“I’m fine.” She pointed at the door. “He said he’ll fight, but he needs a few minutes.” She wouldn’t meet my eyes, and that was the first clue something was wrong. The second was when Shelton tried the door and found it locked.

“Someone get me a key yesterday!”

Alex whirled, her eyes wide. “I must’ve locked it on my way out.”

I grabbed her shoulders, alarmed by her rattled tone. “Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head. “He told me some upsetting things. I’ll tell you later.”

Shelton stomped toward us. “While they’re taking care of this snafu, let’s get the show started. People are getting antsy.” He waved a hand in Alex’s direction. “Strip her and chain her up over there,” he ordered, pointing to a set of chains dangling a few feet from the cage.

“Excuse me?” I asked with a dangerous edge.

“You ain’t deaf. I said strip her. I want her on display.”

The dark cloud that passed over Alex’s face alarmed even me. She wrestled from my grasp and popped the buttons on her top before sliding the shirt down her shoulders, then she unzipped the skirt and let it pool around her feet.

“Is this good enough?” she asked Shelton. “Or do you expect me to get naked for your perverted friends?”

“It’s just business, honey.” Shelton’s mouth twitched into a grin. “She’s got spirit. I like her.” He walked away, muttering how this night was going to be a lesson in entertainment.

I trapped her arm in a painful grip and hauled her toward those fucking chains. “That was stupid.”

“I’m a human being, not an object. If he wants my skin on display, I can do it myself.”

“I meant going in to see Zach.”

We stepped onto a platform a few feet from the cage, and I positioned her underneath the chains. Her gaze settled on that damn door Zach hid behind. He must have known how this was going to end. With quick, jerky motions, I buckled her wrists into the cuffs and stretched her arms above her head.

My mouth was a hard line, my touch rough and unforgiving, but when our eyes met and held, the angry beast inside me went into hibernation. She had me so fucking whipped. I slid my palms along her arms and brushed the sides of her heaving tits. Her matching black and red bra and panties were made of lace, barely there—meant to entice and seduce. Those scraps of fabric did a hell of a job tantalizing me, but I hated how every other fucker in here saw what I saw.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.