Page 76 of Deadly Oath

His face hardens, and whatever uncertainty or hesitation I thought I saw vanishes. “It’s not about what you did to me,” he growls, his jaw tightening until I see lines form at the edge of his face. “It’s what you did to my family.”

“Your—family? I don’t know—” I search my memory, trying to think of the nameMcNeill, if it means anything to me. If I encountered Kian, or any other member of his family at one of the galas or events I’ve been to over the years. But I don’t recall it. If his family moved in similar circles, they didn’t do so in Chicago, and I never attended any event like that in New York.

“Of course you wouldn’t.” Kian shrugs. “The McNeills are the most powerful Irish mafia family in New York—all the way down to Boston, actually—but I don’t think my father did much business in Chicago. Definitely not with the Petrov family. I certainly haven’t, since taking over after his death.”

“Since—” I blink, as several things click all at once for me. The expensive engagement ring. Kian handing me his credit card for the wedding dress. The flight to New York. The driver and this extravagant house—both of which, I realize, must be his. The job as a sheriff, playing house with me, the preference for diner food over a nicersteakhouse—none of that was real. It was all meant to fool me. To make me trust him. Which, of course, I did.

Because I wanted someone to trust. I wanted something to make me happy. I wanted a choice in how my life would go after it was so drastically upended.

I feel like a fool. My face flushes, and I know Kian can see how he’s made me feel, that he might even be enjoying it. But I’m not sure I care. I’m too overwhelmed by what’s happening.

“I still don’t understand how I’m a part of this. Did my father insult you in some way?”Am I once again about to pay because some other family has a problem with my father?“Kian?—”

“I’m getting there,” he snaps, almost impatient, as if he’s the one being made to wait and not me. “You were supposed to be taken by the Kariyevs, Sabrina. Kidnapped as a lesson to your father. Sold to some billionaire or prince as a trophy. But instead, Karyiev’s youngest son, the bastard, found out. Playing double agent with the FBI. He got to you first, and got you to them. Got youaway.”

I suck in a breath, feeling as if I’ve been punched in the chest. “You were part of the trafficking ring?” Somehow, this feels worse than any other revelation, any other betrayal. The idea that Kian wanted me sold, wanted that horrible fate to happen tome, that he had some hand in it—it feels like someone has twisted my heart out of my chest. “You’re going to—what? Finish the deal?”

Anger blazes, briefly, in Kian’s eyes. “Fuck no,” he spits. “I’d never do such a shite thing. Selling women ought to earn a man a special place in the lowest hell. No, Sabrina, the issue isn’t that I wanted you sold. It’s who was sold in your place.”

It takes me a moment to recover from my first assumption. I feel as if I have whiplash, the information ping-ponging back and forth until I don’t know what I think is going on. “Someone was sold in my place?”

“Obviously.” Kian looks at me as if I’m an idiot. “Dima Kariyev banked on your kidnapping going to plan. You fetched a very high price—the virgin daughter of a powerfulpakhan. Plenty of men wanted to break you. From what I heard, he held an auctionsomewhere on the dark web for your virginity. Broke well over five million dollars. And when the FBI stepped in instead, he needed another girl to take your place. He couldn’t disappoint his client, after all—that would have had consequences for him. He needed a different mafia princess. Italian, Russian, Irish, that didn’t matter so much. What mattered was that she was from a powerful family, first and foremost. A virgin, next. Beautiful, of course. And the eldest daughter, preferably. One raised to think she was the jewel of the family. Plenty of men would pay the earth to put a woman like that on her knees.”

“Like you,” I spit, glaring at him, thinking of the nights that he did just that. Kian narrows his eyes, taking a threatening step towards me.

