Page 41 of Roulette Rodeo
“Fifty million?” Marnay stuttered, his composure fracturing. “Sir, the bidding hasn’t officially?—”
“One hundred million.”
A new voice: dark amber, each syllable heavy with warning.
As if bidding against him would draw a blade to your throat.
“Gentlemen,” Marnay’s voice trembled, nearly a sob, “we have procedures?—”
“Your procedures are noted. The Lucky Ace Pack has entered a bid of one hundred million for the omega known as Red. Contract transfer upon receipt of funds. Non-negotiable.”
Hazel-eyed. Cool, clinical—as if he were purchasing acreage instead of a person.
The name “Lucky Ace Pack” landed in my chest like a sledgehammer. I’d heard the rumors: ex-military ghosts and former mob ghosts, sliding through legitimate businesses that masked far darker dealings. They controlled half the Pacific Northwest with their iron grip.
And they’d just dropped one hundred million dollars.
On me.
Little miss virgin Omega who did the unthinkable in a place that only allowed marionettes to survive…
“Sold…” Marnay whispered, beaten and stunned at the same time. He has to clear his throat to add in the emphasize to declare the decision in such a grand room. “The omega Red, to the Lucky Ace Pack, for one hundred million dollars!”
No fucking way…
I’ve been sold to the highest bidder.
The Lucky Ace Pack just…bought me.
I’m…free?
In the darkness of the wings, Briar’s hand closed over my trembling hand. Her fingers were ice on my skin, and her nails pressed into my palm like a promise.
“Ready to get out of here, Cherry Bomb?”
My mind flickered to the tiny storage closet where I’d hidden. To green eyes that had softened beneath my touch, to gentle hands, to the taste of that first stolen kiss that had rewritten everything I thought desire could be. And then the thought—four alphas,now owners, had just paid more for my life than most people saw in a lifetime.
“I’ve been ready for three years,” I said, voice quivering slightly even as my heart hammered against my ribs.
Briar squeezed my hand once, twice.
“Then let’s go meet your new owners.”
The word should have made me recoil—the reminder that I was still property, only changing hands. But instead I tasted my Alpha on my tongue again, remembered the low growl vibrating through his chest, the bruises already blooming on my thighs.
The Lucky Ace Pack.
In poker, four aces beat almost anything.
Almost.
Because I’d always been a red queen—and queens play by their own rules.
The house might always win, but tonight the house had been bought outright.
And I was about to find out exactly what happened when your new owners came calling.
INVITING BLANKET OF BLISS
