Page 96 of Savage Obsession

“No. No!” She gets to her feet. “That’s not happening. I won’t…”

I lift my hand, palm out, to quieten her. “If that’s your final word on the matter, I won’t push it.”

“You won’t?” She looks even more confused, utterly baffled.

“No. You have a choice.”

“Choice?” She eyes me with bewildered suspicion. “What choice?”

“We have rules. They apply to everyone. There’s a hierarchy, Kris is at the top of it, then me. Everyone obeys those above them in the pecking order, no exceptions. That’s how discipline is maintained, how we keep everyone safe in a world where enemies lurk around every corner. Ours is a dangerous life, we have to protect ourselves and each other. If someone decides to do it their own way, then that’s when things break down. Shit happens, bad shit. You did it your own way, and now we have men injured, one of them dead. Our daughter could have been killed, so could you. We lost a shipment of cocaine which we need to recover before it’s corrupted and put out on the streets. There’s a price to pay. There has to be. Everyone here knows that. Everyone expects it. Because those are the rules.”

I pause to let this sink in, then, “If it had been one of the men, the penalty would have been more severe. They’ve had training, they know better.”

“M-more severe? What do you…?”

“A lost finger, a hand, maybe. A tongue, for speaking to those they shouldn’t, an eye, or two, for seeing what they shouldn’t. The punishment often fits the crime.”

She buries her face in her hands. “Oh God. Oh God, that’s… vile. Barbaric.”

“I agree, but necessary, nevertheless. Mercifully, such instances are rare. Our men understand loyalty, they know their obligations, what’s expected, and what they get in return. We pay well, exceptionally well. Status, power, wealth, safety and security, in return for obeying the rules.” I’m immensely relieved that this is the case, as I have little desire to indulge in such violence by and large, but I’m Kris’s chief enforcer. I do what I have to do.

“The rules apply to you, too. And to Janey, and to Lily.”

“Not Lily. You wouldn’t?—”

“Of course not. She’s a child, she simply did as her mother told her. As she gets older, she’ll understand what’s required and why it matters. And the benefits to all of us. This lifestyle comes at a price, Julia.”

She tips up her chin, belligerence reasserting itself. “What if I didn’t ever want this lifestyle?”

“That’s where you have a choice. You’ve told me often enough that you want your freedom, to come and go as you like, be your own woman.”

“What’s so wrong with that?” she demands.

“Nothing, but it isn’t compatible with living here, with me. With us.”

“I don’t understand.”

She’s lying. She understands perfectly, but for the avoidance of doubt I’ll spell it out. “If you want to stay here, on Tenerife, at the hacienda, with me, whether as my wife or not, but as Lily’s mother, obviously, that comes at a price. You accept our rules, operate within them. You accept my protection, accept the precautions I set out. And accept your punishment now. Or you could choose to cut yourself loose. Return to Poland, or anywhere else you choose to go, live the life you seem to so value. Have your freedom as you see it. I won’t stop you. No one will.”

“But you said the Polish authorities would arrest me.”

“Yes,” I answer, simply. “Yes, probably.”

“What about Lily?”

“She stays here. Later, when she’s older, she can make her own choice if she wants to, but as long as she’s a child, she’s under my protection, and I will keep her safe. And happy; her life here is good.”

“It won’t be, if I’m not here.”

“That wouldn’t be ideal, I agree, but we’d cope.”

“What do you know about being a parent? About preteen girls?”

“I’m learning, and I’ll go on learning. I won’t let her down.”

Julia sinks back onto the edge of the bed, her expression one of defeat. “I have no choice, do I? Not really.”

I shrug. “Depends how you look at it, but I can see how one option appears infinitely preferable to the other.”

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