Page 68 of Psycho

Fishing in the cup of my bra, I found the forgotten gold bracelet that she had forced down my shirt as the men surrounded us.

Pulling it out and holding it up in the tiny sliver of light from under the door, I ran my thumb over the glowing eyes on the skull jewel in the center.

Take this, it’s your only chance. They’ll find you from it.

Was there something in the bracelet that Dane gave to her that would help them find me? If so, why the fuck was I still laying in the icy darkness? Did they leave me in captivity because of what happened to Peyton? Was she dead, and this was my punishment?

Would Dane do that? Yes.

And I’d deserve it.

But Maddox—would he abandon me? I tucked the bracelet back into my shirt and rubbed my hand over a spot on my belly where my baby was pushing hard as more tears fell from my eyes. Into the fear of the unknown, they fell. They fell for the pain I’d endured and what was yet to come my way. They fell for the loss I felt being away from the literal love of my life, not knowing if I’d ever see him again.

Maddox had promised me he’d be there for me for the rest of my life, yet now I was alone. Our baby was alone.

And it was my fault.

The turning of the lock startled me upright as the sliver of light from the hallway grew as the door opened, revealing an ominous shadow blocking the big doorway.

The Duke.

He flicked a switch outside of the room, bathing the room in the harsh light from a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling above me and I squinted my eyes, but refused to close them as he entered the small space.

He carried a folding chair in with him and stared at me as he shook his arm out and opened the chair before silently lowering his massive frame down onto it.

I swiped at the tears still clinging to my cheeks and swung my feet off the side of the bed to face him, unwilling to be a submissive victim lying down as I stared at the man who pulled the rug out from under me earlier.

Neither of us spoke, simply staring at each other for a long time like we were stuck in some weird power struggle, and the first one to break the silence would lose.

He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it up, leaning back in the chair, staring at me with judging, scrutinizing eyes before he finally broke his silence.

“Why did you tell me about the list?”

I raised one eyebrow at him in outright surprise. Out of everything he could have said, I wasn’t expecting that. Mentally, I was playing chess with the man. If I could figure out how to play his game to my benefit, I might stay alive long enough to give Maddox a chance to rescue me. Which was what I was betting on, doubt be damned.

I trusted Maddox. I told him that, and I had to believe it.

“Because Damon is a rat.” I replied with indifference, even though I felt those words to my very core. “And the things I heard about you from the girls made me believe maybe there was something honorable about you.”

He grinned slightly, but it wasn’t friendly. “You tempted your fate based on gossip of whores who like the way I fuck them?” Blowing out a puff of smoke, he shook his head. “I heard you were smarter than that.”

“From Damon?” I scoffed, “I guess we both ended up disappointed in each other’s character in the end.”

“No,” He squinted his eyes, “Not from Damon.” He took another drag off his cigarette and I fought the urge to tell himto stop blowing his cancer stick at me but refrained. “From your sister.”

My blood ran cold as I stared at the mysterious man, “You spoke to her?”

He grinned again and took another drag and blew it out before speaking, though he ignored my question. “It wasn’t just gossip from prostitutes that made you take that chance to get into my good graces. Tell me what it really was.”

I curled my hands into fists at my side as he avoided what I needed to know the most, reminding me who was in the position of power, and who was at the mercy of the other.

“Your darkness.” I replied stupidly, desperate to hear about Peyton. “The evil in your eyes. It’s familiar.”

“To whom?” He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees to stare at me powerfully. “To your precious Maddox Renner?” His eyes fell to my stomach and then came back up to my face. “That’s Damon’s baby though.”

My hands splayed out over my stomach, covering as much of it as I could over the thin fabric of my black sweater. “To Dane.” I replied, trying to turn the conversation away from Maddox, considering The Duke already told me he planned to use me to fulfill his blood thirst for Maddox’s life.

The man in front of me was a psychopath, I was sure. But as he stared at me as I spoke Dane’s name, he gave me a sign that there was something deeper in his soul than he wanted me to know as a muscle in his tense jaw twitched.

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