Page 35 of Ruthless Savage

My pulse rings in my ears as I read the words over and over. It could be them. They’d know I work for the Quinns and that I’d see this letter. They’d find an indirect way to taunt me.

“Do we know who it’s from?” I ask him.

“We don’t. Not yet. We’re all looking into it, but don’t tell Eriu. I don’t want her worried.”

“Aye.”

When I start to leave, the door swings open, and in walks Iseult, bright red fiery hair swinging as she marches in with more rage than I’ve seen in a while.

“Devlin,” she grits before her eyes zero in on her father and her palms slap across his desk. “Really, Father? Mason fucking Reynolds? Are you insane?!”

“Hello to you too, darling. Please do come in.” He gives me a look that says help me.

Yet I do no such thing. I turn the hell around and leave him with a pissed-off Iseult.

Nothing will change. He always gets his bloody way. But two months is a long time and a lot can happen.

To Mason, that is.

CHAPTER 9

ERIU

TWO DAYS LATER

“You can’t marry that sleazebag.” Karen recoils as I tell her what transpired when I met my horrible future husband.

I can’t believe my family just stood there, letting this sham of an engagement happen. Doesn’t anyone care about what I want?

“I know I can’t. But what choice do I have?”

“Kill him?” She laughs before turning to face her laptop, clicking a few buttons and checking out photos of Mason on various tabloids.

He’s not only rich, but famous, apparently, and he isn’t shy about it. Picture after picture is of a different woman on his arm.

With a silent huff, I stare back at myself in the full-length mirror in Karen’s dorm room. The tight emerald-green dress hits right below my ankles, with a slit going up way past my knee. It’s sexier than any evening dress I’ve ever worn.

But the dress code for this sex party we’re going to said black tie or lingerie for women, and I sure as hell won’t be wearing lingerie.

I have no idea what I’m getting myself into. It’s probably worse than I’m imagining. People screwing around everywhere…

I didn’t need to buy anything for the occasion, thankfully. Karen always has more than enough dresses. Her mom is a buyer for a high-end clothing store and gets her beautiful things that she, of course, shares with me.

I’m beyond nervous to get caught by Devlin, though. We did set this up well, so I hope he doesn’t suspect anything.

He’s parked in front of Karen’s building, not knowing I plan to head to the party. He thinks we’ll be studying all night and that I’m sleeping over here.

Little does he know we’ll be making an exit through the basement and out the other side of the building, then slip into her car. He won’t be looking for it. It’s one of many in the large parking lot.

It’d be a lot more fun if he was going. If he was in a mask. If we forgot who we were for a single night and let things happen…

A girl can dream.

Meanwhile, I’m stuck with the likes of Mason, a man whore by all accounts. I’ll be married to a guy who cheats on me.

Was that always my fate? To live in a loveless marriage?

Mason already texted me twice today, asking about what I’m doing and who I’m hanging out with, warning me against being around college guys so he doesn’t get a bad reputation for being engaged to a slut. I angrily deleted the texts and told him not to worry. I wasn’t going to give him details of my life.

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