Chapter 44

It’d been weeks since Kyle last spoke to either Dimitri or Max, and she had settled in as much as she could. She moved from her father’s house to Cannin’s house.

Being with Cannin hadn’t been so bad in her opinion. She knew she had to be with him until she could find a way out. Luckily, Cannin hadn’t forced her to be intimate with him.

“I know you don’t agree with this part of business, and I don’t agree with it either, but we have to be at tonight’s bid.”

Kyle felt the bile rise in her throat. “I’m not going. I refuse to be a part of this.”

“You know we have to be there. Don’t fight me on this, because you’ll lose and you know it.”

While Cannin often let Kyle make decisions for herself, he was getting more annoyed at her defiance. He needed her to work with him.

“Fine, but I will voice my opinion on how much I hate this.”

“I don’t like it either, and I plan on leaving that part of the business behind when I take over.”

***

Kyle was in the bedroom getting ready when Cannin walked in.

“Are you almost ready?”

While Cannin didn’t force her to have sex, they still shared a room, and Cannin would randomly kiss her.

“I am. Just let me finish my makeup.”

He walked up behind Kyle and moved her hair off her neck. “You’re beautiful,” Cannin whispered as he lowered his lips to her neck, and Kyle moved her head to the side to give him access.

He never asked for more than the kissing and copping a feel, and Kyle had grown to welcome it over the past few weeks.

Cannin removed himself from Kyle and let out a sigh.

He may be leading an organized crime business, but he never forced a female.

It was the one thing he didn’t want to do, and it annoyed him that Kyle didn’t want him, but he was willing to put in the work to get her to want him.

***

They made it the place where the night’s events were to take place. Kyle was nervous and felt bad for the girls who had to go through with the bidding.

“Cannin, we haven’t seen you around here in a very long time.”

“Since I’ll be taking over, I figured I need to make an appearance. By the way, this is my girlfriend, Kyle, and Kyle, this is one of our associates, Dan.”

“It’s nice to meet such a pretty lady,” Dan said as he kissed Kyle’s hand. Kyle smiled at him and stood closer to Cannin.

Dan chuckled at her reaction. “You got a shy one there. She must be a good little submissive for you.”

“She’s something else.” Cannin chuckled.

They spent the next thirty minutes talking to different people before they were directed to enter the showroom.

Cannin took Kyle’s hand in his and guided her to their seat.

“What are we supposed to do?” she asked him.

“We are here to observe and make an appearance.”

“Are these girls going to be taken care of?”

“Yes. The people here bidding are people who have been checked out. Even though these girls are getting sold, they will be taken care of.”

Kyle was horrified at the event that was taking place. She couldn’t believe that other people were being held against their will. She wanted to do something—how could she help?

She spotted a girl around the same age as her and racked her brain for ideas. The only plan she could think of was to offer money. She hated to do it this way, but she took her chance when Cannin walked her over to meet the host.

“Cannin, like I just announced, it’s really good to have you here. This must be the girl I was told about.”

Cannin chuckled. “She is, but let’s talk business.”

Kyle stood there as Cannin and the other gentleman talked business and tried to negotiate the terms of some kind of deal.

When they reached a lull in the conversation, Kyle seized her chance.

“Since you gentlemen can’t agree on a price of the product now, how about we take the money you’re offering plus that girl over there?”

The guy looked over his shoulder toward where Kyle was pointing.

“I never took you for a guy to let your women in on business affairs, Cannin, but you have yourself a deal.”

Cannin smiled tightly. “Well, she does know what I like. Now, will you excuse us for a moment?”

The man departed, and Cannin roughly jerked Kyle into a private room. “What the fuck were you thinking, Kyle? What you did was stupid.”

“I’m sorry! I had to help at least one of them.”

“And you thought I would pay ten thousand dollars for her and let her go? That’s not how it fucking works.

“You owe me now; you are indebted to me. I’ll be damned if you think I’ll hand over that money for free.”

Tears slipped past Kyle’s eyes.

“Don’t you fucking cry.” Cannin grabbed her by the chin.

“You made this mess, and you’re going to face the consequences. She’s your problem—you figure out a way to make her useful, and you’d better figure out how to pay me back.”

Cannin pushed her back, and for the first time, Kyle was afraid of Cannin and what he might do to her.