Page 42 of Gilded Secrets

“You thought I wouldn’t find you, cunt?” It’s the knuckles against the cheekbone that always hurt the most. I learned that through my mother’s pain. My stepfather never hurt me with his fists. No, he liked punishing me in other ways and the aftermath was ugly.

I stop my thoughts from reversing into the past and force myself to stay in the here and now. I slap a hand on the floor and push to my knees. Salt and pepper hair comes into view as a bulky man looms over me. I strike out, but he anticipates my blow and dodges it easily enough.

“Stupid, useless cunt. Just like your worthless mother.” I quickly take in my surroundings, but I can’t take my eyes off the snake in front of me. Not ever for a second.

I spit on the ground at his feet. “Fuck you, Vincent.”

He’s baiting me, but I’m not the weak fourteen-year-old he abused anymore.

I drive to my feet and sink the heel of my palm into the underside of his nose. The blood gushing down his face is oddly soothing. “Get the fuck away from me!” I try for the door, but his arms come around me and squeeze until I can’t breathe and then I’m on the floor again.

I flip around and put as much distance between us by shuffling across the floor. Fucker is strong for his age. I don’t dare take my eyes off him, but I think we are in a plush bathroom. Someone is bound to walk in, right? And call security?

Beady black eyes blink in surprise. Probably stunned, I dared lash out. But as good as it feels to have made him see his own blood for once, I think I only angered the beast.

“You’re coming with me. And when I get you home, you’ll pay for what you’ve made me do.”

“No!” I roar and fight off the hard grip on my upper arm. It’s no use though. He’s twice my size and the anger in him always defeats mine. Like a black hole absorbing the energy around it. Maybe he really is the devil’s spawn.

Those cruel fingers shift to my throat, and I am being pulled off the floor.

I gasp for air but it’s no use. I pound and resist against the unforgiving clutch to my windpipe but I’m not getting anywhere.

For once, I would like to have the upper hand. I brace myself as the old fears come rushing back over me and grip my muscles. I’m locked in fear and when his hot, putrid breath hits my ear I stop breathing altogether.

“I didn’t spend years grooming for nothing. I’m going to breed an heir out of you and get a Romano heir if I have to tie youin the basement and fuck you morning, noon, and night until you’re round with my baby.”

Instinct drives me to put my hands over my womb, but I resist. If he finds out I am already pregnant I might not make it out of this bathroom.

The wet feel of his tongue up the side of my face has me shivering with disgust. Blood wells beneath my touch when I dig my nails into the flesh of his wrist.

“Fight me. I love it when you fight me.” Spittle flies out and hits my face. My head swivels back and forth but there’s no escaping his grip on me. Those black eyes nearly suck the life from me when his gaze hooks mine.

For once I do exactly as he says and fight. Using the flat of my sole on the wall, I push forward and send us both flying across the wide bathroom. Behind him is a round seated area for members to gather themselves, I imagine. But tonight, it is going to help me escape.

The back of his knees catches on the edge of the seat and buckle. A death-like grip digs into my throat, and I am taken down with him.

We roll and I kick him off me enough that I can get to my feet. My phone is on the ground a couple of feet away from me. While he’s gripping the back of his head and cursing my existence, I dive for the cell phone and punch in a number and hit call. He’s on me before anyone picks up and my phone is sailing across the room and cracks.

No!

I clench my teeth and swing my arms, but he locks them at my sides in a crushing bear hug.

Our noses touch as he walks us backward.

“You think I don’t know whose bed you are in? Do you think I don’t have eyes everywhere? You’ve been giving my cunt out to the fuckers who are trying to take over my territory.” His voice dips low with deadly intent. I don’t usually like an arm used against my throat like a crowbar, but I’ll take it over the bite of his fingers trying to rip out my larynx.

We are almost in the same position now with me against the wall and every inch of his filthy body holding me in place. Only the door to the bathroom is at my back instead of a wall. Too bad it only swings one way.

“They’re going to die for touching what is mine. Now that I have everything in place, they won’t see the sunrise.”

He presses a leg between mine and shoves his knee into my crouch. I whimper through the pain and claw at his face.

Stiff fingers jerk at the button to my pants. “Maybe I’ll let them watch me take you raw before slitting their throats.”

The thought of their bodies slumped over, cold with death because of me makes me nauseous.

Those sickening words are all it takes to knock me out of my frozen state. My child needs me. Our child. Dante, Con, and Bastian. The innocent life inside me has no one else but me right now and I have to be enough.

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