Page 21 of Scarred Queen

Chapter Seventeen

He watchedher every move with such sharp impatience, she was surprised he allowed her enough privacy that she was able to dress in the walk-in closet with door closed. Casey slipped on a pair of her favourite skinny jeans with rips in the thighs and topped it with a T-shirt that had a bloody rose and skull on it. She pulled on a short leather jacket with buckles on the side and tugged her hair free. She examined her shoes and briefly considered her flats as the more comfortable option for a kidnapping, but decided she preferred the height of four-inch black heeled boots that zipped up the back and fitted perfectly over her jeans. She glanced at her reflection in the standing mirror on the wall in the closet and decided she looked almost perfectlyarmoured.

She had a nice selection of makeup in her favourite purse, which was on a shelf with her other purses. She was relieved that she didn’t have to use her vanity table. Casey swiped on a coating of dark smoky eye shadow, smudging it until it was perfect. Then she added a thick coat of black mascara to her blond lashes and thickened and darkened her eyebrows. A coat of lip gloss and she was ready togo.

Backing up, Casey surveyed her appearance. Excellent, she looked perfectly untouchable in expensive biker chic. Exactly what she was hoping for. Exactly opposite of her bloody Bolivian captor. She was dressing how she felt, he could deal withit.

“Casey,” he called to her, banging impatiently on the door with a fist. “Open the door now or I’m comingin.”

She pulled the door open and gave him the coldest look she was capable of, tossing her hair back over her shoulder and standing as tall as she could, which was a touch taller than him. The heated look he gave her told her he didn’t give a fuck what she was trying to pull. He swept her from head to foot, his eyes turning darker by the second with a lust so intense that she stumbled back into the closet out of self-preservation. Stupid plan because there was no place for her torun.

He chuckled darkly, stalking her into the closet. “You dressed this way for a reason, Casey? Why? To put me off? To put me in my place? You seem to think the height and maybe the leather might put me off,nena.”

She whimpered as she stumbled back into a shoe rack. He didn’t stop until he was standing right in from of her. He slammed his fist down next to her head, crashing it through the shelf. Shoes and splinters of wood flew everywhere. She cried out and flung herself sideways, but his other arm stopped her. When she dared look back at him she thought she’d see anger, thought she’d face his wrath, but she saw only hunger and raginglust.

“I fucking love being able to look into your eyes, Casey,” he growled at her, leaning in until his hips were pressed against hers and his lips were inches from hers. “You keep standing up, you keep going toe-to-toe and maybe you’ll surviveme.”

Her mouth opened in surprise and he slanted his lips over hers in a quick, hot kiss that stole the breath from her lungs. She was too shocked to even close her eyes. It didn’t matter. The kiss was over before she had time to either protest or participate. Before she could form any kind of thought he reached for her hand and tugged her from the closet and out her bedroom door for the last time. She glanced over her shoulder, but the room that had been her sanctuary for such a long time was a blur as he pulled her down thehallway.

They walked swiftly to the mansion’s foyer, which was still littered with debris and the body of one of Ignacio’s guards. She forced herself not to cringe into Reyes’ side. Instead she stood tall and cool next to him when he stopped to survey his men and Diego who were all standing around clearly awaiting some kind of instruction fromReyes.

He maintained his hold on her arm, though he manoeuvered her so she was standing next to him when he spoke to Diego. His voice was clipped and impatient, as though he were eager to be done with his business. “Alejandro and a few of my men will stay behind for the next few weeks to help you establish contacts and set things up here. I trust you will make sure they arecomfortable?”

Diego nodded shortly, though Casey knew him well enough to know he was anything but pleased with the idea of Reyes leaving behind babysitters. So, it would seem Ignacio’s second had betrayed him in order to secure himself a prime position. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. Diego’s gaze flicked to her for a split second, just long enough for her to see the gleam of sadistic longing within. She shuddered and inched closer to Reyes. God help her if she ever found herself alone with that man again. She didn’t think it would matter if they were in a mansion filled with Reyes’ men, she didn’t think Diego would be able to stop himself from playing out his worstfantasies.

