Page 17 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 4

“Okay…and this is connected to Alana and Bianca how?”

“Bianca Cameron is actually Bianca Volkov, the real wife of Dimitri. However, before that she was Bianca Sokolov.”

“And this information is important because…”

“Bianca is the daughter of a man named Angus Sokolov. Does that name ring a bell?”

The hair on the back of my neck rose at the mention of the one man I knew my godmother hated. I’d even used his name and memory as a taunt to get her to put me in the auction. Threatened to actually call him for help if she didn’t put me in. It was a fucking joke. I’d never do that. I wouldn’t have even known how to contact that man.

“He was the person who originally brought my parents into The Marriage Auction before Alana took it over. They were her very first contract…a true love match.”

“Well, that just notched a piece of the puzzle right into place.”

“How so?” I asked as my mind spun with all the information Bruno had shared.

“Motive for one. Alana took away the thing that made him a lot of money. Your parents were the first big payout he lost, and it was big.”

“Where is Alana now?” I needed to know if she was okay.

“We don’t know exactly. As I said, there was some type of showdown at her estate. The French authorities stated in their reports that they’d interviewed everyone, and that Rhodes, Maia, and Emily had gotten on a private plane to Los Angeles. They’re being watched not only by the police but by a team of guards Rhodes hired.”

“Okay, that’s good news, kinda. What about Alana?”

“The showdown at her estate happened after the Davenports left, once again proving the clear target was the Toussaints. The authorities noted taking down two armed men with sniper rifles during the firefight.”

“Were Alana or Christophe hurt?” I swallowed down the fear of losing yet another member of my dwindling family.

He shook his head. “No. That’s where it gets tricky. They escaped with the help of a very powerful man.”

“Jesus. This is getting crazier by the minute.”

Bruno stood up and ran his hand through his curls. “Oh, that’s only half of it,” he claimed in a weary tone.

“Why?”

“Because I was informed that the person that helped them escape was Diego Salazar, the leader of the West Coast Latin Mafia.”

Episode 92

Just When Things Were Looking Good

MEMPHIS

I entered my parents’ house to the sound of female laughter coming from the kitchen. I’d received a text earlier from Naomi, saying she’d found the perfect wedding dress, would be hanging out with the ladies for the rest of the afternoon, and to meet at their house for dinner. I followed the sweet sound of my family’s voices, cackling and screaming over one another. In a house with five sisters, my momma, and my granny, Dad and me, the house could get noisy on a normal day. Today, the decibel level was turned way up. It became clear why they were all hyped up when I entered the kitchen and saw my woman, head tilted back and laughing like a hyena right along with my sister Syd.

Naomi’s gaze came to mine as I approached.

“Baby!” she said at a volume astronauts could have heard in outer space.

I scanned the room and noted my mother, my gran, and Syd loaded up with huge glasses of wine. On the table were a couple of empty bottles.

“Don’t you worry, I got more comin’,” my father announced as he entered with not one but two fresh bottles of vino.

Naomi stood and clapped. “Baby, we found the most perfect dress, and you are sooooo gonna wanna bang me when you see it!” she slurred a bit and then hiccupped.

“Damn straight!” Syd hollered. “You’ll be giving momma a grandbaby right away!”

“I’ll drink to that!” Momma lifted her glass, and braced herself against the kitchen island as she did so.

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