Chapter 3

The second lot was described in soft, polished language. The bidders understood what it meant. An illegal broker had promised to arrange a transplant for a wealthy family with a sick child. Lily was being treated as a source of parts.

I couldn’t look at her without seeing the little girl who used to hide behind me whenever a storm rolled over the lake. She’d held my hand at our mother’s funeral and whispered that she’d keep Mom safe while I was away.

Now she was doing exactly that, trying not to cry so our mother wouldn’t break.

“Two million,” a man in the back called.

My mother raised her hand again. “I’ll continue.”

The auctioneer leaned toward her. “Mrs. Hart, you understand that your assets must match the competing offer. If you cannot cover the bid, you’ll be responsible for the penalty.”

“I understand.”

“Mom, stop,” Lily called. “You can’t fix this by losing everything.”

“I can lose money,” my mother said. “I can’t lose you.”

A man at the next table reached for her shoulder. My mother struck his hand away. Ethan stood up, but before he could move, James’s security team quietly closed ranks around the front row.

“You people forget what happened to the last family that crossed me,” Ethan said. “This auction is private. You don’t want to create a scene.”

“You’ve already created one,” I said.

He looked past me, irritated by the interruption. He didn’t recognize me. I’d been kept out of the society pages during my years overseas. The rumor was that I’d died in a plane accident. My mother had never been told the truth about where I was. My uncle had vanished after a car crash, and the family had gone silent around her.

I had been told only that my mother and sister were safe. I’d learned too late that the reports were lies.

The auctioneer announced another bid. My mother did not lower her hand.

James spoke into his cuff. “The investigators are in position. We have the venue manager on camera.”

“Good. Keep recording.”

Lily was led down the steps and placed in a chair while the next item was prepared. She looked at our mother, then at the crowd. Her eyes kept searching the room.

I wanted to tell her I was here. But if Ethan realized who I was before I understood how deep the damage ran, he could try to move her.

At the side table, Linda lifted a jeweled pendant from her neck and waved it at my mother. “You used to wear things like this every day. How does it feel to be one of us now?”

My mother lowered her eyes. I saw the muscles in her jaw tighten.

The next lot was brought out beneath a velvet cloth. The auctioneer’s voice dropped.

“The final medical contract: the highest bidder receives exclusive rights to Miss Hart’s future care and—”

My mother’s chair scraped backward.