Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 109882 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109882 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
This is what you wanted, what you knew would happen.
I stared at his hand, feeling tears running down my face—or maybe it was Ricky’s blood.
“Take my hand,” he said, his voice even, nothing wavering from him. I found myself looking at Ricky and the guy he’d brought with him again, my throat closing, my body feeling like it would shut down.
And then I felt someone help me up, strong hands under my arms, lifting me as if I weighed nothing. The scent of Cameron filled me: dark, heady, and powerful. I tilted my head back and glanced at him. What did he see when he stared down at me? Did he see a broken girl who had nothing else to lose?
And when he lifted his hand, I felt myself flinch. I didn’t think he’d hurt me, but after what had just happened, my body was on the defensive. I watched his jaw clench, wondering what emotion he was experiencing. Did a man like him even feel anything? Did he experience warmth, sadness, regret, or fear?
No.
No, a man like him only cared about power, about bringing fear in others.
“Damien will have the bodies disposed of.”
My mind was a whirlwind, my body on autopilot as Damien led the way. We walked down the stairs of my apartment building, and I turned back and looked at my door. I knew I’d never be here again. Even after the two weeks was up, I couldn’t go back. The money was still hidden, maybe forever, or maybe it would be gone, lost like I felt right now.
“The money. My things,” I found myself murmuring.
“All your needs will be met.” Cameron’s voice was low, pitched only for my ears.
Before I knew what was happening, I was outside, the air feeling colder than it should. And there, sitting right in front of me, was that dark SUV I’d been seeing around town, following me. I would have thought it was Ricky’s, but when Cameron opened the back door and ushered me in, that went right out the damn window. Once inside I stared at Cameron, not sure what to say, what to do. But before I could utter a word, he moved closer. Every part of me felt in shock, frozen to this seat.
“You’ve been following me,” I said, my voice empty, my entire body, mind, and soul frozen.
“Yes,” Cameron replied without remorse, without any shred of emotion at all.
“Why?” He’d only seen me that first time in the alley. Did he feel sorry for me, or want to hurt me as Ricky had? But as that thought played through my mind, I knew that wasn’t the case. He could have done far worse than Ricky, could have denied helping me if he wanted to harm me.
He stared at me with this indifferent expression on his face. “You…intrigue me.”
I intrigued him? Like some kind of pet he saw in the window and just had to take home? That’s what I am to him now, his pet, his plaything. He’s known about me, been following me since before I went into his office, since before I begged him for help.
I didn’t know what to make of that, if I should even put any stock into it at all. Did it really matter in the long run?
He reached out and ran his thumb across my cheek, no doubt smudging the blood that covered me, painting my flesh with what my life was now. “You’ve never looked more beautiful to me than you do right now, with the reality of what you've gotten yourself into smeared across your face.” His voice was deep, commanding. He moved his thumb down to my mouth, painting my lips with the violence that surrounded us, with the blood of the man who would have destroyed me. “I’m going to open you up to my world, little girl.” He lowered his head so we were now breathing the same air. “I’m going to show you what it means to be owned by the very devil himself.”
Chapter
Ten
The car ride to wherever Cameron was taking me was done in silence. The only sounds I let penetrate were that of the vehicle moving forward and the rush of the wind that came through a crack in the window when I pushed the automatic button and rolled it down. I didn’t need that rush of air, didn’t need to make it seem like I was escaping either, even if I was. I wanted something to drown out the noise inside of me, the confusion and screaming that was driving me crazy.
I don’t know how long we drove, but it had been hours. I was lost in my own thoughts, but I was aware of my surroundings enough to know I was going far away. Maybe that was for the best. Maybe leaving the grim horror of my world behind was what I needed. I was tired, but I couldn’t fall asleep, couldn’t allow that freedom to take me away, even for a little while.