by Anna Blakely
“Or something,” Zade growled.
They were almost to the entry’s double doors when the two men guarding it opened it for them. “Thank you, gentlemen,” Gabby nodded and smiled.
Like a pro.
Once inside, Kole gave another, low whistle. Zade couldn’t blame him. The place was ridiculously large and over-the-top elaborate.
Black and white marble tiles gave the entryway floor a checkerboard pattern. In the middle beneath an enormous crystal chandelier was what Zade could only guess to be an expensive as fuck elaborate rug.
The wide, wooden staircase that greeted them split off into two directions at the top and was edged in a traditional-style Spanish wrought iron railing.
Large floor-to-ceiling windows lined the lower and upper walls, and vintage furniture had been strategically placed throughout the space.
“So this is how the other half live,” Gabby said softly.
Nate scoffed. “If by other half, you mean sadistic cartel leader and skin trade expert, then yeah.”
“Gabriella!”
Their heads turned toward the familiar voice. Speaking of sadistic assholes…
Hector Andino made his way through the encased entryway on their left and walked toward them. “You look absolutely breathtaking.”
Probably the only thing he and Zade would ever agree on.
“Thank you.” Transitioning into character flawlessly, Gabby let her eyes trail down the bastard’s lean frame and back up again. “You’re looking quite handsome yourself.”
“That’s quite the compliment coming from such a stunning beauty. I’m so glad you could make it.”
Even Zade could see the heat pouring from the twisted bastard’s dark eyes. The man’s blatant flirting made Zade want to punch Andino in the throat.
“I almost didn’t.” Gabby lied. “I had hoped to hear from you sooner and thought maybe you’d decided not to do business with me, after all. I was on the phone with Webb’s pilot instructing him to get the jet ready when the front desk rang my room about your note.”
In reality, they hadn’t expected to hear from him as early as they had. However, thanks to a phone call from Gabe to Ryker, Zade had known late last night that Andino had already looked into Gabby’s claims about the man she supposedly worked for.
Each one she’d mentioned to Andino had backed her up, as per their individual deals with the Feds. Fuckers were lucky they had.
If even one of them had tried to go back on their word and had thrown Gabby under the bus with Andino, there wouldn’t have been a prison in existence that could’ve kept them safe from Zade.
“My apologies, Gabriella.” Andino reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. The asshole let them linger on her knuckles, the same ones Zade had kissed minutes earlier in the SUV. “As you can imagine, it took some time for me to, how do you Americans say…vet you.”
Zade slid his gaze to Kole who looked like he wanted to roll his eyes at the prick’s dramatic demeanor.
“Given that I’m here, I trust my references were adequate?”
“More than adequate. You were given rave reviews by them all. Especially Señor Webb.”
“Glad to hear it, although I can’t say I’m surprised. Like I told you last night, I’m very good at what I do.”
“So they told me.” Andino’s thin lips curled into smile that matched his lust-filled gaze.
You can’t kill him. Yet.
First chance he got…
“Please, come.” The man held out his arm for Gabby to take. “The auction is about to begin.”
Sliding her hand along Andino’s elbow, Gabby looked up at him and said, “I hope there is something available that will be to Mr. Webb’s liking.”
Meaning she hoped there was a certain blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl amongst the others.
“Trust me, Gabriella. I have something that will fit Señor Webb’s needs perfectly.”
“I’m sure you do. Otherwise, this entire evening will be a huge waste for the both of us.”
Damn, she wasn’t just good at this. She’s fucking phenomenal.
“I would never waste such a beautiful woman’s time. Especially when I know so much pleasure awaits me after we’ve completed our business.”
Gabby arched a confident brow. “The business will only be complete once I’ve gotten what I came for.”
“Don’t worry, Gabriella. I am sure we’ll both get exactly what we want before the night is over.”
