Chapter One Hundred and Three
Once Guerra had left, Matteo reached across Gen and grabbed what was left of her drink. He slammed it back before returning it to the bar with a decisive crack. He thought he’d be able to take it: watching her deflect advances from other men. The moment Sergei approached her though his vision swam with red and he’d sent Frankie over to get rid of him. When he saw Guerra make his move and noticed Frankie had disappeared, he knew he had to do something about it himself. He could feel the cold anger radiating off Gen in waves. She was not happy. He couldn’t necessarily blame her. She sat rigid in her chair. The only movement she made was to wave at the bartender and point at her now empty glass.
“Weakness…”
“Save it,” Gen hissed.
“I knew you would never wander off with another man. That’s the only reason I didn’t tell you that…”
“That I was for sale?” she yelled in his face, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
“You were never for sale,” he said, his voice low and placating.
“Oh, really? Say, Maisy and… whoever the hell you are, what do you think Mr. Accardi here could get for someone like me?”
Maisy O’Brien was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. The man trying to woo her however answered with an interested glance over Gen’s body and a quick, “I’d go 35 mil for you, Sweetcheeks.”
Gen looked back at Matteo with one brow raised. “Here that, Accardi? You got a counter offer?”
Matteo didn’t answer, he was too busy using the hatred in his gaze to scorch the poor fucker down to his soul. The man squirmed under his murderous glare until he fled with a fleeting wave goodbye to Maisy.
“Dammit, Accardi,” Maisy said with a weighted sigh. “I actually kind of liked that one.”
“This is unbelievable,” Gen growled with a scoff. She stood up and gave him a disgusted once over that twisted a knife in his heart before she walked off, shaking her head.
“Should have told her, Accardi,” Maisy said as she sipped her cosmo.
Matteo rolled his eyes. “Thanks for your help.”
He followed after Gen. Even walking as angrily as she was, he managed to catch up to her in only a few strides. He grabbed her by the upper arm and proceeded to drag her toward the dancefloor. She tried to wrench herself free but his hold only tightened. Once on the waxed wooden floor, Matteo whirled her around and pulled her tightly against his chest.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Yeah, you are. You’re a fucking sorry piece of…”
Matteo clasped her cheeks between his hands and kissed her. Gen pushed at his chest until he slid his tongue over her lips. Her flattened palms constricted until his tuxedo jacket was fisted in her hand. He released her and she swayed slightly. Though her eyes were still narrowed and her mouth was set in a deep scowl, she’d stopped fighting him.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he warned her, grabbing her hand and sliding his free one around her back. She scoffed but allowed him to start moving her around the room. “You were never going to be auctioned, Weakness,” he whispered in her ear in the way that always gave her goosebumps.
“Yeah, right, I’m sure you had plans to…”
He tightened his hold until she squeaked from the pressure. “Stop talking, Genevieve, or I’ll make you regret it.”
“By doing what? Stripping me down so you can get a higher bid than 35 million?” she asked, her eyes a dangerous silver blue that could cut him raw.
“Not a single person in this room could afford you, Genevieve. You’re priceless. You’re worth more than every woman that’s ever stepped foot on this floor combined.”
“You’re fucking right,” she growled.
Matteo chuckled softly. “Men consider themselves the most powerful when a woman is at his mercy… or he thinks she is. I just wanted to see how you’d handle them.”
“Well, if you didn’t send Frankie or come barging over yourself then you would have seen me kick two men in the balls.”
“I couldn’t take it,” he confessed. “The idea of another man even talking to you sent me into a blind rage.”
“You should have known better.”
“I should have.”
“I mean you cut off Brian’s hand and killed Paul.”
“Mmm, when you put it that way maybe I was just in need of a reason to kill someone.”
“I have a pretty good one,” she said, giving him a pointed look.
He dropped the hand from around her back and pulled out his handgun. He forced her to take it and pressed it against his chest. “Go ahead, Weakness. Make me pay.”
Gen turned off the safety and his eyes widened. She smirked at his expression before she pulled the gun away and tucked it back into the front of his waistband.
“Here I was thinking you were joking about the loaded gun between your thighs.”
“I never joke about lethal killing machines… or my firearms.”
A small smile threatened to pull at her lips but she shook her head and it vanished. “You said you weren’t involved in sex trafficking, Matteo,” she said, giving him a look that meant he better start explaining.
“I’m not.”
“I can put up with a lot but I can’t be with someone selling women. You better explain yourself really fucking quick or I’ll…”
Matteo stopped his feet and gripped her tight enough to crack her back. “You’ll what, Genevieve?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’ll leave you,” she threatened, her voice clogged with the weight of her emotions… Her resolve. His heart squeezed painfully enough to make him feel nauseous.
Matteo’s teeth ground together with the force he put on his jaw. He lifted his eyes and glanced around the hall, not necessarily looking for anything in particular but needing an excuse to gather his thoughts and remind himself to tread carefully. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, releasing some of the instinct to throw her over his shoulder and prove to her she wasn’t going anywhere without him. He moved his feet to continue their dance and she followed.
“This event is not what you think. I don’t know what Maisy told you…”
“She said…”
“I don’t give a flying fuck what that woman said, Gen,” Matteo interrupted. “One thing my great grandfather wanted when moving to this country was to seek a different life than the one he was raised. Back then, and even now, men and women in this life are bought and sold like commodities. Many times against their will. Deals are formed in private, wars are fought in alleys, and people die because of a misunderstanding or someone going back on their end of a deal.”
“After my great-grandfather established a stronghold in this city, he started this event. Men from around the country come here to make deals, strengthen their families, and form important relationships. Deals are made out in the open with hundreds of witnesses to hold each party accountable. The bidding is a way for families to test the waters and see who has a stronger desire to form an alliance. Negotiations happen after. Both parties must agree to terms and they all sign contracts with a dozen witnesses and an Accardi’s signature.”
“And that seventeen-year-old girl who was promised as a child?” Gen asked, her accusation like a punch to the gut.
Matteo sighed. “I made changes when I took over but I was sixteen at the time. To avoid utter chaos and keep people from leaving the event and going back to making deals in the dark, my mom advised me to give an advanced warning about the changes. Five years. After five years it became a rule that women must be willing to agree to the marriage or other business arrangements themselves. As expected many decided to go ahead and make deals for the future including the one Ivan Rubanov entered his daughter into. I am currently dealing with many cases such as hers.” Matteo gave her a long look, his eyes locking with hers and his feet stalling on the dancefloor. “Every woman leaves this event of her own free will.”
“That is not a perfect system, Matteo. How can you be certain these women aren’t groomed or coerced? How can you expect a woman to look at you and not fear her denial will get her punished?”
“They don’t speak with me, they speak with a woman counselor.”
“Like the one you have patting us down when we walk in?”
Matteo sighed. “No, she’s a professional counselor, Gen.”
“It’s not a perfect system, Matteo.”
“It’s not a perfect system,” he agreed. “If I had a strong-willed Donna by my side, she could help me make the system better.”
Gen ripped her hands away from him and crossed her arms. “I am so angry with you. Not just for this event but for keeping me in the dark about it. What kind of sick punishment is it to make me think you care so little for me that you’d fucking auction me off?!”
Her eyes were blurry with unshed tears but he wouldn’t allow himself to be affected by them. He stepped closer to her, invading her space as he towered over her. She shrunk back slightly but her eyes remained unflinching. She wanted an answer, he’d give her one.