That moment had been one of the hardest in my life.

Not the one where Aleks had put that collar around his neck, but that had been pretty bad. No, it’d been when I’d had to help him with the clasp. Logically, I’d known it hadn’t been me putting the hated piece of jewelry on him, but now as I watched him obediently follow Luca into the darkened room, I felt like I’d forced that noose around his neck and I was terrified he wouldn’t figuratively be able to take it back off when he physically took the thing off. He’d made so much progress in the past couple of weeks that I just wanted to take him some place where I could nourish that growth.

Protect it.

Cherish it.

But I didn’t get to decide which choices Aleks made for himself, and he’d made this one and stuck to it. The most I could do was make sure that his stay in this world was as short as possible.

I let my eyes scan the room as we made our way to the lounge area. I felt sick as I watched all the men having a good time as their “pets” obediently stood at their sides or knelt at their feet. Most of the kids were in their teens, but I knew it wouldn’t be long before I saw younger boys and girls too. Some, like Aleks, were wearing collars, which was a clear signal to the other owners to keep their hands to themselves. But the ones who weren’t had to suffer through being passed around and pawed by other guests. Thankfully, the party wasn’t the kind where the guests would just start fucking their property right there in the open.

There would be private rooms for that.

The party was actually an auction that was scheduled to start within the hour. There was a stage set up on the far side of the room, which was heavily decorated in varying shades of red velvet and gold trim. The furniture looked like what you’d find in any fancy living room and was spread throughout most of the room. Once the auction began, most of the chairs would be moved closer to the stage so the men could get a better view of what they were bidding on. While they waited, they had access to tablets that had information on it about each kid. Luca had handed the tablet he’d been given to me upon entering the party. I already knew it wouldn’t have any kind of cellular or wireless connection, so there’d be no way to link to the outside world. The tablet was solely used to let guests look through the pictures and stats of the kids being sold. And anyone who’d ignored the rules about bringing any kind of phone, laptop, or camera had been turned away at the door. Extensive background checks had been done prior to the party and had included both the kids and any bodyguards the wealthier guests had brought with them. There’d also been a limit of one bodyguard per guest.

Which meant it was just me, Luca, and Aleks.

And we had no way to communicate with Con or King or any of the personal bodyguards Luca employed. They were all outside the building. The only way they’d know we were in trouble was by the one-way communication device Luca had on him. It was a small video camera with a microphone that looked like an ordinary button on his suit jacket. So Con and King could see and hear everything, but we wouldn’t be able to hear them.

But it was the best we could do under the circumstances.

Our only goal was to see if Stylianos made contact. We’d agreed that if the man didn’t reach out within sixty minutes, we’d end things and blow the whistle on the party. King already had a dozen of his men stationed in cars within blocks of the party. The second the sixty minutes were up, King would call his contact at the police department. Any guests who managed to get past the cops would be followed home by King’s men.

But the snag was that Luca, Aleks, and I would be stuck in the building when King made that call, since guests weren’t allowed to leave the party once they entered it. Everyone was required to wait until it was over so that no one could call the authorities during the party. That meant that Luca, Aleks, and I would have just minutes to find a way out before the cops showed up. In addition to making sure no one tried to get to Aleks during the event, I also had to find a workable escape route for the three of us. We hadn’t received the address for the party until minutes before we’d arrived, so there’d been no time to scope the place out ahead of time.

We were basically flying blind for the next hour.

And it could all be for nothing, because there still hadn’t been any kind of communication indicating Stylianos was attending or still even interested in acquiring Aleks.

I escorted Luca and Aleks to a set of lounge chairs in an area that was relatively empty. Luca looked the part of a ruthless business tycoon who didn’t have a care in the world as he dabbled in a world where selling kids for sex was nothing more than a normal transaction. From his bored expression to the ease with which he sat, he looked like a guy who was being forced to endure an overpriced play or garish opera.

As planned, Luca sat in a chair that was closer to the back wall and had a view of the entire room. There were only a few guests milling nearby, but Luca played the part to the hilt as he said to Aleks, “Sit, my pet.”

Even though I knew it was all an act, I wanted so badly to grab Aleks and get him out of there because he’d too easily fallen into the role. Part of me was afraid he’d escaped into his head but part of me was afraid he hadn’t. Either way, he wasn’t allowed to look at me, so I couldn’t see what was happening in his eyes.

