He takes them from their miserable lives, from their nonexistent families.
He swoops in like prince charming, making them believe they’ve finally found peace. Finally found home.
He introduces them to kind men, rich men—men who promise them homes full of love and money for the rest of their lives.
He sells them.
Then, oh, only then, do those women see the true horror—the true monsters hiding behind the masks.
By then, it’s too late.
They’re already in the hands of the beasts. They’re already owned.
There is no escape.
I shudder and focus my attentions back onto Alarick. He wants answers—of course he does. They all do. My sister, Zariah, has been badgering me all day for some. I haven’t given them to her because, well, I’m not sure she’s the right person to give them to. Alarick, on the other hand? He is the right person. He’s the running this whole operation. This whole attempt to take down Lucifer and all his demons.
I’ve dubbed Dax that—Lucifer.
The king of hell.
Because that’s exactly who he is.
It’s almost funny, really.
He’s like a fallen angel, thrown into the pits of hell. That’s Dax. An angel, by all accounts, but the devil where it really matters.
A trick.
A lie.
“Waverly, you’re zoning out again.”
Shit.
I shake my head and focus on Alarick.
C’mon, Waverly. Fucking focus.
“Sorry, boss.” I give him a wry smile. “My mind is about to burst.”
“Well, burst it on me, yeah? We need to know what happened last night! Everyone was fuckin’ worried about you.”
Of course they were. They thought he’d sold me.
Not yet.
No, we still have time.
He’s still doing all his devilish priming first.
“He took us on a trip to this incredible lake house. It was amazing, to be honest. We got to dance and sing and drink and eat. Those girls, the ones who are truly from a bad world, they thought they’d won the lottery. He introduced them to some men—some very rich, very attractive men. Everyone except me, which I found to be a little strange . . .”
“He didn’t introduce you to a man?” Alarick murmurs, narrowing his eyes.
“No, he didn’t. So I was left talking to him all night. Let me tell you, he knows how to turn on the charm. That man is . . .”
“He’s dangerous.”
“Yeah, he is. He’s also incredibly good at being so.”
“You don’t think he’s onto us?”
I shake my head. “No, not at all. He didn’t ask any questions that made me suspect he was suspicious. He seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say.”
“Perhaps he’s got someone better for you, someone else lined up.”
“Yeah, I thought the same thing. Which makes me wonder, is there an elite club? A group of men who get only the best of the best?”
Alarick purses his lips, as if he’s thinking. “You could be onto something there. Aviana’s uncle—he’s most certainly top dog in this show, and he’s more than elite. There would be others like him, others who only buy the best of the best.”
He’s right, and I’m starting to think I’m being saved for that.
“I’m so glad you think I’m worthy.” I grin. “I knew you liked me.”
Alarick grunts. “I wouldn’t send anyone in who wasn’t worthy.”
“Aww, boss man.”
He turns and walks away, leaving me sitting on the back porch of the clubhouse, swinging on an old, rickety glider, watching the sun go down.
“What are you doin’ here?”
Mykel walks up the back stairs, chopped wood in his hands, looking like a goddamned mountain man I’d like to jump all over. If only he wasn’t such a freaking douche bag. And he is—he really, really is. He doesn’t like me, and he makes it known. What I can’t figure out is why? Sure, he might not think I’m cut out for the job of going in undercover with Dax, but he doesn’t need to hate me. He doesn’t even know me.
He glares at me. Such a dick.
“Well, hello Mykel, nice to see you too,” I mutter, crossing my legs and shuffling farther back into the swing chair as a cool breeze tickles my face.
“You left everyone scared last night. Knew you would cause problems but didn’t think you’d do it so soon.”
“Wow, are you always this nice to people you literally know nothing about? Or is it just me? Am I the lucky one?”
He scowls at me.
I hate to admit it, but the man is gorgeous. Like, without a doubt, the best-looking human I’ve ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on. He isn’t the type I’d usually go for, but he has something about him that keeps me fixated. Dark red hair, almost brown, but not quite. It’s such a dark shake of red that you can almost only tell its true color when it hits the sun. Then he has these eyes, these emerald-green eyes that are so piercing, they make me shudder every single time he looks at me.
He’d almost be angelically beautiful if it weren’t for the tattoos covering his body, right down to his fingers, and the rugged, scruffy beard he sometimes keeps on his perfectly flawless skin.
He’s out-of-this-world gorgeous, but he’s also a dick, so there’s that.
“Where were you last night?” he huffs, crossing his arms.
I try very hard not to look at his bulging muscles, because, I mean, come on. The man is ripped. Like, ripped ripped. Not just a little, but a freakin’ lot.
“I’ve already discussed this with your boss. Last time I checked, I don’t answer to you.”
“I nearly lost my life to this fucker. You’ll tell me whatever I ask.”
“When did this become a pity party?” I ask, a whole lot of shit stirring in my voice.
His eyes flash, and he drops the wood onto the ground before walking over and placing his hands on the back of the chair, leaning in so close to
