Page 63 of Pure Vengeance

“Have you decided if you’ll let me go?”

“If I do, what are your plans?” He gave no indication that he cared about my answer.

“I’ll go home long enough to pack a suitcase. I don’t know what will happen after that.”

It wasn’t exactly a lie, but even if I had a plan, there was no way in hell I’d share it with Lachlan O’Donnell.

Tucked into plastic zipper bags taped to the underside of a loose floorboard in my closet, I had almost five thousand dollars saved from a decade of lunch money and the pittance of allowance my father usually forgot to give me. I’d also have whatever I could get from selling my mother’s jewelry, and theremight even be something I could sell in the safe in my father’s office. I’d never dared open it. My father would have killed me for knowing the combination in the first place.

Assuming everything was still there, I would have enough to get me far away from California. I wished I had a passport though. A whole ocean separating me from my asshole of a husband sounded like a damned fine idea.

“And what would you want from me?” The skin around his eyes crinkled and he laughed mirthlessly. “We didn’t sign a prenup, and I imagine you’d be able to impoverish me after you tell the judge what I’ve done to you.”

“That’s certainly a tempting offer.” I stood and went to the window overlooking the expansive lawn. It was dark, but I could almost see the tree at the back of his property where he usually took me todo my business. How many times had I watered that tree?

Even more stupidly, I had to remind myself how to pee without an audience when I sat on the toilet in his bathroom.

“Natasha?”

“I don’t want your money,” I finally said.

“Then what do you want?”

“I want Dante.” I felt no need to add that I didn’t trust Lachlan not to hurt him the minute my back was turned.

“Done.” He rose to his feet and crossed the room to a dresser, then tossed a pair of gray sweatpants and a dark blue T-shirt on the bed. “I’ll have someone take you home.”

He walked out, leaving me stunned. Although I knew he was probably setting me up, I grabbed the clothes and strode into the bathroom. After hanging the robe on its hook, I stared into the mirror, trying to make myself remove the piercing jewelry.

He will hurt you when he finds out…

As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t do it. My hands refused to move toward any of the piercings.

If he wasn’t trying to fuck with my head, I’d sleep in a comfortable bed with real sheets tonight. I could watch television or make a cup of chamomile tea to help me sleep and soothe my turbulent stomach. I could call a friend and arrange a lunch date—not that I had any friends—and I wouldn’t need to worry about my father harming them.

My pussy clenched and moisture dripped down my inner thigh when I thought of how Lachlan smiled when the bell attached to my clit ring chimed. I’d never hear him gasp when my tongue piercings hit just the right spot on his cock. All the times he’d beam proudly when I learned a new trick would never happen again. God, I hated myself even more than I hated Lachlan.

Shamed beyond measure at my body’s reaction, I grimly wiped the mess with a tissue and threw it into the wastebasket. The sweatpants were way too big, and I hated the way they felt between my legs, but they hid the brand on my ass. It was the only thing I couldn’t erase and would forever be a reminder of a man I wished I’d never met.

As I slid the T-shirt over my head, Saoirse entered the bedroom without knocking. She’d changed out of her green cocktail dress into black jeans and a dark gray sweater. Looking me up and down, she said, “Are you ready? I’m supposed to drive you home.”

“Yes. Where’s Dante?”

“Waiting by the car.”

Barefoot, I followed her from the room, down the stairs, and outside. Just as she’d said, Dante sat on his haunches, alive and well, next to a sleek gray Mercedes. His leash was attached to his collar but rested on the ground next to him, along with a canvas shopping bag of dog food. Someone had even cleaned my father’s blood off his fur.

“There’s my good boy.” I knelt and wrapped my arms around him as the tension leached from my spine. A part of me hadn’t quite believed Lachlan when he said he wouldn’t harm my dog. “Ready to go home?”

He licked my face, making me giggle. After loading him into the back seat, I got in to sit next to Saoirse. Without a word, she drove away from the source of my torment. She didn’t speak for the entire drive to my father’s house.

Neither did I. I couldn’t think of a single thing to say to a woman who had aided and abetted my torture and degradation.

Well, nothing polite anyway. Besides, I didn’t want her to change her mind and take me back. It was bad enough that I didn’t have the nerve to take out those damned piercings.

She parked close to the steps leading to the front entrance. The house was dark, and I couldn’t see any guards.

Maybe it was just as well. I’d intended to fire the guards anyway. I had Dante, and I wouldn’t tolerate them anywhere near me—not after all the times they’d watched and participated in all the awful things my father did to me.

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