God, this was so fucked up.

Aleks didn’t actually sit because, despite the words Luca had spoken, he hadn’t really invited Aleks to take a seat. With downcast eyes, Aleks obediently dropped to his knees next to Luca’s chair. He’d knelt close enough so that Luca could reach out and touch him if he wanted.

Con was the one who’d picked out the clothes Aleks was wearing, but only because I hadn’t been able to bring myself to buy them. But I’d been the one who’d had to tell him what to get because I’d been to enough of these events to know what the kids were forced to wear. I’d settled on a snug black shirt that was made of fishnet material, since an owner like Luca would have wanted to show off what was his, but not actually share it. I’d told Con to find Aleks some pants that accomplished the same feat… showed off his body but left enough to the imagination. The thin black leather pants Con had selected did the job. But it was the fucking collar that pulled the whole outfit together.

Aleks looked well and truly owned.

And his behavior was proof of that.

God, please let him be acting.

I’d never forgive myself if all of this set him back to where he’d been two years ago… or even just two weeks ago.

After the incident with the collar out in the Hamptons, Aleks had managed to mentally recover from the trauma within a day and we’d made the trip to the city. But I suspected he’d only managed to function as well as he had because he’d put the collar and the upcoming party behind a wall in his mind. We’d spent most of our days cooped up in Luca’s penthouse apartment in Manhattan, but we’d made the most of it by watching movies and playing video games. I’d ended up turning Aleks into somewhat of a video game addict because he’d become fascinated with some of the older-style arcade and strategy games. Not surprisingly, he hated the games with violence and bloodshed. I wasn’t particularly fond of those either – I saw enough of that shit in real life, thank you very much. I’d been more than happy to join Aleks for Minecraft marathons and he’d actually managed to get me to participate in dance-party games.

In those moments as we’d been dancing our asses off or watching or talking smack to each other about who was going to win, we’d been just a normal couple living a normal life. And we’d used the nights and the privacy of our bedroom to explore each other’s bodies and learn all we could about what brought the other the most pleasure. Aleks had made love to me every single night and I’d finally gotten to taste his cock a few nights earlier. He’d been horrified when he’d come inside of my mouth and we’d had a long talk about it being something I wanted. Aleks had admitted that he hated needing so much reassurance from me, but I’d made it clear that I’d gladly spend the rest of my days both telling and showing him that the things we did together were natural and normal and nothing like what he’d known in the past.

The only problem was, we didn’t have that many days left. As much as I loved these weeks I’d spent with Aleks, he wasn’t mine to keep. I’d already talked to Luca, King, and Con about the fact that Stylianos hadn’t made contact in the two weeks since we’d made it known that Luca had Aleks. We were coming to accept that either the man had lost interest in Aleks, which seemed unlikely, or something had happened to him where he couldn’t communicate. He could have been hospitalized, put in jail, killed, or he’d just needed to keep low and out of sight for some reason… there was just no way to know. There was also the possibility that we’d gotten things wrong and the men who’d taken Aleks from his shop hadn’t worked for Stylianos.

Either way, I couldn’t keep Aleks with me indefinitely. As much as he seemed to enjoy being with me, he had a family that he wanted to get back to and who were eagerly waiting for him to come home. And Dante and Magnus now understood the danger Aleks faced so they’d take steps to make sure no one could ever get to him again. They’d do all the same things to protect him that I was.

And I still needed to find Gio.

Even if Stylianos was out of the picture, Gio was still out there.

I couldn’t have the life with Aleks I wanted, even if by some miracle we found Gio. There were too many kids like Gio and Aleks and the boy Luca had been forced to leave behind who needed to go home.

I forced myself to let go of thoughts of a future without Aleks as a couple of men approached the seating area we were in. “Mr. Black?” an older man with carefully groomed gray hair said as he used Luca’s online alias. Chances were good he knew who Luca really was, but the guests usually referred to each other by their online monikers. The man reached out his hand toward Luca.

Luca didn’t react to him at first. Instead, he glanced at me and then waved his hand. “Get me a drink,” he ordered.

“Yes, sir,” I said.

