The spotlight glinted off the silver buttons on his fitted suit as the man in the mask on stage raised his arms theatrically.
“For tonight's esteemed guests, we begin with a collection of rare items, each carrying its own story of mischief and daring.”
With a single clap of his hands, the auctioneer brought the audience's focus back to the stage. A pair of employees wheeled out a tall, black velvet-draped metal stand. The edges of a stolen Banksy painting were still in the original frame when the auctioneer removed the cloth.
“Ladies and gentlemen, an icon of rebellion, defiance, and the ever-elusive artist. Girl with Balloon. Removed from its gallery after a most daring heist. Starting bid: 200,000.”
“Two-twenty!” a woman’s voice rang out from the left.
“Two-fifty,” a man in a sharp suit countered.
“Three hundred!” barked someone near the back.
The auctioneer grinned. “We’ve got 300,000. Do I hear 325?”
“Three-fifty!” came another voice, this time from a masked bidder in the front row.
“Four hundred!”
“Four-twenty!”
“Four-fifty!”
“450,000 for a single painting?” Khael muttered.
Cade leaned in. “They’re not bidding on art. They’re bidding on status. Owning something stolen is its own bragging right here.”
“Sold! Four hundred and fifty thousand. Congratulations to bidder number 12.”
He gestured to a plain wooden crate wheeled onto the stage by two men.
“Lot number 12, military-grade night vision goggles. Fresh off the truck. Starting bid: 20,000.”
“Twenty-five!” a gruff voice called from the side.
“Thirty!”
“Forty!”
The numbers climbed fast. The bidders were relentless.
“Fifty-five,” said a man in the front row, barely looking up from his phone.
“Sixty,” came from a woman in a long trench coat sitting further back.
“Sold for 60,000 to bidder 21.”
It went on for hours. The auctioneer kept presenting different items, and the bidders snatched them up, one after another. At first, Khael was intrigued, but as the pattern repeated, his excitement wore thin.
“This is boring,” Khael muttered, stretching his arms. He glanced at the stage again. Despite being on his feet for so long, the auctioneer's voice remained high and full of energy.
“And now, the part you've all been waiting for,” the auctioneer announced with a dramatic pause. He gestured toward the right, where two men dragged someone forward—a human.
The figure was draped in a tattered white cloth, shackles rattling around their legs as they shuffled to the center of the stage. Khael noted the bruises on their ankles and the sluggish way they moved. The auctioneer grabbed the edge of the cloth and yanked it away.
The man underneath was young, perhaps twenty-five, with lean muscles and a weathered expression. His hands were bound in heavy chains.
“Healthy, able-bodied,” the auctioneer began, his smirk faint but unmistakable. “No illnesses. Perfect for labor… or other needs. Bidding starts at 500,000.”
“One million!”
The loud bid came from directly behind Khael. It was the boy again, speaking up for the first time. His voice carried a smugness that drew a few sidelong glances from other bidders.
No one else dared to bid.
“Sold to bidder 03 for one million!”
The guards led the man offstage as the next item was brought forward. This one was slimmer, with smaller, more delicate steps. Khael noticed the smoothness of the legs beneath the white cloth and guessed it was a woman.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The auctioneer pulled back the covering, revealing a woman in her thirties. Her eyes were hollow, staring at the ground. Strands of unkempt hair fell across her face, but her trembling hands gave away the fear she tried to suppress.
“Obedient, healthy, and in excellent condition. A rare find. Bidding starts at 300,000.”
“Five hundred,” the boy called out again.
“Six hundred,” came another voice from the lower left.
“Six fifty.”
“Seven hundred.”
“Eight hundred.”
“Sold to bidder 12 for 800,000.”
Khael groaned, leaning back in his seat. “Can we leave now? This is a waste of time.”
“Just a little longer, Captain,” Cade replied without looking at him.
“Ughhh.”
The auctioneer carried on, gesturing toward another figure being dragged onto the stage. This one was smaller, frailer. Khael glanced up in boredom.
“A special item. A rare gem, one of a kind.”
The cloth was removed, and Khael’s eyes widened slightly. A young girl, maybe nineteen, with long, light blue hair that caught the dim stage lights. She was dressed in ragged clothes, her pale skin marked by dirt and faint scars. She didn’t flinch or move, just stood there with her head down.
“Nineteen years old. Silent and spirited,” the auctioneer said with a sly grin. “An asset for those with… discerning needs. Starting bid: 800,000.”
“Two million,” the boy shouted without hesitation.
