Page 100 of Sapphire

Tomas pulls me to him. “The fight isn’t over. She is strong, she is a fighter. They need her, Mateo. Brooks has word that ten women are being added to the program for the auction—they will have some of the famous Bratva Jewels for sale.”

I don’t believe him.

“Brooks and his team are on their way to Marrakesh,” Sophie adds, walking into the room.

“But what about your sisters?”

Tomas and Sophie look between each other.

“There is no word, no one knows where they are, but we have a couple of days until the Marrakesh sales. I believe that they are there. I also believe she is still alive. My phone starts ringing. Looking down, I see my publicist’s number flashing on the screen. I don’t have time for her, so I ignore her call.

“I want to have faith—” My phone rings again, and it’s my publicist. I hit ignore. But when it starts again. Sophie and Tomas look at me, so I pick up the phone and answer it. “Valeria, what’s so fucking important?”

“Mateo, it is a shit storm here.” I can hear the panic in her voice, it makes me sit up. “Someone released a sex tape of you … of you and Tomas.”

I burst out laughing because she can’t be serious. There are always rumors flying around about Tomas and me.

“No, Mateo. I saw the tape, someone bugged your home in Ibiza, it’s clear as day. You and Tomas by the pool, in your room, in the kitchen …”

“Fuck!”

“I have emailed you the videos,” Valeria says.

Sophie and Tomas are looking at me, but I don’t have time to explain. Grabbing my laptop off the bedside table, I flip it open and click into my email. I double-click on the email from Valeria. There we are together in full color.

I slam the laptop shut, and I can see Tomas looking questioningly at me. I shake my head.

“Fuck, Val, what are we going to do?”

“It looks like someone has either stolen sex tapes or someone has criminally bugged your home, so we can put an injunction out on them. I’ve been on the phone with legal and we’re in the process of shutting it down with the magazine. But once it’s on the internet, I can’t stop it.” I can hear the sorrow in her voice.

We are well and truly fucked.

“You need to tell Tomas. His father is going to find out about this.”

My eyes find Tomas’s and I want to be sick. I have just ruined his life, ruined his relationship with his family. I hang up from Val.

“Open the laptop,” I say to him. “Sophie, you might want to look away unless you want to see us in a different light.”

She frowns but moves away from the laptop and sits on the edge of the bed with me.

Tomas opens the computer, and he sees it. His face turns white as he presses play. Luckily there is no sound, just images. He drops the computer on the bed. I can see the panic in his eyes.

“Fuck! How? I don’t understand?”

“Val has contacted the police and legal is onto the magazine.”

“But someone videoed us in our home?”

Sophie is looking between us, and I can see the confusion on her face.

“I know.”

Tomas starts pacing the room.

I push the computer toward Sophie. Everyone else has seen it anyway. Her eyes widen, and she closes it a couple of seconds later.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry,” she says.

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