It was all part of the plan… getting Luca a drink would give me the freedom to check out the initial layout of the building. Since no one would dare touch Aleks while he was with Luca, I didn’t hesitate to walk away from the pair. I overheard the man whose hand Luca finally deigned to take mention how lucky Luca was to have found such a prize, and I knew the fucker was talking about Aleks. I glanced over my shoulder to see my brother looking at the man like he was nothing more than a bug he’d inadvertently stepped on and messed up his fancy shoes with.

I had to give our father credit for making Luca such a stunningly convincing actor.

Aleks, for his part, didn’t even flinch or respond to the comment. I wished there was a way I could show him how proud I was of him and that I was there and always watching out for him, but I couldn’t interact with him in any kind of meaningful way in public or it would all be over.

I scanned the room as I made my way to the bar. There was only one marked exit besides the front entrance and both were heavily guarded by several men. There was another doorway that wasn’t marked. There was one guard there along with a smaller man dressed in a tux. I watched as two men and a young girl stopped in front of Tuxedo Man. He said something to one of the men and pointed behind him, then gave the man a slip of paper. I felt my stomach drop out because I knew where the men were taking the girl. I confirmed it when I reached the bartender and ordered Luca’s drink. As I waited I asked, “Are there private rooms?”

“Yes, sir,” the bartender said as he motioned toward where Tuxedo Man was standing. “Douglas will get you all set up with one.”

I nodded and mentally told the girl to hang on just a little longer.

I took the drink he slid me. “Restrooms back there too?” I asked.

The man nodded. “Don’t let your boss fuck his pet in there, though,” the guy said crudely. “Management frowns on that.”

I wanted to punch him but managed to force out a chuckle. “Good to know. Thanks.” I nodded at him and grabbed the drink. By the time I reached Luca, all the other chairs around him and Aleks were taken. Most of the men were alone, but one had a young boy with him. The boy was in his early teens and very petite with feminine features and long black hair. In reality, I couldn’t be completely sure the child was a boy. He or she was sitting on the man’s lap and was fondling the man discreetly through his pants.

The kid had dead eyes.

Just like Aleks’s had always been.

I schooled my features into a mask of indifference as I went around the chairs and set Luca’s drink down on the table next to him. When I went to stand behind his chair, one of the men said, “Vaughn, it’s good to see you.”

“Mr. Stark,” I said with a nod. It wasn’t the fucker’s real name… he was just an avid fan of superheroes. I’d never worked for him, but he’d tried to lure me away from Marcus at one point. The man was extremely wealthy, but he wasn’t a big player. He bought and sold kids like they were a new pair of shoes, and he preferred girls.

“A shame what happened to Marcus,” Mr. Stark said. After Marcus’s death, people hadn’t bothered with his alias anymore. “I was so happy to learn you weren’t at the home when tragedy struck,” the man said to me. “You were always such a valuable asset to our community,” he added.

If I hadn’t wanted to slit the guy’s throat, I would have found the situation humorous. He was clearly still looking to add to his security team. “And of course, the news that Aleks had survived as well was like we’d won the lottery or something,” he said with a chuckle. “Mr. Oak here” – he used the hand he was holding his drink with to point at the man who had the child on his lap – “was actually disappointed he’d already made a purchase… said he’d have made an exception on his age preference for Aleks.”

The man laughed heartily and took a drink. Mr. Oak shot him a glare but it was clear the man was correct because the fucker then leered at Aleks.

“Yes, I believe you reached out to me about an exchange,” Luca said in a bored voice as he reached for his drink but didn’t take a sip. “Your… ‘acquisition’ is quite lovely, but Aleks and I are still getting to know each other, aren’t we, my sweet?” Luca dropped his hand to Aleks’s head and Aleks obediently looked up and nodded.

My gut wrenched painfully because I could see Aleks was one hundred percent there… no escaping into his head, no blackout.

He was hearing, seeing and feeling everything.

“Yes, Sir,” Aleks said softly, reverently.

I wanted to throw up.

Luca touched his chin briefly in what one could have almost called an affectionate way. But then his expression hardened, and he motioned to the floor and Aleks immediately dropped his eyes and went silent. “Of course, if the price were right and I found something that was more in line with my tastes…”

Luca let the words drop off and took a sip of his drink. We’d made it clear online what Luca was actually looking for.

A teenager with fair hair and light eyes.

