Page 17 of His Paradise

“Whose shirt is this? You let my men fuck you and think you can just parade around and rub my face in it?” He asks, acting as if I’ve done something absolutely deplorable. But I bite my tongue, climbing out of bed with slow movements as I peel the clothing off. Shame ripples through me as I kneel for him, wearing the lacy bra and thong, keeping my head tilted downwards. David hums his approval and holds his hand down for me to take. I place my palm in his, letting him pull me to my feet.

He sighs with mock sadness, his fingertips ghosting across my abdomen.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find a way for them to fix this. You’ll be beautiful again.” He nods and points towards the foot of the bed, telling me where to stand. I brace myself, imagining that when I open my eyes, it’ll be Aden waiting in the bed for me. But no matter how hard my mind tries, I can’t conjure it.

When I look around the room, my eyes land on the nightstand and a rush of energy comes alive in my body. I’m no longer a doll, plastic and emotionless. David lays back in bed, squinting at me with suspicion. He realizes what I’m staring at when I dive towards it, but he’s too late. My hands wrap around the cold metal, lifting the heavy gun as I point it at his chest. David throws his hands up, uncertainty flashing through his eyes as he watches me.

“You’re gonna hurt yourself, put that fucking thing down.” He yells, but help won’t get here in time. He locked the door when he came in.

“My husband taught me how to shoot. Aden gave me power, so that I would never have to cower beneath scum like you.” My lip trembles, but my voice is steady as I turn off the safety. David swallows hard, shaking his head.

“No baby, he tainted you. A woman like you shouldn’t have to do this, Nina. Your place is not behind a gun, it’s behind a man who will protect you and give you everything you need.” he tries to reason, slowly getting to his feet as I back away.

“My place is at Aden’s side, or six feet under the ground. I will never stand behind you, David.” I peer down the gun, taking a steadying breath. But my body is frozen. My finger won't move, and my hands begin shaking. David sighs, shaking his head as he steps closer.

“You’re not a killer, baby. Give me the gun and we can talk this out. I promise that I won’t be angry.” He says, holding his hand out as he steps closer. My finger flexes, pulling the trigger as I imagine that same hand reaching towards Leo.

The gun clicks, and we both stare at it with a mix of confusion and horror.

“You would have fucking shot me,” David says, slapping it from my hands. “It wasn’t loaded, you stupid bitch.” He grips the back of my hair, wrenching my head sideways as he unlocks the door. I scream and kick, desperate to break free as he drags me towards the stairs. Grayson is watching us with wide eyes as I’m paraded in front of his men.

“Bring Olivia to me, now.” He tells one of his men.

“No!” I screech, fighting against him as I feel my hair being ripped from the scalp. I twist, raking my nails down his face as I unleash a feral scream. David jerks me backwards, throwing me at Graysons feet. He catches me, keeping my head from hitting the ground and cushioning my landing.

“Hold the bitch down and make her watch,” He tells Grayson, turning away. He nods, but doesn’t follow his orders. Grayson carefully helps me stand, wrapping an arm around my chest just tight enough to keep from mauling David.

“I’ll give you my jacket when he’s occupied, just try to hold still.” The words are a whisper in my ear and Grayson gives me a pleading look when I turn to see his face. The man David sent to bring my sister back comes running down the stairs with a red face. And he comes back alone.

“She’s gone, sir.” He says. David turns on me with a snarl, ripping Grayson’s gun from his waistband to press it against my skull. Olivia is gone, she’s free. I can’t stop the smile that curls my lips as David leers at me. Grayson has become wary, and I can see him struggling on what to do.

“You have nothing to use that can make me bend to your will,” I smirk, leaning back against Grayson as I let my eyes slide close. David slams the butt of the gun against my face, lifting it to continue as I fight to turn away, but Grayson wrenches me back.

“Take a breath, boss. We can get her back.” He says. David stops, enraged eyes not quite focusing as he waits for him to speak.

“Percy was with her, I can track his phone. We’ll bring them both back.” He says in a placating tone.

“Don’t do this, Gray.” I begin twisting in his arms, struggling to get my hands loose so I can do something. David nods, pacing the floor in front of us in nothing but his boxers, scraping the gun against his head as he walks. I find myself praying for it to go off, and when Grayson leans close to speak, I slam my head backwards into his face.

“Damn it, Nina,” He groans, using his free hand to cup his bloody nose. I lean back, spitting in his face and pissing him off more. I don’t want to hear his voice, his half assed attempts at empathy. Part of me knows that what he’s doing is for the sake of his family, but I have to protect mine.

Chapter fourteen

Aden

We found the son of a bitch. Markus was tailing behind a small red car the moment Luna flagged them on a security camera and we had stayed right on him. I want to blow out his tire, wreck his car and bring him to the brink of death until he tells us everything. Jared has a better plan, we were following him and waiting for him to lead us to wherever David was slinking around. My hands flex, my knuckles popping as I struggled to sit still as we tailed the car through the dark, winding roads.

“He’s heading towards the docks,” Markus peers back at the GPS, looking back up at the car ahead of us. Sure enough, we pull into the massive parking lot close to the marina and keep our distance until he parks.

“He’s got a woman with him,” Markus says, his voice coming from next to me and the earpiece I clip onto my right ear.

“Is it Nina?” Luna’s voice is hopeful, and I can’t help but feel the same way. When the woman steps out of the car and pulls a hood over her head, I climb from the car and rush towards them.

“It’s Olivia, Nina’s sister.” I say, pulling my gun out as I creep closer. Markus catches me, nodding his head to a darkened spot in the direction their heading and I nod once. We split up, circling them as we rush to cut him off.

“You just need to trust me,” The man says, putting his arm around her shoulders. Olivia has her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she shakes her head and tries to plant her feet.

“I can’t just let her die, not like this and not for me.” Olivia cries. Markus slips out in front of them, whistling as he strolls casually between cars.

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