Page 29 of Grimm

“Well, she made him ten grand in three nights. So…” Marcus scratched his cheek.

“Marcus, a hundred grand, and you never give either of them another glance,” William ground out. If it got Marcus as far away from Daniella as he could, he’d pay every penny he possessed.

“Eh.” Marcus made a dramatic show of thinking it over, twisting his hands this way and that. “Fine. It’s good for business overall, right? I help you out, you help me out. Makes the old men happy,” he said with a grin.

William’s tongue touched the top of his mouth. If his father got a whiff of this whole situation, there’d be hell to pay. A hundred grand for a woman he wasn’t going to make any money off of later? Blasphemy in his father’s world.

“I’m sure your father would be proud, yes.” William’s teeth ground together as he took in Stephen’s injuries. . “Megan better not look like that.”

“I didn’t lay a hand on her. If she has some bumps and bruises, she had them before I got to her.” Marcus backed off.

“Where are they?” William advanced.

“In my car, out back.” Marcus turned to his henchmen. “Go get them.”

William kept his glare steady on Marcus, tamping down the urge to chase after the asshole and get his girl himself. They were almost out of this. A few more minutes, and he’d have her in his arms again, safe and sound. And his.

William’s gaze flickered back to where Steven lay in a puddle of his own blood. He’d taken Megan against her will. He’d used her for his own gain. William’s stomach twisted. He wasn’t that different. He’d taken Daniella for himself, no matter what she felt about it. He’d kept her to keep him company, to be a companion he could use whenever he felt the need.

And in such a short time, he’d come to need her so desperately. And not just her body, but her mind, her heart. And it wasn’t just a taste of her he wanted; he craved all of her all the time.

But she’d had no choice.

She’d done what they had raised her to do. Wait out the bad situation until she moved to the next. She hadn’t clawed his eyes out trying to get away because she knew it would be over soon enough.

She assumed if he didn’t let her go, he’d ultimately tire of her, and he’d put her on a shelf. Put into a new situation. Another moment in time for her to adjust to and get ready to move on from.

He’d been a fucking prick.

The metal door creaked as it opened, and Daniella stumbled inside, half carrying Megan beside her.

“Get her.” William shoved Tommy toward them. William rushed to Daniella, helping to relieve her of Megan and lifting the drugged woman in his arms. “Take her to the car.” He jerked his chin toward the doors through which they’d entered.

Daniella looked at William, and for the first time, he saw fear in her eyes. She’d crossed a line with her boldness, with her disobedience.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, noting the rawness of his own voice.

“No,” she answered, smoothing her hands over her stomach.

“Does anything hurt?”

“I’m fine,” she assured him.

“I didn’t touch her,” Marcus called out from where his goon was lifting Steven from the ground. “Now get outta here, unless you wanna watch this next part.”

William didn’t bother with a response.

“Let’s go,” he said to Daniella as he walked ahead of her out of the building toward the car. His stomach twisted into a dozen knots as her feet made a soft patter sound behind him, but he kept his gaze locked in front of him.

Once outside, he opened the back door and waited for Daniella to crawl in beside Megan before closing it. He climbed into the front seat beside Tommy and looked back at Megan.

“She’s flying high, but otherwise fine,” Tommy assured him. “You wanna call the doc to meet us at the house?”

“No.” William turned around, tapping his fingers on his knee. “He can meet us at their apartment.”

“You sure?”

“You heard me.”

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