Master of Secrets Page 4

  There was a smirk on his face I wanted to wipe away with my fist.

  “Twenty million.”

  I couldn’t wait until the day I put a bullet in the fucker’s head.

  “Done.” I reached down, picked up a crystal decanter, poured myself a hefty helping of Trevolo’s five-thousand-dollar scotch, and swallowed the fiery alcohol in one gulp. “Now take me to see my slave.”

  Chapter Four

  Anaya

  * * *

  I woke with an excruciating throb in my head and pain shooting into my jaw.

  I opened my eyes, trying my best to focus on the clock attached to the ceiling, but only blurriness filled my vision.

  God, my body hurt.

  The fucking guard had hit me hard enough to knock me out.

  Even though I hurt like hell now, I had no regrets for punching one of the bastards and breaking his nose. He deserved it for trying to feel me up.

  I knew the others had warned the idiot guard that I wasn’t the usual timid, weak woman Trevolo brought for his clients, but the moron thought the fact he was twice my size would intimidate me into doing as he said.

  Fucker had no idea that Jeff, my trainer and mentor at Solon, was bigger than him and ten times scarier. If I could knock Jeff on his ass, the guard was no problem. Where I’d gone wrong was not noticing the second man hiding by the door. That one had landed the punch that made me lose consciousness.

  After blinking a few times, I finally got my eyes to focus. Glancing at the clock, I realized I’d slept for five hours, which meant I had another few hours before lights out.

  I shifted my body, only to find my arms chained to the wall. I groaned.

  I should have expected it. This was standard procedure following one of my incidents.

  The first time it happened was the day I’d arrived at this prison. The house doctor had informed me that he wanted to see if I was “used” or a virgin. I’d broken his arm and dislocated his shoulder.

  After that day, they’d routinely drugged me with a paralytic whenever they gave me a “health exam.” They made sure I knew what was happening and wanted me to feel the invasive touch of the doctor.

  The first few days after my kidnapping had been a haze. I’d been dosed with some kind of sedative that allowed me to be shuffled from one handler to the next without resistance.

  I vaguely remembered hearing conversations about someone ordering my abduction. Well, the abduction of Anastasia Ashton. And it wasn’t the one I’d set up with my contact…with Adrian.

  My fucking cover was the reason for this whole mess. Who would want the mousy design assistant? This made no sense. I’d done everything right. The only thing that kept coming to mind was that Catarina Trevolo didn’t particularly like me, but I couldn’t have done anything to warrant her retaliating against me in this way.

  What was wrong with me? I was trying to reason out what would cause a crazy bitch like Catarina to sell people.

  The only thing I was positive about was that I’d be sold with Trevolo’s human cargo shipment.

  Thank God I’d been left alone in my cell since arriving at the island, with no interaction with anyone but the guards who brought me my food. Well, outside of the “medical exams.”

  I dropped back to the bed and closed my eyes, knowing the truth of my situation.

  The longer I was here, the harder it would be to find me. And I had no idea where the hell I was. A shiver ran down my spine as a sense of resignation flooded me. I knew what my fate would be if my team didn’t find me. I’d become property, sold to the highest bidder, used for God only knew what. If everything had gone according to plan, I’d have constant monitoring and backup to sweep in to get me out of anything I was in.

  What would become of me if Solon didn’t get to me in time?

  I swallowed as bile filled my throat.

  The latch on my cell clicked, and I jolted to sitting, trying to ignore the bite of the cuffs bearing down into my wrists.

  A group of well-dressed men in suits walked in with Trevolo, and an avalanche of dread weighed down on me. This was it. My time was up.

  “Gentlemen, this is the prize we’ve dubbed ‘the hellcat.’ She would have been the crown jewel of our auction, if Mr. Bonaparte hadn’t already bought her.” Trevolo spoke in English, a stark contrast to the Italian he used when he’d visited me previously.

  “Bonaparte likes to hoard all the special ones. I’ve lost to him at least three times.”

  The other men began to talk around me, but all I could focus on was that someone had bought me.

  Then my mind registered where I’d heard the name Bonaparte.

  Julian Bonaparte was a member of a notorious arms- and drug-trafficking family. He was thought to be a genius and had unseen skills when it came to cybersecurity. He also held a reputation for cruel heartlessness in all aspects of his life. There were no second chances in his eyes. Those who crossed him rarely saw the light of the next day.

  Hope slowly seeped from my soul as tears burned the back of my throat. I wrapped my arms around my bent knees and hid my face in my lap.

  I can survive until Solon gets me out. I will survive until Solon gets me out.

  A man at the foot of the bed reached down to touch me but stopped when I kicked out.

  The group laughed.

  “As I said, hellcat.” The humor in Trevolo’s voice made me want to do more than kick him.

  “Let us at least have a look at what we have lost.” The same man lifted his hand toward me again but stopped when Trevolo stepped between us.

  “That is not a decision I can make. You know the rules of auctions. Mr. Bonaparte owns this jewel. He has to be willing to share his slave. After all, he did pay twenty million for her.”

  The group shifted, and all of a sudden, I felt a prickle of awareness that I’d only felt around one person. My heartbeat accelerated. I closed my eyes and dropped my head again, not wanting to be disappointed.

