by Marni Mann
“I’ll be there.”
“Good,” Shank said. “On the way, you’ll be picking up a Ken for my collection.”
He meant I would be stopping to get a new prisoner on my way back to Venezuela. That wasn’t uncommon; it just depended where the pickup was scheduled and how close they were to one of us.
“Where?”
My whole body shook while I waited for his answer.
“Texas.”
Thank fucking God.
“All right,” I said.
“Later.”
I hung up and shoved the phone back in my pocket, turning to face Layla, who was only ten yards away.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Fine.” I knew Shank would be getting in touch with the pilot, and the plane would be headed here soon. “I’m going to have to reschedule our meeting with Panig.” I walked up to her but kept my hands to myself. “I’ve got to go out of town.”
“No problem.” Business Layla was back. “Is it work-related?”
I couldn’t knock her for trying. She just wasn’t going to get a word out of me when it came to my life outside of Miami.
“Listen…” I ignored her question and moved in closer, my fingers gently touching her waist. She needed me to hold her. It made her sound less fancy. “I want to keep things separate. There’s us, and then there’s that.” I nodded toward the building. “No mixing. No fucking things up. You’re handling a lot of my money, and I don’t want either of us to forget that.”
“I understand, believe me. A lot of money is on the line for me, too. The last thing I want is to…” She looked down, and her cheeks flushed.
Until this morning, I hadn’t realized how much I affected her. I liked it. I wanted to be able to breathe on her cunt and watch her buck. But I also wanted to be able to trust her with my money.
She gazed back at me, and it was as though she had dunked herself in warm water. “I just want you to know that I take this seriously. This building. Our work relationship.” Her voice softened. “You.”
I nodded. “Good.” My hand rose, and I ran my thumb over her cheek. “When I get home, we’ll figure this all out, and you’re going to give me that taste I want.”
Her smile was subtle. “What about the building?”
“You’re going to talk to Panig and negotiate all the terms that I’ve highlighted in the contract. Once he’s agreed, I’ll meet him and sign it.”
“I can handle that.”
“I know you can.” I took one more smell of her scent, letting my nose brush over her neck before I pulled away. “Now, I’ll walk you to your building.”
“You don’t have to, Beard.” She took a step back and turned halfway. “It’s only two minutes from here.”
There were bad motherfuckers on these streets.
I should know.
I was one of them.
I slapped her ass as I caught up to her, and I slipped my arm around that perfect waist. “Yes, Layla, I do. And I know you want me to.”
Thirteen
Tyler
Five Years and Ten Months Ago
When I woke up the morning after The Auction, I jumped out of bed and rushed over to Wynter’s computer. I still didn’t own one, nor did I have a data package on my phone, but now that I was making money and could afford it, I needed to splurge on both.
Like Mina had promised, an email in my inbox had all the information I needed for my next mark, details on which club he would be visiting, and the door where the limo would be waiting.
I printed the email, so I could memorize everything I needed to know, and then I signed into The Achurdy’s banking system. I knew the balance I had started with—the amount Mina had originally deposited when I agreed to work for her—and in my head, I subtracted the difference.
Four thousand two hundred fifty dollars.
I repeated the amount again.
And again.
That was five percent of Dean’s bid. That was what they were going to pay me? But I’d never seen that much money before—not in my bank account, especially never in my parents’.
“The more you work and the higher you bid, the more you’ll make.”
Mina wasn’t kidding when she had told me that.
If I continued making five percent off every auction, I’d be rich. And the money would be mine to do whatever I wanted with.
My eyes stayed on the screen, staring at the numbers, as though they were going to change to zero at any second. The beeping of my phone broke my concentration. I ran over to the bed, lifting my cell off the blanket, and saw a text from Mina on the screen.
Mina: Good morning, yerekha. I see you’ve logged into your account, and you now know how much we awarded you. I hope you’re pleased with the amount.
Me: Very much so. Thank you!
Mina: I would like you to come to my house after your morning classes. There are a few things we need to discuss.
Me: Okay.
Mina: Text me when you’re available, and I’ll send the limo.
Me: Sounds good. Thank you again.
I didn’t know how I would get through my classes with all the excitement running through my body. Tonight’s auction felt so much more important than school, almost to the point where I wanted to skip. I wondered how I would feel in a few months, if school would hold any value to me anymore. I’d have to ask Wynter since it seemed like she was on the verge of dropping out.
I went over to my desk and grabbed my cosmetics, throwing a towel over my shoulder on the way out.
Five more hours.
That was all I had to endure, and then I could completely focus on The Achurdy. It would feel like an eternity; I knew that much.
Mina lived in the Marina District, and from the minute you walked through her door, you had a full view of the water. I’d never been in a home as nice as hers. The entrance smelled like perfume. And, with the boats passing by and the bright colors inside her house, I felt like I was in a tropical paradise.
