Nicholas

 

“You motherfucker,” blustered the skinny man as he strode up to me after the auction had ended. “She was mine.”

 

I stared him down coolly, not moving, although I subtly shifted my weight to the balls of my feet, ready to strike back if he made any sudden moves. One hand slid slowly around my back to grip the barrel of the gun.

 

“Guess not,” I said.

 

“Who the fuck do you think you are?”

 

“Everyone around here seems real interested in that question. I’m the new guy. Name’s Nicholas.”

 

“You don’t understand how shit works, do you, asshole?” He had stepped close enough to me that I could smell his breath. Sweat beaded on his forehead, sliding in droplets around one vein that stood out prominently like a subway route.

 

“Are you going to be the one to explain it to me?” I asked menacingly. I noticed a crowd had begun to gather around us, drawn by the raised voices. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cosimo looking on interestedly. I focused on the man in front of me.

 

“If you don’t watch your fucking tone, I’ll beat you down right here and now,” he spat back.

 

“Be my guest,” I growled. I bent my knees slightly. This dumbass didn’t know what he was getting himself into.

 

A guttural roar boiled up from his stomach as he leaned back and whirled a wild punch at my head. It was over before it even began. I ducked below his flying fist, grabbed his wrist as it went by overhead, and used the momentum to twist his arm up and behind his back. One sweep of my foot against the back of his legs and he went tumbling, landing face-first on the ground.

 

I knelt and pressed my knee against his spine, leaning over to whisper in his ear. “Not such a smart move, friend,” I said.

 

He spluttered angrily in response, but his words were too muffled to understand.

 

“What’s that?” I asked, raising his head up with one hand wrapped around his sweaty forehead.

 

“Fuck you, you son of a bitch,” he croaked.

 

“My mistake. I was hoping you would have something intelligent to add to the conversation. Guess not.” I shoved his face back down. “I’m going to let you get up, but only if you understand one thing: she’s mine.”

 

He bucked in response, trying to throw me off him. I pulled his arm up a little higher towards his head. I heard a stifled scream with the added inch of pressure.

 

“A little bit farther and your shoulder will crack like a peanut,” I told him, loud enough for the crowd who’d taken notice to hear. “I don’t think you want that. So I’ll let you up, as long as you can agree you lost. I’ll say it one more time: she’s mine. Stay the hell away from her, or I’ll be forced to hurt you, very badly.”

 

This time, he nodded.

 

Suddenly, I felt hands grab onto me and pull me away before I could finish punishing the son of a bitch. I released his wrist as they tugged. The skinny man clambered to his feet, foaming at the mouth, though I noticed with glee he was favoring the shoulder I’d pinned.

 

I looked around and saw three of the other security guys had yanked me off of him. Cosimo walked over to stand in front of me. “Let him go, boys,” they said. I shrugged them off as they let go of my shirt. He looked at me with a curious tilt to his head. “What was that all about, Nicholas?” He seemed genuinely interested.

 

I waited to let my breath settle back to normal. Cosimo was patient, his hands folded in front of him. “He tried to hit me,” I pointed out. I knew it was a lame excuse, and I knew Cosimo would see right through it.

 

“Yes, I’m aware Alfonso has a little bit of a temper. But that’s not what I’m talking about. I was referring to the girl.”

 

I paused. I should have known interfering with the auction would draw attention I didn’t want. Such a stupid thing to do. I didn’t know what had gotten hold of me, but I’d acted before I could stop myself. Now I was in a huge fucking spider’s web of a mess. The more I thrashed, the worse it would get.

 

What would Cosimo want me to say? I had to convince him to trust me. Tonight was a golden opportunity to break into the inner circle right off the bat. I had almost blown it by bidding on the girl. Now was my only chance to resurrect it and keep the mission alive.

 

What Cosimo wanted—really, what any man who worked in our line of business wanted—was someone he could trust. It was easiest to trust someone when you knew what they desired, what made them tick, and that meant a man with simple, direct motives. An animal with one thing and one thing only in his mind. It didn’t really matter what that thing was. For some it was money, for others it was pussy or drugs or power. The only important element was that it was obvious.

 

To paint myself as such a man wouldn’t be hard. After all, I had that part of me already. I was a man of the streets. I took what I wanted. So’s what I told him. “When I see something I want,” I said with an ominous undertone to my voice, “I take it. That’s all that happened.”

