Page 50 of Cautious

“The boss wants you on the tarmac. He said if you weren’t ready, I should help you. I gotta admit, I’m a little disappointed,” he drawls, dragging his eyes over my frame, the skintight dress leaving nothing to the imagination. “Not to worry, the boss will share you, eventually. He likes to watch.” He whispers the last part in my ear, leaning over me and crowding me against the door.

My skin crawls, but I fight the urge to step back. “I’d rather kill myself than let you touch me,” I spit out. I mentally kick myself for letting my mouth run away from me.

“Oh, I do like a challenge. You see, some men get off on breaking their women physically. But I like to break them up here.” He taps the side of his head before closing the last of the distance between us and pinning me against the wall.

“I like to work a woman over until she is writhing with pure unadulterated pleasure until all she can do is beg for my cock. Beg me to touch her, beg me to fuck her. And they all do, sweetheart.”

He grips my chin hard, like Christian did earlier, making me cry out.Is this the signature asshole hold or something?

“You’ll beg me, and when I make you come, you’ll hate yourself more than you could ever hate me.” He pulls away, gripping my wrist this time, yanking me hard enough for me to stumble. Thankfully I find my balance before I face plant.

He pulls me behind him into the main part of the plane, which is surprisingly empty. I mean, I knew we had landed, obviously, but I didn’t realize everyone had left. Fuck, I should have searched for a phone or something.So stupid, Callie.

“Come on, doll face, you have a wedding to get to. Who knows, maybe the boss will let us try you out as a honeymoon gift,” he tells me over his shoulder as we reach the exit.

We step into the dry heat, a gust of wind making my hair swirl around my face, blocking my vision of the tarmac below.When the asshole tugs me again, I reach out blindly and grab the rail so I don’t tumble down the steps he is so clearly happy to toss me down. When we make it to the bottom, I look up and freeze, fear and panic clawing at my chest as I take in the group of men watching me with varying looks of lust and anger.

Getting away from Christian and one of his goons would have been hard enough, but how am I supposed to get away from five of them?

“Ah, here is my beautiful wife-to-be,” Christian greets me, his gaze moving over my face, frowning when he takes in the swollen, purpling skin of my cheek. He might be frowning, but there isn’t an inch of remorse or guilt in his gaze.

“Could you not have covered this up?” He waves at my face.

I only just manage to refrain from askingwith what, a bag? But instead, I bite my lip before answering quietly. “I didn’t have anything to cover it up with.”And if you didn’t put your freaking hands on me, there would be nothing to cover up.

“Come,” he orders like I’m a dog.

With no other options, I do as he asks.

I climb into the sleek black limo waiting for us, scooting over as far as I can, and pin myself against the door, careful not to flash anyone, which is tricky in the floor-length dress that’s split right up the thigh.

Christian climbs in next, leaving space for two other goons to slide into the seats facing us. Thankfully, neither of them is the creepy asshat from the plane, but I avoid making eye contact with them, not wanting to garner more unwanted attention. Christian sits beside me, not leaving an inch of space between us. He presses his thigh against mine and slides his hand onto my knee. When I try to move my leg away, he squeezes me hard, making tears fill my eyes from both the pain and the shock of it.

I turn to look out the window, adamant that I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I picture Blake’s handsomeface. He must be going out of his mind with worry right now, likely blaming himself when this is all on me.

I should have told him everything about my mom. Maybe he would have believed me, maybe he wouldn’t have, but I should have given him the chance. Now I’m stuck here with a psycho, praying I get a chance to see him again before it’s too late. I wasn’t kidding when I said I would rather die than deal with being repeatedly raped and beaten by Christian and his men on a daily basis.

I fight back the wave of hopelessness that washes over me, focusing on the arid landscape blurring by outside my window. The garish neon lights in the distance give me a pretty good idea of where we are. Teamed with the dress, I know exactly what Christian has planned, but I’d rather be attending my own funeral than my wedding. When his hand drifts a little higher up my thigh, I flinch, which makes him squeeze harder. I know I’ll have a ring of bruises tomorrow, assuming I make it through the night.

I spend the rest of the journey both praying for it to be over and hoping the car will break down so I don’t make it at all. Time seems to move differently when you find yourself in a volatile situation, moving directly opposite from how you want it to move.

Eventually, we turn into a parking lot that is ringed with chapels, each boasting the reasons someone should marry there.Come get married by Elvis. No, come get married by Liberace.As the car comes to a halt, I ready myself. I need to take advantage of any opportunity that arises for me.

“Oh, and Callie?” Christian grabs my attention, his hand sliding dangerously close to my crotch. “Just in case you get any funny ideas, I have security measures in place. Ever heard of a little company called Price Security?”

My body freezes solid at his words. “What did you do?” I whisper, unable to keep the horror from my voice.

“I’ve just taken out a little insurance policy. If you’re a good girl, as a wedding present, I’ll let you have the detonator. By then, we will be halfway across the world. But if you try anything between now and saying I do, I’ll blow that shitty little building up and everyone inside working tirelessly to find you.”

This time I don’t fight back the tears. I don’t turn away and hide them. I let him see the stark devastation his words cause me. I cry for everything I’m about to lose. In this deadly game, Christian will come out the victor, and the sick son of a bitch knows it. I won’t let the people I love die because of me.

“If you promise to stay the hell away from Blake and his men, I’ll marry you. I won’t cause a scene or put up a fight, and I won’t try to run,” I sob, swiping at my tears. “But if anything happens to them in the next five minutes, five months, or five years, I’ll kill you myself.”

And that I can promise.

All he has to do is keep his word, and I’ll be the good girl he wants me to be and make the ultimate sacrifice.

My life for theirs.

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