Page 135 of In Love with a Cruel Billionaire

And she would have a plan. Because his Mairi was not just beautiful and loving, she was smart and courageous, too, and she would not have let anyone hurt her just like that.

“She punched my dick.” Cleon’s face screwed up in remembered pain and fury, something in him still hating Mairi Tanner for that one act even though he had been the one to force himself on her. Mairi had not been the only girl to try fighting off his advances, but Mairi had been the first to succeed.

Cleon was about to say more, but suddenly his blindfold was torn off. The light blinded him for a moment and he groaned as he blinked rapidly. When his vision cleared, what Cleon saw made him wish he was still blindfolded and left blissfully unaware of who he had been repeating his story for.

Damen Leventis.

It was Damen Leventis in the flesh, and the look on the billionaire’s face told Cleon his days were numbered, that he would have been better off making a confession to the police.

He started to babble, desperate to save his life. “I swear, Mr. Leventis, if I had known she was—-”

“Quiet.”

That one word was as sharp and cold as a killer’s blade.

Cleon wanted to pee again.

Damen said tightly, “I will not hurt you right now. I will let you go. I will let you heal. I will let you lull yourself into thinking I’ve forgotten you or that you’re untouchable because I know you’re that stupid. And I don’t mind that you’re that stupid. When the day comes that you are at your strongest, that you are at your most arrogant, I will come back for you. And that is when you will pay.”

Chapter 2

THE RINGING OF THEphone tore Damen out of his most terrifying memories, and for a moment he was disoriented, his senses on alert, his instincts bordering on murderous. He was ready to kill anyone who dared to even consider hurting Mairi.

The phone continued to ring, and sanity kicked in a moment later.

He swiftly crossed the room to pick up the phone.

“Damen Leventis?” the voice on the other end of the line asked hesitantly.

Damen did his best to make his voice even, but memories that had not completely faded made his voice tight with guilt and self-hatred as he asked, “Is this Mandy?”

“Yes.” A moment later, unable to stop herself, Mandy demanded, “Has something bad happened to Mairi? She hasn’t been answering her phone the past few days.”

Hope died with those words, Mandy unknowingly answering the questions he had yet to ask. Damen said hollowly, “I had called hoping you would be able to tell me where she is.”

Mandy paled. “Youdon’tknow where she is?”

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