Page 6 of Dark Possession
Neither did I.
I glance at him, my expression neutral. “You know me. I don’t make moves without purpose.”
He hums in amusement, but there’s curiosity in his gaze. Good. That’s what I want him to see. Control. Strategy. That’s what I need him to believe.
But as I step out of the room, the weight of what I’ve done settles over me.
I don’t make moves without purpose.
So why did I just buy her?
CHAPTER THREE
Alina
THE SOUNDS OF the auction still ring in my ears as I’m led off the stage. The murmur of the crowd, the clinking of glasses, the faint rustle of fabric—all of it lingers in the air like a sickly perfume. I can’t shake the feeling that I’m still standing in that harsh spotlight, exposed, paraded in front of strangers who now own pieces of me.
Fifty thousand.That’s what Koka promised me. The sum that would clear Marina’s debt, make it all disappear—make the threats and the tension stop.
I’m almost certain, though, that I heard a far different sum whispered after the word “sold” sounded.
“How much did he pay for me?” I ask, pulling at the hand around my wrist. The man stops and flings an irritated glance in my direction.
“That is not your concern.” He tugs.
I plant my feet, refusing to move. “It is my concern. I have an agreement with Koka. I am supposed to receive fifty thousand—”
He snorts. “Half a million will cover what you are owed, then.”
Half a million.Dazed, I let him pull me along. The sum echoes in my mind, a staggering sum. I can’t help but feel the weight of it. The victory that should have tasted sweet feels hollow.
Livestock sold at market.That’s how I feel. Like a commodity, nothing more. Very expensive, but livestock all the same.
My handler guides me down another of the narrow, dimly lit hallways that seem to populate this place like veins in a body. The shadows cast by the flickering bulb on the ceiling feel like they’re closing in, and every step I take in this unfamiliar space only makes the oppressive atmosphere heavier. There’s nothing comfortable about this. Nothing I can cling to for a sense of safety or reassurance.
At the end of the hall, we enter a small, windowless room. We haven’t ascended any stairs, so I’m pretty sure we’re still underground.
He pushes me toward a table where a thin man with spectacles and an ill-fitting button-up shirt waits, the fluorescents in here casting odd angles on his face.
“Please sit,” he invites, tapping the papers twice on the table and pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.
As if I have a choice.Still, he’s more polite than anyone else has been, and he keeps his eyes above my neck, not once looking at my body in the lingerie I’m still wearing. I slide into the seat and glance down as he slides a thick pack of paperwork in front of me.
The papers in front of me are an invitation to a nightmare.
“I’ve marked the areas for you to sign. This indicates that you are leaving here this evening of your own volition. That you have not been coerced in any way, shape, or form. That the money paid to your account is for a debt owed, and not for services rendered.”
He drones on, pointing to each area where I am supposed to initial or sign.
I sign without attempting to read the text. It’s not like it matters. My choice is made. For however long this man, this stranger, claims me, I belong to him.
I feel it with every stroke of the pen—what’s left of my freedom slipping away. I should have asked Koka more questions. I should have made sure the deal was airtight. But now it’s too late.
When I finish, I set the pen down and look up at my handler, still standing in the doorway. He’s thick with muscle, with a face that doesn’t invite conversation. He looks like someone who’s used to being obeyed. I want to believe I’m above him, but right now, all I can feel are the invisible ropes of shame and fear tightening around my neck.
“The remainder will be wired to my mother, as agreed, correct?” My voice is calm, but the question weighs more than I want it to.
He grunts, not looking me in the eye. "Koka will handle all of that."
