Page 79 of Like An Animal
“Well, it wasn’t so much that I wanted to speak with you. I’ve said everything I need to about this whole situation.” Hemotions to all of me as if I’m a fucking problem. “I just brought your fiancée to see you.”
“Excuse me?” Jeremy and I say in unison, our voices dripping with shock and horror. Clearly, he was just as unaware of this betrothment as I was.
The door behind us opens and I turn my head as a slender brunette walks in wearing a dress so short one would think she was going to a party.
She could’ve picked that outfit because she genuinely liked it, but I get the feeling it was a strategic move to try to grab Jeremy’s attention. Missy used to try to do the same thing and he never stopped giving her a disgusted look anytime she tried to touch him.
I don’t know anything about what he has done or who he has been with the past five years, so they could’ve had a relationship. It’s always a possibility, even if unlikely.
She’s pretty. I’ll give her that, but that doesn’t mean shit. I bet she’s used to getting whatever she wants though.
“Heyyy, Jeremy,” she says with a big smile as she walks over, but she doesn’t even look at me, even though Jer is holding me against him. Without any warning, she grabs my arm and yanks me out of Jeremy’s arm and tries to take the spot I previously took up, putting her hand on his arm possessively.
Oh, this bitch…
“I’ve missed you,” she purrs at him, but he looks at her the same way he used to look at Missy–disgust, plain and simple.
I see Jeremy’s knife strapped to his belt and I rip it from its holster before taking a handful of the bitch’s hair in my hand. I pull it far enough back that she screeches from the pain.
She won’t be doing that for long.
I swing my hand around and stab the knife directly into her heart. Blood splatter sprays the desk and even reaches Dimitri Borza’s shirt before I drop her to the floor.
I wipe my hands against each other as if to dust them off and look at the anger across Dimitri’s face.
“Oh, I’m sorry. She wasn’t important, was she? I just assumed she was a prostitute who stepped out of line. After all, where I come from, it’s very rude to throw yourself at someone else’s husband.”
I watch the realization dawn on his face as Jeremy steps over the fallen body before placing his arm back around me.
“Did you say…husband?” Dimitri mutters, practically grinding his teeth.
Jeremy grabs my hand and flashes our matching rings at him. “Bronwyn is my wife, so an engagement with anyone else would be pointless. Never once did I ever agree to marry Olga Petrov. The only woman I’ve ever wanted to marry has always been Bronwyn.”
“Jeremy, are you insane? You’ve been betrothed to Olga since she was born. It was a strategic union and instead of expanding the organization, your so-called wife just started a fucking war.”
Jeremy shrugs. “So be it. What are you expecting me to do about it?”
“Get rid of her. That’s the only thing that will absolve our business of responsibility.”
Jer looks contemplative for a moment before he says, “Fine.”
Wait. What?
“Fine?” Dimitri’s eyes widen in surprise.
“If you want Bron to leave, I’ll just pack our stuff and we’ll go. You can hand the business over to someone else, but then it wouldn’t be the Borza family anymore, would it? Then, you would’ve not just lost me and my wife, but also our daughter and any other children we’ll have.”
“Did you just say daughter?” Dimitri seems to be going through whiplash.
“Her name is Charlotte. She’s four. She’s out with Massimo and Xavi right now,” I explain before looking at Jeremy. “Shouldn’t they be back by now?”
He nods. “I’ll find out where they are.” Pulling out his phone, his fingers fly across the screen. “They’re getting some food, but they’ll be back soon. They haven’t come across any issues.”
“And, syn, how do you know this child is yours?” Dimtri asks, which I expected him to, but what I didn’t expect was for Jeremy to freeze, his finger stopping mid-type.
“Because she is. If you want a paternity test for your peace of mind, I don’t mind doing that, but it’s clear that she’s my child.”
I nod. It’s true. I don’t mind doing one either if it will put any doubts of Charlotte’s paternity to rest. It would be a shock for me if the test came back negative because Lottie doesn’t look anything like the men who raped me. The only man who has ever touched me that she resembles at all is Jeremy. Plus, the timing is only right for Jeremy being her father. By my calculations, I was about two weeks post-conception when Jeremy was arrested. At that point, he was the only one to touch me in any capacity for four years.
