The Auction (6 page)

Tori was so deep in thought, she didn’t hear the door to her room open.

“Is
Rose
ready?” Zee’s no-nonsense voice brought Tori out of her musings.

Zee stepped inside, flanked by her bodyguard. Her small dark gaze roamed over Tori, inspecting her, not seeming to miss a single detail. “You were a bit heavy-handed with the makeup, Shia. You’ve aged her. Do it over.”

“Yes, Zee.” Shia guided Tori to the chair where she’d
made up Tori
.

Tori tried not to fidget as the girl cleaned her face and proceeded to reapply the makeup under Zee’s watchful eyes.

“You should be honored, Rose, we’re having some very important visitors tonight. That means we’ll probably get more for you than I anticipated. The foreign ones almost always seem to prefer the exotics, and you’re one of two we have going on the block tonight, although I think you’re the more attractive of the pair.”

If that was meant as a compliment, Tori didn’t appreciate
it
. How could this bitch so casually discuss selling her off as if she were nothing more than a piece of furniture? “Fuck you,” she muttered, fed up with this woman, and this place.

Zee raised a brow before stalking across the room to where Tori sat. She pushed Shia out of the way and raised her hand. Tori felt the sting of Zee’s backhand before tumbling off her chair. She fell into a heap on the floor. Not giving herself time to absorb what had just occurred, Tori leapt to her feet. Rage boiled over from the depth of her being. She was tired of being used, tired of others deciding her fate for her. Tori charged at Zee and managed to wrap her finger around the woman’s throat. Squeezing with her all her might, she was determined not to let go until this bitch was dead.

So focused on her task, Tori didn’t realize one of Zee’s goons approaching. A sharp searing pain shot through her as she dropped to her knees. When she looked up to see what had happened, a large meaty fist flew in her direction only to be caught by Zee. “Enough,
Xander
. No bruises. We want to make sure she’s in the best condition possible when she goes on the block. Grab her arm. Bronte, you get the other.”

The two guards grabbed Tori by either arm and held her up as she struggled. Zee stood directly in front of her and stroked the dark marks that began to form on her pale, slender neck. “You’re quite fortunate that tonight is exchange night or else things would go quite differently.”

Tori glared at Zee. This was the bitch who’d tormented her for the past several days with her constant demands and psychological
torment
. She spit in Zee’s face.

She was answered with another backhand. Zee then wiped off the spittle dripping off her cheek. “Listen you little cunt. Exchange night or not, you keep it up and I will make sure you experience the worst pain you’ve ever been in. Don’t fuck with me.” Zee turned her beady gaze toward Shia’s direction. “Get me the neutralizing serum.”

Shia nodded before scurrying out the room.

Zee returned her attention to Tori and grasped her by the chin. “You will not ruin this night for us, because if you do, you will live to regret it for the rest of your life. And no, that doesn’t mean we’ll kill you. We’ll make you suffer and I’ll see to it personally. Do you know what we’ll do to you?” Zee smirked and continued without waiting for Tori’s reply. “First I’ll cut your tongue out with no anesthesia. I’ll make sure it’s slow and you feel every agonizing
second of it
. Then I’ll puncture your ear drums, so the only thing you hear for the rest of your l
ife is ringing. It’
ll make you want to scream but you won’t be able to because you’ll have no tongue. Then I’ll pluck one of your eyeballs out and make you watch me stomp it beneath my heel. Afterwards, I’ll take the remaining one and feed it to the dogs
. Finally, I’
ll chop off your hands leaving you with no way to communicate. Your world will be completely dark and soundless but we’ll keep you alive so you can live in your own isolated hell until you draw you last breath and trust me, my dear, I’ll personally make sure that will be for a very long time.”

Tori shivered because she believed this twisted bitch would actually do it.

Shia returned holding a large syringe.

Zee took it from the girl and promptly jabbed the needle into Tori’s chest.

