Page 31 of Ruthless Oath

“Like I care if you care.”

She’s brave, I’ll give her that.

“I don’t respect you. Your lack of loyalty to your family speaks volumes.”

“You don’t have any right to judge me,” she said.

“I’m not judging you. I’m just telling you what I see. You’re a little girl who didn’t get what she wanted. Was it the Corvette? A trip?”

“You’re a jerk.”

“Like I said, Daddy didn’t give you what you demanded, so you came running to me to make him suffer. You should be proud of yourself, because you accomplished your mission.”

“I didn’t accomplish anything.” She rolled her eyes.

“Your father deserves what happened to you tonight. Why were you out without a guard? What’s wrong with you people?”

“Your family is just as deplorable as mine. Your father didn’t even have the honor to stick around and protect you and your brother.”

Without thinking, I grabbed her throat and pinned her against the window. She swallowed hard but kept her gaze locked with mine, as if daring me to lose control.

“I’m going to say this one time.” I tightened my hold on her neck. With my free hand, I swiped the hair from her face. “If another negative word about my father or my family comes out of your disrespectful mouth, you will not draw another breath. Do you understand me?”

She nodded.

“I want to hear the words.”

“Yes,” she breathed out of her constricted airway. “I understand.”

“That’s better.” I released her before getting out and walking around the car. I took a few seconds to gain my composure as I breathed in the autumn night air.

What was it about this woman? She drew emotions from me I didn’t understand. One second I wanted to kill her, and the next I wanted to fuck her brains out.

What the hell is going on with me?I could have any woman I wanted, but for days, all I could think about was her.

She still leaned against the window as I approached the car door, so when I opened it, she almost tumbled to the ground. I caught her arm and guided her out. As she stepped onto the ground and yanked away from my hold, she lost her balance and fell to the gravel.

I extended my hand, but she swatted it away.

“You can’t sit out here all night,” I said.

“I can do whatever I want.”

“That may have been true in your father’s house.” I reached down, tucked my hand under her arm, and pulled her up like a floppy rag doll. “But it won’t be true here. You’ll do whateverIwant.”

She straightened her posture, trying to gain her composure.

“Let’s go inside.” I pointed to the house. “It’s cold out here.”

“I’m fine.”

“I might believe you if you weren’t trembling.”

She gazed into the gloomy woods surrounding the property. The leaves rustled, and an owl hooted in the distance.

“There’s nowhere for you to run.” I looked her over, glanced at the woods, and then back at her. “In that dress and those boots, you’d last about an hour in the woods, and that’s only if I don’t catch you before you reach the tree line. And we both know I’ll catch you, even though I do like a good chase.”

She looked between the house and the woods. Would she be stupid enough to choose the dark unknown?

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