The Highest Bidder

❊ Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ Tᴡᴇɴᴛʏ ❊

I doubted that Enzo slept much that night. He was awake when I woke up in the morning, dark circles under his eyes and a coffee cup in his hand, steam rising from the white ceramic. He eyed me warily as I stood from the bed and stretched. I eyed him right back, an eyebrow cocked in challenge. If he wanted to continue our conversation from last night, it was way too early to do so and I was ready to tell him that.

We packed and got ready in silence and even went out to his waiting limo without saying a word. Whether that be because he wasn't sure what he should say to me, or because he didn't have anything to say, I wasn't sure.

He lifted the phone to his ear. "Thomas."

My ears perked up at the familiar guard's name. Even in the few minutes that I spent with him, I knew he had the potential to be a good friend.

"Maverick is after Eva." When he said that, I clenched my jaw and turned my face away from him. He sighed. "Yes, I know. But he made that perfectly clear at the wedding last night."

There was a long pause and I wondered if Thomas was ranting. He seemed like the kind of guy who would get attached to people easily.

"Get guards to go to her parent's house." The thought of Maverick going after my parents to get to me caused my blood to run cold. Enzo noticed me pale. "It's just a precaution. If he does go after them, then we have people there. Do you have any other family I'm not aware of, or that wouldn't have pulled in my search?"

I shook my head. My parents had a hard time trying to conceive me. They had multiple miscarriages before I came along and even then it was a hard pregnancy. I barely made it and they didn't want to go through that again. So they stopped at me.

Enzo nodded at something that Thomas said before thanking him and hanging up. He slid his phone back in his pocket and went silent once again. He remained that way until we got to his mansion.

He linked his fingers through mine, as if out of habit. I didn't question it. I allowed him to hold my hand as we walked into his home. Thomas and Sophia were waiting right inside the entrance. And while Sophia's eyes locked onto our hands, Thomas went straight for me and put his hands on my face.

"Are you okay," He asked, searching my eyes. "Did he hurt you?"

"He used a tranquilizer on her," Enzo answered for me when I couldn't figure out how to respond, his hand tightening around mine. "But other than that, I don't think that he did anything but scare her."

Thomas wrapped his arms around me, his strong embrace almost cracking the bones in my back. With my free hand, I hugged him back. He was warm and comforting, like a father figure. His entire body seemed to envelop mine, as if trying to protect me from any upcoming grief or fear.

"If you need anything, do not hesitate to come talk to me," He whispered in my ear.

I thanked him as he pulled away. When I looked at Sophia, her eyes were still locked on our hands. She looked worried about me, but somehow there was excitement in her eyes when she looked at the two of us. I cocked an eyebrow at her when she finally looked up to meet my eyes, causing her to shyly look away.

Enzo turned to me, still holding my hand. "I need to get some work done. Do you need the rest of the day off or can you begin working?"

"I can work," I said.

He nodded slowly, as if not sure if I really could or not. Maverick had shaken me up quite a bit, and knowing that he was possibly after me didn't help. But the mansion was blocked off from the main road by a gate and a person could only gain access by requesting it in the speaker outside the front, or with a code. There were also multiple guards stationed within the home and outside, rarely seen unless meaning to be.

Maverick couldn't do anything to me from within the walls, from what I knew. So for the time being, I felt relatively safe.

Enzo's hand left mine as he headed towards the stairs. "I will have three guests for dinner tonight, but no one for lunch. I'd like it in my office."

"Yes, sir," both Sophia and I relayed as she pulled me along behind her to her room.

Her room was exactly like mine, but she had more clothes than I did. The comforter on her bed was lilac, which oddly was how her room smelled. She had a vanity table next to her bed where her makeup, hairbrushes, hair curlers, straighteners, and a variety of perfumes sat neatly. Other than those few differences, it would have felt like I walked right into my own room.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" She searched my eyes. "Are you shaken up? Do you want to talk about it?"

I licked my lips. "I am fine, Sophia. Yes, I'm shaken up but I will be fine. He just came out of nowhere and begged me to scream for help."

"Maverick?"

I nodded.

Her face screwed up in disgust. "I remember him. He's one of the main guys who runs the auction."

"Have you seen him," I asked.

"I have." She looked away, and I wondered if she was visualizing what he looked like from memory. "He's attractive and that's something that fools women into believing that he's a good guy. I usually try to see the good in people, but there is no good in that man. All he wants is to see people bow before him and do everything he wants."

Power-hungry. I could sense that off of him even without seeing him. I wasn't aware that he was someone who ran the auction, but it definitely explained why Enzo was so tense around him. If he were to find out that the girls were being saved, he was the type of man who wouldn't stop at anything to put it to an end. And if he wanted me, he would find a way to get me. That in itself was terrifying.

What would happen if he could get into the gates? Could Enzo even deny him access to his home, him being one of the main men running the auction that sold me? I didn't want to think about it, but it sat like a demon in the back of my mind. I also didn't want to think about why it was that Enzo believed that he wanted me. I doubted it could have been for anything good. No, I knew it couldn't have been for anything good. Nothing good would come out of Maverick having his eyes on me.