Page 24 of The Deal

“I don’t want to go with him … or leave you. How will you survive without me?”

“The way I see it, you don’t have a choice,” Alexander grumbles.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” I snap.

“Do you want your father’s blood on your hands?”

“You are the one with the gun who is threatening lives, so I hardly see how the blood will be onmyhands.”

“You’ll be just as much at fault as I will if you choose the alternative.”

“How did you come to that conclusion, Einstein?”

“Because only you have the power to stop this.”

“Don’t worry about me, princess,” my father says, reaching for my hand and giving it a light squeeze. “Take the deal; I’ll be fine.”

My father is a stubborn man—it’s where I get that trait from—so I already know there’s no changing his mind. My fate is sealed, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

I either leave with the devil himself or seal my father’s fate. There’s no way I’m going to agree to the latter. I couldn’t live with myself if I did. My dad may have messed with the wrong type of people, but losing his life over money, no matter what the amount, is extreme. It’s mob mentality.

Accepting there is no way out of this, I square my shoulders and swipe the back of my hand across my face.

“I still don’t hate you, Daddy,” I say, shaking my hand from his grip and retreating a step, followed closely by another. “I am disappointed in you, though, because you just became the person you swore you’d never be.”

Chapter 8

Chloe

I’m already hatching my escape plan as I sit between the Adonis and his lackey in the back of the limousine, being taken to God only knows where. Surely, he can’t watch me twenty-four-seven.

Even though my father got me into this mess, I’m sick with worry. He won’t last a week without me.

The disability pension he gets from the government is measly at best. I barely even got time to say goodbye, but the moment my dad wrapped me tightly in his arms, I did something I hadn’t done in many years. I wept like a baby.

I wasn’t allowed to bring anything with me either … except my handbag: no clothes or shoes. My feet are still bare.

The dick said I wouldn’t be needing them. Is he going to chain my naked body to a bed and make me his sex slave? Although I’ve already slept with this man, the thought of being with him in that way again now repulses me.

When he led me back to my room, I left my handbag on the bed, only reaching inside to grab my purse, which contained my driver’s license and key card. The cash I’d put aside for rent and the electricity bill was still hidden insidethe false lining. He would also need my phone since we don’t have a landline.

Thankfully, I was able to whisper that to my father as I hugged him for what was hopefully not the last time. I can only pray he is sensible with the money and doesn’t blow it on his habit. Who knows if or when I’ll be able to send him more?

The thought of never seeing him again weighed heavily on my heart as I was marched outside to the car like some criminal.

It felt like I was being led to the gallows.

Maybe I should’ve put my hand up and opted for the bullet instead; it would’ve been a quicker and far less painful death.

When we finally arrive at my prison, I’m unsurprised to find it’s a mega-mansion. I lived in a neighbourhood just like this once.

This man reeks of money and power. What does perturb me, though, are the intricate, fancy eight-foot wrought iron gates at the entrance, manned by a security gatehouse, and the equally high, double brick wall that appears to surround the expansive property.

Escaping isn’t going to be as easy as I first thought.

Thankfully, I’m not someone who gives up easily. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Technically, I’ve just been kidnapped, even if I was pressured into agreeing to come with him. He can’t keep me here forever, can he?

My employers will surely inquire about my whereabouts when I’m a continual no-show, especially at the accounting firm. They know my worth. I’ve been there forover ten years and can count on one hand how many days I’ve had off during that time.

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