“Two and a half,” someone else countered.
“Three million.”
“Four million,” the boy said again, his voice sharper this time.
The room grew quiet. The auctioneer scanned the crowd, waiting. When he was about to announce the bidder, someone from the upper rows raised a hand.
“Five million.”
Heads turned toward the new bidder, including Cade’s.
“Uh, Captain…”
“Five million! Do we have any–”
“Five and a half!” the boy snapped.
“Six million,” Khael said, raising his hand without looking at Cade.
“Seven million!” The boy shot up from his seat, glaring.
“Eight mil–”
“Ten million!” the boy roared.
The audience gasped as the boy grinned and gave Khael a smug look. But when Khael held up his hand once more, his smile vanished.
“Fifteen million.”
The boy opened his mouth, but one of his guards placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. The boy sat back down and gritted his teeth, silently fuming.
“Sold to bidder… 001 for fifteen million!”
Khael leaned back in his chair and grinned. But Cade appeared stunned, staring at the ground.
“Miguel?”
“I know what you’re going to say, Captain,” Cade muttered. “The money’s not the problem. It’s… the account’s linked to my sister’s, and she’s going to see the transaction.”
“Ehh, and I was thinking of robbing a bank.”
“Robbing a bank sounds like a safer option…” Cade murmured to himself.
Khael rose from his chair and approached the boy sitting in the top row. Without any warning, he slammed a shoe into the boy's head. Blood pooled beneath the boy as he crumpled to the ground. The two guards quickly stood up and aimed for a powerful blow, but Khael caught their arms and bent them into a V on his knee. Afterward, he grabbed their heads and forcefully smashed them onto the seat.
The audience turned away, acting as if nothing had occurred. They turned their attention back to the stage as the auctioneer clapped to regain focus. Khael walked out without looking back. As soon he got out, he was greeted by someone. He escorted Khael to the back of the stage. After pointing out a corner, the person left. Khael went in that direction and noticed the girl standing by herself, staring at the ground.
She was dressed in thin, filthy clothing that barely covered her body. Despite her best efforts, Khael's keen eyes spotted the slight trembling on the girl's hands. He took off his jacket and placed it on the girl's back. This time, too, she did not react. As he stood there, Khael touched his chin and thought about the problem at hand. She was less human and more like a living doll.
Moments later, Cade appeared. “Captain, what were you thinking? Spending that much on… her?” He gestured toward the girl.
“I don’t know,”
“???”
Cade sighed. “Let’s go, Captain. It’s late.”
Khael lowered himself a little and met the girl's eyes. “CAN.YOU.WALK?”
She didn't respond. This made Khael confused. He was thinking if she was deaf. Then, to his surprise, she took a hesitant step forward. Cade recommended covering her face with the mask to draw less attention. Khael followed his instructions, and her appearance did improve. Since the hair was already clean, they didn't need to worry about it.
They started walking away from the park. Cade moved ahead while Khael stayed close to the girl but not too close. Her pace was slow, forcing them to move at a crawl. Because of her unusual hair color, a few people gave her a quick glance, but she didn't draw much attention. When they reached the car, Cade opened the back door, and Khael helped the girl inside.
“Where are we going?” Khael asked, settling into the passenger seat.
“My place,” Cade replied, starting the engine.
“You have a house?”
“It's an apartment. I live with my sister, but she's rarely around, so it's basically just me.”
Khael occasionally glanced at the girl in the rearview mirror as the car continued to drive. She simply stared at the road. Her expression didn’t change even as the headlights of passing cars illuminated her face.
Eventually, they arrived at a towering apartment complex surrounded by open space. Cade drove into the underground parking lot and led them to the elevator. The door closed when Cade pressed the button for the 65th floor. The numbers on the display climbed quickly until they reached their floor with a soft chime. They entered a long hallway with several doors far away from one another.
Cade stopped at one, entered a pin on the wall-mounted keypad, and turned the handle. The door clicked open, and light flooded out. Khael entered and looked the spacious interior. It was open, with a big central room that was highlighted by a set of comfortable couches. A modern staircase seamlessly blended into the design, leading to an upper level with a few more doors.
Khael dropped onto one of the couches. Cade stretched his shoulders and hung his jacket in a nearby wardrobe.
“What's for dinner?” Khael asked lazily.
“My sister usually cooks when she's home, but she's not here often. So I just eat out most of the time.”
“So you can’t cook,”
“Yeah…”
Both of them looked at the girl at the same time who was standing still in one spot.
“Can you cook?”