Page 99 of Bloody Vows
He crouches down in front of me, close enough that I can smell his cologne mixed with the scent of his sweat. "You know, the last time I had a woman locked up in a place like this, it was Damian Kutnezsov’s wife. I didn’t enjoy her when I had the chance. I let that Russian shit get the better of me. That’s not a mistake I’m going to make twice.”
I stare at him, trying not to let the horror I feel show through in my face. “I can’t believe you’re still alive. You fucked with Damian’swife?”
“Your father was a part of it.” Sal smiles icily. “I’m a survivor, Simone. I got away and made my own plans. You’re a part of that.”
“You’re a fucking cockroach,” I spit at him. “And Tristan is going to grind you under his shoe.”
“No, he’s not.” Sal’s smile doesn’t falter. “I warned him what would happen if he interferes. He agreed surprisingly quickly. I wasn’t expecting that, considering how beautiful you are, butmaybe he’s tired of your mouth. I certainly won’t be putting up with it.” He looks down at me, his eyes as cold as his smile. "You're going to marry me, Simone. You're going to stand beside me and legitimize my claim to this territory. And you're going to do it willingly, with a smile on your face."
"Never." The word comes out fiercer than I feel. "I'll never marry you."
"Oh, but you will. Because the alternative is so much worse." He shrugs. “People always say theywon’t.But when death stares them in the face, suddenly theywill. I’m sure you’ll be very much the same. You’ll spit and yell and argue, but eventually, you’ll realize that it’s capitulation or death, and you’ll pick the option that keeps you breathing.”
“You can’t get what you want without me.” I’m hoping that’s true. That he doesn’t have some other plan I don’t know about.
“Maybe.” Sal shrugs. “It would be easier with you, certainly. But there are other ways. There’s both you and Tristan meeting an unfortunate accident. A forged will, maybe leaving everything to me in the event of your death. The accounts signed over to me.”
“I wouldn’t do any of that,” I assure him. “You won’t get what you want.”
“Pain is a powerful motivator, Simone.” Sal’s smile is the same as I remember, only colder, more victorious now. “And I especially enjoy hurting beautiful women like you.”
"I'll never agree to marry you,” I spit out. “No matter what lies you tell or what you do.”
“You will,” Sal promises. “For instance, what if I tortured Tristan in front of you instead of killing him quickly? You’d agree to it to spare him that.”
“What makes you think I’d care?” I glare at him, and he laughs.
“You came running when you thought he was in danger, Simone. You were soeasy. I can twist that knife whenever I want, now. All I need is him in my hands, and I could manipulate that like this.” Sal snaps his fingers. “I could use you to motivate him, and he’d walk right into my grasp.”
“I doubt it.” The words hurt as I say them. I really do doubt it. And I hate that I do, right now, when I could use that faith.
I wish things had been different between Tristan and me. Not just for myself right now, but so that we could have enjoyed what we have together before it all went to shit. We could have had so many good days, and I fought all of them. I fought him.
He’s an arrogant thief, but there are far worse men in the world. And hedidsave me.
I’ve just been too fucking proud to admit it.
“He’d come for you,” Sal says with confidence. “You’ll be my bargaining chip, if need be. And then I’ll use him to convince you.”
My jaw tightens. “You’re not going to scare me, Sal. I’m fuckingsickand tired of being used by men who only want me for power. Fuck you.”
Sal snickers. “You will be soon enough. In the meantime, we have a problem that needs taking care of.”
The hairs prickle on the back of my neck. “What are you talking about?”
"Here's what's going to happen," Sal says, his voice matter-of-fact. "You're going to marry me. You're going to help me take control of this territory. And then you're going to be a good wife and give me sons of my own. Which means you can’t keep the child, Simone. I'm not going to let you birth an heir for the man who stole everything from me." The cold smile returns. "I've already arranged for a doctor to come take care of that little problem. He should be here within the hour."
Fear lances through me like nothing I’ve ever known before, hot and sharp. I try to scramble to my feet, and Sal advances toward me, shoving me onto my back on the hard floor with a foot against my stomach. He presses the toe of his boot down, and I go still, my heart pounding so hard it hurts.
“You can’t hurt my baby,” I gasp. “You can’t?—”
Sal’s smile is evil as he looks down at me. “Agree to marry me right now, and I’ll think about it.”
“I’ll kill you,” I hiss. I start to squirm against my bonds again, I can’t help it. "I'll fucking kill you with my bare hands."
"Such language from such a refined young lady." Sal clicks his tongue disapprovingly. "Your father would be ashamed."
I want to say that my father would be ashamed of Sal, but I don’t know if that’s true any longer. My father wasn’t the man I believed he was before he died. I kick out at Sal instead of giving him a response, both feet slamming against the side of his leg and making him stumble slightly.
