CHAPTER 1: THE AUCTION
LUCA
"Four million dollars for a man who’d kill you if you gave him the chance?" Matteo leans against the railing beside me, whiskey in hand, eyes flicking to the stage below. "You’ve lost it."
"I haven’t bid yet," I say, but my gaze doesn’t leave him—Lot Number 17.
He’s on his knees under the golden light, wrists bound in front of him, a black mask covering half his face. His shirt is ripped, his chest rising and falling like he’s been running for hours. Even from here, I can see the bruises on his wrists, the way the rope bites into his skin. He’s breathing like he’s choking on pride.
And God help me, he’s beautiful in a way that’s meant to be dangerous.
The auctioneer is talking, voice smooth like oil. “Lot Number Seventeen. Age twenty-six. Fit. Highly train
