Page 57 of Pure Vengeance

Where most people would see a ginormous trained killer, all I saw was flappy jowls, more tongue than any one dog actually needed, and kind brown eyes full of love. I was head over heels from the moment he licked my face.

I was so, so careful to never let Lachlan see how much I adored Dante, and Dante seemed to understand the dangers too. He didn’t come near me when Lachlan was around.

The town car pulled to a stop in front of a large Tudor home with several old-growth redwoods scattered around the outside. Motion-activated floodlights illuminated the propertyin yellowed patches, but I couldn’t see much of the landscaping from my position in the footwell of the back seat. About the only thing I knew of our location was that it was several miles south of my prison.

Dante bounded out the minute the door opened. Before I could follow him, Lachlan held up a hand to stop me.

“You may walk until we’re inside. The driveway is gravel, and I prefer my pets unmarked.”

He scowled and jerked on my leash when I nodded and didn’t reply.

“A thank you would be in order right now, puppy.” He tugged harder on the leash, forcing me to my tiptoes. “Or would you rather crawl on the gravel?”

Before I could decide whether or not to answer, he cursed under his breath and strode away, pulling me along behind him.

It was dangerously passive-aggressive, but Lachlan didn’t get my words.

Despite being mostly inured to Lachlan’s treatment of me, I almost hesitated when he led me through the foyer into a large, open-plan living room. I hadn’t been indoors in weeks, and I wasn’t sure I liked the walls closing around me.

All the guests were men, and judging by their effusive greetings, they were obviously acquainted with him.

Saoirse was there too, dressed in a gorgeous green cocktail dress that did amazing things for her athletic figure. I hated that she looked so good, but the frown on her face when she gazed at me spoiled the aesthetic. Her mood didn’t matter to me though. It wasn’t as if my presence in her life was my fault. I’d happily remove myself from the situation if her brother would let me.

I’d been to many parties in my past life. I used to wear couture. The overpriced wine and delicate hors d’oeuvres sometimes made up for the insipid conversation. I never listenedto it anyway because I was always too busy making sure my father couldn’t fault a single moment of my performances.

And this was a performance too.

I suppose I should have been thankful there were fewer than a dozen attendees, and I wouldn’t be asked to speak to any of them. I tried not to notice them watching me, but the gossip would make the rounds before midnight. Thankfully, I didn’t see any cell phones catching my ignoble path toward the buffet table.

It wasn’t as if anyone could miss a bald woman crawling at a man’s side wearing nothing but a nearly sheer black leotard with a hole in the back for a butt plug to which a fluffy tail was attached.

At least he’d had Jerome use actual hot water and decent soap to bathe me, so I didn’t smell like the dog kennel I’d been living in since my wedding day.

Lachlan would take any opportunity to humiliate me, and this must have been his crowning achievement. He had a goal though, and I had a good idea what it was.

“Is he here yet?” he asked one of the men.

“According to the guards, his car just pulled into the driveway.”

“Good.”

God, I hoped I was right about the person Lachlan was talking about.

He hated my father—maybe as much as I did, although I didn’t know why. He probably thought presenting me in a dog costume with mitts on my hands and a tail shoved up my ass would drive my father nuts. I might have laughed if Lachlan’s plot wasn’t at my expense.

The word I’d memorized, and only practiced when I was absolutely sure no one could hear or see slid across my lips, tasting both sweet and bitter. Sweet, because I might finally be inposition to achieve the first part of my goal, and bitter because it would cost me my only friend.

A scant few moments later, my father strode inside, then stopped in the middle of the room when he saw me. He paled and his hands tightened into fists as his eyes narrowed.

“Come, puppy.” Lachlan tugged on the leash, making me crawl as fast as I could. “I’d hate for you to be naughty and miss your reunion with your father.”

With an especially violent yank, he pulled me along until we were within feet of my father.

I lowered my head and sat back on my heels with my mitted hands on my thighs as Lachlan dropped my leash and moved ahead of me. Instead of following Lachlan, Dante sidled closer as if to give me comfort.

Or maybe he thought he was protecting me.

“Shouldn’t pets be left outside?” my father asked.

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