Page 74 of Love Me in the Dark

The door opened, and a man with a cigarette hanging from his mouth greeted us. It took less than a second for his eyes to bug out of his head.

“Gispodin Stefanov,” he greeted in Bulgarian, dipping his head.

I swept in past him, trusting Nik to stay behind me. The second man inside looked equally shocked.

“Where is Dobri?” I barked, and he scrambled to find the man in charge.

I strode up the cold corridor, inhaling the mixture of sweat and cigarette smoke wafting from the man leading us.

Dobri the slimy lowlife, who ran these auctions, appeared from a door ahead and schooled his shock much better than the men at the door.

“Viktor.” He extended his hand and gripped mine between both of his clammy palms.

I mentally noted that I would need to bathe in an industrial cleaner and burn this suit later.

Dobri was almost a head shorter than me, with a huge gut overhanging his trousers. His hair was gelled into immobility.

“Dobri.”

“What brings you to my auctions? Are you looking to purchase?” His beady little eyes gleamed as they searched my face.

He spoke in English, which was interesting. I’d not had many dealings with him, but his reputation for cruelty preceded him.

“Boyan is concerned about the cashflow. Nik needs to be shown around, and I will check the books.”

My father was so old-fashioned that all his skin trading went through coded ledgers. He didn’t trust electronic information.

Dobri made no outward sign that my words indicated the big boss was questioning his operation, and he barked orders at the man who showed us through to take Nik on a tour.

“I can assure you that the cashflow is excellent. We can head to my office and have a drink. Unless you wish to check the merchandise.” His eyes slid to the corridor ahead as two men appeared and halted.

Dobri shouted at them to get moving. They came closer, and a line of women appeared behind them. The first was dressed in a business suit that didn’t fit very well, but behind her was a line of young, scared-looking girls dressed in thin slips, wearing far too much make-up, and all staring at the floor. The unmistakable tremors gave away that they were all terrified.

My jaw tightened, and my muscles tensed. Anger blazed under my skin, imagining my sweet sister shuffling past, cowed and terrified. One woman's head suddenly lifted, shifting her dark braids against her pale skin. Her eyes locked with mine, and my breath caught in my chest. Time stood still as everything narrowed down into this moment. Her stunning blue eyes widened, and she stumbled a step. My hand shot out reflexively, closing around her upper arm, and her soft skin sent tingling through my hand, and her lips parted on a gasp. There was an innocence that radiated off her. The white slip she had on did nothing to hide the outline of her dark nipples that framedthe number 873. Lust and something distinctly protective shot through my veins.

Mine.The thought struck me like a ton of bricks, squeezing my chest tightly. The idea was both absurd and completely inevitable, like my fundamental reality had been rewritten when our eyes met.

Her nostrils flared suddenly, and her expression shuttered. She pulled her arm from my grasp and cast her eyes back to the floor, shuffling away. Sounds and smells rushed back over me in technicolour as Dobri chuckled.

“Are yousureyou won’t stay for the auction? That one is older than the rest, and I could offer you a discount.”

My stomach turned at his words, and my trigger finger itched. With extreme difficulty, I tore my eyes from her back, and a new urgency beat through me.

“The books,” I clipped out, and Dobri plastered a smarmy smile on his face.

I followed Dobri in the other direction to the stunning woman, whom I needed to get as far away from this disgusting place as possible. A plan whirred in my mind to ensure I got both things I needed from this trip.

The office was cramped and dingy, but a space heater made it much warmer. Unfortunately, that also meant Dobri's smell was more pungent here, and I decided acid might be needed to wash myself when we got out of here. I sat at the main desk and texted Nik to join me. Dobri passed me the ledgers and kicked back on one of the other chairs, lighting a cigarette.

Nik knocked and entered.

“All okay?” I asked.

“They are having some trouble with one of the buyers, " he said, and Dobri sat up abruptly.

“I will return. Then we’ll take you to the auction, yes?” Dobri asked.

I nodded curtly.