Page 129 of Coal Hearts

––––––––

“AFTER YOU.” VICTOR GRINNED HIS reptilian grin, standing on the threshold of his office.

Not that it could be called a simple office.

Tucked away on the highest floor of this monstrosity of a castle, it flowed out onto a stone deck with the parapet framing all corners with ancient protection. Gargoyles watched with their wings spread. Angels hung, skewered and bleeding, butchered by the swords of sandstone goblins.

“Quite the place you have here.” I strolled into the huge space, my borrowed loafers whispering over dense gold carpet. Two ornate desks had been pushed together to make one long work area. Four computer screens on one end, a laptop on the other, and a quill and ink pot in the centre as if honouring the olden days where swan feathers were used to write instead of keyboards.

“Thank you.” Victor accepted my compliment. “I admit, I like it. I spend most of my time up here.” Closing the door, he followed me. “I needed something practical but comfortable.”

“You expect me to believe you forgo the glittering entertainment below?” I waggled my eyebrows, hating myself. “Or do you have your own jewels stashed under your desk? Slaves you don’t share.”

He laughed. “Oh, I make do, don’t you worry.” Brushing past me, he went to his desk and booted up the laptop. “As much as I’d like to indulge and be a man of pleasure and leisure every day, I still have an empire to run.”

“Empire being new slaves?”

He watched me closely before asking, “Tell me, Henri. How much do you know of the trafficking trade?”

Frost coated my insides. “Honestly? Not a lot.”

“Have you ever been on the black web and tried to find your own little plaything? Something French perhaps or Spanish. Maybe a toy from Russia or Brazil?” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Every flavour. Every authenticity. They’re all available...if you know where to look.”

The reckless part of me—the part that would do anything to earn the companionship of my brother and his family—perked up for facts, secrets, and knowledge. The more I knew of Victor’s operation, the more intel I could feed Q when he finally came.

But...the cautious part of me went dangerously still.

I didn’t want to know.

Didn’t want to imagine all the helpless victims being bought and gifted as if they were fucking Pokémon cards.

I also didn’t want to know because I had a feeling that once you knew that sort of thing, it became less...grotesque. If I ever saw a website listing a girl like Ily with a price tag and a shipping date as if I could order her straight off Amazon, it would be yet another nudge that the desires inside me weren’t that bad, after all. The black urges would get worse, not because I could afford to own a fucking human being but because the world made it seem so comically...normal.

Fuck.

Sourness splashed on my tongue. “You obviously know where to look.” I forced a smirk, choosing to know everything there was to know about Victor so I could end him, all while hoping it wouldn’t end me. “Show me. What sites do you use to buy and sell merchandise? Can I get in on that?”

Victor laughed. “You must have quite a fortune, Ward, if you’ve just spent two million euros on one girl and already looking to buy another.”

“If my two mil had truly bought Ily, then I wouldn’t need another, would I?” I narrowed my eyes. “I have no idea the going rate for a slave. And...seeing as you’re playing hardball and only giving me a twenty percent stake in her, when I go home, I go back empty-handed. I’ll need to find another toy to entertain myself with.”

He nodded as if I spoke perfect sense. “Yes, I suppose you will.”

“Unless...” I cocked my head. “You give me that membership you keep dangling in front of me. Then I could visit her every weekend and behave myself in the interim.”

“Pay me the two million you bid, and perhaps we’ll discuss it.” Tapping the laptop keys for a few seconds, Victor stepped away from the desk. “It’s ready for you.”

Behind him, the floor-to-ceiling bookcases reminded me of the library where Ily and I had made our bargain.

Fire licked through my blood.

My cock twitched.

What happened down in the garden...fuck.

I’d never come that fast or that hard. Never been wholly in the moment without needing to picture other things to climax. All I’d needed was her. And it wasn’t even because I’d hurt her.

She was different.