Tori tried
to pull
away, but as the liquid that had been injected into her, spread through her body, she felt as if she had been turned to stone. Her tongue felt heavy and she could no longer move her lips or any other part of her body. She couldn’t even blink.

Zee
attempted a smile,
revealing
large teeth that had been sharpened to fine points
. “The serum should immobilize you temporarily, but as your muscles relax, so will your mind. You
can’t
escape because you won’t want to.” She ran her knuckles over the curve of Tori’s breast, grazing her nipple. Tori couldn’t fight off the horrid woman’s touch if she wanted to.

“Shia, see that she’s ready within the hour.” Zee backed away and gave Tori another long inspection before spinning around and leaving the room, her guards close behind.

Shia practically dragged Tori’s stiff body in front of the mirror and proceeded to repair her makeup. “You shouldn’t have done that, Rose. It’s not good to make Zee angry. I’ve seen her do things far worse than what she threatened to do to you.”

Tori could only stare at herself in the mirror. The stranger who started back at her looked like a frozen doll, with a tear sliding down her face.

Chapter Six

Foster took a deep breath as he stood outside the building he’d been given the address to. On the outside it looked like an old abandoned structure that had seen its glory days many years ago. To the untrained eye it probably should have been condemned, but he knew more than most that looks could be deceiving. It was now or never. If there was any chance of getting Macy back, this was it.

Just as the instructions had said, he found a metallic door at the side of the building, with a small black star painted in the center. The decoration was so small, it could have been a smudge, but it was obvious if one was actually looking for it. Foster knocked three times, then paused. He knocked two more times and stopped again. He rapped on the door four more times in rapid strikes. After a few moments the door slid open, and he barely managed not to let out a sigh of relief that he’d gotten the secret knock correct. He was sure he had been monitored from the second his driver dropped him off, so he couldn’t appear as anything other than confident. He needed to look as if he belonged.

The last thing he wanted to do was raise suspicion. He’d heard about these people and what they could do to infiltrators. His contacts were useless now that he was on the inside. Almost as soon as the door shut behind him, Foster was approached by two large men in black suits. It was rare for Foster to feel small in any situation, being a few inches over six feet, but these behemoths were close to seven feet and wide to boot.

“Thumb.” The closest doorman requested as he held up a handheld identifier.

Foster pressed the pad of his thumb against the device’s green screen. A line moved across it to capture his identity.

“Foster William Graham. CEO and President of Graham Banks. Cleared.” the identifier read back.

Seeming satisfied with this information, the guard nodded. “This way Mr. Graham. I’m Dino. I’ll personally escort you to your
box
.”

Foster noticed this guard’s face had several deep scars over his cheeks and forehead as if those marks had been carved into his skin as some form of
initiation
. Foster knew a little something about scarification as it was once a tool he’d used himself to get something he wanted out of an uncooperative target. He wondered who might have done this to a man who was the size of an oak tree, or even had the power to do so.

He followed his guide down a narrow hallway. Foster wasn’t given much time to take in his surroundings but what he did see was mostly shrouded in dim light. The large floor was completely barren. The scarred guard halted in front of an elevator. Foster stiffed. It was like d
éjà vu of that fateful elevator
ride he’d taken with his grandfather. He braced himself when the doors opened and he stepped inside. Just as he suspected, they went down. There were no numbers that indicated just how deep their decent was but it felt like a big one.

Once the elevator came to a halt Foster flinched as he was hit with a bright light when the doors opened. He stepped off the elevator and found himself surrounded by gold-gilded walls. One of the largest chandeliers he’d ever seen hung from the center of the
ceiling
. It most certainly seemed to be made of the rarest gems, in nearly every color on the spectrum, dusting the room in a rainbow of light.

Everything about this room screamed luxury, from the marbled floors to the precious works of arts decorating the walls. Whoever the actual owner of this organization was, they’d certainly spared no expense. A handful of people he assumed were guests littered the room, casually chatting with one another, drinking various glasses of alcoholic beverages.