“You have a problem, eh?” Reyes demanded, stepping in front of Casey and getting in Diego’sface.

Just shoot him, she silentlybegged.

Damn, the years really had changed her if that was how she was solving problems now. Unfortunately, Reyes did not shoot Diego. The new Miami underboss assured his Bolivian contact that he was in perfect control and would be happy to host Alejandro and his men. Then he walked them out to the waiting vehicles, a jovial bounce in his step. He attempted to help Casey into the back of the black Escalade, but Reyesintervened.

“Never,” he snarled, getting in Diego’s face again, “touch mywoman.”

Diego held his hands up and backed away. “I get it, man. Different boss, same orders.” Then he turned and strode rapidlyaway.

Casey breathed easier without his oppressive, sleazy presence near her. Reyes helped her into the back of the SUV, but as soon as she was clear of the doorframe she jerked her arm away. He climbed in behind her. Once they were settled into the back he studied her serious face. “What did hemean?”

She shrugged one shoulder and sighed. “Ignacio had standing orders that no one was allowed to touchme.”

He frowned. “Ever?”

She shook her head. “Not ever. Not without his permission or his presence. Touching would result in either severe punishment or death. The last guy that touched me in front of Ignacio lost his hand and all he did was touch my arm to help me down some stairs. Ignacio is…” she stumbled over her words and closed her eyes for a second before continuing, “was a controlfreak.”

He nodded, still frowning, absorbing her words thoughtfully. Then he said, “And this is the man you were loyal to right up to the moment of his death?” He shook his head at her, frowning fiercely in the darkness of the back seat, the occasional flash from passing streetlights, lighting up his rugged features. “I don’t know whether to be disgusted by you or in utter awe of your stubborntenacity.”

She stared back at him mutinously and then hissed in a low voice, “Stop using past tense, Reyes, because I’m still loyal to my husband, dead or not. I told you if you murdered Ignacio I wouldn’t touch you, and I won’t! You destroyed anything we could’ve had with the blood on your hands.” He reached for her, but she immediately recoiled back against the door. “Don’t touch me, don’t you ever touch me! You still have blood on your hands;hisblood!”

He grabbed her, unbuckled her seatbelt and wrenched her across the back seat of the car, holding her struggling body firmly on his lap. He pinned her arms against her side using a brutal strength he hadn’t used with her yet. She cried out in pain and gave up when the pressure on her arms became unbearable. After a moment, he eased his grip and pulled her chest tohis.

“You listen good,nena, because I will only say this once. I will touch you whenever and however I want,” he growled into her face, eyes flashing. “Not long now, Casey. The moment we arrive at my home, you will be mine. Get used to theidea.”

As if her heart wasn’t beating fast enough from being manhandled, his words added a few skipped beats until she thought she was going to have a heart attack at the tender age of twenty-eight. He held her that way, eyes locked with hers, hands hard on her arms until her breathing began to slow. He moved her into the seat directly next to his and buckled the seatbelt around her waist then placed an arm around her shoulders anchoring her against hisside.

She desperately wished for the creeping numbness to help her cope, help her manage her emotions, but she seemed to be hyperaware of everything around her. She frowned. It was weird. She didn’t usually feel things so keenly. Maybe it was surviving a gun battle and then nearly getting shot in the head by her own bodyguard. But… no, that wasn’t right. If she were being totally honest with herself, she’d been waking up from her stupor for weeks now. Ever since Reyes had stepped into her life and forcibly started making her noticethings.

Plus, the lack of prescription drugs in her system. She hadn’t wanted to believe that Ignacio had been deliberately drugging her to keep her compliant for years, but the reality seemed more and more likely. Another thing she could contribute to Reyes; she’d hated the idea that he might think of her as a user. So she’d been flushing her pills, shame as hermotivation.

She glanced out the window and a small laugh shook her, catching his attention. “What is it,nena?” heasked.

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