  “Request denied,” Adrian said, making my head snap up.

  He moved through the crowd of men, toward the bed. There was a cold edge to him I’d never seen before. One that made him seem dangerous in an almost volatile way.

  He studied me, giving no indication he knew me. His gaze traveled from my feet, over the T-shirt that barely covered my body, then to my arms.

  “Unchain her,” he ordered. “No one is to lay a finger on her without my permission.”

  “You heard the man.” Trevolo gestured to the guards who seemed to hesitate at the request.

  The guard freed my arms and I immediately crawled to the top of the bed, away from Adrian and the men. I reacted out of instinct and tried to pull my minuscule shirt over my hips.

  Adrian’s gaze lingered on the dove tattoo on my hip.

  “Come here, little dove,” Adrian commanded. “I’d like a word with you.”

  But before I could shift, he grabbed me by the throat, pulling me toward him.

  I whimpered as the sting of his tight hold pressed against my airway. Dear God, what was he doing?

  This was not my Adrian, but Julian.

  My eyes stung and my mind clouded as if I was about to pass out.

  “You belong to me now, little dove. Your happiness depends on how well you please me. Behave and I will reward you, misbehave and I will punish you.” His hold eased, allowing me to breathe. “From this moment on, you will do what I want, whenever I want, with whoever I want. If I say get on your knees and crawl, you will do it without question. If I tell you to lift your skirt so I can fuck you in front of a crowded room, you will do it. I won’t hurt you unless you force me to. Do I make myself clear?”

  His emerald green gaze bored into mine. “Y-yess,” I whimpered.

  I wanted to sag with relief that Adrian was here, but I couldn’t. This was only the beginning.

  He abruptly released me, dropping me onto the bed, and turned. I gasped for air and rolled to my side.

  “Your money will be in the acc
ount within the hour. Have her cleaned up and placed in the bridal suite.”

  It took another few minutes before the men filed out. Each looking at me as if they had lost an unfair competition.

  The door locked again, but I knew this time it wouldn’t be long before someone came to get me.

  The coldness of Adrian’s gaze was nothing like I’d ever experienced with him before. It was as if he had totally changed personalities. I thought I was good at keeping my cover, but Adrian was beyond anything I’d seen. And from the way everyone seemed to react to him, I knew he’d established his role over a long period of time.

  All that mattered was that he was on the island with me, and as sick as it sounded, he’d bought me.

  I released a sigh of relief.

  I would get out of here. I would get to go back to my old life.

  Then a sense of guilt hit me. There were women and children hidden somewhere on this island that would never have that option.

  I had to play the role of slave and find out everything I could to get them out. I couldn’t be Anaya Anthony here—the only person anyone could ever see was Anastasia Ashton.

  I was a purchased slave.

  Adrian would use me, abuse me…I swallowed.

  And share me.

  From my research, it was a courtesy for a harem slave to be given to a man of the owner’s choosing.

  I couldn’t see Adrian even considering that option. He was possessive by nature. I remembered him punching a guy at a club we’d gone to in college when he’d made a pass at me.

  We would both do what we needed to get off this island, finish our assignments, and get the information needed to take down Trevolo and the men who were the buyers for his illegal slaves.

  From the way the men who’d entered my cell had spoken, I hadn’t been part of the special auction but the one Trevolo conducted with his harem.

  It made no sense, but there had to be a reason.

  The door opened and a young woman with long blond hair entered. She wore a collar around her neck that sparkled as if covered in diamonds. As she moved closer, I realized they were diamonds. Then I noticed her clothes. They were designer, like the kind a wealthy woman would wear on vacation, and there wasn’t a bruise on her body that I could see. She had to be from Trevolo’s harem.

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  “I’m Ele. I’m here to prepare you for your master,” she said in English with a hint of an Italian accent. She offered me her hand. “Come with me and I’ll get you cleaned up.”

  I slid my palm over hers and wanted to weep. This was the first touch from another person in over a month I was fine with.

  Keep it together, Anaya.

  I followed her without any argument. We entered a hallway that led into an area with high ceilings and large windows overlooking the ocean. My breath hitched. I was definitely not in Italy anymore.

  I studied the foliage, the shore, and the people working to maintain the beach. A yacht passed by in the distance and I made out the name Caribbean Escape.

  “Are we in the Caribbean?” I asked.

  “Yes.” She gave me a wary look. “It’s best not to ask too many questions, especially out in public.”

  I nodded and then noticed the cameras and guards stationed toward the end of the long walkway.

  “This way.” Ele gestured to a large wooden door that was probably ten feet tall.

  She guided me into what I could only describe as a fairy-tale princess’s bedroom. Sheer drapes flowed with the wind by the windows, a grand four-poster bed sat in the center of the room, and the walls were decorated in various pastel shades to craft the design of a garden.

  “Is this my room?”

  “Only for tonight. If your master is pleased with you, he will move you to his bungalow.”

  “And if he’s not?”

  She hesitated then said, “As far as the other guests know, you are one of Master Trevolo’s harem jewels, sold to Mr. Bonaparte for the next two weeks. For your sake, never forget it.”