I forced myself to listen to the conversation as the men talked about different pets they’d had and had either lost or gotten rid of for one reason or another… they could have been talking about cars for all the emotion they showed. Almost forty minutes had passed before Luca reached his hand up to motion to me.

“Yes, sir?” I asked as I stepped around the chair.

“Take him to the bathroom. I don’t want to be interrupted during the auction.”

“Of course, sir,” I said.

Aleks didn’t move until Luca told him to go with me. Then he carefully got to his feet, keeping his hands folded demurely in front of him. Since I was allowed to touch Luca’s property for this purpose, I took Aleks’s arm and led him toward where Tuxedo Man was still standing by the back hallway. I discreetly rubbed my thumb into Aleks’s upper arm, but he didn’t react.

He couldn’t.

I shouldn’t have even done that much, but I wasn’t as strong as him.

When we reached Tuxedo Man he asked, “Private room for how many, sir?”

“Just the restroom,” I said.

“Of course. Down this hall and to the right.”

I led Aleks down the hallway. All the private rooms had letters on them and there were keypads on the doors.

Which meant the little slips of paper that Tuxedo Man had been handing out were the codes for the doors.

I tuned out the sounds I could hear coming from the other side of some of the doors and hoped Aleks was doing the same. The bathroom was clearly marked and empty. I ushered Aleks inside and closed and locked the door. I quickly scanned the room for any video cameras. There usually weren’t cameras at these things, because not only did they take too long to set up, but it wasn’t like these people wanted their activities recorded on film in any way, shape, or form.

“It’s safe, Aleks,” I said after a moment. “There aren’t any cameras or recording devices.”

I began to reach for him, but he put out his hand to stop me. “No,” he whispered. “Don’t touch me.”

Shock reverberated through me.

And hurt.

So much fucking hurt.

“Aleks—” I began in disbelief, but he shook his head and lifted his eyes to meet mine. They were swimming with tears but somehow, he managed to keep them from falling.

“I’m okay, James. But if you touch me, I’m going to lose it and I won’t be able to go back out there.”

His words made me feel both better and worse at the same time.

“It’s almost over, baby. Just hang in there a little longer.”

Aleks stiffened his spine and nodded, then wiped at his eyes. He went to the bathroom mirror and checked his face to make sure there wasn’t any proof of his tears. He was careful not to look at the collar or his outfit. He returned to me and sucked in a few breaths. “I’m ready,” he murmured.

“When we go out there, I’m going to look around a bit to see if there are any doors leading outside back here. If someone stops us, I’m just going to play it like we got turned around while trying to head back to the main room, okay? We won’t have long to look around so just stay with me and move quickly.”

Aleks nodded. “I will.”

I wanted to hug him and tell him how amazing I thought he was, but I knew he was right… if he showed even any of the emotion he was feeling, he’d break down completely.

I probably would too.

Or, at the very least, it would show on my face when we returned to Luca.

And like Aleks, I was just another piece of property out there. The hired help. I had a role to play just like everyone else.

Since I didn’t have to worry about anyone ignoring the collar and trying to reach out and touch Aleks back here like I had in the front room, I had him walk behind me as I began figuring out the layout of the back part of the building. There was another exit, but it too was heavily guarded by armed men and I had to use my excuse about being lost to explain our presence.

“Okay, let’s head back,” I said to Aleks as we passed the bathroom we’d used.

We were just rounding the corner and heading for the main hallway when two men came out of a private room, along with a little boy who was crying. The boy couldn’t have been more than nine or so.

I forced myself to keep moving, but when I heard the man say, “Aleks?” in surprise, both Aleks and I came to a stuttering stop.

I’d put Aleks in front of me and he’d kept his eyes down when we’d passed the men, but when he saw the guy who’d called his name, he let out a gasp and then went frighteningly pale. He stepped back so fast that his back hit the wall behind him. He began shaking his head violently.

“No,” he breathed. “No.”

The word just kept falling from his lips.

The man who’d called to him actually smiled. “Take him backstage and get him cleaned up,” the man told the other one who had his fingers around the little boy’s thin arm. The man and boy went the way Aleks and I had come and I realized there was probably a door that led to the other side of the building where the stage was.

Which meant the little boy was one of the kids up for sale tonight.

“The little one had a bit of stage fright,” the fucker said to me as he motioned in the direction the man and boy had gone. “He needed a little refresher on his training,” he added before turning his eyes to Aleks. “This one never needed any refresher lessons,” he said with an obscene amount of pride.

