Page 43 of Indecent Villain

She grabs it and shoves it into her back pocket. “No,” she snaps. “Sorry. Boyfriend trouble,” she says, forcing a grin. “So, Mr. Beckett is throwing you an eighteenth birthday party.” She waggles her brows.

“What?” I don’t know enough people to constitute a party. “When was this decided?”

“The night he came home in a bad mood.”

“Why didn’t he tell me yesterday?” And why did he tell Marie and not me?

“Maybe—”

I turn and head toward the office, cutting off her excuse.

I burst inside, only to have a hand wrap around my throat and lift me off the floor. My eyes widen in shock as I struggle to breathe. The man’s grip tightens, and I can feel the anger radiating off him as he glares. I try to pull at his fingers.

"Release her!" shouts Tiberius.

The grip on my throat vanishes abruptly, and I drop to my knees on the floor, gasping for air.

Tiberius rushes over and tries to gather me into his arms. Tears run down my face as I push to my feet. He tries to grab hold of me, but I won't let him. Without a word, I turn on my heel and flee upstairs.

Heated words are exchanged between the two men, and then I hear Tiberius on the stairs. I race to my room, slamming the door behind me.

Tiberius slams into the door as I lock it. "Kinsley, open the door."

In a panic, I throw myself into the far corner of my room, between the bed and wall, where the windows are located.

"Kinsley!" he barks.

"Go away."

"I'm sorry. Open the door."

"No!"

"I'm going to sit out here until you let me inside."

"I hope you don't have anything urgent today because I'm not coming out."

"You have to eat."

"I'll starve." I burst into tears and sob. My throat burns, but I refuse to let him in. It's not like he can do anything.

"Kinsley," he says in a softer voice. "Please let me look after you."

Tears continue to stream down my face as I yell, “You promised I would be safe here. You lied to me. Go. Away." I snatch a glass from my nightstand and hurl it at the door. It shatters against the wood with a satisfying crash.

I'm not sure how much time has passed, but I become hot, and my throat is extremely uncomfortable when I swallow. My neck has stiffened up too.

I drag myself to the bathroom and fight back tears when I see the bruising around my neck. The imprint of Nine's fingers is visible on my skin. I dab at my face with a cold, wet cloth.

I open the medicine cabinet and grab the bottle of Tylenol. Back in my room, I take small sips of cold water, and it helps, but I struggle to get the tablets down.

Sitting in my favorite chair by my bedroom window, I can't help but wonder what I'm going to do. I trusted Tiberius, and he allowed me to get hurt by one of his men. He promised me I would be safe from them.

I'm beginning to understand why my parents kept me in the dark. They kept their world separate from our family life. I want that back. I don't want this life, filled with dangerous men—killers.

There’s a knock at my door. "Go away." I sniffle through my tears.

"Kinsley, it's Jock. I have a tray of food from Marie."

---