Running would have been useless, Fighting would have been worse. Every man standing around me carried the kind of stillness that only came from years of violence. These weren't street thugs. These were his men and they outnumbered me. I was alone.
"Careful with her," the Don said calmly, his deep voice cutting through the noise like a quiet command that needed no repetition. "Take her to the back."
The word alone told me everything. Two men stepped forward, one slightly ahead, one behind. Close enough to stop any sudden movement but not touching me.
The night air outside the warehouse felt colder now. Vehicles were still moving, men shouting orders, the remains of chaos from the disrupted auction still unfolding around us. But inside that small circle around me, everything felt strangely quiet. Like I had stepped back into his world.
They led me to a long black SUV parked slightly away from the others. Tinted glass, engine running. A familiar symbol of power.
