Page 21 of Vicious Redemption

I don’t like what her emotions might mean. And I certainly don’t like that she seems to be headed back home—which means she reached whatever destination she had in mind when she snuck out.

As much as I want to put the past behind me, I can’t trust that Tia’s motives aren’t against me—she’s clearly as rebellious as ever since she made it off the estate, even though I had men watching the exits. She might have run straight home to Daddy to discuss their next strategy.

The possibility puts a knot in my gut.

“I don’t give a fuck what you’d rather do right now. I’m taking you home. Now, get in.”

Tia’s chin juts up ever so slightly, and I know that unless I intend to run her down, I’ll have to take another track if I want to get her in the car.

“Please, Tia,” I growl, biting back my frustration. “We should talk.”

Trapping her lip between her teeth, Tia hesitates another moment before grasping the passenger door and sliding into the car. She closes the door behind her but keeps her hand resting on the handle, as if ready to flee.

Throwing the car into gear, I peel away from the curb with squealing wheels.

Silence chokes the air as I turn toward home, obliterating the speed limit in my frustration.

“If you weren’t carrying my child, I would spank your ass raw for so blatantly disobeying me,” I state flatly as I white-knuckle the steering wheel.

When I glance in Tia’s direction, she’s pale, seeming horrified by the idea.

“Would you really?” she breathes. Her dark eyes peer up at me through her lashes, the fear in them like a punch to the gut.

How is it that I’m the one who feels bad when she’s the one in trouble?

Sighing, I debate internally. In the past, I would have punished her without hesitation. I would have stripped her naked, spanked her ass red, and left her tied to the bed until she learned her lesson. The thought of it makes my balls ache, and my cock start to stiffen.

But now, even though the thought of it turns me on, I’m not sure I could handle Tia roughly. She’s created a soft spot in my armor, and guilt eats me up just thinking about laying a hand on her.

Blowing through a yellow light, I cross Main Street and barely tap the breaks when our turn arrives. Tia braces in her seat, keeping her eyes locked on me, though she vibrates with tension.

“No, I probably wouldn’t,” I state darkly, glaring daggers at the road ahead. “But if you keep pushing your luck, I won’t make any promises. I didn’t earn my reputation by showing patience. Or leniency.”

Tia looks away, falling into silence once again.

“But that’s not the point, Tia,” I press, determined to get to the bottom of this. “How did you even make it off the property? I put extra guards on duty to make sure you stayed put.”

“You have no right to keep me locked up there,” she snaps, her face coloring as she matches my glare.

We come to an abrupt halt as I stop at an intersection to allow several uniformed school children to cross. Then I floor it once more, my temper making my movements unnecessarily aggressive.

“Well, I can hardly trust you when it’s your family I’m on the brink of war with. And you keep pleading for their lives, for fuck’s sake—as if your father didn’t just break our alliance and betray me. Which you were a part of, in case you forgot.”

“I didn’t know!” she shouts, her eyes blazing as they burn a hole through my temple.

“And yet here you are, disobeying my wishes once again,” I murmur, keeping my voice steady despite the rage thrumming through my veins.

I take another sharp turn without slowing, and Tia simply holds on.

“Because it’s entirely unreasonable to expect me to be alone in that house—where no one will talk to me—after everything that’s happened! I did that the entire night, Leo. I sat and waited for you to come home. But you didn’t, and it was torture.”

“I did come home,” I counter flatly.

“Yeah. And you insulted me. We argued. I thought we made up. But as soon as I said something you didn’t like, you stormed off without even the decency to warn me you were confining me to the house! Now you’re angry because I need someone to talk to?” Frustration darkens Tia’s porcelain face. “How are we supposed to move forward if we don’t have trust?”

“I hardly think you’re in a position to preach about trust after what happened, and now you’re the one challenging that trust by running off the first chance you get.”

“That’s so unfair,” she hisses, tears shimmering in her eyes.

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