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“That’s Giancarlo Vitale,” someone whispered.
I kept my head down as we moved through the auction house.
“What the hell is one of the heads of the Vitale family doing here?”
It hit me like a bag of bricks. Vitale was one of the leading crime families in New York, and I wasn’t just bought by a lower rank member but one of the important ones. My stomach twisted as my legs shook, threatening to cave from under me.
Shit, shit, shit.
Cold air slapped me in the face and left me gasping as we stepped outside. Giancarlo glanced back for only a moment, but I forced another smile on my face.
Crap, my mouth hurts like a bitch.
He turned and led us over to a car but not just any car. It was a gorgeous 1978 Monte Carlo, all black, and it looked to have all its original parts. Desperation clawed at me to ask for him to pop the hood. I forced it down and rounded the car.
The moment my ass rested against the cushioned seat, I sank in. It was like sitting on butter. Giancarlo started it up. Instantly, I was transported to heaven. Vibrations from the engine traveled up my body. I’d kill to see what exactly was done to the car.
“For someone who was just sold, you sure do look excited.”
I was dragged from the momentary cloud and slammed back into reality. Right, I wasn’t in some nice car for fun. “Sorry.”
Giancarlo pulled out of the parking spot and wove himself into the streets. “No need to apologize, just curious what made you so happy.”
Had I been smiling? I would have known. I’d perfected the smile early on in my life, and I knew never to show it when I liked something. It was a guarantee my father would take it away.
Why did I let it show around him?
“You’re really twenty-two?”
I cleared my throat and smiled. “Yes.”
“And a virgin?”
What was everyone’s obsession with me being a virgin? So what? It couldn’t be that big of a deal. Again, I kept the fake smile plastered on my face. “Yes, I was checked over by five people.”
The man rubbed his jaw and tapped on the steering wheel. We slowed at a stop light, and Giancarlo stared at me with clear disbelief in his dark brown eyes. My smile never faltered; it was better to smile than to cry. I learned a long time ago that tears did nothing but invoke anger in some and pity in others. Nothing that would ever help me.
“And you’re happy about being sold?”
Happy?I pulled my thumb in and pressed the nail into the meaty part of my palm. The little bite of pain was enough to keep my smile bright and on my face.
“Do you want me to be happy or sad?”
“What kind of fucking question is that?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I’m nothing more than an item. I want to make sure you get your money’s worth.”
His eyebrows went up, nearly kissing his hairline. “All one point five million dollars?” A boisterous laugh left him. “Kid, you’re going to have to do a lot more than give me some Kmart knockoff smile for me to believe the bullshit you’re saying.”
I could feel the corners of my mouth turn down, and I fought it with everything I had. “Then what would you like for me to do?”
The man stopped laughing and stared. His gaze was heavy as it bore into me. I stayed stone still, not even breathing in more air than I needed.
Giancarlo turned back around just as the light turned green. “I’m not sure yet.”
My stomach knotted further. Uncertainty was far worse than knowing what was expected of me. I knew my father. He’d commanded, and I followed like a good boy until I walked onto that stage and stood there with my heart in my lungs and fear too great to mask.
I faced the road and stared as New York passed me in a blur. What would happen to me? Did I even want to know at this point? Surviving was the key. One day at a time.
