The Highest Bidder

❊ Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ Fᴏʀᴛʏ﹣Fᴏᴜʀ ❊

My father's helicopter landed in the small space of the backyard. When he saw Eva, I was surprised to see his face pale and for him to jump out to help. I didn't look at him, but I allowed him to help me put her flat in the back of the helicopter. She was like dead weight.

We got into the helicopter and he lifted off without another word. With the speed he was traveling, we would get back to my house in about ten minutes. By the look of it, I wasn't sure if Eva would last that long. Her face was growing paler and paler by the second and her skin was cold to the touch. I didn't want to rub my hands over her, just in case it would hurt her. She was just so fragile.

"What the fuck happened, son," my father yelled back at me.

I raised my eyebrows. He never called me son. "Maverick took her."

His jaw clenched and his fingers tightened on the cyclic stick. I knew by the way his jaw ticked that he wanted to say something else, but was holding himself back. That wasn't like him at all. But I didn't care much for what he wanted to say. It was probably only going to be him throwing my faults back in my face. Telling me I should have never gotten involved with the auction in the first place. Telling me that I should have just let Maverick have her.

I looked back down at Eva. Only a few more minutes and we would be landing at my house. I knew I'd have to deal with Sophia, but I hoped that she would let me take Eva to her room first before she started asking questions. The doctor needed to see her.

I placed my fingers on the pulse in her throat and counted.

Fifty. Too low. But she was still breathing.

I kept my fingers there until we landed. My father turned the helicopter off and jumped out, ready to help, which surprised me once again, but I didn't have the time to ask why he suddenly felt like being a decent human being. We slid her out and I cradled her in my arms. Her eyes opened for only a second before they closed again.

Thomas and Sophia threw the doors open and held them as I rushed her inside. There was no other way to get her inside and to her room without jostling her a little. I didn't necessarily need to be careful, since she was completely passed out once again.

The doctor immediately went to work, ordering his personal nurse to get supplies for him. When I only stood there in the doorway, watching as he cut my shirt off of her bloody body, it all became real. The girl in the bed was half-dead and beaten in ways that I could only imagine. I doubted she had any sanity left, let alone be the same person she was before she left.

'What happened to me was not your fault. You couldn't have known. And I'm telling you this right now, you need to quit blaming yourself for every single thing that goes wrong in your life.' The words she spoke to me when she was drugged by Maverick at the wedding came back unbidden.

It's my fault now, isn't it, Eva? I thought back to the memory, forcing myself to turn away from her so that I didn't breathe down the doctor's neck. When the door clicked shut behind me, I turned to face Sophia and Thomas.

Sophia had tears streaming down her face. I wished she hadn't seen Eva like that.

Thomas looked like he was barely restraining his anger. I wasn't sure if he was angry at me or if he was angry about what happened to her while she was away. Maybe it was both. But I didn't have the energy to speak with them about what I saw and what state she was in. My boss expected a call and I needed to tell her how many casualties there were, even though I wasn't even sure of that number.

Suddenly, I was too exhausted to even think straight.

"Is she going to be okay," Sophia asked.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "I don't know."

"What are they doing in there?" She wouldn't stop asking questions, would she?

I turned away from them. "I don't know. Thomas, station yourself outside her door. I need to make a call."

"How long will that take, sir?" He kept his voice level.

I narrowed my eyes at the stairs. "I don't know, Thomas. I don't know anything. Just do what I say. Stop asking me questions."

I made my way upstairs and into my office. The silence was almost too much for me to handle. A part of me wanted to be downstairs, standing and waiting for news from the doctor. The other part of me wanted to remain upstairs and pretend she was just sleeping in her room. But one of those wasn't an option.

Closing my eyes, I put my phone to my ear and leaned back in my seat.

"Hawthorne." She answered with her last name. I was never sure why she did that.

"It's Enzo," I mumbled. "I'm sure you have questions regarding the mission."

"I wouldn't necessarily call it a mission, Bianchi." Last name. She was pissed. "But, yes. I know Maverick and Vince are on their way in for questioning. Ron said there were around thirteen casualties. What did you order? For them to just go in and slaughter everyone?"

I hummed, but didn't answer. What Tami Hawthorne knew of me were only the basics. We had only met twice and we didn't exchange pleasantries. I reported to her whenever a mission was over, and she called me when she needed an interrogator. Our relationship ended at that. She knew I was a boss for a reason, just like all of the other bosses. Ruthlessness and heartlessness was a part of the deal.

"As for the auctions," she continued. I knew she wasn't going to press my judgment any further. "How long have you known about them?"

"What would be the point in telling the government about the human auctions?" I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. I needed a drink. "You can stop one, only for them to move to another location. And if they knew I was the one to tell you, I'd stop being invited. Seeing as though Maverick knows now what I do with the women I purchase, I'm sure once he's out of the government's hands, he'll have the auction moved. The human auctions won't stop, Tami. It won't stop unless you take in and kill every last person who attends them."

She was silent.

"Speaking of killing." I smiled slightly, but kept my tone neutral. "Can I file a termination request regarding Maverick? I'd really love to kill him for what he's done to Eva."

"Eva?" Tami chuckled. "What? You want to get justice for a slave you purchased from an auction? You should be happy that I'm not terminating your employment for what you've done."

"Threats are only threats if you plan on actually backing them up with actions," I said. "And don't call her a slave. If she were in any position to reply to that, I'm sure she'd love to go off on you."

I realized that she didn't answer my question about the termination request for Maverick, but I wasn't surprised. Apparently he wasn't there yet, so that meant she didn't get the chance to question him. She wouldn't make a decision on his punishment until after she got what she needed. I just hoped that she would allow me to do the honor of killing him, if it came down to it.

"I'll let you know my decision tomorrow," she finally said. "Get some rest, Enzo. I feel you may need it."

Before I could ask what she meant, the phone beeped and the call was disconnected. I sighed and threw my phone down onto my desk before closing my eyes. Getting rest was not on my to-do list. I was going to go downstairs and wait for the doctor to be done doing what he was doing with Eva. Then I would go in there and watch over her.

I stood and headed out of my office, down the stairs, and to Eva's door. Thomas was standing there, but Sophia wasn't. At such a late hour, I was sure she went to sleep. We had Eva home, whether that be in good condition or not.

"You can go to bed, Thomas." I leaned back against the wall by her door. "I'm planning on staying here tonight."

He looked exhausted, like he'd been up as many nights as me. He saw Eva as a daughter, and I knew that he wouldn't sleep, even if he went to bed. But he did as he was told and left me to wait for the doctor to be done tending to Eva.