Page 87 of Maxim

“Nice to talk to you too,” I grumble.

I turn into the parking lot and round the back of the building. The dented garage door gleams in my headlights.

Jesus.

It’s so fucked up I don’t even know if it will open.

Right when I start to question it, the door begins to lift.

Guess I was wrong.

I do as Jan said and pull inside the building. I watch them shut the garage door as I put the van in park and then shut it off. I jump out of the van and shut the door behind me.

“I can’t wait to see what you have,” Jan says as he rubs his hands together.

“I hope you approve,” I tell him.

We move to the back and watch as one of the guys opens the door.

“Get them out,” Jan says.

One by one his men take the six women and four men out of the back of the truck. All of them have different body shapes and hair colors. One of the girls even looks real young, even though she assured me she was of age.

I hope this pleases Jan and is enough variety for the auction.

“Only the one young one?” he asks, making my stomach roll.

“The young ones are harder to grab. You and I both know that. Especially on a night like this,” I lie.

“True. True,” he muses.

He walks over and checks the people over. Sometimes he lifts their chins to study their faces, while sometimes he crouches down and brushes their hair out of the way. The way he studies them so intently makes me nauseous.

When he reaches the last girl, though, shit hits the fan. She startles awake when he touches her and loses her shit. Before he can step back, she bites his hand. With his opposite hand, he backhands the ever-loving shit out of her. When she releases her hold on him, his men step in.

“Let me go!” she screams.

“We got a feisty one, boys.” He chuckles, making the other men laugh. “Show her what happens when you act out.”

Szymon steps forward and grabs her by the hair, tilting her chin back. I watch as he spits in her face as he berates her.

“Quiet! Women are meant to be seen, not heard.”

She sobs as her feet slide against the floor, foolishly trying to get away.

I itch to step in. Especially since I was told they were all aware of what they were getting into.

“Please let me go,” she cries.

Goddammit. Did I fuck up and grab someone who wasn’t on Takahai’s list? When I took her, she acted like the others and didn’t protest. She pretty much came willingly. Is this on me?

Szymon begins to kick her.

“Do you know who you attacked? He’s the head of the Pruszków, the Polish Mafia.”

The woman sobs.

“You know what I think, boss?” Szymon says.