I didn’t have to drag her out of that alley. She came with me willingly.

I put her in the car waiting down the street, neither Rose or the driver saying a word as the car started moving. She rested her head against my shoulder, and I stared out of the window trying to get my fucking mind in some kind of working order.

It was a small miracle that I had found her. But Carina had been underestimating me with the little games she was playing. I had eyes everywhere. The second Harlow was out of that apartment, the news reached me, and I followed her around the city until I saw how close to her breaking point my girl was.

On an impulse, I reached over to her, and she grabbed my hand like her lifeline as the car started driving us to our destination.

“Get on my lap,” I barked at her, and she climbed on top of me.

I was hard as fuck, but for once in my godforsaken life, I didn’t give a shit about my cock’s appetite. All I cared about was the woman on my lap, clutching me closely and holding on for dear life. She buried her face in my shoulder and the tears started to fall. I held her close to me.

She would be punished for what she’d done - of course - but now wasn’t the time to mention it. First, I needed to make sure I got her back safely, and at that moment, I knew she needed to be comforted, to be told everything would be just okay. So I held her trembling body close to mine and reveled in the scent of her skin and hair, in the way her arms clung to me and in the expression in her beautiful blue eyes that promised she would never run from me again.

The drive wasn’t fast but still felt too short the moment we came to a stop outside of Carina’s apartment. When she felt that the car had stopped, Harlow buried her face in my shoulder, refusing to look up and see where we were.

“Come on,” I told her, my voice gentler than I would have cared to admit. “We need to get out.”

She threw her arms around me and looked into my eyes with desperation I had never seen in her before. Despite everything I’d done to her, my Rose was independent, intent on leading her own life with my shackles around her limbs. And she was fiercely protective of her friends, which was why I knew this would hurt so much it might break her.

But it was a necessary evil. She’d run away from me, and now she would be finished. What she didn’t know was that this was just the first part of my plan. She would be broken by the time I was finished showing her what I was capable of.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered against my cheek, her lips desperate to find mine.

I couldn’t resist her. Never could. I let her kiss me because I needed it as badly as she did, and she melted into my embrace, clinging to me. Finally, I pulled away and half-carried her out of the car with me.

When she saw where we were, her face drained of the color.

“What are we doing here?” she asked softly, her voice full of fear.

“I’m sure you know,” I told her roughly, tugging on her arm and walking into the lobby of the building. “If not, you’re about to find out. Patience, my little Rose.”

She tugged on my hand again once we were in the elevator, and I looked into her terrified eyes.

“Don’t hurt them,” she begged me, her voice shaky, needing me to reassure her. “Don’t hurt my friends, Thorn. M-Master. Please don’t hurt them.”

I touched my fingers to her cheek, gently stroking her silken skin.

“You should know by now,” I told her softly. “The only one I’m interested in hurting is you.”

The elevator dinged when we reached the top floor, and I held her hand gently as I led her outside.

Her hand was shaking as I rang the doorbell, and I gave her a sweet smile and a peck on her cheek as we waited for someone to answer the door. Finally, it opened, and we came face to face with Carina.

“Hello,” she said, glancing from Harlow to me.

I could see her brain working, almost hear the wheels turning.

She was faced with a delicate situation now, and her best friend was about to find out Carina had played her to get what she wanted.

I had no interest in pitting the friends against one another, and I knew I’d have to keep up the ruse for a little while yet. But I would make it clear to Carina soon that I knew she’d attempted to get rid of Harlow. I knew where she’d wanted to send her. I’d taken the piece of paper from Harlow’s hands, recognizing the address on it right away.

There were other people who did the same things I did, but the symbol of the serpent always told our buyers our girls had entered into our world willingly. They wanted to be sold. They wanted a master. The place Carina had sent Harlow dealt with human trafficking too, but their girls weren’t there of their own volition.

I knew exactly how Carina had gotten the address. I knew her father well enough by then, knowing his tastes and desires.

He had attempted to get a girl from us before, and we’d declined, knowing the kind of person he was. Of course, that wasn’t the end of his path. He continued to search for a slave in more questionable establishments than my own. And the one where he finally succeeded was the very place Carina had dug up to send Harlow to.

“Hi,” I said in a cold voice. “I don’t believe we’ve met. You may call me Thorn.”

I shook her hand, her eyes darting between Harlow and me as she motioned for us to follow her inside.

“Daddy?” she cried out, and her father came strolling down the hallway, his eyes glinting as he drew closer.

Out of the four of us, he’d been the only one filled in on what was about to happen.

“Hello,” he said pleasantly. “Why don’t we all sit down in the living room and you can explain what’s going on. We have some tea ready for you.”

The girls seemed tense, worried, and they had every reason to be. Their lives were about to be changed forever.

“Is Amber here?” I asked Carina, and she nodded hesitantly, to which I responded with a kind smile. “Please have her join us.”

I took off my gloves and smoothed Harlow’s hair as we waited. Carina disappeared down a hallway and came back a moment later, just as the three of us settled on the expensive leather couches in the living room. Amber looked pale and unharmed, and I gave her an icy smile that I hoped told her everything I knew of her actions back at home. She was the only one out of the three girls that would finally get what she had wanted to all along.