I took a seat at her kitchen table, and Mina went to the fridge and poured three glasses of water. She didn’t drink from the tap like me. This water had cucumbers and strawberries and orange pieces floating on the top. Every sip tasted fruity. I loved it.
“I have a surprise for you, baby.” She walked past me and stopped in the doorway. “If you have any rings on, take them off.” I showed her my empty hands, and she said, “Perfect. Follow me.”
We went into the hallway and came to a room I’d never been in before. Even during all the times I’d come here to train, she’d never brought me into her office. A man was sitting behind the desk. His arms and hands were covered in tattoos; there were even some on his neck that stopped at the bottom of his chin.
I wondered if he was the guy from The Auction last night, the one who had taken Dean home. Something stopped me from asking.
Mina set a glass of water in front of him and stood between us. “Tyler, meet Nix.”
“Hi, Tyler,” he said.
On the desk was a tattoo gun, two tiny bowls of black ink, a razor, and a glob of something that looked like Vaseline. Underneath it all was light-blue paper that I had only ever seen at a doctor’s office.
“Hi, Nix,” I said, sitting in the chair Mina had pulled out for me, which was right across from him.
“Nix is going to tattoo you, Tyler.”
I turned to face her. “Tattoo me?”
She had a chunky gold ring on her finger. It was in the shape of a lion with emerald eyes. When she took the ring off, a black tattoo was underneath. It was a deer skull with a horn coming off each side, just like the masks the employees had worn at The Auction.
“I have to get it done?”
She set her hand on my shoulder, playing with the strands of hair lying there. “Don’t be afraid, yerekha. We all have them. Wynter, too. Now that you’ve passed the initiation, this is the next step. It’ll make you a real member of The Achurdy.”
Goose bumps ran dow
n the length of my arms. Something about the name of the organization always gave me the chills.
“Does everyone have the same design?” I asked.
“Yep,” Nix grunted. “How many have I done now?”
Mina leaned over the desk and brushed her hand over his cheek. He gazed at her as though he wanted to throw all the tattoo equipment on the floor and spread her over the wood.
I hoped, one day, a man would look at me the way he was staring at her.
“Many.” She laughed. “Probably too many.”
Her attention turned back to me, and she reached for my left hand, encircling the top of my ring finger where the artwork would go. “Think of the tattoo like a wedding band. It shows your devotion to us. And, in return, we’ll never hurt you. We’ll protect you, and we’ll always take care of you.”
“What happens if things don’t work out?”
Mina laughed again, but it sounded different than before. I didn’t like it, and I didn’t like how it made me feel.
“That won’t happen,” she answered. “Trust me.”
Nix nodded in agreement.
“But couples get divorced all the time.”
My parents should have split up years ago. If they could afford an attorney, I was sure things between them would have already ended.
“And this tattoo is going to last forever.”
“I know,” she said.
Mina never joked about the seriousness of my commitment to The Achurdy. She never joked about anything actually. And she wasn’t kidding around now.
“So, you’re saying us, this, it’s forever?”
She knelt in front of me, her hands moving to my knees. “Forever, baby. That’s why we ink you. We want to be permanent. We will come before anything else, including your family.”
I didn’t understand how a job could be permanent. What if I got too old to work? Or sick? Or I just got tired of doing the same thing every day?
“I’m not sure I know what you mean,” I told her.
“All she’s trying to say is, you can’t tell anyone what you do, and you can’t ever talk about us to anyone outside The Achurdy. That makes it real hard to get close to anyone who’s not in the club.”
“But you’re not telling me I can’t, right?”
Mina looked at Nix. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Then, she rubbed the skin around my knees, as though she were trying to soothe a burn. “We have to be able to trust you, baby, and we need to know that you’ll keep our secret. We’d be in a lot of trouble if anyone ever ratted us out.”
I’d be in trouble, too, for the things I’d done last night. I’d drugged Dean without his knowledge, and then I’d spent thousands of his money. Was he in the right frame of mind to tell me no? He had acted childlike, slurring his words and shuffling his feet. But he’d seemed to understand my questions, and he’d somewhat responded.
Still, that didn’t make it right.
I didn’t even get to keep the gift. I just got five percent of what Dean had bought it for. But, God, that five percent was going to change my life. It was going to provide in a way that never would have been possible if I hadn’t gotten this job. Not just financially either. It was giving me the family I’d always wanted.
“I would never tell anyone,” I said. “You can trust me.”
“We didn’t think you would,” Nix uttered.
Mina smiled, the same way she did whenever she told me how proud she was of me. “We just have to take precautions to make sure it doesn’t happen. Think of us like the FBI. They have to make sure their agents don’t mishandle confidential information when they’re given access to top security files. We do the same thing.”
This wasn’t like when I had worked the deli counter at the grocery store. I was now a part of an organization that had access to lots of information on tons of different people. I knew what nightclubs were involved. I knew what The Auction building looked like. I knew enough that I could hurt The Achurdy if I wanted to.
But I wouldn’t do that.
