Page 54 of Controlled

He thought he could demean me as he’d done when I was younger. Little did he realize that nothing he said bothered me. His words were merely fuel for an already raging fire.

“Were you aware your son is eager to take his place on your beloved throne?”

His laugh was what I’d expected except there was a slight hitch. That was all I needed. “What the fuck are you getting at?”

“The truth. You and I are going to sit down and have a nice conversation without your son’s interference. Now, you can choose not to attend and I’ll obliterate you and your entire family or we can discuss the situation like men. In the process of doing so, I might be able to save your bacon. It’s entirely up to you.”

“You’re full of shit.”

“Maybe so, but I just eliminated someone your son hired to interfere with my business activities. As you might imagine, I’m a little pissed about the situation.”

He knew what I was getting at. No meeting and I would make good on my threat.

“Fine. Come to my house tomorrow.”

The idiot must think me a fool. “Not so fast. I’ll text you with a time. Pick a public place. Make certain you’re available.”

I wasn’t going to wait for his answer. I knew exactly what to expect.

If he didn’t kill his son prior to the meeting.

CHAPTER 17

Bella

In good hands.

How many times had I replayed the night before, picking apart what I remembered from the attack and what little he’d said to me since? Knowing that I’d been out of it for any length of time was almost as terrifying as the fact I was here.

In his house.

In his world.

At this point, I didn’t even want to think his name for fear that my worst nightmare had come true. I turned away from the French doors, contemplating jumping off the massive balcony. What good would it do if I broke my leg in the process?

Sleep had come easily, this time a dreamless state of nothingness.

Waking had been difficult.

I remained in the bedroom, staring at my surroundings. The room was beautiful, the area outside unlike anything I’d ever seen before. I could tell from the window and through the French doors leading to the glorious balcony that the house was positioned on a large plot of land directly in front of a lake. If I had to guess, I’d say he’d taken me somewhere to the North Shore north of Chicago given the temperature and light breeze.

But of course at this point I couldn’t be certain of anything concrete.

Other than it was obvious I was losing my mind, or maybe my willpower. Hell, maybe both. I was still reeling from the night, still questioning whether the first part of the crazy dream had been a nightmare.

His tender assault of my pussy and tucking me into bed for a long night’s sleep had been very real. That much I knew.

I’d managed to grab a shower sometime after ten, finding a soft robe and plenty of fresh towels as well as toiletries at my disposal. Now it was after one and I was starving. At least I had water but since no one had visited me since sometime in the night, I would need to venture outside the room. Oh, God. If that was allowed and I wasn’t locked inside.

I stood with the closet door and several of the dresser drawers open, realizing he’d grabbed two suitcases full of my personal clothes and other items.

Including the framed photographs I’d had on my cheap dresser. He’d not only invaded my privacy but had done so in front of my roommates? Or maybe he’d had one of his men break into the secure apartment. That’s what I’d bet on.

I was sick to my stomach, wondering how long the man planned on keeping me as his prisoner.

On a whim, I turned around abruptly, storming toward the bedroom door. When the handle turned easily, I was shocked. I’d expected he’d lock me in, keeping me in a pretty little cage. I took my time finding something like courage before heading into the hallway, listening for any sounds that he remained inside the house.

What I heard was thumping. Like a lot of it.

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