Page 11 of Traitor

And Lyle’s frantic voice on the other end turned my attention from Lorenzo to Ronnie.

Guess the war’s beginning a bit sooner than I expected.

5

Charlotte

“Get in there,”Lorenzo growled.

I stumbled through a rusty door attached to a dilapidated brick building. The air smelled of mold and regret, and it almost made me retch. My hands were handcuffed behind my back as he gripped my arm, leading me down a dark hallway that resembled the dungeon he had me chained up in day in and day out.

Until finally, a light turned on at the end of the hallway.

“Where are we?” I asked.

My head got ripped back and I found myself staring at Lorenzo upside down.

“Quit it with the questions, or you’ll go back home. Understood?”

I swallowed hard and tried my best to nod before he shoved my head back up. I blinked back tears as we rounded a corner, and the second I saw the stage I felt myself back up. Images of that night bombarded my mind’s eye as Lorenzo gripped my waist. He led me forward, placing me in the far left seat all the way at the very front.

Then, he dipped his lips to my ear. “Enjoy the show. I need to go get our auction items lined up for the night.”

The thought made me sick to my stomach.

I vividly recalled standing in front of everyone beneath that spotlight. Dirty, dingy, and vulnerable, while men placed bids on my head as if I were an antique lamp. I sat there, lifeless, as people filed in around me. Men dressed in very expensive suits sat in chairs around me, sniffing me and gawking as I stared blankly ahead of me. The auction began and women filed out, one by one, while men paid anywhere between half a million and five million for the girls that were up there.

It gave me a glimpse into the person Teo really was.

He saved me from all of this. He purchased me off that stage not to use me, or harm me, but to save me. He saw my face, recognized me from the party, and decided I didn’t need to be handed over to any one of these disgusting pigs that kept raising their paddles around me.

And I betrayed him.

“All right, everyone! We’re going to take a quick recess before we get back at it. We’ve got seven more girls ready to be snatched up, and if you want my personal opinion? I’d devour every single one of them.”

A trickle of laughter blanketed the people around me and I wanted to claw all of their eyes out.

“So, get yourselves a drink or some food, and come back in half an hour!”

The spotlight turned off and soft lighting illuminated the walls. I panned my head around, watching as men of all shapes and sizes got up to make their way around the room. There were two open bars with bartenders dressed in very skimpy clothing. They plastered on smiles and jiggled their tits a bit too much, and I wondered if they had once been up on that stage.

Then, my eyes panned over to the corner where all of the food was.

Only, it wasn’t the food my eyes focused on.

“Teo?” I whispered.

There he was, clear as day, plucking something off a passing silver tray. His eyes almost glowed in the dark as he gazed around the room, and I had half a mind to flag him down. With my hands still cuffed behind my back, I stood to my feet. He was right there, less than fifteen feet in front of me, and all I had to do was--.

“You’re coming with me,” Lorenzo growled.

“No--!”

His hand clapped over my mouth and he began dragging me away. I thrashed around, trying to cry out for Teo against the man’s callused palm as tears dripped from my eyes. I managed to reach my foot out and kick over a chair, causing a temporary startle that turned everyone’s eyes toward me.

And even though Teo looked in my direction, the darkness had already swallowed us whole.

“You’ll pay for that little stunt,” Lorenzo hissed in my ear.

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