Highest Bidder Collection - Lauren Landish Page 0,274

his nose didn’t even hit the hard wood surface, only his forehead.

He’s merely dizzy as I grab him by the collar and pull him up so his face is just beneath mine. “Was it a sure bet?” I ask him, my voice a sneer. My muscles are tight and coiled. I’m on edge and seeing nothing but red now.

“Zander-” he begins, and my name is a strained plea.

Brooks starts to speak, but I don’t give him a moment to continue. I push him backward, his chair rolling across the floor as the backs of his knees smack against it. “There are no sure bets.” I push the words through clenched teeth.

It wouldn’t have come to this if he’d shown respect at least. It wasn’t his money to piss away.

My grip tightens as I haul his back against the wall, slamming his spine against the drywall and denting it from the force. My teeth clench as my left hand forms a fist and I land a blow into his kidney. My muscles are taut and adrenaline is rushing through me. My head feels light; my breathing is heavy.

A loud grunt spills from his lips until I tighten my hand around his throat, feeling his blood rushing just beneath the surface and his throat giving in to the brute force of my weight. Both of his hands instantly reach for my hand on his neck, his blunt fingernails scratching against the glove on my hand. It’s no use. I’m not letting go until he receives this message loud and clear.

I lean in close to his ear and hiss between clenched teeth, “You’ll pay me all of it by the twenty-fifth of April. Or I’ll destroy you.” I pull away to look into his eyes. The milky whites have turned red around the edges, his face is a brighter shade of red, and his hands are still struggling at my grip. I hold his eyes, so full of sheer terror, only for a moment longer before releasing him.

I leave him there, heaving for air in a slump on the floor as I walk quickly to the door, shaking out my hand and ignoring the force inside of me begging to unleash itself. Begging for a fight.

“Wait. I have something you may want,” Brooks calls out in a croak. His words stop me midstep, but I continue momentarily, ignoring him and turning the doorknob.

“I want my money, Brooks. I won’t take anything else,” I tell him firmly.

His eyes stare back at me with a darkness as I stand in the doorway.

“I know what you like most at the club,” he says then noticeably swallows, the soft, sick sound filling my ears as he rights himself, still slumping against the wall.

“The club?” I ask flatly, my face devoid of emotion or interest.

“Club X,” he says loudly and clearly. The name makes my blood run cold. I only go there to watch my investments, for appearances only. I’m not interested in anything beyond that, and I haven’t taken part in any of the… activities for a reason.

“I know you like the Slaves.” My eyes narrow, and I have to keep my feet planted before I crush this fucker’s windpipe. Brooks continues, “But there aren’t many. Take mine… for a month.”

My heart beats loud in my chest and blood rushes in my ears as I finally move slightly backward onto my heels and open the door wider so I can leave this prick and get on with my life.

“You have until the twenty-fifth,” I reiterate and turn my back to him.

“You don’t want her then?” he asks with slight disbelief, and I quickly turn to face him when I hear him take a single step toward me. The moment my eyes lock with his, he freezes.

“No,” I tell him with a chill in my voice. “You’ll pay me what you owe me-”

“She’ll go up for auction then.” He nods sternly, not backing down from my cold gaze. “I’ll get that money to you on time. I have three hundred thousand coming. She’s good for the rest. I know she is.”

His admission makes rage and adrenaline pump through my blood. “That’s not your money,” I answer him.

He shrugs slightly, seemingly more at ease now that he’s figured out a way to pay me. “She’s mine. She’ll do what she’s told.”

“On the twenty-fifth, Brooks,” I say one last time, turning and closing the door behind me as I go.

I’m on edge and uneasy as I slip the gloves off