What was she talking about? Didn’t she know Perez was a million times worse than I could ever be?
“No.” My jaw tightened underneath my practiced smile. Her face flushed and blotchy red marks traveled down her neck and under her flimsy nightgown. “You’re mine now, ice princess.”
I always collected my debts—usually in the form of teeth. And I always kept my promises.
Chapter 34
Liana
My bidder towered over the crowd. Dark hair. Aviator glasses that hid most of his face, but it was impossible not to recognize him. Those tattoos that lurked underneath that white polo shirt. That darkness that spun around him like the second layer of his skin.
When I looked up and saw Kingston Ashford standing among the crowd of bidders, my gut twisted with the fury that’d been keeping me going for years.
I’d been putting my entire being into saving innocents behind my mother’s back, and now with a fierce determination, I was going to make this man regret ever fucking meeting me.
“What the fuck, you sick bastard. Give me back to Perez,” I hissed.
My goal was to get back to Perez and question him about the Marabella arrangements. I needed to know where my twin ended up.
“No.” He leaned in closer so we were nose to nose, his shrewd eyes assessing me while gripping my forearm, his fingers squeezing like shackles. Then he was stupid enough to call me “princess.”
Oh yeah, this fucking man just earned himself an expiration date. I’d kill him and enjoy every fucking moment if he didn’t release me. I needed to hunt down Perez’s compound and question him. He had information I needed.
“You motherfuckingprick. I’m going to slice your dick off and feed it to you unless you take me back.”
His eyes glowed.
“You’re a foul-mouthed little wench.” A muscle in my jaw pulsed. My control shook like flimsy branches weathering hurricane winds, but I managed to stay calm. But then he had to go and taunt me. He yanked me closer, his body flush with mine, his voice low and threatening. “Let’s get one thing straight. I bought you. You do what I say, whatever the fuck I demand.”
“Fuck. You.” I met his gaze with mutiny.
He reached up to toy with a strand of my hair, wrapping the blonde locks around his thick fingers. When he tipped my head back, I gritted my teeth, letting him see the full scale of my hatred.
“There’ll be plenty of that, don’t worry.”
The guards snickered, and I knew they’d heard Kingston’s threat. Adrenaline rushed through me, making the hairs on the back of my neck prickle.
I reacted.
Reaching for the first guard’s knife, I took hold and shoved it into his gut, effectively cutting off his snickering. Before I could stab the next one, a pair of strong hands scooped me up and threw me over his shoulder.
“Put me down.”
He slapped my ass. Fucking. Slapped. My. Ass.
The indignation and rage exploded in my veins as I started to pound my fists. He didn’t even flinch.
“I should have put a bullet into your skull,” I seethed. I meant it too. First chance I got, this fucker wasdone. “Asshole,” I added for good measure.
The cold air brushed up my nightgown, sending goosebumps down my thighs. My fists hurt from pounding against his solid back, but what hurt more was having to admit how well his jeans hugged his gorgeous ass.
What? I never claimed to be a saint.
“Kingston… This is… This is so wrong.”
“So is shooting at me in my own home, but you don’t hear me complaining about that.”
“You’re so fucking dead,” I gritted. The further he took me from the auction, the harder I fought him. “Better hope your affairs are in order because you’re a dead man walking.”