Page 62 of Promised Vows

My father smacked Ari across the face. “Mr. Kalantzis, it’s time to wake up.”

A soft moan poured from Ari. My father landed another strike across Ari’s face.

“Come on, Mr. Kalantzis, I have an appointment to keep.” This time, my father patted his cheek. My father lifted Ari’s head, but he only moaned. “Stop pretending. If necessary, I’ll give you an incentive.”

Ari didn’t move. His chin rested on his chest while his shoulders were slumped forward. If he wasn’t tied to the chair, he would fall out of it.

My father dropped his hand, walked over to me, and pulled a lighter from inside his jacket pocket. “Mr. Kalantzis, I don’t want to hurt her, but I will if it means you’ll drop the act.”

He was going to burn me? Who was this man wearing my papa’s face? “Did Mama leave, or did she escape?” The words were out of my mouth before I could even fully consider them.

His eyes narrowed at the same time his lip curled. “Your mother left because she couldn’t handle two children.”

“Neither could you, apparently,” I said.

Anger flared in his eyes and the lighter flicked to life. He sank one hand in my hair at the back of my head, and with the other, he brought the lighter to my face and let it hover. The longer he left it, the more intense the heat grew. “Marco was worried about your modeling being an issue. I think I’ll fix that for him.”

“Stop,” Ari grunted. “Just stop.”

The flame danced in the current of air circulating in the office while he let it continue to hang there, almost like he wanted to see what would happen. He let the flame die and yanked me closer to his face. “The next time you say something disrespectful, I won’t let it hover. I’ll place the flame against your face.”

“Marco won’t like that.”

“That’s not the part he cares about,” he spat back.

Repulsed, I jerked away, but I didn’t respond.

He returned to Ari and his fist landed hard against his jaw. “You made a mistake coming here, putting your nose in my family affairs.”

“Your daughter is my business. She’s engaged to me.”

“Not anymore.” He smiled and rammed his fist repeatedly into Ari’s stomach until he was wheezing uncontrollably.

When I caught his gaze, the pain was etched on his features. Tears freely flowed down my face, dripping from my ear onto the carpet. My heart ached as the man I loved most suffered a merciless beating, leaving me feeling utterly helpless. I’d brought a knife to a gunfight.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

ARI

For an old guy, Michael Georgiou could sure throw a punch. My ribs were ablaze with pain. At this rate, they’d never heal. I pulled against the ropes tying my hands to the chair. Well, they’d done a good job, unfortunately.

Anna and her mouth. Michael had gone from irritated to furious in less than a second when she asked about her mom. Then she’d opened her smart mouth again. He’d held that flame entirely too close to her face, and once my hands were free, he’d get the same treatment. Only, I’d leave a mark.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I locked eyes with her. I hated to see her bound and on the floor. She was right, though; I would have loved that dress. As soon as she realized her father had destroyed her dress, there’d be hell to pay. I could tell by looking at it that it was a one of a kind. Maybe she’d have a way of contacting the designer so they could make her another one. Whatever the cost, she’d have it.

A tiny nod and a smile. “Are you?”

Before I could respond, Michael slammed his fist against my jaw. My teeth sliced into my tongue and blood erupted in my mouth. Glaring at her father, I spit, and replied through gritted teeth, “I’m fine.”

I touched the side of my watch and after a small blade popped out, I began working against the ropes. When I had this watch custom-made, I’d requested that feature. It had been an odd one for the watchmaker, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever need it. Dad taught me it was better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. In this case, I was glad I’d listened to his wisdom.

I returned my attention to Anna. My heart ached at the sorrow in her eyes. Her father had betrayed her, and she was learning what sort of man he was. Granted, we were all guilty of brutality, and cruelty, standing in the middle of morally gray. We weren’t all psychotic though. Most of us didn’t hurt the people we claimed to love. We protected our women and children. We didn’t hand them over to pedophiles and rapists. I could never imagine doing something like this to Thea or my children.

“Did you really think you could take this office building?” he asked, landing another blow to my jaw.

Working my jaw in a circular motion, I eased the sting of the punch. “Maybe.”

Her father laughed. “For a second in command, you sure are stupid. As if you could break in here. This is my building. I’m the one who designed it. I know its strengths and weaknesses. You can’t win this fight. Not here.”

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