Page 40 of Emperor of Wrath

I suppose it was meant to be a cutesy pet name, but to me, it was a reminder that someone else was pulling my strings and making me do things I didn’t want to.

One day, Valon had to leave his base in Milan and spend a few weeks in Istanbul as his empire expanded. By then, even though I was mostly kept in the dark, I knew that The Brotherhood was no longer a low-level mafia organization that dealt in gambling, smuggling, and some counterfeiting. They were a full-blown drug organization working with the Sicilian and Turkish mafias in the cocaine, meth, and heroin trade.

Valon was going to be gone for two weeks. It would be the longest I’d ever been “without” him. The truly fucked up thing is, I never once thought about leaving. Not because I loved him, or even liked him, but because I was scared of him, and of going back to that life of having to steal to eat, never knowing where I would sleep that evening.

I’ll never forget the night Freya came to my room with two packed bags and put a gun to her own temple. She told me we were leaving, now, and never coming back. If not, she’d be pulling the trigger, because she couldn’t stand to watch me live this horrible life a minute longer.

That was eight years ago, and I’ve avoided my former jailer ever since.

Until tonight.

Valon’s older now, and the lines on his face are deeper. But he’s still got that slightly charming, slightly demented, dark look in his eye as he casually sips a drink and lets his gaze sweep over me.

“I hear you’re getting married, puppet,” Valon purrs, smirking darkly at me. “How nice.”

My insides turn to ash, my gaze stabbing into the floor between my feet as I hug myself and wish I was anywhere but here.

“What isn’t nice, though,” he mutters quietly, “is taking things that don’t belong to you.”

A shudder slices through my body, and cold terror sneaks in after it.

He’s talking about the Lamborghini I stole for Ulkan—the one Freya and I abandoned outside the Lincoln Tunnel after figuring out it was full of Valon’s drugs and money.

“Wouldn’t you agree?” Valon says chattily. “After everything I did for you, and all that I gave you… First you run away without so much as a thank you, and then you steal from me?”

“I—” the word rasps like powdered bone and dust in my throat. “I didn’t realize…”

“I imagine Ulkan wasn’t very happy with services rendered, was he?”

An icy talon scrapes up my spine.

“You know, before the police found the car, someone else did, and emptied the trunk.”

I shudder violently. “I didn’t know it was yours?—”

“I don’t care.”

His words are sharp now. Cold. Merciless. That’s how it always went. First, it was all smiles and soothing tones. Next came the slap to the face, or emotionally freezing me out. Gaslighting me. Negging me. Telling me I was unlovable or calling me a whore. Then he’d flip flop, and we’d be back to smiles, presents, and favors.

I shiver again, still unable to meet his eyes.

God, I hate the power this monster has over me. Even now.

“I’m…” I shake my head. “I’m sorry.”

Valon chuckles quietly. “Well, there’s that.” He clears his throat. “You know, I’m not an unforgiving man, puppet.”

Yes you are.

“So maybe I could look past this.”

I flinch as his hand slips into my vision, holding a black plastic keycard for a hotel room between my eyes and the floor.

“Why don’t you come over for a drink later. We can find a way you can make me”…he coughs delicately…“happy again. For old times’ sake.”

It takes everything I have to hold back the vomit that surges up my throat, burning like acid. My blood turns to ice as his hand touches my hair. I flinch, shuddering and shaking as he pushes it behind my ear and leans down.

“Congratulations again on your engagement, puppet.” He pushes the keycard in between two of my numb fingers. “If you’re smart, I’ll be seeing you soon…my little whore.”

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