I saw red in my vision and when the man reached a hand toward Aleks, I grabbed him by the wrist. The man gasped at my painful hold and pulled his hand free. He was a beefy guy, but not muscular… most of the weight was centered in his belly and chest. His suit, while expensive, couldn’t hide the extra flab, and all it did was make him look like he was trying too hard. He had closely cropped dark hair and a pudgy face, and he looked like your average guy; there was nothing standout about him. Except his eyes…

There was no mistaking the evil in those eyes.

“He’s taken,” I growled as I tried to stick to the role I was supposed to be playing. But I couldn’t have, even if I’d wanted to.

Because Aleks was still whispering the word “no” over and over again.

“Ah, yes,” the man said as he eyed the collar. “I heard about Mr. Black being lucky enough to stumble across our little Aleks here,” he said. “Though it looks like the time away from us has caused a few unacceptable habits,” he added distastefully at Aleks’s continued display of emotion. “What did I always tell you about being good, Aleks?” the man drawled in a voice that had shivers running up my spine.

Aleks began to cry as he slid down the wall and dropped to his ass. I started to kneel down in front of him, but when the man tried to reach for Aleks again, I straightened and shoved him back.

“Hey,” the man snapped as he smoothed out his coat. He seemed to catch himself, like the outburst wasn’t the right reaction. He smiled and said, “Tell your boss that if he needs a hand in retraining this one” – he motioned to Aleks – “I’m happy to help. I prefer younger charges myself, but to each his own, right?” He let his eyes roam over Aleks. “I’m always up for new challenges,” he murmured, his tone positively sickening now. “Tell your boss to come see me after the auction if he wants to take me up on my offer or trade this one in for something a little less… used. A couple of my students are expected to sell for top dollar tonight, though I doubt they’ll go as high as little Aleks did.” He paused and then said, “Tell him to ask for Brian.”

Brian.

As in the Brian who’d been the first man to rape Aleks. Brian, who’d tortured Aleks by making him believe that if he didn’t behave, his brother wouldn’t come for him. Brian, who’d had an innocent woman brutalized and murdered in front of a little boy to teach him a lesson…

It wasn’t something I needed to think about any further. I hit Brian hard enough to knock him out cold. His head hit the wall behind him before he crashed onto the floor. I was on him despite the fact that he was unconscious. It was only Aleks calling my name that eventually got through my muddled brain, and I somehow managed to tell my fists to stop their downward trajectory.

“James, stop,” Aleks said as he frantically grabbed at my sleeve. My knuckles were covered in blood.

As was Brian’s face.

What was left of his face, anyway.

I saw his chest rising and falling, so I knew I hadn’t killed him.

I was glad for that because he wouldn’t have felt even a single one of my punches after the first one.

“James,” Aleks cried. All my faculties returned at once and I remembered where we were and what would happen if we were discovered. My eyes fell on a little piece of white paper on the floor next to Brian.

I snatched it up and breathed a sigh of relief.

It was the door code for the room he’d just been in.

The door right behind us.

I punched the code in and sent my thanks heavenward when the door clicked. I pushed it open, then reached down to grab Brian beneath his armpits. I dragged him into the room and threw him on the floor, then took Aleks’s hand and pulled him inside with me.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

Aleks was staring at Brian’s body. I’d put Brian down face first, so he couldn’t see his front, but it didn’t matter. He was clearly in shock and probably not because of what I’d done. I knew there was no way Aleks would be able to recover enough from this to get through the next fifteen minutes. Not to mention both my hands and probably other parts of me had blood on them. And someone was bound to come looking for Brian at some point, especially once the auction started.

“Aleks, we need to go,” I said. I searched the room. It was simply furnished with a bed, dresser, and nightstand. The bed had clearly been used and I could see a condom discarded on the floor. I felt sick as I went to the bed and snatched the pillow off it. I mentally thanked Con for having had the foresight to make me wear a tie. I ripped the tie off my neck and pulled the pillowcase off the pillow. There were some towels on the nightstand, but the drawers proved to only have condoms, lube, and a handful of sex toys in them. I felt sick to my stomach at the sight and slammed the drawers shut before Aleks could see what was in them.