  “So, I’m to pretend I’m here by choice?”

  “Yes. The alternative isn’t something you will survive.”

  I studied her. “Did you make the same choice?”

  She didn’t look at me. “I made the choice that kept me alive.”

  “What are you, if not part of his harem?”

  “Master Trevolo’s house mistress.”

  What the hell did that mean?

  As if reading my thoughts, she answered, “I do what Master tells me. I am his pet, his slave, and the mistress who runs the estate.”

  “You play the role of his wife.”

  Anger flashed in her brown gaze. “No, I am the woman she refuses to be for her husband. I know you met her. She is the reason Master Trevolo had any interest in you in the first place. He mentioned she wasn’t very fond of you and wanted you gone.”

  Catarina Trevolo was a right bitch. She’d worked me like crazy and then accused me of slacking and trying to land a rich man with my flirting. When the fuck had I had time to flirt?

  It made sense that Catarina was involved. The last thing I remembered was approaching the speedboat near the dock to pick up the purse she thought she’d left there. Then I’d woken up in the cell.

  “Why do you look so familiar?” I studied her face. “Do I know you?”

  “I’m her sister.”

  My stomach dropped, not believing what I was hearing.

  Catarina Trevolo had sold her own sister. To her husband, at that.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “What is there to understand? It was either die or live here.”

  “But, what about your family?”

  There was pain under her words. “They don’t know what I’ve become.”

  Everything I’d researched said Catarina Trevolo came from one of the wealthiest families on the island country of Malta. Then I remembered—the middle daughter Elenora was believed dead. There were rumors of a cover-up for a kidnapping that resulted in her death.

  “Please, let’s not talk about it again. It’s a conversation that could get both of us in trouble.” Ele moved toward the bathroom. “Come. I have to prepare you for your new husband.”

  “Are they really going to make me marry him?”

  Ele turned on the shower, dropped some kind of scented tablet on the tiled floor, and closed the glass door.

  “Does it matter if there is a ceremony or not? He bought you at a bride price. That means you’re a bride. It doesn’t matter that the rest of the guests do not know the truth about you. Besides, your status is elevated for that mere reason. It also means more people will pay attention to you.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Master Trevolo kept you specifically for Mr. Bonaparte.”

  “Why?” I asked. “What about me made me right for him?”

  “Mr. Bonaparte gravitates towards women who have your look. Master Trevolo knew without a doubt Mr. Bonaparte would pay an exorbitant price for you. Plus, the fact so many of the guests were enthralled by you adds to your value. They are referring to you as the Aphrodite of Catarina Island.”

  The last thing I viewed myself as was Aphrodite. Men didn’t fall at my feet in love. Hell, the one I wanted had turned away from me.

  “Take off your clothes. I placed eucalyptus and lavender scents in the shower. They will soothe your senses. You have thirty minutes to get ready.” Ele turned in a no-nonsense way, moving to a chair by the vanity, and sat.

  “You’re staying?”

  “Yes. I am to prepare you. After your shower, I’ll fill you in on what to expect with your master.”

  I wanted to ask questions but thought better of it. I was desperate to take a shower and get the filth of this morning’s exam off me. The few showers Trevolo allowed me had been supervised by the guards. The water had been lukewarm at best, but I’d gotten clean. The only clothing I was permitted to wear were thin white T-shirts. It was something, instead of havin
g to be naked all the time.

  I pulled the shirt from my body, throwing it on the floor, and then opened the door to the glass enclosure, stepped under the multiple sprays of the six showerheads.

  I lifted my face into the water and whimpered as heat began to seep into my bones. “Oh God, this feels so good.”

  Bracing my hands on the wall, I let the streams cascade over my skin. If I closed my eyes, I could almost pretend I was in the center of the giant shower in the master bedroom of my apartment in Vegas.

  It had been nearly four months since I’d been home, and that was in secret without my family knowing. I missed Henna, my brothers, my sisters-in-law, and I missed my nephews, two of whom I hadn’t even met yet.

  Why had I stayed away so long?

  Adrian.

  I’d avoided him like the plague and now he was the one to save me. Well, that was if we made it out of here.

  “I suggest you wash before your time is up.” Ele’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “I don’t want you to go into this unprepared.”

  I followed her instructions and washed my hair and body. As I turned off the water, Ele opened the shower door and held an oversized towel.

  She wrapped it around me and led me to the seat she’d just vacated. With another towel, she began to dry my hair.

  “It is your duty to gratify your master in any way he pleases. Do not argue. Do not turn from his advances. Do not let him think for one minute that you aren’t grateful to be his bride.”

  “Can you tell me about him?”

  Outside of what the CIA had put out into the world, Adrian’s cover was a complete mystery to me, and it was best I had as much information as possible.

  “Julian Bonaparte is the eldest son of the Bonaparte family. His father is a figurehead for the family.”

  “So my…” I hesitated, “…master is the actual leader of the clan?”

  “Yes. He is a younger, harder version of his father.” She set the towel on the floor by the chair and then moved in front of me to apply my makeup. “Do yourself a favor and don’t fight him. He isn’t known for second chances.”