Page 9 of Cherry Auction

Always playing her fucking games. I’m torn momentarily from the present right back to the moment I last saw her.

Those big eyes of hers were full of heartbreak and pity. “I know. I saw last night. Oh God, Domhnall. Isaw. I’m so sorry. He’s a?—”

“Don’t—” I cut her off. She was never supposed to know. I wanted to vomit. If I thought about it anymore, I would die where I stood. “Let’s leave like we always said. Right now. We’ll go get Moira and leave right this second.”

She shook her head. “We won’t make it across the border without money or my passport. You know he holds the passwords. But I know where he keeps them.”

It was too dangerous. “No, Mads, you can’t, we’ll figure a way out?—”

But she just grabbed my face, cupping my cheeks with certainty in her eyes. She could always handle intense shit better than I could. “Go get Moira and take her to the airport.I’ll go get the money and my passport. We haven’t gone through all this for nothing. I’ll meet you there.”

She pressed her lips against mine. “I’ll meet you there,” she repeated, “I swear. We’ll start over. Together.”

Even after what happened, I convinced myself it had just been a missed connection. Even when I was totally broke and on the run, I tried to find her, convinced we were a tragic pair like Romeo and Juliet or some shit. Until I found out I wasn’t the first sucker she’d hooked on the line. Or the last.

My jaw sets tight, and I don’t say a word.

Not here. I can’t lose it here. I don’t know what kind of scene she’s hoping to make, but she’s not getting it out of me in front of everyone.

I pull her none too gently behind me as I stride off stage. She trips along in her ridiculous heels but finally hurries to catch up.

“Don’t ride her too hard,” one of the men in suits calls. “Baby, I’ll still pay you a thousand for sloppy seconds.”

They’re crass idiots and now that I no longer need them, they can fuck off.

I pass by the hallway to the wing where we’d arranged for the devirginizing to take place, and instead, pull her deeper into my mansion. We’d planned a party atmosphere and for Isaak to be nearby as a bouncer. There’s also a secret camera set up in the room in case the woman experienced any distress.

But I don’t want anyone around us to hear or interruptmy upcoming interrogation. I pull Madison past the room where the devirginization was supposed to happen and down the hall towards the parking lot by her elbow.

“Wait, where are we going?”

“I paid for the night. You’re going home with me.”

I shove out the door and she only squeaks a little as it shuts behind us.

Madison Harper has things to answer for.

FIVE

DOMHNALL

I keepmy hand locked on Madison’s elbow as I deposit her in the backseat of my car.

“I thought we were just going to another room of the club?” She looks up at me with confused eyes. “And that there’d be a security guard there, too. That’s what Moira said.”

“Did she?” I mutter, furious all over again that she’s targeted my sister. “But that’s not what you came here for, is it, Mads?”

Moira called herBrooke. I huff out a snort. Probably a new name in every port, right? That’s how herkind work.

“Mads? My name is Brooke.”

“Is it?”

She shoves a hand out to keep the door open when I try to shut it, and her wobbly voice sounds afraid when she asks, “What’s going on?”

It makes that rare flare of joy burst forth in my chest. I’m glad she’s afraid. No one ever gets beneath my control, and I’m almost as pissed off at myself as I am at her. Fuck her for showing up here like this. “You tell me.”

She crosses her arms over her chest as if covering her peaked nipples will really provide any modesty. “I don’t know. I came here for the auction. Moira said that afterwards, we would— That whatever man bought me would take me to a nearby room so we could?—”

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