Page 5 of Sacrifice

Shutting my thoughts off, I square my shoulders and take the high ground. Or at least I think I do. “In the State of Texas, you must have both landowners' permission and written consent.” My last-ditch effort, the only rebuttal I have in my arsenal, and I know it sounds weak. This man is from the Mexican cartel, he doesn’t give a dang about what the law says. I know if Vincent wants this land, he will make it happen.

His laughter holds no mirth in it. “There’s no going back on a deal with me. Your brother lost the tournament; therefore, anything in or around this land is mine. You understand I have the best lawyers in the state?”

He stands up, towering over me. I force myself up and stare at him.

“Your fifty percent will simply transfer into fifty percent ownership with me. However, I have no...”

I slap him and he doesn't so much as flinch, and now my hand is throbbing. God, his face feels like it is made of stone. Vincent raises an eyebrow at me and I wonder what that means. Putting the blame on the way he smiles at me so patronizingly, I go to slap him again. “How dare you act like you are...”

His reaction is too swift for me to finish my statement. I’m not expecting it when Vincent grabs my neck and forces my face to the table.

“You will vacate the premises immediately. Do not make this hard on yourself, Aribella.”

My lower lip quivers at the threat. If I fight him, God only knows what he will do to me. What option do I have? Thoughts of how I can barely afford to buy food enter my mind. There’s no way I can get a lawyer to fight this. My one saving grace is that the original deed to the land is in my safe deposit box at the bank. Maybe I can get my friend Janice at the courthouse to help.

“Let go of me,” I whisper. “I’ll get my clothes and be on my way.”

Vincent squeezes my neck and my breath hitches. “No. You’ll take nothing. As of now, you and everything in this dump are mine,” his words ring with finality.

“You can’t do this,”I whimper, and I can hear all my confidence leaving my voice. The world begins shrinking around me.

“Oh, but I already have,” he chuckles, and I feel his hand move away from my neck. I stand up and punch him in the nose.

There is enough force to move him away from me, but it isn’t hard enough to break it, unfortunately. He snarls at me as I try to make my getaway.

Chapter Three

Spitfire. My God. Aribella is a force to be reckoned with, and I want more of it—of her. No one has ever had the guts to slap me, and she’s done it twice. Fuck, my one gleam of her a year ago has not done her justice. If I were a good man, I’d make her life easier, but I’m not. I have plans, and I refuse to deviate from them.

The world shifted under my feet when I saw her coming around the house like a trained soldier. My heart beating itself to death. I knew I had a heart, but I don’t know how to deal with this suffocating feeling of being in such close proximity to her.

“If you wantThe Beast, Aribella, I can oblige you,” I whisper menacingly as she backs away.

She’s so bold, she runs from me. My cock seeps with pre-cum. God, this is fucking nuts. I straighten my coat and go after her. Aribella has nowhere to go, though. I watch as her foot catches on the third stair, giving me the advantage to catch her.

Snatching her up by the hair, I growl in her ear as we stand on the stairs, my chest to her back.

“If you hit me again, I’ll be forced to punish you.” I crush her against the wall as she tries to turn around. I swear she moans, but that’s probably my wishful thinking. It has to be.

“If I can get some clothes and my cat, I’ll be out of your way,” she huffs as I laugh. “Surely you wouldn’t throw a woman out on the streets without her clothing.”

Pulling her hair so she has to turn her head to the side, I study her. Taking all of her beauty in. The messy bun is slightly askew on her head as my hand clasps around it. Her glistening tears are left unshed in her eyes. Fuck me.

Her pouty, red lips don’t have a dusting of gloss on them. They are all natural, and I bet they’d look amazing around my cock. Shit. I want to test that theory out. Aribella, on her knees, naked, and mouth wide open.

I have the advantage here. She doesn’t seem to understand that I’ve won her, too. It will only be a little while longer and she’ll know. My cock will be deep within her cunt and she’ll be yelling out my name in ecstasy. I move my hips into her ass and close my eyes.

If I don’t let go of her, I’m liable to force myself on her. And while I’m a bastard, I won’t harm her. Yet.

“No.” I release her and she turns around, fear on her face.

I’m well over six feet, but this young, fiery woman isn’t short. Hell, she comes up to my chin. The perfect height to steal kisses from those pouty lips of hers.

Aribella tries to move past me, ignoring the fact that she’s at a severe disadvantage.

“Don’t try to run from me again.” I grab her, barely reeling my animalistic urges to show her who the fuck the alpha is. I manhandle her back to the wall.

This time we are face to face.

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