Page 5 of Darkest Sin

He watches me a few seconds longer, daring me to challenge his word, but while I might have the tendency to run my mouth and fly off the handle, I’m not fucking stupid. I know when to argue and when to back down.

Approving of my silence, he gives a curt nod. “Follow me.”

Without another word, the tall stranger turns on his heel and stalks toward the exit, every eye in the room watching him with fearful caution. He doesn’t bother to look back at me. He simply expects that I will follow every last demand given, and that’s exactly what I do. Sticking to his side, I’m spurred on by the idea of finally stepping outside of this wicked warehouse.

We take the stairs, and as we reach the top to find the burly security guard, I can’t help but meet his stare. It’s still so full of pity that I’m forced to look away. The guard opens the door, and I expect my captor to walk straight through it. But when he stops and waves me through, allowing me to pass in front, I’m taken aback. Trusting my situation enough to know nothing is about to happen in the next few seconds, I hesitantly step past him and over the threshold.

His hand drops to my lower back, guiding me through the door as any gentleman would, and my back stiffens at his touch, a shiver sailing over my skin. Trying to ignore it, I step out into the cold winter night, the chilling breeze settling right into my bones.

Quickly glancing around, I take in my surroundings and find us in what looks to be an abandoned industrial estate. Each broken streetlight and run-down building looks as sorry as I feel.

My gaze settles on a black SUV with darkly tinted windows parked right by the door as if waiting for me. I stride toward it, my gaze shifting from left to right, waiting and watching for any chance I have to make my escape.

“You do not want to discover what lies in wait for you if you try to run from me,” he warns, moving in beside me to reach for the door handle of the SUV.

Swallowing over the lump in my throat, I shoot a timid glance at him as he holds the door. “I wasn’t going to.”

His gaze narrows slightly, and it’s clear as day he doesn’t believe me, but instead of calling me out, he nods toward the open door. “Get in.”

I flick my gaze between the door and him, knowing the second I get into his SUV, it’s all over for me. “Who are you?” I ask, waiting only a second before blurting my next question. “Where are you taking me?”

“There will be time for questions when I get you back to my manor,” he explains. “Until then, you will remain silent.” Then with another pointed stare, he indicates for me to get in his SUV, but this time his sharp gaze warns me of my fate if I do not obey immediately.

Not wanting to put my life on the line any more than I already have tonight, I silently slide into the back of the SUV and watch with unease as this mysterious man gets in beside me. He closes the door, and the tension rises in the car.

A tear sails down my cheek, splashing onto my collarbone, and with that, the driver hits the gas. I take a moment to grieve the life I once knew because, from here on out, I’m as good as dead.

3

KILLIAN

The heaviness of this sweet girl’s despair fills the air like an impenetrable tension as she sits in the car beside me. Her hands curl into tight fists on her bare thighs to mask how they shake. She’s fucking terrified, but she can’t hide it from me. I know fear when I see it. I can sniff it out in any room. I’m drawn to it like a moth to a flame, and once I have it in the palm of my hand, I corrupt it.

I’ve never met a person I couldn’t break, and as for this innocent woman who just became mine? Well, fuck. Breaking her might be the best fun I’ll ever have.

I live and breathe off the fear I invoke. It’s like an illicit drug I’ve become addicted to, and the moment my gaze connected with hers across the warehouse, that potent fear within her spoke right to my soul. I knew I had to have her. I was going to make her mine, and when I set out to do something, I never fail. It’s not in my blood.

I’m not known for being a man who negotiates for the things I want. I take. Whether it’s by contract or force, and she is no exception to that.

It’s after two in the morning, and we still have a three-hour drive ahead of us. I turn to look at my new prize, letting my gaze sail over her face. There’s no denying how beautiful she is, even through the dirt and grime stained across her slim face and the blood matted in her long golden curls. There’s no telling how long she was held captive in that cage, but looking at her like this, it’s clear Ezekiel and his men didn’t exactly go to great lengths to take care of the women they traffic. But truth be told, the kind of men who were bidding on these women aren’t the type who care if a woman appears clean or not. They care about the assets of her body, how tight her cunt is, or just how loud they can make her scream in agony as they fuck her until she bleeds—a fate this mysterious beauty only narrowly escaped.

It’s not as though I’m any better. I plan to fuck her. All day and night if I could, but I’m a busy man, so luck is on her side. She will cater to me. My every need and desire will be her responsibility, but I’m not a fucking pig like the men back in that warehouse, and I will give just as eagerly as I receive.

I don’t know what possessed me to claim her. I don’t particularly care for having a pet, and judging by the fire in her eyes, she doesn’t strike me as the type to submit willingly. But she will. I’ll leave her no choice.

She’s going to be work, and probably a huge pain in my ass, and despite knowing this the moment I laid eyes on her, I still claimed her. I’m painfully aware of the fact that I require an heir to inherit my legacy in the event my life shall be taken from this world, though it’s still undecided whether she will be the one to bear my child.

All I know is that the moment our eyes collided across that filthy warehouse, I could sense her pure desperation. She was silently screaming for me to save her, and as those other bastards bid for what already belonged to me, I couldn’t stomach the idea of watching her being gifted to another man. Don’t get me wrong, had she been claimed by someone else, I would have still found her and slaughtered the pig who dared treat her as his own. However, letting it get that far only meant I was lining the pockets of Ezekiel and his asshole employees, and taking that payday away from them was a prize I simply couldn’t pass up.

Ezekiel and his men are the scum of the earth, and the second I no longer require them to run my drugs, they’ll be slaughtered like the animals they are. My cousin, Sergiu, insists that we keep them around, but turning a blind eye to their shit has been challenging. Considering everything they’ve got their toes dipped in, it’s clear they’re capable of keeping a tight lid on their business, but every time I walk in there and see it for myself, my skin crawls. If they weren’t such an integral part of my operation, I would have dealt with them long ago.

Most of the time, I’m able to turn a blind eye to the women Ezekiel traffics, but something about this woman caught my attention. I usually leave Sergiu to deal with business here, but Ezekiel needed a reminder about just how disposable he really is.

The question is, what the hell am I supposed to do with her now that she belongs to me?

Do I lock her in my cells to use as I see fit, or do I allow her freedom within my home?

My gaze drops down her body. The dried blood on her thigh and the fresh scratches and bruises decorating her skin are a clear indication of the mistreatment she received while in Ezekiel’s clutches. The very sight of her has me wanting to teach her how to ensure this bullshit never happens again. Though, I suppose there’s no need for that anymore. Not now that she belongs to me. Whether she likes it or not, my home is not a place she will ever escape. She will live under my roof from now until her dying breath, whether that be in peace or as a prisoner.

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