They were giving me everything I ever wanted. And, in return, I would take their secrets to the grave.
I put my hand on top of Mina’s. “Tattoo me.”
Her grin widened. “I’m so proud of you.”
I didn’t want that to ever change.
“I want to be one of you,” I said.
“We’re going to make that happen today.”
She said something to Nix in Armenian. I didn’t recognize any of the words, and she spoke too fast for me to catch any to look up later.
Nix reached for my hand and dragged the razor across the small area, shaving off the tiny fine hairs. After several swipes, he dipped the tip of the gun into the ink and tapped the foot pedal that wasn’t far from where I was wiggling my toes.
“You don’t have to draw it out first?” I asked.
I hadn’t seen a marker, and I was sure that was part of the process since I’d watched so many of those tattoo shows that Wynter loved.
When he smiled, I hadn’t expected perfect teeth. He was too rugged for that. But what gleamed back at me was straight, white, and much prettier than my own.
“Don’t need to,” he said. “I’ve done so many, I could do this in my sleep.” He held the gun inches away from my skin. “You ready?”
“Yes.”
The buzzing of the gun filled my ears, and splatters of ink covered the paper beneath my hand. The needles didn’t hurt when they pierced my skin. It almost felt like a reward. The Achurdy was doing so much for me, and I would be getting lots of opportunities now that I was with them. Getting a tattoo was the least I could do.
Mina left the room just as Nix was finishing up. He took a napkin and wiped across my finger. The ink smeared on my skin, turning it all black, before the excess was cleaned off. The design was dainty and so detailed.
I really liked it. Way more than I’d thought I would.
As he covered the tat with ointment and plastic wrap, Mina returned. She was carrying a black box that she set on the desk. “Open it once he’s done.”
I waited for him to complete the wrapping, and then I lifted the top of the box. I gasped when I saw the piece of jewelry inside. The ring was gold and chunky, almost identical to the one Mina wore. But my animal was a tiger with sapphire eyes.
She took the ring out of the box and held it in front of me.
“It’s beautiful,” I said. “I love it.”
She placed the tiger at the tip of my nail. “Now, you’re one of us.” She slid it over my knuckle and set it in the middle of the plastic wrap. It fit snugly. “And it’s our secret.”
I glanced between her and Nix. Both of them had this strange hunger in their eyes. It was enough to make me think they were going to get it on the second I left. Maybe tattooing was an aphrodisiac for them. I just knew a different energy was in the room, and the tat seemed to have caused it.
“It’s our secret,” I repeated.
“I’m proud of you, yerekha.”
“You won’t regret this,” Nix said.
I didn’t know why, but I believed him.
I shouldn’t have.
I should have fucking run.
But, back then, I hadn’t known any better.
Fourteen
Mina
Present Day
I twirled the lion around my finger and watched the gold glimmer under the sunlight. The emeralds needed to be polished, and so did the grooves around the lion’s ass and behind his ears. It still sparkled, just not the way I wanted it to.
I’d have the new girl clean it. Hell, now that I was thinking about it, I’d have her shine all my jewelry. Maybe it would teach her a little discipline.
She talked too much. She wasn’t appreciative of everything I had given her. Her eyes questioned my authority, and I didn’t fucking like it.
She wasn’t submissive like most of the others I’d hired.
Not like my pet, Wynter. Or Tyler, her old roommate.
Oh, Tyler.
She had been different than the others. She’d seemed to realize what our lifestyle couldn’t provide where it usually took everyone else much longer to catch on. She had been one of my highest earners, and that still hadn’t been enough for her.
Tyler hadn’t been after just the money. She’d wanted it all—money, family, and love.
I could provide all but one.
Such a waste.
The phone rang from the kitchen where I’d left it on the counter. I walked in from the balcony and answered it. “Wynter,” I said, dragging out the last syllable.
“How was my tattooed hottie boyfriend this morning?”
As she laughed, I smiled. She was such a ballsy slut. That was one of the reasons I’d hired her.
I touched my lips, running the pads of my fingers over them. “God, he tasted good.”
“Tell me all about it. I want to know every detail.”
Now, it was my turn to laugh. “You’re such a needy bitch.”
“You have no idea.”
I circled the kitchen, on the hunt for something to eat. I settled on a peach, which I brought up to my mouth but decided against it.
I didn’t want to lose his flavor just yet.
“Oh, I think I do,” I said.
She sighed. “Then, at least tell me if you got off before breakfast?”
“So feisty this morning, aren’t we?”
“I’m just horny.”
“Baby, you know that can be taken care of.”
“I know.”
I walked over to the window, looking out onto the sea, tracing the waves on the glass. “Did I miss anything today?”
“I emailed you everything.”
“I saw, and I read all your notes.” I heard a noise behind me and immediately turned around. It was just a letter falling onto the floor. I waited a second longer to make sure it wasn’t something else, and then I started to breathe again. “I’m just making sure there wasn’t anything else you might have left out by accident.”