 

There was a long, pregnant pause. I didn’t know how he would react. He could have me killed right here and now for touching one of his men. I couldn’t be sure what he thought about Alfonso, though if his tone was anything to go by, he didn’t have much respect for the man I’d just whooped in front of all of his companions and business partners.

 

I couldn’t breathe until he responded. To my surprise, his eyes shone bright with satisfaction. “I see. I’m very much looking forward to working with you, Nicholas,” he said. “You have been extremely interesting thus far.” He turned to the bodyguards who’d retreated a few yards behind me. “You,” he snapped, pointing at one, “go get us a bottle and some glasses.”

 

The man bounded up the stairs to the table where Cosimo had been sitting during the show. He quickly returned with a crystalline bottle of expensive vodka and two tumblers. Cosimo plucked them from the man’s hands and poured out two hefty shots, handing one to me and giving the bottle back to his lackey.

 

“To a fruitful relationship,” he said, raising his glass to touch mine, “between you and I, as well as between you and your fascinating new possession.” He tilted his head towards the stage to indicate the girl I had just bought.

 

I had to suppress the shutter that itched to crawl down my spine. Something about his tone worried me. He had some kind of a vested interest in this girl, one I didn’t understand yet, but his face was aglow with an intensity that could be interpreted in a million different ways. For the sake of the mission, not to mention the sake of my own skin, I needed to figure out what it was before it was too late.

 

I nodded, clinked my glass together, and downed the shot. It burned nicely down the back of my throat.

 

“Come, take these glasses,” Cosimo said to the man who’d first retrieved them. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and burped loudly. “Now, where did Alessandra go?” he asked, turning from side to side. She was nowhere in sight.

 

“Said she had to go check on something, boss,” murmured one of the contingent of bodyguards floating around the area.

 

Cosimo frowned. “Very well. Pull the car around, Nico. I want to leave soon.” He pulled out his cell phone and started to flick through messages. The screen cast a dim blue pallor on his bony face.

 

Just then, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw the stocky man who’d escorted my purchase off the stage. He scowled and said to me, “Your girl is waiting for you in the rooms below.”

 

I felt an overwhelming, burning desire to get out of this place immediately. Most of the men had filtered out soon after the auction had ended. A disturbing stillness had fallen over the place in their wake. I was still processing the fact that I’d just seen a sex slave auction. It left an absolutely vile taste in my mouth. With any luck, this would be the first and last time I ever came close to something so inhumane and despicable.

 

“Bring her up,” I ordered gruffly. “I’d like to leave here immediately.”

 

The man sighed, irritated. “You must go downstairs,” he told me.

 

“Why?”

 

“You must break her in.”

 

I tried not to betray the dizzying shock that lanced through my skull. “Excuse me?” I said coldly.

 

“I said, you have to go downstairs to break her in.” The man looked annoyed to be repeating himself. His thick brow was furrowed in distaste.

 

“Is something wrong, gentlemen?” Cosimo said from behind me.

 

“No,” I shot back quickly. Don’t say a fucking word to him, I silently roared at the stocky bastard who was prodding me to go ‘break her in,’ whatever that meant. I’d had enough of this place and enough of the Espositos for one day. All I wanted was to get the girl and get out.

 

“He’s refusing to go break in his property,” the man bitched to Cosimo.

 

I felt Cosimo’s gaze shift onto me. Begrudgingly, I turned to face him. “Nicholas, do as the man says,” he told me quietly. “You need to go fuck your woman to rightfully claim her as your own.”

 

He stared at me, letting his words sink in. Sure, I wanted that girl badly, in a way I’d never wanted a girl before. It was deeper than just a physical lust. That was familiar and easily assuaged, practically automatic. This was more powerful. I didn’t want to just fuck her. I wanted to make her scream my name until the rafters shook.

 

But the circumstances made my stomach churn. She wasn’t some random skank at a bar or a Punishers’ groupie longing for a taste of an outlaw. She was property. An object with a price tag. One I’d willingly paid. It didn’t sit right with me.

 

“Do I need to tell you this is a requirement?” he asked in a soft voice.

 

I shook my head. “No, you don’t. I’ll go.”

 

With no choice but to obey, I turned and followed the stocky attendant to the dungeon below.