Page 36 of Trapping His Darling

I retrieved my wallet from my trousers and pulled out a wad of cash. I handed it to the customer, tipping my head to indicate he should give some of it to the cashier as well. “If you speak of this day to anyone, I will return and remove your tongues, then kill any friends and family I think you might have told. Do you understand?”

The man nodded.

“Good.” On that, I marched out, Roger trailing behind me.

Out on the street, a driver rushed around the black luxury car to open the passenger door. Me and my godfather got into the sedan.

Roger remained silent until the car pulled off. “You and your brother have the worst taste in women.”

I shook my head and clenched my jaw. I wasn’t in the mood for his shit either.

“Do you know where she is?” he asked.

“Yes.”

Heavy silence hung between us.

“Are you going to tell me where?” he finally pressed.

“No. Drop me off at my father’s house. I need to collect some things.” Like a cell phone. Mine was with my car keys. I also needed a cold shower to cool my temper.

I refrained from telling Roger that Tiffany went to her apartment. I knew this, because she wasn’t scared of me or the consequences of this day. Well, I would have to change that. I couldn’t guarantee that she would live to see tomorrow, but before she departed this existence, she would learn to fear my wrath.

My godfather sighed. “You have a fiancée waiting for you to entertain her.”

“I don’t care,” I snarled.

If not for me knowing Roger’s number by heart, which I had yelled to my rescuers to call, he wouldn’t even be here. I had brought him to the ice cream parlor so I would not have to confiscate someone’s car. I didn’t need his prattle. Just the ride.

“It was a situation like this that got your mother imprisoned. Though, your father had a harder time tracking her down. He loved her too much to kill her, but he could never again trust her.”

“He didn’t love her,” I corrected. “He hated her. He just needed her alive so he could force me to perform that stupid coming-of-age ritual.”

“Your father loved her in his own way, as much as a man like him might. She was heavily pregnant when she fled. When he dragged her back home, I told him to cut out the baby and lether die, but he couldn’t part with her, no matter how much the betrayal hurt. That line between love and hate is very thin.”

Everyone had always wondered why she had been banished, but none ever had an answer. I tried to imagine Tiffany living in a basement while I was married to this woman my father was trying to force upon me. I wondered if my fiancée knew that once she had a son, the countdown until her execution began.

When we pulled up at my father’s, I didn’t even bother with a thank you or a goodbye. I simply left the sedan to quickly do what I needed to do, before my father roped me into something silly. I took the servant door, the same one I had used to usher Tiffany out, then went straight to my room.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Tiffany

I was smilingwhen Viktor kicked down my door, busy humming to myself and tending to the plant I was pruning. This was my happy place, loving the flora that helped protect me from men like Viktor.

Though, maybe not really, because I had given that particular asshole a pass.

I had already showered and changed into my silky pajamas. I wasn’t up for entertaining guests. If he was looking for his jacket and car keys, they were on the table. He could take them and go.

Apparently, Viktor wanted to chat.

I squeaked when he snatched me by my hair and swung me into the wall. I collided with enough force to knock pictures off their nails. He then lifted me by my throat and pinned me to the cracked plaster.

Figuring that no one was going to come save me, I relaxed into his hold and smiled sweetly. I would have said hello, but he was disrupting my airway with his tight grip. I could end this with a single prick from my ring, but I was curious to see if hehad changed his mind. Maybe he loved me more than he initially thought.

Viktor unholstered his gun and put it to my head. “I should kill you right now.”

His beautiful eyes sparked with fury. I still couldn’t answer though. Spots formed in my vision. My own eyes welled from lack of oxygen. Unlike many others, the dark didn’t scare me, nor did death. I was raised looking forward to an afterlife.

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