A young girl dressed all in black appeared by his side. Her hair was pulled back in a severe ponytail and her skin was impossibly pale as if she hadn’t seen the sun in years. She had to be in her early teens. “I’m Remi. May I get you some refreshments before you’re taken to your box?”

Foster needed a clear head to get through the night but he noticed the r
est of the people in the room held
drinks. He had to fit in. “Yes, I’ll have a bourbon, no ice.”

“Will that be all, sir?”

“Yes, please.” She raised a brow, almost seeming surprised by his response and he wasn’t exactly sure why. But she said nothing before hurrying away to fulfill his request. Foster now wondered what it was he’d done to throw the girl off. He noticed that even Dino eyed him curiously. Foster glanced toward the other guests.
Many of them seemed to be from foreign countries judging from the different languages spoken around him.
Some chatted with each other while other stood off by themselve
s. No one had handheld devices or watches
which were forbidden on the premises.

As he glanced around him, he discovered a familiar face, one he hadn’t seen in years. As if they had a mind of their own, his legs propelled him to the person leaning causally against the wall, not really looking in anyone’s particular direction. He straightened up as Foster drew near.

The only sign of recognition from the older man was the light twist in his lips; otherwise, they could have been strangers. “Winthrop,” Foster greeted when he halted in front of him.

“Fancy seeing you
here
. One would think a Graham wouldn’t compromise their dignity by being in a place like this. But of course, your family isn’t quite as dignified as you’d like to present yourselves to be. You do all your dirty work behind closed doors, don’t you?”

Foster glared at the man who
was the son of
his grandfather’s
former
business partner. Foster was well aware of the fact that when Graham Bank was originally started, his grandfather had had a silent partner, which had been Eli Winthrop, father of Eli the second standing before him. When he was a child, Foster used to be quite friendly with Eli III until his childhood friend had gone missing. Not long afterwards,
Foster had learned the
partnership
between Graham and Winthrop
had dissolved over some business disagreements and Fos
ter’s grandfather had bought Winthrop
out, gaining the
controlling shares to take the
company in the direction
he wanted
.

Before the falling out, the Winthrops and Grahams had mingled frequently at social events and informal family dinners. Foster remembered his childhood friend fondly, but there was always something about Eli II that made him a little uneasy and he could never figure out what it was. Seeing the man now, older and slightly
grayer
, he felt a similar dislike that he had as a child.

When Foster had learned the other side of his grandfather’s business, Andrew had assured him that the Winthrops had nothing to do with it. Judging from the bitterness in Eli II’s voice, Foster wondered if the falling out had something to do with them finding out the truth about his grandfather. The Winthrops had at one point been one of the wealthiest and most respectable families in their circle. Shortly after the business partnership had dissolved, however, it was like all the Winthrops had fallen off the face of the Earth. Some speculated that they’d moved overseas and were living quite comfortably off of what they’d made after selling out.

“You seem to know a lot about my family considering we’ve had no contact for years. Besides, you should be careful about spreading rumors. They have a way of coming back to bite you in the ass.”

The other man snorted. “I see you’re no different than that
brute
of a grandfather of yours. Weren’t you involved in his dirty little side business?” If looks could kill, the one of pure hatred Winthrop shot his way would have killed Foster on the spot.

He didn’t get a chance to immediately reply because Remi had once again appeared by his side. “Your drink, sir. Is there anything else I can get for you?”

Foster pl
astered a smile on his face as
he took the drink from the girl. He gave Remi a wink. “Nothing right now, darling.”

A deep red blush creeped up Remi’s cheeks and she gave him a shy grin. “If you need anything else, just snap your finger and I will be at your service.” She then looked to Winthrop. “Mr. Winthrop, can I refresh your drink?” she asked with noticeably less enthusiasm, although she maintained her polite demeanor.

Winthrop leered at the girl. “You know I’m interested in more than just a drink, but if a drink is all you’re offering, get me some scotch, and be quick about it.”

