Alissa
A sudden noise from the other side of the door—a grunt?—made Sophia tremble and leap back. I gently squeezed her hand. Then I quietly approached the door.
I might have to use my looks and my body to escape, to influence whomever entered through that door. As much as I hated the idea of seducing my way out of here, I might have to do just that in order to win my freedom. I might have to become the flirtatious girl I’d once been.
You can do this. Be brave. Be strong.
The doorknob turned and the door slowly crept open, little by little. I grabbed Sophia and darted behind the door, pulling her with me. She gasped softly and stumbled after me. A tall man stepped into the room, his gaze sweeping around.
He was Hispanic like all the other men I’d seen here. Except bigger. Taller. He gave off an air of menace, of danger, that had my heart slamming into my ribs. I had no doubt he could hurt me and Sophia. Very, very easily.
He hadn’t yet seen us behind the door. I had to protect Sophia. If I could somehow keep her from being abused, from being sold to some sick bastard who raped women, then I would. I’d survived worse. Much worse. I would risk myself for Sophia if I had to. She was just a girl.
A new surge of determination swept through me. I was the old Alissa now. The brave one.
No. I was a new Alissa.
Maybe we could make a run for it. Knock him back and sprint for the street.
The man paused, his head jerking toward us.
So much for running. I might have to seduce my way out of here, after all. If I could convince him to let us out of here, maybe offer myself to him for free, then maybe he wouldn’t take us to the auction. Maybe he would let us go.
Do it. Seduce him. Do whatever you have to do to get out of here.
He grabbed the door and swung it away from us, revealing our hiding spot behind it.
I froze. Sophia whimpered, curling into my back, trying to hide.
The man’s gaze locked on mine.
I hesitated. I had to protect Sophia. I couldn’t let her be sold like a damn cow. I swallowed hard, then stepped away from the wall. He’d seen me, so it wasn’t as if I could hide from him any longer. Gently pushing Sophia back toward the wall, I drew in a deep breath for courage, then walked right up to him, pressing my body against his seductively.
Be a seductress, Alissa. You can do this.
“If you take me out of here, you can have me for free. You won’t have to buy me at the auction. We can leave right now. No one has to know.”
His gaze narrowed, then darted to Sophia, who was cowering back against the wall now. Contempt filled his features.
O-kay. This wasn’t going well. I had to protect Sophia, keep his attention on me.
I gently squeezed his arm. “Me. Not her. She’s just a child. You wanna play? Those are some big muscles you have. I can help you put them to use. I promise you can have me all to yourself if you get us out of here.”
His gaze darted back to Sophia. No. I couldn’t let him hurt her.
Distract him. Quickly!
I pressed closer to him, rubbing up against his hard, muscular body. “She’s just a girl. You don’t want her. I’m all woman. Get us out of here and you can have me as long as you want. Free of charge.”
He didn’t move, didn’t speak. It was like leaning against a rock wall.
I glanced up into his face. His black gaze bored contemptuously into mine. A warning bell rang inside my head. What was I doing? This wasn’t me. This man could hurt me—break me—so easily.
You’re saving Sophia, an innocent girl. You can do this. It’s a small sacrifice. You might even earn your freedom.
The man continued to stare down at me, unaffected by my body or my attempt at seduction. I’ll admit I was rusty, but most men couldn’t resist me. Especially in a sexy, body-hugging dress like this.
O-kay. So he obviously wasn’t interested. Maybe he didn’t like blondes. Or maybe he was gay.
I stepped back, embarrassed by my behavior and his obvious rejection. My face flaming, I cleared my throat. “You speak English?”
He let out a snort of disgust, his black eyes locking on mine. “Yes, I speak English. I’m not here to fuck you, puta. Nate sent me.”
I didn’t know much Spanish, but that was one word I did know. He’d just called me a whore.
Then his last sentence registered.
Nate sent me.