Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 113056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
“What did you think of him?”
“He’s very handsome. He was polite, reserved. He made sure I was comfortable. I didn’t see much of him or his huge place. He had me escorted to a private room. A doctor took care of me.” She shrugged. “Before Zack came, I had lunch with Holly and he came in and escorted me to Zack. Some guards escorted us to the airport. I didn’t see much. But Dare, I think he’s dangerous. I think he’s powerful. I don’t know what the story is down there but please be careful.”
12
I couldn’t believe what I was laying eyes on. My sister.
We were in Mexico. We were on a huge, lavish estate. And I was staring at Holly.
She was more beautiful than ever. She had really blossomed. She didn’t look like a little girl. She was a woman.
Beautiful wavy blonde hair that was now nearly to her waist. Same sapphire eyes as me. And our mother.
Her head belonged on a shampoo bottle. Her face on a vitamin bottle. She was the absolute picture of purity and beauty. She had a dancer’s body, a toothpaste commercial smile.
Her eyes were shining with tears. I felt tears burn in my own eyes, too.
She stood, wearing a pretty white chemise sundress and ballet flats.
She stood beside a tall, dark-haired, sort of scruffy but extremely handsome and well-dressed man in the foyer of his beautiful mansion. But that was as much as I could take in beyond Holly. Because I was standing here, looking at Holly. In. The. Flesh.
She was make-up free, jewelry free, collar free. Nothing on her throat. Nothing.
I felt for my collar.
I made an ugly cry sound.
She ran for me. I ran for her. We collided with laughter and tears and sobs.
“Hey Holly. Nice to meet you,” Dare said a moment later.
“Hi.” Holly’s hold on me loosened enough that she could look up at him with a big smile.
“Why don’t we leave these two time to chat?” the man with Holly suggested to Dare. Dare gave my shoulder a squeeze.
“Not comfortable leavin’ her alone, Romero. No offense.”
“None taken. As long as you do not ever refer to me as Romero again.”
Uh oh.
“He says he’s gonna marry you. But what do you want?”
We were in Alessandro Romero’s master suite in a wing of his mansion and it was lavish. We were in his room, he and Dare in a sitting area outside the bedroom door.
This was a few days after Holly’s birthday. We’d had a beautiful Christmas at home and this felt like a belated Christmas gift.
The way my little sister had looked around in awe when we’d gotten in here was a surprise. Had she never been here?
“To marry him.”
“Holl.”
“Ang.”
I made a Marge Simpson noise.
“What? I want to.”
“Has he threatened you? Told you to pretend that you’re okay with this? If he’s threatened you…”
“I want to marry him.”
“Holly, Dare and his brother can help get you out of here. This place, it’s–”
“I’m fine. I’m even better now that I know you’re okay.”
“Has he been abusing you, honey?” I touched her arm.
“No, Ang. I’m an eighteen-year-old virgin. I’ll be a virgin until my wedding night, I’m guessing. My virginity goes to Alessandro. He’s earned it.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“You love him?”
“Yes.” She got a faraway look and flashed me her dimples. God, I’d missed those dimples.
“Does he love you?”
“I … don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“It’s… complicated.”
“If he doesn’t love you madly, deeply, and he is who he is?”
How could I finish that? I’d love Dare whatever he did. Because he was Dare.
But this was my baby sister. This was Holly!
Was Alessandro Romero someone worthy of her love? How could he be with his ties to the human trafficking industry? Dare rescued me. Alessandro kept Holly.
Okay, so Dare kept me, too, but he was thrust into the human trafficking world. I’m not a slave any longer.
But it’s Holly who doesn’t wear a collar.
My mind was a bit boggled.
“He told me what happened to you. I’m sorry, Angie.”
I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how much she knew.
“What were you told?”
“I was told that you did what you did for me. You didn’t have a choice, but you did it for me, anyway. That you endured unspeakable things. I’ll never forget. Never. I’m sorry you had to go through it. But it wasn’t for nothing. I’ve been safe. I’ve been okay. Because of Alessandro. He has kept me this way. And maybe you did have something to do with that. Whatever you had to do got me sent here so I’d be safe. You’ve been protecting me since I was little.”
“But you haven’t been free, Holly. He’s kept you here hidden away in a place that… you do know what he does, right?”
She shook her head, her golden locks bouncing. “I don’t want to talk about what he does. I’ve pieced some of it together. It doesn’t change anything for me.”