“Aye. I put you on your knees, princess. I took everything from you, and I savored it. I never came harder in my life than when I took your fucking virginity from you. When I punished you. When I tied you down and used you until I was spent. When I made you believe I wanted you as my wife and fucked you in every way you could be fucked, made you beg and plead for it like a whore.” He lunges for me before I can flinch away, his hand grabbing a fistful of my hair, wrenching my head back. “I took everything from you, the way that man who bought my sister took everything from her. It should have been you. If ithadbeen you, she wouldn’t be the way she is now, broken and mute, locked away in her room because she can’t bear to see anyone. She hasn’t been the same since she came back. She hasn’t spoken since she came back. That should have beenyou!”

He snarls it at me, shaking me until my teeth chatter, and I burst into tears.

“Let go of me!” I shriek, trying to wrench away from his grasp, heedless of the pain his grip is causing. This time, he lets me go, his chest heaving as he stares me down. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I cry out, wrapping my arms around myself as I stagger back towards the window, my hip bumping into the side of the desk next to it as I do. “I’m sorry for what happened to your sister, Kian. That shouldn’t happen toanyone. That’s horrible. Unthinkable. But I hadnothingto do with it!”

“It should have been you,” he repeats. “They were after yourfamily.Yourfather. Your family was tied up in this. If you hadn’t gotten away, Ailin would never?—”

“I was falling in love with you!”

The words rip from my mouth, anguished and raw, and Kian freezes. Both of us do, my heart beating hard in my throat as I realize what I just said. What I admitted. I hadn’t even been sure it was true—but at this moment, I am. I know I was falling for him. And that makes all of this that much harder to bear.

“I can’t believe you lied to me like this.” Tears are spilling from my eyes, rolling down my cheeks. My chest hurts, aching with a pain that I hadn’t known it was possible to feel. “My god, Kian, I’m pregnant with your child!”

He reels momentarily at that, shock clouding his face. But just as quickly, it clears, and he chuckles. “Good. I’d hoped it might turn out that way. I switched your birth control pills for placebos, princess. The same day you brought them home. Every pill you ever took was nothing but sugar. Meanwhile, I was filling you up with my cum as often as I pleased. I’m glad it took as quickly as it did. I doubt you’d be as easy to fuck here, now that you know the truth.”

My mouth drops open, and for a moment, I can’t speak, hit with the fresh betrayal. “You’ll never touch me again,” I promise, venom in my own voice, now. “What was your plan, Kian? What was the fucking point of all of this?”

“Exactly what I’ve gotten.” There’s that victorious look in his eyes again, and now I know exactly what it means. “I made you want me. Made you fall for me. Took your virginity. I made you my wife. I made you pregnant, and when you have that baby, I’ll take that from you. I’ll have my revenge and an heir, and as for you—” He shrugs. “You can go back to your father, if you want. I doubt he’ll want anything to do with you, worthless as you are.”

“You can’t do that.” My eyes widen with horror, and I press my hand against my stomach protectively. Fear and anger tangle up with all the unanswered questions, and I close my eyes, trying to clear my head. “Why did you save me, then? From the men who kidnappedme? Why not let them chop me up and send pieces of me to my father? Wouldn’t that be revenge?”

“Notmyrevenge.” Kian’s gaze darkens. “You’remine, Sabrina. Mine to take, mine to marry, mine to fuck, mine to punish. Mine to take my revenge on. And they tried to take you away from me. They tried to takethataway from me, and I couldn’t allow that. No one, especially not a half-assed mafia of bloody backwoods drug dealers, was going to cheat me out of my revenge.”

“How did you—” I swallow hard. “The position in town. The sheriff’s job. How did you?—”

“Connections.” Kian shrugs. “I talked to some contacts I had. They came up and had a long talk with Sheriff Wayne. Suggested to him that he retire, and while he was at it, that he sign the papers for the new guy who intended to take over. Handed him a hefty paycheck along with it, to stay quiet, along with a few promises of what would happen if he didn’t. It was terrifyingly simple. For you, that is,” he adds.

I sink back against the windowsill, pressing one hand to my mouth. I’d thought I was safe, and the whole time, Kian had been hunting me. Making inroads to catch me. He’d played a long game, and I’d fallen right into his trap.

His little rabbit.

“Why not bring me here right away?” I whisper. “Why spend all that time?—”

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