Amber reached for some tea, but Carina’s father stopped her, shaking his head. Instead, he poured a cup for his daughter and passed her the beverage. Carina looked confused, but took several long sips of the hot liquid anyway, which pleased me.

“Harlow,” I told my girl gently. “Why don’t you tell Mr. Van Acker what’s going on here.”

She stared at me, obviously bewildered, reaching for a cup of tea to prolong the moment. I watched her stir in the sugar and milk and waited until she drained the whole cup before she finally started to speak.

“I…” she started, her voice weak. “I will be leaving with Mr. Thorn.”

“I see,” Carina’s father said pleasantly, smiling at my woman. “I’m sorry you’ve cut your stay a little short, Harlow. It’s always so lovely seeing you.”

She nodded numbly and looked at me for further directions. I assumed she thought this wouldn’t have been so easy, that someone would have stopped me. But Harlow had always underestimated the extent of my power. She still didn’t know exactly what I was capable of, the poor little girl. That wouldn’t last long, though.

“I believe Amber also came with Harlow,” I said pleasantly as the other two girls sat down, Carina close to me, and Amber in an armchair next to Carina’s father.

The man and I exchanged smiles. We were the ones heading the game here. We would be the ones calling the shots. And I couldn’t fucking wait.

The tension in the room was palpable, so thick you could cut it with a knife. We were the only ones who looked comfortable, while the three girls fidgeted nervously.

“Now, Mr. Van Acker,” I went on. “The girls might not be aware of this, but we’ve met before, haven’t we?”

“Indeed,” he said, chuckling. “I came to you looking for something.”

“A girl, if I recall correctly,” I added, feeling the tension grow into something that almost felt like a living presence in the room. “And at the time, I declined. Can you explain why?”

“I believe you called my methods… unorthodox,” he grinned.

He was lying through his teeth. I’d told him I’d never do business with a man like him. A man who was not only married but had killed his last submissive in cold blood.

You would never be able to tell what a monster he was by looking at him. He was handsome despite his age, older, with dark hair greying at the temples. He worked out regularly and was almost as tall as I was. But if the rumors were true, his looks barely mattered. He was a fucking monster.

“Well,” I said. “I have changed my mind. And since I have so many to choose from…”

I pointed at all three girls who looked frozen to the spot.

“You may pick the one you want,” I went on through gritted teeth.

The girls didn’t need to know this had been discussed in advance. Even Van Acker wasn’t twisted enough to take his own daughter, and he would touch Harlow over my dead body. That only left one girl behind.

“Amber,” he said pleasantly. “You know I’ve always liked you, don’t you?”

Her eyes were the widest I’d ever seen as he reached over, stroking a strand of hair from her face.

“Excellent!” I clapped my hands together in the utter silence of the room. “Amber has actually expressed an interest in being sold, Mr. Van Acker. And while she isn’t trained, I’m sure you can take her on, can’t you?”

“Of course,” he replied with a cool smile. “As long as she’s a virgin.”

“She’s not!”

My eyes went to Harlow, who was shivering next to me, her eyes desperately trying to catch Van Acker’s.

“She… She’s slept with someone,” Harlow managed to get out. “At the house, where we were. She told me herself!”

“Nonsense,” I muttered, staring at Amber. “No one has touched her. Why don’t you tell him, Amber?”

With her cheeks burning, the redhead turned to Harlow.

“I lied,” she whispered. “I wanted to be trained. I thought it would be easier for you to accept it.”

“Wonderful,” Van Acker said with a glint in his eyes.

Harlow was shaking so badly I had to reach over and steady her with my hand on her knee.

“That only leaves one girl,” I said kindly. “What do you think we should do about your daughter, Mr. Van Acker?”

“Carina,” he said simply, smiling at his frozen-to-the-spot daughter. “We were never close, were we?”

He sighed as if this upset him, before getting up from his seat and walking over to her. He pressed a cold, hard peck against her cheek. “He’ll take better care of you than I ever did.”

Carina’s eyes lit up and Harlow cried out in response as Van Acker moved on to Amber, extending his arm for her to take. She did, her little fingers shaking as he led her out of the room. She didn’t look back until they were almost gone, and then her eyes connected with Harlow’s for what might have been the last time. This time, her fear was really settling in, and I knew this wasn’t what she’d had in mind when she said she wanted to be sold. Not that I gave a shit. She’d helped my girl leave me, and my punishment was swift and cruel.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, and after that, Van Acker shut the door behind them.

Harlow looked at me with her pained expression.

“Don’t,” she begged me, her words suddenly slurred. “Don’t let him.”

“Oh, I already have,” I smiled. “She’s bought and paid for. What a shame you didn’t say goodbye properly.”

A single tear slipped down Harlow’s cheek just as her last remaining friend tumbled to the floor, unconscious.

“Carina,” Harlow cried out weakly, but by then, she was just as woozy and light-headed as her. She turned her attention back to me, attempting to get up and falling to the floor instead. “What have you done?”

“What you deserve,” I told her plainly, slipping my gloves back on as she tumbled down. “What you made me do, Rose.”