Noelle strained a smile as her heels clicked on the ground. She did her best to maintain her facade without showing the turmoil inside her heart.
She was alone at this auction after Lucero had pled a headache, but she didn’t let that affect her confidence. She was there for one purpose and one purpose only.
Blue.
She needed to see if the man she’d been told about was indeed her Blue.
Drinks were being served as people socialized before the auction was set to begin, and Noelle did her best to mingle around, spotting a few acquaintances and in the process making new ones.
She put on her haughty persona—the one that had inspired such fear into the people of the hacienda—and though the appreciative glances didn’t fail to come her way, no one crossed the line.
Noelle was happy that she didn’t have to fight off any advances, for her mind was not in the game. If anything, the strain of the wait was weighing heavily on her.
She nursed a glass of wine for the entire event, her eyes always on her watch.
When someone finally declared that the auction would start, her pulse suddenly sped up.
She pushed against her body’s response to fear as she straightened her spine and followed the host towards the room in which the bidding would take place.
During the networking event, lists had been handed out with the night’s offering, and she’d noticed most of the other people on auction were women. Only a few men were available, and one of them matched her Blue in age and description. Now she only needed to see if it was him or not.
Stepping inside the bidding room, Noelle took a seat as she waited for everyone to do the same.
It was some ten minutes later that the announcer went up onto the stage, starting with the introductions and a brief summary of what to expect, as well as starting prices and conditions of purchase.
Noelle didn’t really pay any mind to that. She had plenty of money at her disposal, and she was ready to use it all up in order to get her Blue—if it was indeed him.
When the auction finally started, the women were first. Most of them looked barely eighteen, some seemingly fresh and unspoiled while others already battered and abused.
Though she’d tried to kill her empathy long ago, Noelle couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity for those girls, especially as she saw their buyers. She had no doubt that if things hadn’t gone according to her plan, that it could have been her on the stage.
She tapped her foot restlessly against the floor as she tried to calm her frayed nerves. Yet it was to no avail as when the announcement for a male in his twenties came, her heart dropped to the floor.
Her lips parted in shock as she saw one of the attendants push forward a barely coherent man whose limbs had been secured with heavy chains.
His gold locks spilled onto his forehead, wet and sticking to his skin. His body was black and blue, the signs of abuse unmistakable.
She barely stopped herself from getting up and yelling at them to leave him alone—to get their hands off him. She barely stopped herself from fainting on the spot at recognizing him.
It was him.
Her Blue.
Rafaelo.
And he looked so pitiful her heart broke in her chest, shattering in a million pieces never to be recovered.
He was clearly drugged out of his mind, moving sluggishly as he was pushed onto his knees in the middle of the stage.
His eyes, though, were the most concerning.
They were blank. So blank, he looked as if he’d retreated to a deep corner of his mind–the only place he could find safety from the horrors of the world.
How did this happen? How the hell had he gotten here?
Though she’d put an alert for his description, she’d still hoped that there could be another explanation to his disappearance.
At least he’s not dead.
No, he wasn’t dead. But by the looks of him, he wasn’t far from the grave.
“This one starts at ten thousand,” the announcer stated, and Noelle quickly raised her bidding sign.
There was another person who bid with her, so she hurried to raise her bid, again and again.
“One hundred going once. Twice. Sold.”
It was only at that moment that she released a relieved breath.
She’d done it. She’d bought him.
But now what could she do with him?
“What do you mean you’re not letting him come with me?” Noelle asked after the auction had concluded.
She’d already planned for him to be freed and taken back to his family, and a car was waiting for him to be taken across the border back into the States.
“Your husband called. He instructed us to send him to his home or he wouldn’t release the funds.”
“What?” Noelle’s eyes flashed.
“You should talk with your husband, ma’am,” the man nodded at her before excusing himself to talk to someone else.
Noelle was incredulous. Sergio had never done something of the sort before. What could have gotten into him?
Taking out her phone, she dialed him up immediately.
“What’s the meaning of this?” She gritted her teeth as she asked.
“A hundred grand for a slave, Noelle?” His tongue clicked as he drawled the words, and Noelle could imagine him sporting a smirk on his godforsaken face.
“Well, it’s my job to acquire them. We’ve settled that before,” she answered, doing her best to keep her tone even and not betray her mounting anxiety.
“We might have. Before you decided to spend a hundred grand on one person. What’s so special about him, I wonder?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Nothing,” he answered in an innocent tone—too innocent.
Damn it, was he onto her? Was he suspecting something?
“I’ve heard you’ve been looking for a certain blonde slave. Why is that, I wonder?”
Noelle wanted to yell at him and remind him of his part of the bargain, but seeing that he was already suspicious of Blue, she couldn’t afford to do anything that might reveal her attachment to him.
“Maybe I’m into blondes,” she said carelessly. “You can have your harem and I can’t?”
“So you bought him to fuck him?”
“What’s it to you, Sergio?” She rolled her eyes.
“He’s not much to look at. I had no idea you were into the pathetic scrawny type,” he chuckled.
Fuck. He knew what Blue looked like. How long had he known she’d been looking for him?
She started panicking at the prospect of Sergio finding out just who Blue was to her. If he did…then he’d have plenty of material for blackmail. He was her one weakness, and she had no doubt Sergio would exploit it to the fullest.
God, but the thought of her Blue being hurt because of her made her dizzy with fear.
“Jealous much, Sergio? He might be scrawny but at least his anatomy works,” she countered.
“You bitch,” he spat out.
“You can have him if you want. You should have said so from the beginning. I’m not so bad that I can’t share,” she continued, knowing this was the best way to rile him up and make him lose sight of what was important. “You might be missing your dick but I assume your ass is intact?” She added sweetly.
“One day,” he gritted out. “One day I’ll fucking kill you, Noelle.”
Too bad his threats did nothing to her when she knew he couldn’t carry them out.
“Why, when I’m so generous? I’m even offering to share him and you threaten to kill me. Not very nice of you, Sergio,” Noelle said, the lie burning on her tongue.
She would never share her Blue. She’d rather kill Sergio and face the wrath of his people than have anyone lay even one finger on him.
A string of muffled curses and she knew she had him where she wanted.
“You can fuck him all you want, but he’s going to earn his keep at the temple,” Sergio said before he hung up—no doubt needing some time to soothe his battered ego.
Noelle took a deep breath. That had been a close call. She needed to be careful with how she interacted with Blue until she managed to find a way to free him.
Her small fists clenched by her side as her lips flattened into a thin line.
Damn you, Sergio! Damn you for everything!
