Page 47 of Devious Secrets

I nod as if I understand, but the only thing to understand is his father was crazy. And from what I’ve experienced with Alexander so far, I’m not sure the apple ever left the tree.

“You wanted your phone.” He shifts his stance so he’s blocking the skull from my view. “Why?”

It takes a second for me to catch up to the change in topic. This man keeps an enemy’s skull in his office; what sort of chance do I have of ever getting away from him?

“I need to call work. If I still have a job, I need to tell them something. I can’t just not show up,” I say once my brain is fully functional again.

“I’ve already taken care of your job.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal.

“What does that mean, you took care of it?”

“It means, I took care of it. You don’t have to worry about a job.”

I take a small step forward.

“I don’t have to worry about a job? Meaning, you what…? Did you tell them I wasn’t coming back?” I need that job. It’s not the best paying but it’s good experience. I’ll be able to get a better paid position in a year or two.

“You’re not going back,” he says so matter-of-factly, it almost sounds normal.

“Are you crazy?” I yell. “You can’t just quit my job for me! I need my job! It’s MY job!” I’m still yelling because he’s finally made me snap.

“Megan, lower your voice,” he orders softly. “I let you get away with the pinch, but I won’t allow you yelling like a spoiled brat.”

“Spoiled brat?” I suddenly wish I had the skull in my hands so I could throw it at his head. “How can I be a spoiled brat when you’ve kidnapped me, locked me up, beaten me, and now you took away the only source of income I had?” My voice isn’t coming down on its own; my blood is too hot.

His eyes narrow slightly and he remains silent.

It’s worse when he’s quiet. I can tell he’s thinking about what he wants to do to me.

“I didn’t beat you,” he finally says.

“That’s what you got out of what I just said?”

“I didn’t beat you. I punished you, and I’ll do it again when it’s needed. And if you don’t stop yelling, it will be.”

I take a deep breath as I take a small step back. “I needed that job, Alexander.” I force my voice to lower.

“Not now, you don’t.”

It’s like throwing a tennis ball at a wall; everything I say just bounces right off him and comes barreling back at me.

“But why? Why don’t I need the job?” Even if the debt to Marco magically gets wiped away, rent is still a thing.

“Because.”

My muscles tighten with his answer. Anger curls my toes in my shoes.

“Because why?”

He tilts his head a little and a ghost of a smile haunts his mouth. “Because I said.”

This man is going to give me a stroke with the speed in which he pisses me off.

“You can’t just say that. I want to know why.”

“All you need to know is that for the foreseeable future, I’m taking care of you.”

My eyelid twitches. This conversation isn’t going anywhere and since I’m not physically able to get out of this mansion-prison, I suppose fighting about a job can wait.

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