I wiped at my hands with one of the towels, then went to Brian and tied his feet up with my tie. I quickly worked my shoes off, removed my socks and used one to tie his hands behind his back. I ripped one of the smaller towels in half and stuffed the material into Brian’s mouth, then used my other sock to gag him so he wouldn’t be able to cry out when he woke up. I wanted to kill the man but I wouldn’t do it in front of Aleks and I couldn’t risk sending him in the hallway by himself to wait for me. But Brian sure as shit wouldn’t be walking the earth long now that I knew who he was. The second I had Aleks safe, I’d find Brian and I’d make him feel everything he’d made Aleks feel and then some.

And I’d enjoy every moment.

I put the pillowcase over Brian’s head and dragged his body to the other side of the bed so that if someone opened the door, they wouldn’t see him right away. My hope was that since I had the code for the door, Tuxedo Man would just assume the room was still in use. And hopefully Aleks, Luca, and I would be long gone before the man who’d been with Brian realized he was missing.

“Do I have any blood on my face?” I asked Aleks.

Aleks was standing frozen by the door, his eyes on the spot where I’d placed Brian’s body.

“Aleks,” I said gently as I went to stand in front of him. I stroked his face. He’d asked me not to touch him earlier, but I figured that request had flown out the window at this point.

“What?” he asked.

“Do I have any blood on my face?” I asked. I had the last towel in my hand to use to clean off whatever obvious blood remained. I was hoping the lighting was dim enough that no one would notice the blood on my suit jacket or the dots of it on my shirt while we went to get Luca.

Aleks finally seemed to snap out of his daze when he looked at me. He took the towel from me and carefully wiped at my forehead, then my nose. “Are you okay?” he asked.

I wanted to laugh at that.

On the one hand I wasn’t okay… not even close.

But on the other, beating the shit out of Brian had felt really good.

I probably should have been bothered by that fact but I really wasn’t.

“I’m good,” I said. “When we get back out there, I need you to play along for just a little while longer, okay?”

Aleks nodded. He looked like he was going to throw up and I didn’t blame him.

“Let’s go,” I said softly. I grabbed his hand only long enough to get him out of the room, then dropped it.

I breathed a sigh of relief when Tuxedo Man barely paid us any attention as we hurried past him. It took less than a minute to get back to Luca. When his eyes met mine as we reached him, I could tell he could see something was up. Aleks went to his side and resumed his position on his knees. The men with Luca were all chatting about something, but my brother ignored them as I leaned over and whispered into his ear, “We need to go. Tell them you and Aleks need some private time.”

He barely reacted other than to nod. Luca stood up and motioned to Aleks, who climbed to his feet but kept his eyes down. He was about to speak to the men surrounding us when a dark-haired man suddenly appeared at Luca’s side. Like me, he had “bodyguard” written all over him.

“Mr. Black, my employer has requested a private meeting with you and your… ward,” the man said as he spared Aleks the briefest of glances.

“Actually, my pet and I were just going to go have some quality time together before the auction,” Luca said.

I knew King and Con were watching everything that was happening through the button on Luca’s jacket, but they wouldn’t have had any idea about Brian. And they probably hadn’t overheard me tell Luca we needed to go. The plan was to tell our brothers what was happening the second we got to the back rooms.

“It will be worth your while, Mr. Black,” the man said. “My employer is of the understanding that you’re considering letting go of your property if the circumstances are acceptable, and my employer has been extremely interested in this particular piece of property for a very, very long time.”

I stiffened at that but managed not to react. God bless him, but Luca managed not to react either.

There was only one man we knew of who’d wanted Aleks for a long time.

Stylianos.

“Mr. Stylianos will compensate you quite well for your loss, Mr. Black,” the man said.

I could sense Luca’s hesitation and I knew why he wasn’t jumping to respond.

Because I’d told him we needed to go and he was focused on that rather than finally meeting the man who might know where his son was.

Luca was putting Aleks’s and my safety first. Part of me wanted to just get Aleks out of there, but the other part knew we might not have this chance again. I glanced at Tuxedo Man. Both he and the guard were still there and I didn’t see any kind of commotion to indicate Brian had been found.

“The auction won’t start for another fifteen minutes, sir,” I said to Luca in the hopes he would understand my message.

Luca considered it for a moment, then looked at the man.

“Lead the way,” he finally said.