Chapter 14
Gabby’s heart felt like it was going to fly right out of her chest as she allowed Hector Andino to lead her into what appeared to be a grand ballroom. The only thing keeping her grounded was knowing Zade and Kole were following closely behind.
When they crossed over into the large, open space, Gabby couldn’t help but be in awe of its beauty. The room’s high ceiling was adorned with multiple intersecting beams, and six matching chandeliers hung from the opposite walls.
They provided the perfect amount of lighting for an intimate dinner party or dance. Too bad this was neither.
As they made their way further into the room, Andino was greeted by several of his guests. In order to keep herself in check and not react to the vile reason behind their presence, Gabby took in as many details as she could about the room.
Never know when you might need an impromptu escape plan.
Along the wall to her right were several large, arched windows. Not the best option for an escape, but if worse came to worse, Gabby wasn’t above throwing herself out one.
To her left was a balcony that ran the entire length of the wall. She made a mental note of the small staircase that appeared to lead up to it.
Like the entryway, the floors were made of a gorgeous, marble tile. However, instead of a checkerboard pattern, these were all white with gray swirls.
It was the most beautiful room Gabby had ever been in, but the small stage lit up at the far end of the room was a stark reminder of the horrible, ugly event that was about to take place, here.
The two men from the club stood guard, one at each end of the stage. The one on the left—the same one who’d taken Zade’s gun after she’d threatened to ‘fire’ him—was staring over at her with a cold intensity that made her spine shiver.
“Would you care for a drink, Gabriella? Some champagne, perhaps.” Andino snapped his finger. A man in a black suit came to them. He moved surprisingly fast for someone balancing a large tray of filled crystal flutes in his hand.
She looked away from the intimidating guard’s stare and smiled at Andino. “Champagne? Are we celebrating something, already?”
Hector laughed. “Think of it as a pre-celebration drink.”
“I like the way you think, Hector.”
She probably shouldn’t drink tonight but refusing Andino didn’t seem like a very good idea.
Carefully, he lifted two champagne glasses from the tray and handed her one. “To a successful night for us both.”
Gabby touched the rim of her glass to his. “I’ll drink to that.”
Though she wanted to chug the whole damn thing down to help calm her nerves, she refrained and took an acceptable sip. Gabby opened her mouth to try and ask about the auction’s inventory when a shorter, older man approached Andino.
With a tap on his shoulder, Andino turned and leaned toward the other man. Whispering something Gabby wished she could hear, the guy said whatever he came to say and was gone as quickly as he’d appeared.
Gabby thought maybe she’d seen a harshness flash behind Andino’s eyes, but when the man left and he looked back at her, it was gone. If it was even there to begin with.
Quit being so paranoid.
Kind of hard to do when you’re sharing a drink with a monster.
“Is everything okay?” she couldn’t help but ask.
“Of course.” Hector smiled. “The auction is slated to begin in five minutes. My assistant merely wanted to remind me of the time and give me this.” He handed h
er a bidding card like she’d seen in the movies. “This is your bidding number. I must go to the stage to begin the evening, but once the auction begins, I will come find you.”
“Oh, you don’t have to—”
“It would be my honor to stand next to you this evening. Besides”—he leaned in way too closely—“having the host next to you during the bidding can only help your chances, si?”
“I don’t suppose it would hurt.” Gabby kept her smile steady. “Although I have to say, I can usually handle myself quite well.”
Arousal ignited behind the brown of his eyes, making her want to claw them out with a rusty, jagged spoon.
“I bet you do, mi amor,” Andino purred, turning her comment into something it wasn’t. “This won’t take long. I promise to return shortly.”
Forcing her own heated gaze, Gabby licked her lips and told him, “I’ll be waiting.”
If the man were any more turned on, he’d probably jump her bones right there on ballroom floor. The thought nearly made her gag.
Zade stepped up beside her. “You did great, baby.”
“Thanks,” Gabby blew out a breath and swallowed the rest of her champagne in one gulp.
