Page 38 of Wicked Angel

Chuckling, Jackie started to circle me, and my focus pulled from my internal crisis to her. “Really? Precious little Evangeline Price is going to satisfy the needs of a violent hitman?” When I didn’t answer, she continued to prod me. “He’s not going to be nice or gentle. I’ve seen the two of you together, the way you react to him. How he watches you like an animal prepped for slaughter. Any hint of sweetness or tenderness? Ha!” She waved a dismissive hand in front of my face. “This may be your first time, but it’s not about you,little sister.This is solely for him, and if I’m going to be quite frank”—as if she would be anything else,I thought—“he’s going todestroyyou. Rip that virginity of yours to shreds right before he takes you apart. Mind, body, and soul.” She finished with a shrug and a “That’s just what men do.”

I didn’t say a damn word. She had no idea that Gaven had already done all of that and more. Hehadripped my virginity to shreds. Pulled the safe and protected insides of my mind apart, and now he had me questioning everything I’d ever wanted.

Stopping before me, Jackie stared at me. Her expression was cold. She cocked a brow. If she expected me to respond with fear, she was going to be sorely disappointed. I was beyond fear. Anything I could’ve kept from Gaven was already taken, gone. But she was doing what she always did; trying to get into my head and make me second guess.

Normally, I fell for it. Every. Time. But not this time. I steeled myself, shoving the doubt away.She won’t get the pleasure of watching me spiral from her words,I vowed.

“I know what to expect,” I told her.

Her brows arched. “Oh, so you’re ready to give up on your dreams then? No more college for you? After your sad little runaway adventure, which you couldn’t even manage, you’re just going to roll over and spread your legs?”

“I didn’t say I was giving up on my dreams,” I snapped, crossing my arms once more.

This time she didn’t chuckle or smirk; she fully laughed in my face. Grinding my teeth, I continued to stare at her instead of looking away. We’d always been at odds, two sides of the Price Family coin, but after everything I’d dealt with that week, I wouldn’t let her undercut me. Not without pushback.

“Your naiveté is astounding,” she scoffed. “Don’t you get it? Unless you leave this life behind. The family. Gaven.Everything. There is no future for you, not in the way you want. You’re a simple broodmare that father offered up to someone he thinks is worthy of taking over his position.” There was hatred in her voice, her expression twisting into anger before smoothing out once more. I didn’t need to ask to know that she was bitter that he hadn’t offered it to her. As much as our father’s misogynistic views hurt me; they also hurt her. “You need to get that through that pretty little head of yours before you end up with a bullet in it.”

My fists tightened, hidden beneath my crossed arms, and I had to blink back the burn in my eyes at her harsh words. I hated it, but she was right, there was no going back after today. Still, I latched tight to my dreams, and no one—not even her, our father, or Gaven—would take them away.I could be a boss’s wife and still have freedom,I told myself.

Gaven had told me to think about it, and I had. If I gave him something he wanted, he would give me something I wanted. Perhaps, I couldn’t be one hundred percent free, but that didn’t mean I had to be wholly chained down and miserable.

“Aww, precious princess, don’t cry,” Jackie cooed, patting me on the shoulder.

I shrugged her off. “I’m not fucking crying,” I growled.

She merely blinked at me, feigning innocence. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of opportunities to spend time away from the family. Perhaps after you’ve popped out a few heirs, Gaven will release you from your chains and let you go to a spa or something.” There was no hiding the mocking tone in her voice, and I refused to rise to the bait again, glaring at her as she leaned forward. “Have a good afternoon, Angel,” she whispered. “It’ll be the last one you have for a while, I guess. You’ll be too sore after your wedding to enjoy much of anything, I’m sure. And afterwards…” She drifted off with a faraway look in her eyes. “Well, I suspect you’ll be on your back for a while. Enjoy the dick. Hopefully, he’s not a selfish man. Most are.”

With that, she spun on her heel and strutted out, Gertie stumbling out of the way as she swept through the door.

“My, my, someone sure is in a hurry,” Gertie muttered, eyeing down the hallway where Jackie had stalked off. There was a moment of silence, and then Gertie turned back to me, a bright smile plastered into place. “Suppose she’s going to prepare for the wedding herself. Are you ready to get into your dress, Miss?”

I wasn’t. Not by a long shot, but there was no fighting back now. So, instead of voicing the truth, I merely nodded. Whatever worry and doubt my sister had attempted to weave over me was shoved into the recesses of my mind. I stepped towards the bed and Gertie shut and locked the door as I began to undress. She helped me into the gown, both of us moving and working in silence. As kind as she was, she was even more powerless than I over my fate.

"You look beautiful, Miss,” Gertie said as we finished buttoning up the back and arranging the dress into place.

I stared at myself in the floor-length, tri-fold mirror in the corner of my bedroom. It showed all sides of the wedding dress save for the back. I took a shaky breath and gave her a tight smile. "Thank you, Gertie."

"You make a stunning bride," she gushed.

Normally, I wouldn't think anything of her compliments—I was so used to hearing them from her sweet lips—but right now, I had to admit she was right. This dress. The makeup she’d put on me accented my skin tone well. It made my eyes look bigger, rounder. My lashes were longer and darker. My hair had been curled into the waves Gertie seemed to prefer and pulled away from my face, arranged so that the veil could fit at the back of my head. The entire look—the makeup, the dress, the veil, and the jewelry—turned me from merely adequate to extraordinary.

And last, but certainly not least, the necklace that Gaven had originally gifted me sat at the base of my throat flush against my skin. Reminding me physically, with its glittering jewels and weight, that my body was about to become owned by him. I turned slightly, the skirts clinging to my legs swished with the movement.

"Gertie," I said, throat growing tighter the longer I stared at myself in the mirror, "can you give me a few moments alone?"

The older woman tilted her head back, her all too-knowing gray eyes likely recognizing the riot in my mind. She nodded and then quietly left the room. As soon as the door shut behind her, I stepped off the dais that had been placed in front of the mirror and turned away from it. My chest felt tight.

As strong as I’d tried to be, it was this moment—the dress and Jackie’s fucking words—that were finally getting to me.

My gaze fell to the table that had been set up to display all of the useless items brides needed for a wedding day, something old and new, borrowed and blue. My lips thinned as I eyed each object before, finally, I glanced down at the ring on my finger. It'd been delivered by a man I hadn't recognized not long after the dress shop trip. A single gold band with a cluttering of diamonds that glittered every time I moved my fingers. It was gorgeous. It was ostentatious. It made the rock sitting at the bottom of my stomach feel that much heavier.

"What the hell am I doing?" I asked myself, pressing the back of my hand to my forehead. My skin was clammy.

"That's what I'm wondering." The familiar baritone was so sudden and startling that it nearly made me trip over my own skirts as I whirled around too fast to face the man who'd—once again—snuck up on me.

Gertie had evidently not locked the door when she’d left, and I hadn’t heard him come in. Gaven stood there, just inside my bedroom door, his hands in the pockets of his black suit. Far be it for him to dress for a wedding. He looked like he was dressed for a funeral. Black shirt, black jacket, black slacks, even a black tie. It was always the same with him. I wondered if there was even a single spec of color in his closet. Still, he was handsome. Entrancing. I couldn't pull my eyes away from him. My breathing sped up. Steel blue eyes moved down my body, examining, analyzing, heating.

"What are you doing in here?" I asked. "You're not supposed to see me before the wedding."

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