scatter our clothes and take my Glock out of my bag but leave everything else.
The whirring of the helicopter gets closer. When it's over our head, a line with two harnesses lowers. I put one on Emilia then myself. I hook her to mine. "Hold on to me, ma belle. Don't look down. Bury your face in my neck or close your eyes."
She wraps her arms around my neck and shouts in my ear, "I have a better idea."
"What?"
We begin to get lifted into the air, and she laces her fingers in my hair and kisses me. It's a passionate concoction of innocence and sin that I've only experienced with her. I hold her tight, taking every piece of her I can, our eyes locked the entire time.
The woman I hold is not the same woman I rescued out of the pit. More and more, she's slipping away from that woman. But the craving I have for both of them doesn't diminish.
17
Emilia
The helicopter ride is short. It drops us off in a field. A private plane is waiting for us. Malin escorts me inside, and a man and woman are already seated. There is no flight attendant, only the pilot. Malin and I sit across from them, and the plane takes off.
Malin introduces us. "This is Gustave and his wife, Bernadette. This is Emilia."
They both kiss my cheek. Bernadette has blonde, shoulder-length hair, bright-blue eyes, and perfect hair and makeup. Gustave's black beret covers most of his salt-and-pepper hair. He has a matching short beard. His cheeks have a slight red tint to them, and his blue eyes are almost identical in color to Bernadette's.
While Gustave is nice, he has a no-nonsense air about him. Bernadette's smile is warm.
Gustave doesn't waste any time. "We've been wrong regarding Louis about many things."
Malin's eyes turn to slits. "Such as?"
"He gets a substantial cut from the money they raise from the women. He also controls the training houses."
The color drains from Malin's face. I put my hand on his thigh. When he looks at me, his gray eyes are dark and full of fear.
"Louis will not stop until he gets what he wants," Gustave states.
Malin's body stiffens. He turns to Gustave. "What does he want with her?"
"Your question doesn't warrant an answer. You already know it."
Bernadette reaches across the table for my hand. Sympathy is on her face.
"He cannot have her. I will kill him first," Malin snarls.
My stomach twists. I should have put two and two together before. "Louis wants to auction me?"
Malin puts his arm around my shoulders and tugs me into his chest. "It's not happening."
"What do you know about this?" Gustave asks me.
"I told her."
"I see."
My insides quiver at the thought of being broken in a whorehouse and then auctioned to the highest bidder. Be brave. Don't be weak. Find out the facts before freaking out.
I address Bernadette. "You were auctioned?"
Her eyes widen. "No, not at all. Gustave would never..."
I sigh in relief. "Right. Sorry, how did you..."
"This is not important, ma belle. We should not discuss this any further."
"Malin, she is worth a lot of money. You aren't stupid. She will go for hundreds of millions, if not more."
I gasp. "What? Why would I be worth so much?"
"Gustave, we will find another way," Malin sneers.
"Do you want to answer Emilia's question, or should I?" Gustave asks.
Malin slams his hand on the table. "She isn't having any part of this."
The two men glare at each other. Bernadette rises and holds out her hand. "Emilia, let's go in the back, shall we?"
"Yes."
Malin growls, "Bernadette—"
She glares at him. "You cannot hide Emilia. He will find her. The alliance Gustave just had to repair with Louis will break. This time it won't be fixable. We cannot pretend this isn't reality. She can take control of the situation or let it control her. Her fate will be worse if you do not claim her in the room with you, and you know this."
"She is not—"
"It's the whorehouse or you buy her. Take your pick, Malin," Bernadette warns.
I turn to Malin. "I'm not leaving you. Whatever I need to do, I will. Have some faith in me."
Malin picks up my hand. His eyes widen. "Ma belle, this isn't about my faith in you."
"You think I can't handle it. You believe I will break. But I won't. If I'm with you, it will be fine. I won't allow you to drop me off with a stranger or try to hide me. I'd rather face this