"Love will make you do things you thought you'd never do."
•••••••••••••
"Is everyone here?"
Silence fills the room as he quietly looks over everyone checking to see if there's anyone missing.
"Good." He says nodding his head and walking towards the door to open up for someone.
It's Harris, great. I wasn't looking forward to seeing him especially after last night and how I reacted to him. I wonder why he's here today he's never usually here.
Everyone suddenly stands up and I also slowly stand confused about what's going on. He walks in and stops at the head of the table, nods in greeting and sits down then everyone else sits.
Respect.
He quietly opens a file, puts on his glasses and sits back on his chair and looks at Sterling indicating him to begin.
This meeting was suppose to be held yesterday but because of Harris's meeting which came up unexpectedly he moved it to tonight. The time is 20:45pm and we were suppose to start at quarter past eight already but because of people arriving late we didn't. Sterling was also late but no one was about to tell him that. Elijah, Zayn, Chris and Sam are also here and I haven't talked to Samantha ever since she found out about my stalker.
Chris drove me here and he was updating me on pretty much how these meetings work and the role of everyone who would be there.
Sterling was Harris's second in command and was in charge of managing everything we did and how we did it. He was extremely strict and ruthless but because he didn't say much you'd think he was very quiet. Last month he almost shouted at me when I forgot to set my phone location off when I was off to one of our meetings in a remote location. What's worse is that the someone was onto each of us and I had fucked up which almost costed us.
He probably could've killed me in that moment.
But he didn't and I was sure it's because he would be in trouble with Harris. He didn't really welcome me with open hands but a stiff nod and a "welcome to the team".
"The Zent brothers are holding an exclusive auction in two weeks time and only the elite buyers have been invited. Straus, Koz and Mr Löue Steve is also going to be there." Sterling says his smooth voice booming the whole place, showing his dominance and powerful aura.
I had not idea who these guys were but they were probably important to be listed individually.
"Now there are over one hundred girls being held captive whom are being sedated heavily as we currently speak and some who are as young as fifteen years old being sold to grown men."
Woah.. that was terrifying.
"We need to come up with a game plan that'll get us in and out with those girls without being detected and all this has to be done under an immense pressure of little time." He looks around and his eyes connect with mine as if he's talking to me.
I could do that.
He looks away from me and he continues talking but I can't hear him as memories flood my head of the thoughts of someone, I had been triggered.
Not a single day goes by without me thinking of him. I don't know if it's called guilt or the fact that I fell in love with him. I didn't even know what love is but yet here I was claiming love from a man who almost killed me when we first met. I almost laugh at how fucked up that sounds.
Sadness suddenly consumes me at the fact that I'll never see him again and I could never tell him how much he had changed me and fucked me up as a person. Sometimes I feel like he was part of the reason for my sickness and the reason I couldn't sleep peacefully at night. I haven't had a peaceful sleep in such a long time. Every morning I woke up screaming from nightmares, not even my medication could help.
My mind goes back to that auction night and how I felt when I saw him.
Flashback
"And the bidding starts at five thousand dollars!" The man shouts walking around and trying to get the crowd to interact.
A man puts up a sign written five thousand.
"Five thousand ladies and gentlemen. Five thousand is on the table."
Another one at the back puts up a sign with an amount written on it.
"Five thousand, five hundred from the man at the back!"
Everyone looks back at him and a few whispers and grunts are heard.
I look up at the people sitting at the top above the other people. My eyes meet Rob who's wearing one of his expensive black suits and next to him Aunt Laura with a distraught look on her face.
How did we get here. I knew she never loved me but I thought she cared. I look at her sitting up there in her expensive red dress.
"Seven thousand, three hundred from the man in front!"
People are bidding and the prices keep going higher and higher. Most of the people here are Robert's frenemies and most of them have heard of me. Franklin is also in the crowd. His daughter was kidnapped but we all know what happened to her. Franklin was out for blood when it came to Rob and was determined to find his girl but even he knew that was impossible.
"Seventeen thousand to the man at the back!"
I look up to see him and I'm meet by two dark eyes. I crease my eyebrows as I look at him. He's dressed in a large black coat and a brown hat that's covering most of his face but I can see his eyes and my heart skips a beat when I recognise who it is.
Luca..
End of Flashback
"McKenzie are you listening?"
I look up to see everyone looking at me and I quickly remove all thoughts invading my mind as I try to focus on what he's saying.
"Uh yes, I am." I reply clearing my throat and sitting up.
All eyes are on me now even Harris's sharp glare. Fuck me, now I'm gonna look stupid Infront of everyone.
"Then what do you say about the proposition?" He questions me in a menacing manner.
He knows I wasn't listening and is trying to embarrass me.
"I'm sorry I didn't hear that."
"I thought so. McKenzie I want you to know that here we're a team and if one person isn't cooperating then that affects the whole team. Focus please, lives are at stake here."
I nod my head and he continues with how the plan is going to work out with input from others except me. This case was too close to home and so I didn't want to involve myself too much.
"Are you okay?" Sam whispers softly in my ear so Sterling doesn't notice.
I simply just nod my head assuring her that I'm fine knowing well that I wasn't.
After an hour of talking and addressing upcoming issues and missions, the meeting is dismissed.
"Taylor I'd like to speak to you." Sterling says as everyone gets up preparing to leave.
Great.
Harris also stays behind and I sit back down as I watch everyone leave. The las people which is Chris closes the door leaving me alone with two of the people I avoided the most.
"Look I promise it won't happen again I was just distracted." I say trying to explain before he calls me out again.
"That's not why I asked you to stay."
He looks back at Harris who at this point looks a bit tense and unsure of what he's about to say. He stands up and slowly walks towards me. He stops next to me and the look etched on his face makes me worry it not good news.
"I want you to have a share of this business. I'm just worried that you still have to get yourself together kid but I want to give you my whole legacy Taylor and I need you to be prepared."