“Easy, there, Gabs.” Kole stood on her other side. “Don’t want you going crazy and spending all of Homeland’s money. On second thought.” He took a cue from Andino and snapped to get a waiter’s attention.
Smiling—at both the ultra-short version of her name and the man’s obvious attempt to lighten the mood—Gabby looked over at Kole.
“No, you’re right. The last thing I need is to get drunk while in the middle of a mission. I’m usually a lightweight, so it wouldn’t take much.”
Before the waiter Kole had called over could get to them, another man brought over a tray with a single glass. He handed it to Gabby. “For the lady, courtesy of tonight’s host.”
“Oh.” Gabby took the glass. “Thank you.”
The younger man nodded and walked away.
“Cheap date.” Kole slid Zade a knowing smirk. “You’re a lucky man, King.”
Still looking like he was about to punch his friend in the nose, Zade instructed her sharply, “Don’t drink that.”
She put a hand to Zade’s solid bicep. “Kole’s only teasing, Zade. I’m not that much of a lightweight.”
His intense gaze slid to hers. “It has nothing to do with your low tolerance. But if this dickhead calls you a cheap date one more time, we’ll see who ends up laughing.”
“Down boy.” Kole grinned. “Your girl’s right. I was merely trying to lighten the mood.”
“Mood’s fine, thanks.”
Clearly not, but Gabby wasn’t about to point out the obvious. “Hector sent this specifically for me. What if he’s watching? Won’t he suspect something if I don’t at least have a sip?”
“Exactly. The fucker sent that drink over specifically for you.”
She glanced down at the drink in her hand. Understanding began to sink in. “You think it’s drugged?”
“Don’t want to take any chances.”
Gabby thought he was simply being overprotective. “It would be pretty stupid of him to do that, wouldn’t it? I mean, you two are right here and I’m in the middle of a large crowd.”
“Don’t worry, Gabs,” Kole grinned. “Zade’s just pissed because Andino has his sights on you.”
Yes, Kole. Because that helps.
“Better be the only fucking thing he puts on her,” Zade grumbled. “Asshole could barely keep his eyes above her neckline the entire time he was here.”
“Kind of the point of the dress, wasn’t it? To entice Andino and keep him close?”
“Not that close.”
“It’s all part of an act, Zade.” She quickly tried to assure him. “Trust me.”
“Oh, I trust you plenty. It’s Andino I don’t trust.”
“None of us do. But until I can get to Sam, we all have to put our disgust for the man aside.”
“She’s right.” Gabe’s voice hit their ears. “Lock it down, King, or I’ll send Turner in to take your place.”
Zade blinked, but then smirked as he responded to his team leader. “Matt’s not wearing a tux, Dawson. He wouldn’t get past the front gate.”
But Zade was wearing a tuxedo, and damn. Talk about panty-dropping gorgeous.
Gabby thought about how surprisingly prepared they’d been. They’d thought to bring tuxes and all that other stuff with them on the off chance they might end up attending one of Andino’s skin auctions…
Who thinks that far ahead?
They must’ve been Boy Scouts when they were younger. Had to be. Maybe it was some sort of R.I.S.C. prerequisite or something. That and all the other qualities she’d noticed the Bravo men had in common.
Boy Scout? Check.
Military badass? Check.
Look gorgeous all the freaking time, know how to use a gun, and be strong enough to have wild monkey sex while holding your woman up against a door?
Check, check, and…definitely check.
While she had no first-hand knowledge of the other men’s abilities in regard to that last item on the list, Gabby would bet what little money she had that they’d have no problem performing with the same…vigor and tenacity…Zade had last night.
Without thinking, Gabby absentmindedly took a sip of the beverage in her hand before pulling it away.
Crap. She swallowed what was already in her mouth. She wasn’t supposed to do that, but…
Damn, that’s good.
This second glass was much sweeter than the first. Though she didn’t drink alcohol often—like hardly ever—a sweet Moscato and champagne were two of her favorites.
