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bravery impressed him. “You have
fire. I like that. To a point.” To Leonard, he said, “I want her.”
Then straightened and walked briskly away as if he hadn’t just made
an audacious statement, one that filled my heart with fear and just
a hint of dark excitement. What did he mean?
    “Excuse me?” I managed to sputter when I’d
found my voice.
    But my opinion in the matter didn’t seem to
register because Leonard simply sighed and shook his head as if
more baffled than I in the choice and nodded, saying, “I’ll make
the arrangements.”
    “You’ll do no such thing,” I protested,
shooting to my feet, moving for the door. I was getting off this
crazy train before it completely derailed. But I was deterred by
the giant, hulking mass of Leonard’s personal bodyguard, Os, as he
moved into place in front of the door. I stared up at the massive
Norwegian and swallowed, knowing there was no way I was going to
move that man any more than I could push a bear out of my way.
“What the hell is going on? This is America. You can’t just
purchase people like you would a head of lettuce. I have rights!”
My voice had taken on a hysterical pitch and suddenly Leonard’s
hand cracked against my mouth and I stumbled back, my hand going to
my bleeding lip as tears sprung to my eyes. Mr. Villanti stopped
and glared at Leonard, his gaze narrowing to the point of icicle
shards and Leonard paled.
    “Do not touch what belongs to me if you value
your life,” Mr. Villanti said in a cool, clear voice that left
little to the imagination. To me, he said, “Come. Or take your
chances with this man.” His stare flicked to Leonard who now
regarded me with something akin to repulsion and I knew I was well
and truly fucked. My choices had just dwindled to one. I shakily
gathered my purse and with one final glance at the life I was
leaving behind, I followed Mr. Villanti out of the dim back office
and into the awaiting Towncar with the man that alternately scared
and thrilled me.
    It was several minutes before he spoke,
handing me his monogrammed handkerchief from his interior jacket
pocket. “I detest dealing with men such as Leonard but he has a
certain usefulness when it comes to filling certain needs.”
    I pressed the handkerchief to my lip and
winced at the sudden spike of pain. I would have a fat lip by the
time the bleeding stopped. “Listen, I’m really not the kind of
person you’re looking for. I promise you that I am not. I’m
probably the last person who anyone would think—“
    “I know more about you than you think,” he
answered, shocking me. He cast a short look my way before
continuing. “I know that you live alone. Your mother died when you
were young and your father died only recently. You started college
but dropped out when your father died to get a job to pay for the
bills he kindly left behind thanks to a raging gambling addiction.
You’re behind on your car payment and you have exactly $28 in your
bank account, which is barely enough to pay for your outstanding
library fees. You spend most evenings curled up with a book —
likely one of the many you can’t seem to return but can’t afford to
buy — and you haven’t been on a date in a very long time. Does that
about cover it?”
    I gaped. “Who the hell are you?” How’d he
know all this? Worse than feeling terribly exposed, I felt trapped
in a movie plot but it was all frighteningly real and surreal at
the same time. “I want out of this car right now.”
    He smiled. “I want you out of those
clothes.”
    “That’s not going to happen,” I vowed.
    At that he laughed. “I can be terribly
persuasive.”
    “I’m not for sale,” I said, lifting my chin,
doing my best to seem unafraid or bullied when in fact I felt
both.
    He graced me with an indulgent expression.
“Everyone has a price, sweet Hannah. Even you.”
    I shuddered, knowing deep in my heart that it
was likely true but it pained me to realize that a person’s
integrity could