Remi nodded.

As Remi turned to do the older man’s bidding, Winthrop reached out and pinched the girl’s bottom. To her credit, Remi took it in stride before walking away.

Foster had participated in The Run several times, hunting naked women for his amusements, but even he drew the line at children. As much as he wanted to give this asshole a body blow, he couldn’t draw attention to himself. But at least he understood why Remi had looked at him so surprisingly earlier. If Winthrop was any indication, none of the other guests were polite in their requests either. It made sense that a place like this would attract assholes no matter how fancy they were dressed up. It was probably part of the appeal of the organization. One could be as rude as they wanted to be without having to worry about the
rules of polite
society.

Once Remi was out of earshot. Foster returned his attention to Winthrop. He learned closer, making sure the other man would be the only one to hear what he had to say next. “You don’t know shit about my family and I suggest you keep your opinions about them to yourself.”

“Or what? You’ll make me disappear like my son?”

Foster reeled back at that accusation. “What the fuck are you implying?”

“I’m not implying a thing, but I would like to offer a word of warning. You’re a newbie here. This is my territory and you’d better not cross me. The Grahams have no power here.”

Foster clenched his fists at his sides to keep himself from beating the hell out of this piece of shit. Whatever bad blood there had been between his grandfather and Eli the First, he couldn’t let it affect him now.
It didn’t matter if Winthrop knew of his past because he would have a hard time proving it.
If he had any hopes of getting Macy back he had to play it cool. He smirked, masking his murderous thoughts. “Of course we don’t. We’re just humble bankers.”

The other man flared his nostrils and looked as if he wanted to hit Foster, but remained where he stood. “Keep it up, Graham. You won’t be grinning for long.”

“It was nice catching up with you, Winthrop.”

Foster turned away from the other man, not bothering to wait for a response. Dino came into his line of vision. “Sir, the bidding should be starting soon, and I’d like to show you to your box.”

“Will you be individually escorting the rest of the guests to their spots as well?”

“No sir. The others have already been shown to t
heir boxes. Since you got here later
than everyone else you missed some of the activities. We had a dinner laid out for the
invitees
, but I could send one of the girls to your box to bring you a meal so you can eat in private as some of the other guests prefer. You should still have time to go through our catalogue to see what offerings we have going up on the block tonight.”

Foster nodded in response. This outfit seemed well run. He followed Dino out of the luxurious room and down a long corridor. When they reached the end, Dino pressed a button on the wall which opened a small door. Foster had to duck in order to go through. The box as it had been described was stark white, from the thick white carpet to the plush chair and desk sitting in the middle of the room. The furniture took up most of the space, making it cozy.

“The organizers believe the fewer distractions the better. This way
the buyers
can fully concentrate on the merchandise. On the desk you’ll find a control panel that will generate the holoscreen. The other buttons control volume. This red button means that you want to place a bid and the light beside it will turn on when you’ve been outbid at which time, you can press the red button again.
If your
bid is successful, the light turns green. All transactions will be squared with Zee at the end of the auction. You won’t be able to leave until all the bids are final. In the meantime, you bring the holoscreen to
pursue
through our catalogue
of who will go on the block tonight
. Some of our guests prefer being surprised. Do you have any questions, sir?”

Foster shook his head. “I think I can figure it out. But I was wondering, do you ever see the girls? The offers I mean? Are they housed in this building?”

Dino shifted from side to side, his eyes darting back and forth. “I’m not sure what you’re asking, sir.”

Foster had already known that the auction only took place once a month. Macy disappeared close to two months ago, so she most likely would have been sold off in the last auction if she were sold. “I think my question was pretty straightforward but here’s another question for you. What happens if the person on the block gets no bids?”

“That’s never happened to my knowledge, sir. As for your other question, I’m not at liberty to answer that question. If there’s something here not to your liking, I can certainly relay that information to Zee.”