Chapter One

Julia's POV

Dad had promised to return before closing. We generally closed at 7, but it was becoming dark quickly, and my skin itched from worry. He had been behaving strangely lately, making more phone calls, engaging in conversations behind closed doors, and maintaining a tense expression he wore effortlessly.

When I asked earlier where he was going, he brushed me off as usual.

"I'm just getting something; I'll be back. You can lock up by 7 if I'm not back."

"What kind of something?" I pushed, eyebrows raised, as we placed a crate of discarded cereal boxes at the shop earlier.

"Don't stress your head, Julia. Stay in the store; I won't be long." His voice had been overly calm. "Just wait."

And those were my father's final words before vanishing into the darkness. I didn't think much of it at the time; he'd never left me alone in a grocery store before, but he didn't seem concerned.

The street was quiet outside, except for the flickering orange streetlamp, which buzzed as if it knew something I didn't.

I sat behind the bar, aimlessly looking through my phone. It was becoming late; my father hadn't returned, and I'd texted him twice with no response.

"He probably ran into someone on the street." I told myself many things to escape the one thing that was bothering me: he had left me here on purpose.

I stood and walked to lock the front door. The streets were becoming dangerous these days, particularly for girls like me. Just as my fingers touched the bolt, the bell above the entrance jingled.

Two men walked inside. I froze.

They did not look like customers. One had a scar that ran from the border of his mouth to his jaw, indicating that it was not an accident. The other had eyes that didn't blink frequently.

"We're closed," I murmured, my voice barely audible.

Scarface, smirking, said, "I'm just looking for water; I've been driving for a while."

I paused. "Coolers to your right."

He walked away, while the other man stood uncomfortably close to me, staring as if he was trying to memorize my face.

"Pretty girl," he murmured, "too beautiful to be stuck here."

My pulse quickened. Dad, where are you? "Please, if you're not buying anything, I need to lock up."

He stepped closer, leaning in. I stepped back and groped for my phone. A stinging pain in the back of my neck sent the world spinning. I attempted to scream, but no sound came out; my limbs felt like liquid, and the last thing I heard was a voice saying, "Careful, don't bruise her; she'll make a giant profit for us."

…

I awoke, choking on my breath. The atmosphere was dense, musty, and foreign. The cold floor beneath me was metallic and unyielding; I blinked and sat up, wincing as pain radiated through my brain. My hands were free, but my legs trembled while I stood.

A flickering bulb overhead illumined the room. Around me were metal containers and corroded pipes... There are also other girls. Some cried, while others sat in stunned silence, as if they'd given up before the fight began.

"Where am I?" I muttered. A girl with wavy brown hair and busted lips stared at me. "You'll figure it out soon enough."

Before I could say anything else, the door cracked open. A man entered, dressed in a bright gray suit that seemed out of place in this setting. His face was small and rat-like, but it was his smile that made my blood turn cold.

"Good evening, ladies," he cooed. "You've all been handpicked as rare jewels. Tonight we'll find out how much your beauty is worth.

A girl began sobbing, her arms wrapped around her leg. The man did not even flinch. "Save your tears; you'll need them when the bidding starts."

I felt my legs weaken again, this time from panic. Bidding?

I was not only kidnapped; I was being sold. I lurched toward the nearest wall, my mind racing. My father, where was he? Did he call the police? Did he even realize I was missing?

But something blasted into my chest, sharp and cruel; he abandoned me. He was fully aware of the situation and had planned it.

My throat dried up, and I wanted to shout and deny it, but then I remembered his eyes, which were empty, sad, and guilty.

The man clasped his hands together sharply. "Line them up; we begin in twenty," he remarked, his voice bland and disinterested, as if the present was just another day at the office, and almost black appeared from the shadows. "Oh, and make sure they're bound."

Two armed men appeared and began unlocking the cages, hauling the females to their feet like cattle. I had to think quickly; I had to get out of this hellhole, and I was not going to be sold to some fucking stranger. I had already bound myself before they did; one reached out, but I stepped away.

"Touch me and I swear to God—"

His slap was fast, piercing my lip and dropping me to my knees. At that moment, I saw stars, hopeless stars.

The man knelt next to me, his voice a sweet poison to my ears. "Do you think your fire scares me, sweetheart? It merely makes the picture brighter."

He stood slowly, peering down at me with a grin that made my stomach turn: "Oh, you'll be fun."

Rough hands seized me, jerking me to my feet; I staggered, my knees weak and shaky, but they didn't care. They pushed me into a line with the others, unlocking the chains around our ankles with such haste that I wondered if this was intended to be a kindness or a warning.

The man in the suit strode in front of us, his gaze resting on each female in turn, before speaking again, sending a shiver down my spine. "Tonight's auction is special."

He smirked as he announced. "Fresh batch, wealthy guests, and for the ones who don't sell…"

He left the sentence incomplete, but the way the girl next to me began to shiver told me all I needed to know.

He then went to the guard and said, "Hurry; the Don is watching tonight."

The room fell silent; I didn't know who "the don" was, but the girls did. A few people began crying again, and one started praying.

"Who's the don?" I murmured to the girl next to me, and she glanced at me with fearful eyes. "The man who buys what he can't break… and breaks what he can't buy."