Page 47 of Into the Woods

Christophe

“What are you thinking?” Teague spits his demand.

I get it. From his perspective, I just let my life-long obsession walk away from me and straight into a hive of angry, buzzing hornets.

I’m not. Not really.

I couldn’t live with myself if I did.

“Don’t worry, brother.” I turn back to the office so I can watch the proceedings without distraction. Thank Christ for the wall of monitors giving me every possible view of the bidding floor.

Winnie walks out onto the stage like this is a charity fashion show and not the vile trading of cash for pretty little sex slaves that it is. She has no idea who the people ogling her are, what they’re capable of.

They see her as nothing more than a commodity, something to be purchased and used, then discarded once she’s broken. A beautiful plaything, they can’t wait to sully and destroy.

I see the real Winnie. Her show of poise and grace conceals what’s going on inside her. A flush spreads over her chest as she strides across the stage, herattributesbeing announced, her virginity held in the highest regard.

Those men want to use her.

“How can you say that? Look at that fucking vulture out there. You’re okay with this shit?” Teague steps up next to me, gaze darting over the monitors until he finds what he’s looking for. “Fucking bastard.”

“Which one? The room is filled with them.” I chuckle but follow his line of sight and zero in on my uncle.

Alain’s eyes are glued to the stage and he’s chewing on his damn cigar like he hates it. He lifts a meaty finger and nods, then does it again. And again.

I never doubted he’d bid on Winnie, given the chance. I just figured he’d wait until the end and drop an outrageous dollar amount. Instead, he’s doing exactly what Teague said he would, driving the price higher and higher with every flick of his wrist.

Winnie crosses the stage again, slowly spinning at the prompt from the auctioneer, his finger twirling in the air.

Rage burns through me as every man’s focus drops to her pert ass. The silk scraps do nothing to discourage their lewd thoughts or their aggressive bids.

The offers climb fast and high.

I want to blind every single one of them. Take away their sight so their vile gaze can never touch her again. And then I’llkill them. Fuck, I should go out there and claim her in front of every one of them, then lock the doors behind me and set the entire building on fire. Watch it burn to the fucking ground.

“He’s doing it. He’s fucking doing it,” Teague grinds out, incensed.

My focus goes back to Alain to see him nod once again before shoving his cigar into his mouth and walking out of the room. Another monitor shows him leaving the building and climbing into his car. When only his retreating taillights remain on the screen, I glance back to the spot he just vacated to see one of his men remains, stance wide, arms crossed, fully focused on Winnie.

“Tell me what you know, T. What does Alain think he’s doing?”

A muscle jumps in Teague’s jaw, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think he was enamored with Winnie too. But I know where his loyalties lie—all of them.

“He wants her, without a doubt. Put a no-cap bid on her to ensure that he’s the one to take her home. You know what he’s going to do to her, right? Sick fuck is going to chain her up and make her beg?—”

“Stop.”

“Make her beg for death, because living as his fuck doll is worse than that.” He shifts uncomfortably, his hands clenched into hard fists. “Even if she manages to eventually get away, the damage will already be done.”

“I know, goddamn it. I fucking know. I’ve seen them when he’s done with them. I’ve seen the death and the living dead. But why Winnie? Why is he torqued over her?”

Alain’s tastes are wide and varied. Girls way too young, wives and girlfriends of his enemies, and even those of his associates. His kink is destroying people by taking what’s most meaningfuland torturing them with it. He did it to Tru’s parents. He tried to do it to my father, but he died before Alain could see it through.

Stillness falls over my friend. When he turns to face me, he looks absolutely haunted. “You fucking know,” he states.

“What do I know, Teague, tell me?”

“He wants her because of you. He wants her because she means something to you.” His shoulders round and he runs a hand through his hair. “He will do anything—everything—to take you down. Don’t you see that? You are the only thing left between him and the full power of this organization.”

---