She’d have to find out where she could order a case to be sent back to Chicago.
Right, because you could afford that.
“I could borrow yours.” Matt’s comment about Zade’s tux tore her from her scattered thoughts.
She slid both men a quick glance, relieved to find neither of them had seen her slip-up.
Pretending to be talking to Kole, Zade looked at him with a smirked response for Matt. “You could, but it wouldn’t look nearly as good on you as it does on me.”
Kole snickered along with the other men listening from afar.
Gabby would have to agree. Not that Matt wasn’t good-looking. Of course, he was. The guy was on Bravo, wasn’t he?
Except he wasn’t…
“Zade.” Kole tipped his chin toward the stage.
Both she and Zade turned to see what Kole was seeing.
“All right, boys and girl. Get your game faces on and your guns ready. The show’s about to start.”
Gabby didn’t have a gun, although she wished she did. A really big one with a bullet specifically made to take out Hector Andino.
She imagined that bullet going into the man’s head, right between his evil eyes and smiled.
Blinking, Gabby shook the awful thought away. She’d never even held a gun, let alone fired one.
What’s wrong with you?
Her thoughts were all over the place, which was not a good thing. Not now when she was this close to getting Samantha back.
Clearing her throat, Gabby lifted her chin and returned her focus to the stage, where Hector Andino was about to speak.
He was about to open the bidding…on human beings. They were someone’s daughter. Someone’s sister.
Gabby’s heart broke as she thought about Sam and how terrified she must be.
She looked around the room at the vile men and women here. The room was filled with them, all smiles and laughter.
These were horrible, awful people, and suddenly, she wanted to be anywhere in the world but in this room.
“You okay?” Zade whispered beside her.
The concern in his voice brought her back into focus. “I’m fine.”
She had to be. For Sam.
With her full drink in her right hand, Gabby’s left one hung loosely by her side. Keeping he
r eyes forward, she felt the slightest of touches as Zade whispered his fingertips along the back of her hand.
“We’re almost there, baby. Just a little longer.”
“I said I’m good.” She pulled her hand away.
Gabby instantly felt bad. She didn’t mean to sound so snippy, but she couldn’t think straight when he touched her on a good day.
And this…this was about as far from being a good day as she could get.
Though she wasn’t looking straight at him, Gabby could feel Zade stiffen beside her. Damn it, she hadn’t meant to hurt his feelings.
“Zade, I’m sorry. I—”
“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen.”
Gabby looked around, realizing only then how many other women were present. They were most definitely outnumbered, but at least she didn’t stand out completely.
So now you’re relieved that you’re not the only woman here to buy other women?
She closed her eyes, the room swaying slightly. Or had it?
That’s it. Definitely no more champagne for you.
She reopened them and looked to where Andino was standing. After finishing his welcome speech, he began to go over the nauseating rules.
Once the auctioneer announces ‘sold’, that bidder must immediately go to the purchase table located at the south end of the stage to make the payment.
After that, the purchaser will be escorted out the side door with their purchase.
They must immediately leave the property.
As far as their plan went, those rules worked out perfectly for theirs. She’d bid on Sam, pay for her—Ghost had assured her the account number Ryker had provided had more than enough money in it—and they’d be required to leave.
“Let’s start the bidding, shall we?”
The room filled with excited applause.
“Oh, God.” The champagne churned in her stomach.
“You can do this, baby,” Zade reassured her. “I’m right here.”
“He’s right, Gabby,” Kole cheered her on. “You’ve been a freaking rock star during this whole thing. This is the easy part.”
“Waiting for your signal, King,” Gabe reminded him.
Gabby had heard the men talking this morning about what would happen once they got Sam a safe distance away. Zade would give them the green light and Gabe, Matt, and Ghost’s team would storm the property and take Andino into custody. From there, Ghost and his team would transport him across the border where a federal chopper would be waiting.
