Page 13 of Unveiled

“Say my name, Ainsley,” he begs as he holds me against him, not wanting to let me go yet.

“I can’t,” I admit. Even in my head, he has to stay the monster. It’s the only way I’ll be able to keep myself from falling for him again. Even now, as we’re together in the most intimate way possible, I’m struggling to remember why I left him. It wasn’t his fault, was it?

No, but it was because of him that anything happened at all. It was because he stole me away and introduced me to his world that I was pushed into that house with Carlos and beaten daily.

“You will,” the monster announces as he pulls out of me, leaving me feeling empty. “You’ll say my name, remember that you love me, and you’ll wear my ring. If I have to fuck you until you remember what we have together, then I will.”

His fingers run up my thigh, rubbing his seed into my skin as it drips out of me. The camera is still pulled up in front of me, and I can’t stop myself from watching the gentle way he handles me.

“You look so good with my cum falling out of you, little one,” the monster praises. “So fucking good.”

As he continues rubbing my thighs, I collapse onto the bed and close my eyes, letting him lull me to sleep with his movements.

Chapter 6

The Monster

Ihaven’t felt this at peace in a long time. There’s one less person out in the world that has hurt Ainsley, she’s here sleeping in my arms, and she gave into me. I wasn’t even going to push her tonight. I was going to let her adjust to being back in the house with me, but she had to go tracing her name on my skin.

She made it obvious that she felt responsible for the scar, but I wasn’t lying when I told her it was a comfort. I’ve blamed myself for what happened since the day she was taken from me, and carving her name into my skin was a way for me to pay for my mistakes.

It also helped me feel like she was still here with me. Every day that I looked down and saw it, I knew I had a job to do before I could go back to her. Even now, I know my job isn’t done, but I’ve waited too long to bring her back.

This is where she belongs, in this house, with me. Where I can keep her safe. I won’t make the mistake of keeping her from school this time, but she’s not going back without protection. And I have a feeling once she meets my head of security, she won’t complain as much as she normally would.

My phone rings from the nightstand, reminding me I never stopped recording after she fell asleep. After I hit stop, I answer the call.

“Yeah?”

“Ryker,” comes John’s voice over the speaker. As quietly as I can, I roll out of bed and open the balcony door so I don’t wake Ainsley up. As soon as I’m outside, I press the phone back to my ear.

“What did you find?”

Sometimes John will call me for just an update, other times he calls me to ask about something in the business. Our friendship has been strained since he failed to protect Ainsley, so he doesn’t call me just to chat anymore.

I almost miss having that with him, especially with all the stress I’m under, but I’m finding it hard to just forgive him. Maybe it will be easier once I have Ainsley back.

“One of our men spotted him while staking out the Guerra property. They said they saw him walk in, but he came out a few minutes later and left.”

The boss. Well, the old boss, because I’m the boss now. He hasn’t been spotted since he went into hiding almost four months ago, so why would he slip up now? All to go to the Guerra’s, too. He must not realize that I ruined them from the inside out until there was nothing left of them but an abandoned building.

I keep a man stationed there every day, just to make sure nobody tries to revive that cartel. The last thing I need is another rival cartel that could give the old boss protection from me.

“Make sure there’s always a man stationed there, but tell them not to engage if they see him again. We all know how dangerous he is. Report to me as soon as you hear anything.”

John acknowledges my command and hangs up, leaving me to go back to bed with my girl. As I step inside and slide the door shut behind me, I decide to stand there and watch Ainsley sleeping peacefully. She didn’t slip straight into a nightmare like she did last night, making me think she really did just need me to be with her.

“Cain,” she cries out suddenly. The sound of my name on her lips is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. She’s refusing to say it, preferring to think of me as the monster all over again. I think it’s her way of protecting herself.

I rush over to her, wanting to assure her she’s safe. “I’m here, little one. Just had to step outside for a second and didn’t want to wake you up.”

But as I get closer and crawl into the bed with her, I see her eyes are still closed as she rolls over in the bed.

“But -” she stops, trying to find the words through her dream. “But you’re dead.”

“I’m right here, baby. Shhh. Everything’s okay.” I know she can’t hear me in her dream, too lost in the nightmare she’s reliving as I desperately try to comfort her without waking her.

“Cain,” she sobs. It’s a heart wrenching sob, one that comes from pure agony. She told me she dreamt about me almost every night while she was in captivity, but they were always comforting dreams. Whatever she’s dreaming about right now is more of a nightmare than a dream.

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