Page 51 of Wicked Games of Desire

“Please, Lana. Just do what they say.”

I offer a tight smile. “Okay.” I nod. I’ll play along. Be the girl they want me to be.

He pushes off the ground, seeing his job is done. Manipulate the sister and get her to do what you say. Check. He holds out his hand, and I take it, letting him pull me up to standing. “Dinner is ready. I’ll eat with you all, then I need to get back to the city.”

“I just need to grab a sweater, then I’ll be there,” I tell him, not quite ready to face the others yet. He makes his way toward the living space, and I head into Alessandro’s bedroom to find something warm to put on. Finding a dark hoodie, I slip it on over my T-shirt and pull the hood up protectively. I’m not sure how I can face the three of them again.

Eventually I make my way out to the living space and find them all sitting on the couch casually. Ricky looks like he hasn’t moved all afternoon, his eyes glazed and cheeks flushed from how much alcoholhe’s consumed. There’s pizza boxes open on the coffee table, and they all sit around eating like this is a normal Tuesday.

“We had to start without you,” Alessandro mutters, raking his eyes over me.

I glare back at him, a deadness inside of me I’ve never felt before. Taking the first thing I see, a slice of Hawaiian, I find a seat on the rug, staring out the window at the forest, as far away from them all as I can. Biting into the cheesy slice, I’m not able to taste the rich tomato, juicy pineapple, and smoky ham flavor that I know should be there.

I’m numb.

I eat the entire slice in silence while the others chat amongst themselves. They think they have their way because I’m here doing what I was told. But they have nothing. I know all three of them have a thing for me, and what they don’t know is what happened today has seen all my protective walls shoot right up. I don’t trust them. And men I don’t trust don’t get my body.

When I have stared into the night’s darkness so long that I have seen the low fog drift over the shrubs, swallowing them into the night, I stand and make my way toward the bedrooms.

“Where are you going?” Alessandro’s dark voice fills the room with its normal domineering edge that he saves just for me.

“To bed,” I mutter, not even bothering to turn around. Does he even need to ask? He can see where I’m going with his fucking tracker, can’t he? When he doesn’t respond, I keep walking until I’m out of view, then I stop. And listen.

“After everything that happened today, it wouldn’t hurt to attempt to be kind to her,” Ricky murmurs with an icy tone to his brother.

“What’s the point of giving her false hope?” he huffs back.

“She hates us,” Maddox adds, and I hear the emotion in his voice. As strange as it is, I think he actually cares that I do, but that’s on him.

“She’ll get over it,” Alessandro replies, like he couldn’t even give a flying fuck that I’m upset.

I’m tired of hearing this garbage. I quietly enter his room and uncover the bed without changing my clothes. I position myself on the far side of the bed, as distant as I can be from his sleeping spot, and gently close my eyes, patting the knife in my pocket for reassurance. If he lays a motherfucking hand on me tonight, I will make sure he regrets it.

Chapter 30

The next three days,disappear in a daze. I eat when I’m told to, shower when I’m told to, and dress in whatever Alessandro lays out for me. I don’t fight him. And I limit my interaction with all of them as much as possible.

My time is mostly occupied admiring the picturesque forest through the window. Tiny birds flitter around, dancing from one branch to the next. They look so happy. So free. How can I envy such a little creature that anything could literally eat out there? But I do, because they are free to make that critical decision for themselves. If they die, it’s on them.

“Baby doll, we have to get going,” Ricky’s voice comes from beside me.

I glance up at him, wondering what he’s going on about.

He’s holding a pair of my black combat boots, the ones he knows are my favorite. “Your dress fitting is scheduled for this morning,” he explains when he sees my confusion.

“Oh.” I stand on auto pilot, taking my boots from him. Slipping them on, I don’t bother with the laces before following him out of the room.

He unlocks the house and lets me out, then walks by my side to his khaki G-Wagon. I hop in the front seat when he opens the door for me. He starts up the engine and takes off down the long, bumpy driveway. It feels odd to be out of that place. To watch the open road whoosh past as he drives like the demon he is.

“Are you ever going to talk to me again?” he asks, and I hear the heaviness in his voice. My silence is making an impact on him. Well, good, he deserves to squirm for what he did to me.

“I talk to you,” I mutter, not bothering to look his way.

“You’ve been giving me the silent treatment for days.”

My lips twitch into a bitchy-as-fuck smile. “What would you like to talk about, Ricky? How you implanted some fucking device in me while I was drugged up after your goon shot me because you fuckers don’t trust me to make smart decisions for myself? Or how I’m being forced to marry your boss next week because he’s a controlling asshole who wants to rule the world? Both exciting topics of conversation.”

He chuckles like this is all funny. “Thank fuck.”

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