful and fearsome man. If you’d shared this information days ago, we could have avoided this situation. He has my daughter, Mr. Salazar. A thirteen-year-old girl that I’m certain is terrified out of her mind. Are you comfortable knowing that her life may very well be in your hands if you don’t share what you know?”

“Are you threatening me?”

“No, I’mguiltingyou. There’s a difference. Don’t you have someone in your life who means everything to you. Absolutely everything?”

Silence.

One beat. Two. Three.

“You do. Now imagine if this kidnapper hadyourloved one. What would you do?”

“I’d kill them all. It would be a bloody, brutal, battle that’s talked about for generations to come. Their descendants would feel the stain of their brethren’s betrayal and my wrath their entire lives. And that’s if I allowed them to still breathe.”

I gasped, my throat clogging with unchecked emotion. “Fuck.”

“What are you willing to lose for your daughter’s life, Mr. Davenport? A piece of your soul?”

“Without her, I’ve already lost a piece. I’d do just about anything.”

“Even if it could mean your life in exchange for hers?”

I swallowed against the lumpy fear bubbling at the back of my throat.

“Yes,” I choked out. “She’s worth everything.”

“You will owe me a marker. That marker might require you to do something unlawful or against your moral code. This part is not open for negotiation. When I call, you will answer or suffer the consequences,” he grated.

“Unlawful?”

“Do you want your daughter back, Mr. Davenport? My help requires sacrifice. I’m not in the business of reuniting children with their parents,” he clipped.

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