Page 40 of Convict's Game

Pictures showed a devastated Mila, crumpled and alone at the graveside. I got why the photographer had snapped the shot—she was beautiful, even in tears—but to plaster that all over the local news was low.

The story gave me a good dose of background to the lass. She was grieving for sure, and in that, had somehow been thrown into turmoil with the kind of men she should never have been around.

Assholes like the one who’d locked her up. Which now included me.

I checked the time and jumped up from the bed in the room where I’d hidden away. I had ten minutes until our maximum two hours of separation was up, and we needed supplies. Downstairs, I raided the wardrobe that I’d been dressing from then hit up the strip club’s kitchen, scoring two hot chicken sandwiches.

While I waited to be served, Tyler called.

“Update for you. Target acquired. He’s alive and well, also well-guarded. We’ll wait and watch for an in.”

Relief battled an odd sense of jealousy in my gut. Nothing in my research on Mila had thrown up a sibling or a boyfriend. If this guy was someone she’d been dating, I’d toss him straight back into Salter’s hands.

I thanked Tyler. “I was thinking about what Mila said about whether they’d know or not if she’d succeeded. Unless they’d rented a bed in the warehouse during the game, they’d only be sure if they were waiting outside with the crowd to see the victors. I took Mila upstairs, and Jacobs slipped away unseen.”

He made a sound of agreement. “You’re thinking like me. Beds are booked out months in advance, but I already asked Manny to go over the list. He confirmed there has been no swaps or last-minute add-ins.”

Those beds went for a premium. Old boys or groups of men booked their favourite sex workers and dicked down to the chase. Set that back over a month ago and it was too early forMila’s grandfather’s death. I didn’t know for sure, but that had to be the start of all her troubles.

We said goodbye, and I dialled Shade, something else bothering me.

“Did you speak to Mila to interview her for the game?” I asked without preamble.

“Hello to ye, too. Yes and no. A lass dropped out a week ago, and I took the next on the list. Emilia Marchant. We had a phone chat, but I’m certain it wasnae the girl ye caught.”

I swore. “How do you know?”

“I heard your Mila yell out during the game. Everything about her voice was different. She was set up, aye? That’s why ye went in?”

Of course she was. I hung up on him, fucking furious yet again, and determined to find out who’d put her up to the task.

Mila woke on my entry to the room. “Where have you been?”

“Miss me?”

“No, asshole. You locked me up, again.”

I furrowed my brow. “I locked the door for your safety.”

She sat up and jingled the handcuffs still attached to the bedframe. “You might as well have tied me to the bed again.”

I huffed a laugh and set down the provisions. “That can be arranged. Here, I brought food and clothes. Also news. Tyler has seen your man.”

Her gaze clung to mine. “Alive?”

I nodded, that jealousy twinging again at her sigh. “They’re waiting for an opportunity. If they think he’s at risk, they’ll act, but as things stand, we’re guessing it isn’t clear who you paired off with, so Salter isn’t taking retaliatory action.”

“Right. God. Thank you.”

I gestured for Mila to take up one of the sandwiches, and I took the other, resuming my position on the floor. “When did you sign up for Salter’s auction?”

Mila took a big bite of the food and moaned, the sound going straight to my dick.

“I didn’t realise how hungry I was. Um, I went to Esther about a week ago. She’s the one who burst into the room as you were taking Annabelle away.”

I nodded, already halfway through my sandwich. “A week ago is the same time your name was given for the game and someone did a phone interview pretending to be you. Clearly not a coincidence.”

“You think it was Esther?” She swore and stared off into the middle distance. “I never thought she was a trustworthy person. So that means Salter immediately made a plan to use me after Esther gave him my name. Then he recruited her. I thought it was strange how there was that delay in the holding cell. He kept me there overnight, maybe to make sure I didn’t get cold feet and ruin his plans.”