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Stay seated, Evan. Do not race onto that stage and stab everyone so you can save that poor girl. Think about Teigan,I repeat over and over in my head.

Sadly, all I can think is that Teigan would have kicked my ass by now for not helping her.

The Sheriff laughs loudly, opening his arms to the crowd as he plays his role perfectly. “See, she’s completely innocent, and we’ve had a doctor confirm it. She hasn’t even bled yet. Who will start the bidding at one hundred thousand?”

I’m disgusted to see so many paddles get raised in the air. I’m not surprised to hear my family’s disgusted responses in my ear. Kian is by far the loudest. “Kellan, I hope you’re making a note of everyone who makes a bid. I want to pay those sick perverts a personal visit myself.”

“Oh, don’t you worry, I’m starting a list,” Kel replies.

“Remind me again why we can’t just blow up the club,” Bree asks, which gets a chuckle from Liam.

“You mean, besides the fact my brother and Dec are sitting in it? Not to mention all those poor people who are being held captive.” My brother, ever the voice of fucking reason.

“I meant after we get them out,” Bree grumbles.

“You just like the idea of blowing them all up,” Kian adds.

Before anyone else is able to say anything, we’re all stunned to hear Declan speak. “One hundred and twenty-five thousand.”

I look over to find his paddle in the air, and everyone around us is looking at him with equally confused expressions.

“What the fuck?” I whisper, so only he can hear, but he ignores me, his gaze fixed on the stage.

“That’s quite a jump. Does anyone have one hundred and twenty-six thousand?” The Sheriff asks.

A lot of the other bidders back down, but a man in one of the booths continues. “One hundred and thirty thousand,” he counters, raising the bid further.

It’s too dark, and the booths are too far away for me to see who he’s bidding against, but I’m sure Kel will have him on the security cameras.

“One hundred and thirty-five thousand,” Dec counters, and my eyes fly to him again, wide in shock.

“What the hell is he doing?” Kian asks in my ear, and even though Dec can hear him too, he doesn’t respond. He just continues raising the bid whenever the other person outbids him.

Finally, when Dec raises the bid to one hundred and fifty-five thousand, the man in the booth stays silent. Dec seems to breathe a sigh of relief when The Sheriff announces him as the winner. As he takes a sip of his whiskey, he finally lifts his gaze to meet mine.

“What the hell?” I ask, unable to find anything else to say.

“It’s going to be a few days at least before we can free these Lots, you said that yourself. By then, that poor girl will no longer be a virgin, and her childhood will be gone forever. I may not be able to help all of them, but this girl I can save. I will use my own money, if that’s what you’re worried about. I won’t take from what you have to use for Tee,” he explains, and I shake my head.

“Beneath that tough guy, broody exterior, you’re secretly a softie, aren’t you?” I tease, and even though his glare narrows, the edge of his lip lifts into a smile.

“I blame Belle. She’s a bad influence. I could say the same about you, too?”

I shake my head. “You’d be wrong. Ask anyone, I’m dead inside. My little black heart shrivelled up a long time ago.”

“I don’t believe that. I just think the person who holds your heart hasn’t returned it yet.” Before I can question what the hell that soppy shit means, The Sheriff indicates the final Lot of the auction is about to begin.

I sit bolt upright, my eyes fixed on the stage as my heart starts to race. I try to focus on my breathing, but I’m on the edge of panicking. I can hear ringing in my ears so loud it’s making myhead hurt, and my hands are sweating. There’s so much at stake, but I know there’s no way I’m leaving here without Tee.

As soon as she walks onto the stage, my heart skips a beat. She’s wearing a small black dress that clings to her body like a bandage. It’s got no sleeves and shows off her shoulders and the top of her chest.

It clings to all her curves, highlighting her tits and ass in a great way. The high heels she’s wearing make her legs look longer, showing off far too much flesh as the dress stops high up her thighs.

I assess as much of her body as I can, and I’m pleased to see she doesn’t look like she has any new bruises or scars—other than the welts from her last punishment. Her face is heavily covered in make-up, which makes me worry it may be hiding something, but then I think it’s more likely they did it to show her off. Completely unnecessarily, as she looks gorgeous with no make-up on.

Her plump lips look delectable in the bright red shade she has on, looking exactly how she used to wear it when we were together. For a moment, my memory flashes back to a time when she swallowed my cock whilst her lips were painted that exact shade. When she pulled off, red prints were all over my dick, and I never wanted to wash it off.

The Sheriff’s loud, boisterous tone pulls me out of my memories—which is good, as I don’t want to get a hard-on in this fucking place. That’s when Teigan’s grey eyes lock with mine, and they flare with something that looks like hope, before she quickly looks down at the floor.