Page 22 of Deadly Rival

“What?”

Can I keep my hand steady? I have to. I hold up another bite. “Was that a question?”

“You can’t…” She tugs on the cuffs again. The metal must be cutting into her skin. Her chest heaves, the gasping breaths obvious in the tight top. Then her fingers curl into fists, and her defenses snap into place, one by one. It’s fascinating to watch. Her breathing slows, her hands relax, and she looks me in the eye again.

“My father will find me. He’ll make you wish you were dead.”

I move my hand, bringing her attention back to the food. “Take another bite, and I’ll show you exactly why that isn’t going to happen.”

This time, she darts her head forward like a snapping turtle. I have to work not to jerk my hand away from her teeth. I grip the back of Ophelia's chair and yank it, spinning it to face the window. “You see the forest out there?”

“Sure. The same one I was staring at all goddamn night.”

I know fake bravado when I hear it—you can’t kid a kidder—but I don’t bother to call her out on it. “From this angle,you can see something different. See the metal, there, at the gap in the trees?”

Her eyes narrow, she leans forward as far as she can in the chair, then snaps a curt, “Yes.”

“It’s one pillar of an electrified metal fence surrounding our Compound. There are armed guards every few feet. It’s as hard to escape as San Quentin, though a lot more pleasant.”

There’s a long silence, then she mutters, “No,” but it sounds like it’s to herself. The hard set of her face never changes. She’s good. Much better than I would be if the situation was reversed.

She twists to face me. “What are you into, Sebastian? Who is in charge here? Is this a cartel thing or…”

She trails off, turning back to the forest. She’s used to having a solid grip on her life, and not understanding is driving her crazy. I press a grape to her lips, and she takes it with a sigh, chewing slowly.

“Technically, that’s three questions, so I’ll ask one of my own. Have you heard of the Onyx Brotherhood?”

Her forehead creases, and I catch the flicker of recognition. She’s heard the name before, but how much does she know? She didn’t know about Wards, that’s for sure.

“No.” It’s a lie, but a convincing one. If I hadn’t been watching closely, I wouldn’t have spotted it. I don’t blame her for keeping her cards close to her chest.

“I’ll give you the full history later, but for now, all you need to know is we’re an ancient organization and far more powerful than your family. Taking a Ward dates back almost five hundred years. I have the support of a private army to keep you here, and we’ve already implanted a tracker right here.”

I wrap my hand around the back of her neck, and she jerks at the contact. “It’s subdermal, microscopic, and can never be removed. Even if you escape, we'll find you.”

I don’t move my hand. She has to get used to me touching her if she’s going to become my obedient little pet. And I have to get used to touching her. I’ve never placed a finger on a woman who didn’t smile at the contact and lean in for more. Ophelia is stiff, her shoulders high and tense. Part of me wants to snatch my hand away, but the other part wants to explore more of her.

She deserves this. She deserves all of it and more.

Seconds pass, and she seems to realize I’m not going to take my hand away. Finally, she asks, “Why me?”

Her eyes are wide and innocent, but it’s an act. She knows why. She fucking knows. The banked anger in my blood surges, and I almost forget to make her eat. At the last second, I grab a big chunk of blueberry muffin and shove it into her mouth. She splutters, struggling to swallow, and a nasty laugh escapes me as I watch her battle with it.

It’s undignified, and she’ll hate it. Good.

“I had to choose someone. Why would I snatch some poor, innocent woman out of her life when I could have you? You killed my sister. Maggie slit her wrists, but you were the one who forced her to it, with your little cabal of bitches. They’ve all suffered, but I wanted to save something really special for you. What could be better than this?”

I take my hand away from her neck and gesture down her body. She follows my gaze, and I wonder if she sees what I do. I’ve already turned her into a trashy little toy, and all at once, I can’t wait to show her off. If she thinks she’s miserable now, just wait. Just wait until she has dozens of sets of eyes on her. Wait until she hears the whispers.

I’m bored of this part of the game. Jacob cautioned against this, but I can’t make myself care.Why me?How dare she ask that? How fucking dare she?

I unclip the handcuff from her right hand and spin her back to face the table. Her eyes never leave mine as she wipes the residue of the muffin from her mouth. I feel her gaze as I get to my feet and walk to the small dresser by the front door. Another fun part, coming up. I turn to face her as I open the drawer.

“Finish your breakfast.” I hold up a leather leash with a thick black collar attached. A little circular tag dangles from the front,Opheliaetched in curly script. “Then we’re going for a walk.”

Ten

Ophelia

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