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When I’d discussed tonight’s event with my friends, a few scenarios came up that would require immediate attention. I pressed the button on my watch twice, alerting my friends that an urgent matter had surfaced. They knew about Kiera’s abduction, and that had eased the tightness in my chest.

I gripped the handheld bidding device and made sure my watch captured all the women on the stage, including the faces of as many men as possible.

I’m here, baby. I’ve got you in my sight.

Right now, the safest path to her rescue would be to play along. In order to keep her safe, they had to believe I was just an attendee looking for a woman. I didn’t want their men targeting me before I even got to her, and I certainly didn’t want them searching for us afterward.

My fingers curled into a fist that throbbed with violence. I’d never felt so much fury and fear all at once. The people who placed her on that stage would pay. I wanted to kill every man in this room for staring at Kiera.

When the spotlight landed on her, a man made a sound, signifying he wanted her. I wanted to murder him on the spot. This surge of malice and protection coursed through me, but I couldn’t act on them.

Control yourself. Get her to safety. Then deal with the fucker.

I couldn’t see his face properly from the angle of his seat and the dim lighting casting a shadow over his area. As though the universe took pity on me, he turned and my blood boiled.

Red Venom.

My body stiffened as another wave of dark emotion surged through me. My father’s murderer was sitting in the same room as me, but I couldn’t eliminate him the way I’d dreamed of. This man had taught me the meaning of hatred and vengeance. Just because he’d disappeared didn’t deter me from finding him.

The snake had finally left its cave. He may have been an anaconda, but I was the fucking black mamba.

I studied him, taking in all the details. Older, with long silver hair slicked back with a sheen. The strands glistened from the recess lighting. Wrinkles carved lines into his forehead and the corners of his eyes. Hewas dressed in an expensive suit, showing he’d obtained wealth and power all these years. What had he been up to? How many more families had he destroyed?

My heart stopped when I saw the red shoes. He wasn’t the only one wearing them, though. Senator Mitch Kramer also wore the same shoes. I’d never been a fan of him, and now I knew why.

Red Venom and Senator Kramer had to be members of The Trogyn.

“Shit. I didn’t expect this at all,” Levi whispered, looking surprised as he took the empty seat. “Sorry, lost track of time.”

The moderator spoke, and I turned my attention to Kiera, who wore an impassive expression. What was she thinking? Did she know I could see her? Was she afraid? Or was she playacting out of fear?

Olivia stood near her, trying her best to maintain balance. The other women on the stage all appeared too cheerful or too mellow for being in this situation. Being sold at an auction should never make anyone happy. Had they drugged these women?

Fuck.Was Kiera drugged? My body thrummed with a viciousness that forced me to breathe in deeply so I didn’t explode.

Levi glanced over. “You okay?”

“Yeah.”

When the bidding began for Kiera’s number, the first bid showed five hundred thousand dollars. My face twitched, hating every man who placed a bid for her. She was mine. There was no way she was going home with them. I’d die stopping them.

A few seconds later, a million-dollar bid came through.

My grip on the bidding device tightened.

“Don’t tell me you’re bidding,” Levi said.

“I have to. That’s Kiera, my girlfriend. She was abducted. I’ve been looking for her.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Levi’s eyes widened. “What do you need me to do?”

I appreciated his help but there wasn’t anything he could do.

“Nothing right now. I’ll be taking her home.”

I flicked a sharp gaze over at Red Venom. The way he smiled and stared at Kiera told me he was the one who had placed the million-dollar bid.

Over my fucking dead body.