Page 52 of Pure Vengeance

Natasha

The concrete was cold under my bare feet, and a breeze from the ocean I’d probably never see raised goosebumps on my exposed skin. In an effort to stay warm, I sat on the floor and leaned against the back wall, doing my best to keep my weight off the brand as I brought my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around my calves. It didn’t help much, but the coolness eased the pain.

Maybe I should have questioned the tall man who had locked me in a dog kennel, but I doubted I truly wanted to hear the answers about why I was here. Besides, I was pretty sure I already knew.

I was here because of my father. He wanted me gone, but he’d also want me to suffer. What better way than to force me into marriage with a man who would treat me like an animal? For all I knew, our marriage wasn’t even legal. The document we signed looked like a marriage certificate, but it could have been fake. I wouldn’t have known the difference.

At least no one had hit me—yet—and the tall man had unfastened my cuffs from behind my back. They were probablyjust waiting for all the piercings to heal up before they hurt me again. The thought didn’t bring me much comfort, but it was all I had.

Tears burned and I lowered my face to my knees as I wondered if I’d ever be free of people who wanted to hurt me.

I heard voices that grew louder as Lachlan and the tall man walked toward me. God, I was stupid. I almost opened my mouth to beg them to let me go.

“Bath first?” the tall man asked. He was older, maybe around my father’s age, with thick gray hair and hazel eyes. He wore jeans with a leather belt, a plaid flannel shirt, and thick-soled brown boots.

“Yes. I want her prepped when I take her out for her walk,” Lachlan replied without looking at me. “Do you have everything you need?”

“Her tail is in my office. If you don’t mind getting it, I’ll put her in the wash bay.”

“No problem.”

Wash bay? Tail? I peeked up through my lashes, trying to understand, but all I saw was the tall man unlocking the door to my kennel. As if he didn’t have a care in the world, he strode inside, then hauled me to my feet before attaching a chain leash to the ring on my collar.

“Let’s go, pet.”

When I didn’t move, he scowled and spun me around before pushing me against the wall. I heard a crack a split second before a pinprick burst of flame erupted on the back of my left thigh. The pain nearly dropped me to my knees, and I cried out when he jerked on the leash, forcing me to remain on my feet.

“I said, let’s go, pet. Don’t make me tell you again.”

Shivering, I scurried after him, not daring to disobey.

Except…

Compared to what my father would have done, that single blow was negligible. Although I knew it was yet more evidence of a continued too stupid to live moment, maybe whatever Lachlan planned for me wouldn’t be so bad.

I wasn’t about to press my luck though.

He grunted and led me further into the kennel to what looked like a bathing area for animals. A hose was on a reel next to a rack with long-handled brushes and pump bottles of what I assumed was soap. Rubber matting covered the floor, but the rough surface wasn’t any easier on my bare feet.

Lachlan lounged in a chair well out of reach of the bathing area. Strangely, he held something furry in his lap and smirked wickedly at me as he petted it. I took no comfort from the expression as the last bit of my hope faded.

I hadn’t even realized there was any left, and losing it hurt more than all my bruises combined. Maybe it was better to give it up. After all, if I didn’t have anything left to lose, Lachlan couldn’t hurt me again—at least not mentally. I was sure he’d do plenty to my body, but I was used to that already.

The tall man grabbed my right wrist and shackled me in a cuff chained to the ceiling above our heads, before repeating the process with the left. I twisted and tried to free myself, but the cuffs were too tight.

“Bath time,” he announced as he picked up the hose nozzle.

Cold water hit me in the chest, and I bit back a scream. He paid me no mind, and after donning nitrile gloves, proceeded to wash me with a rough sponge and unscented soap. Although his touch was impersonal, he was strangely gentle with my piercings and covered the fresh brand with a towel to keep the dressing dry.

After rinsing the soap from my body, again with icy cold water, he pinched my chin between two beefy fingers and made me look at him. “I’m Jerome, your kennel master. You will callme sir when I tell you to speak. Be good and you won’t be hurt. Misbehave, and that will change.”

I swallowed hard and tried to nod.

“Good puppy.”

I stilled with horror as everything clicked into place in my mind. Lachlan treated me like an animal because, to him, I was. And now he was going to make me act like one too.

Why did he hate me so much?

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