Arranged love

MIA

I OPEN MY heavy eyes and instantly regret it. The bright lights hurt my sensitive eyes, and the smell of death makes me want to gag.

Blinking, I start to cough, making my already pounding head throb more. Lifting my face, I look around to see I’m in a large room. I’m seated in a chair, my wrists tied to the back legs with rope. My ankles are tied to the front legs with the same unforgiving material.

My head falls back, and I close my eyes, swallowing. The pain in my throat makes me flinch.

“It’s about time you wake up.” I hear Matteo in the distance. “I was afraid I killed you.”

“That would be kind of you,” I mumble.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

His laughter fills the room. I lower my head and open my eyes to look at him. He pulls a chair to the center of the room to sit across from me. He spins it around backward and straddles it, placing his forearms across the back of it. He tilts his head to the side. “I’ve only got one question for you.”

I just stare at him, trying to figure out where we are. I don’t recognize it, but that’s not surprising. I’ve been limited as to where I could go since I arrived back in Vegas.

“If I fucked you right now, would you still bleed on my cock?”

My teeth grind, but I refuse to answer that.

His laughter fills the room as he stands from the chair and walks over to me. I try to cower into the chair, but it’s no use. There’s nowhere for me to go.

He walks behind me and reaches over my shoulder, sliding his hand down into my shirt, stretching out my collar to grab a breast, and I start fighting my restraints.

I feel his lips by my ear. “I knew you’d be his little whore. It was inevitable.”

“You’re fucking sick!” I scream, trying to fight him off, but I am unsuccessful.

“Oh, sis.” He chuckles, making the hairs on my neck rise. “You have no idea how sick men can be. Not yet anyway, but you will.” He pulls his hand out, and I slump into the chair, trying to catch my breath.

“Whatever you have planned, Dillan won’t fall for it,” I tell him, hoping I piss him off.

His laughter grows to the point it hurts my ears. “You think this has anything to do with Bones?” He shakes his head. “Dad doesn’t want his Kingdom. Never did, actually.”

My body tenses. “What do you mean? Never did?” I ask, getting a bad feeling.

He comes to stand in front of me. Placing both hands on my bare thighs, he digs his fingers into my skin, making me hiss in a breath as he places his face in front of mine. “The twins and I were just playing a trick on you, Mia.”

“No-”

“I mean, it’s not every day a King pays ten million for a piece of ass.” He pushes off my legs, and they begin to shake. His black eyes run over my body tied to the chair, and he smirks, lowering his hands to his belt. He undoes it, and I start screaming and thrashing in the chair. His hand hitting my face quiets me. But only long enough to catch my breath. “Let’s see if that pussy was worth it.”

“Fuck you!” I scream, tears running down my face. “You motherfucker-”

He slaps me again, cutting me off.

“Matteo,” a voice barks at him. “Leave her alone.”

I suck in a long breath, watching Richard enter the room. What the fuck? I thought I’d never have to see him again after he slapped me around when he yanked me off that stage at the auction. “How? You’re helping him?”

“How else do you think I knew who bought you?” Matteo asks with laughter.

“But.” I drop my eyes to the floor, trying to figure out what I’m missing. “You shot Luca.” I look back at Matteo. “You shot our brother to bring me back here. To force me back to Dillan.”

“What happened to Luca was a misfortune, but I assure you, I didn’t shoot him. And if I were to shoot our brother, I sure as fuck wouldn’t do it because of you.” He laughs at that.

Richard’s phone dings, and he pulls it out of his pocket. He reads over a text and then looks at Matteo. “We’ve got three days.”

My stomach sinks at that. Not sure what it means, but a gut feeling tells me it’s nothing good. Matteo confirms it when he smiles at me. “We’re about to find out just how much you’re worth.”

BONES

I STAND QUIETLY in the room of our hotel, staring out the floor-to-ceiling window that overlooks the city. I feel like Luca looked when he entered my office all those weeks ago-lost, confused, and one-hundred-percent terrified.

We searched Vegas high and low for Mia and found nothing. We contacted every person we’ve ever known-exhausted every contact to keep an eye out. To listen for anything that might lead us to her-and got nothing. We figured if anyone could help us, it’d be the Airport. So much goes on there that someone had to know something. But again, we only heard silence. So when I got a call from Tristan, who informed me of another auction in New York this weekend, the Kings and I jumped on my private jet and flew here.

“Luca’s calling again.” I hear Titan say.

I ignore him. I haven’t spoken to Luca since I delivered my promise to kill every single member of his family. One by one, they will each pay for what they’ve done to her. Not only now but everything over the years.

I’ve got eyes and ears on their father, but I can’t touch anyone just yet. Not until she’s in my arms again. When I know she’s safe, I’ll go after them. And honestly, Luca’s on my shit list too. He’ll have to prove to me that he deserves to live after the part he’s played in her life. Even if it is small compared to her other brothers. Nite is the only one who is safe at the moment, and that can always change.

“Bones?”