the back where two other girls are already tied up and waiting to leave. They both look up at me with fear in their eyes. I hate that they have to see me the way they do, and that now Violet sees me the same.
I go back inside and get the last girl from her cell, passing Luca and Gabe, who have the other two with them. When I get back to the van, I help the last girl inside.
I sigh, closing up the back door. I hope after everything, Violet sees how much I’ve given up for her and how much I’ve cared for her through all of this.
“Gabe, you drive the van. I’ll ride with you in case anything goes down.” I point to Luca, who is waiting for me to give him an order. “Luca, you take the SUV and let me know if anything looks suspicious. We’ll meet at the club.”
Luca gives me a curt nod and then walks toward the blacked-out SUV. Everyone takes their spots at my orders, and we head out.
It takes us only an hour to get to Vegas, and when we pull into the club’s parking lot, I damn near sag against the seat. Everything comes down to this. It’s still early and the parking lot is mostly empty, thankfully. We drive up to the back door and get out of the van. One of the guards is waiting out back as usual and opens the door for us. Luca pulls up behind us just as I open the back of the van. Gabe takes one girl on each arm, while I take Violet and another. Luca exits the SUV and grabs the last two girls. I want to assure Violet one last time before everything goes down but there isn’t any way to do so right now.
We walk the girls into the dressing room, where women with brushes and makeup are on hand waiting to get them ready for tonight. I sit Violet down on one of the chairs in front of the vanity mirror. Our eyes meet for a moment, and I see sadness and worry but also longing. She misses me, she wants me, and that’s enough to keep me going. I blink and return my gaze to the floor before I turn around and walk through the dressing room toward Benny’s office.
Benny’s crooked smile greets me as soon as I walk into his office without knocking. “Ivan, good to see you, old friend.”
“Everything set for tonight?” I’m not going to pretend that I like him or call him my friend. We are not, nor will we ever be, friends.
“Everything is set. I’ve got a replacement girl coming in. She’ll be waiting outside in a car and you can switch her out with your girl right before the auction.” This is the part Violet can never find out about. Benny found a replacement for Violet’s spot; there was no other way around it. We promised them six girls and that means six girls need to be auctioned off tonight.
I remember Benny telling me it was some homeless girl he’d found on the Strip. She didn’t really have a good life anyway, but that wouldn’t matter to Violet if she found out. She would hate me and hate herself if she ever discovered the truth. But I will do whatever I have to, hurt anyone I need to in order for her to be free.
Maybe she is my biggest flaw, my biggest weakness, but she might also be my only chance of salvation.
“Great. As soon as I have them switched and her out of here, I’ll send you the rest of the payment.”
Benny gives me a nod, and that’s the end of our conversation.
I walk out of the office and take my position at the entrance of the dressing room. We are not supposed to leave until their security is fully staffed and in place, which I’m hoping is soon. I want to get Violet out of here without a trace of evidence being left behind.
As soon as Rossi finds out what I’m doing tonight, he’ll send someone out to kill us both. Plus, I need a head start to outrun him... because he will hunt us, and he won’t stop.
Killing Yulie will be the least of my worries after I take Violet.
Minutes tick by, and I grow more and more impatient. The club is starting to fill up and the club’s security is still understaffed. What the fuck!
When