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“Ignore him guys; he’s an ass. An ass who needs to leave now because I’m sick of looking at your perfect face.” Dee growled, frustrated beyond belief with him.

“Perfect, huh?” He smirked at her.

“Dom, why are you here?” Creed asked again.

“Cool your jets, Black. I was hired by Deidre’s father to bring her home, but she ran off here, and I had to find her again.”

“He’s not my father, and it certainly isn’t home,” Dee told him mutinously.

“You’re coming with me, Princess. Even if I have to drag you back kicking and screaming,” he warned her, leaning in close to her face.

“Ahem,” Kennedy cleared her throat, drawing the attention of everyone. “Who exactly are you? And why do you need to bring her to her father? It’s called free will for a reason.”

Laughing, he shocked them all by replying, “I’m Dominic Slade, and I have to bring her home in order to own her.”

Uh, say what now?

Her head was buzzing. She missed some of what they were saying. She shouldn’t be shocked her father would sell her. Yet she was. Completely, irrevocably, stunned.

“Wait… What?” Confusion laced her words. “What do you mean bring me back so you can own me?”

“He never told you?” Shaking her head no, he continued, “Fuck sakes. Your father and I had an agreement when you were younger. Once you hit a certain age you were mine, no matter where you were in the world. Only I had to bring you back to him one last time.”

Shock. Yes, the feeling running through her system was shock. It’s the only possible reason for everyone’s silence at his admission.

“You mean he sold me to you?” Dee asked quietly.

“No. He traded you. Your life for his.”

“I don’t understand.” she couldn’t wrap her mind around it.

“I was sent to kill him eight years ago, so I had to infiltrate his life. I was your bodyguard until he noticed the attention I was giving you. I treated you like you were a person rather than a thing, and he didn’t like it so you were sent away and I was reassigned. Instead of taking the new job, I used my time wisely and waited for my opportunity to strike. As I was about to, he was in the middle of a deal, and I took advantage.”

“What kind of deal?” she whispered, terrified of the answer.

“He was about to sell you to a human trafficker for top dollar. Your eyes are a very unique color; therefore, bringing in the highest bidders. H

e was going to get millions for you. I gave him a choice,” Dom told her softly.

“My life for his.”

“Yes.”

“Sunshine,” Creed called Kennedy. “Let’s go on back home.” He went to reach for her hand, but she pulled back.

“I won’t leave her like this, and with him! Are you insane?”

“It’s fine, Ken. I’ll be okay. I have nothing to fear from Dom, never have. Just don’t like his arrogance,” Dee explained to her with a small smile. While it was true, Dom would never hurt her physically, she wasn’t so sure about emotionally.

“Are you still leaving tonight?” Kenny asked.

“Yes,” she shot a dirty look to Dom. “But I’m going back home, not to his royal asshole’s.” Laughing at the growl Dom let out, Dee hugged her whispering, “I’ll see you soon. Go home, Kenny. Your folks miss you.”

“You’ll be okay?” she asked pulling back from the hug.

Would she? Probably not.

“It’s time to go home, Kennedy. For both of us.”