Page 18 of Forbidden Property
He doesn’t exactly drop me, but he’s not gentle about it either. That’s one of the most frustrating parts about Renzo a lot of the time. He’s too fucking indifferent to everything around him and nonchalant about every matter that doesn’t concern him directly. My safety and comfort are no longer his concern now that he has successfully used me for sex.
I land on the floor with a thud and then stumble to my feet as Renzo picks up the black envelope and rips it open. There aremultipledocuments inside. Renzo yanks the papers out impatiently and several documents scatter to the floor. I pick up the papers that spew out of the folder, only to have Renzo grab my wrist so tightly that I scream and everything I touched falls to the floor again.
“Touch nothing. Fight your instincts to clean up your superior’s messes.”
If I didn’t think spitting on Renzo would cause him to strangle me on the spot, I would have done it. Instead, I allow him to scan the top paper in the stack of documents attracting his attention. Renzo reads out loud, and I can’t tell why until I listen past the first sentence.
To my dearest brother, Lorenzo.
Your fate is now in my hands, so read this letter very carefully or unfortunately, you will haveto starve to death. I questioned the wisdom of involving Geralynn in my plan without her consent, but unfortunately, this is the only way I can think of to keep us both compliant and acting fairly throughout the course of the next few hours… and then the next few months…
I confess – I laced your drinks with a powerful aphrodisiac mixed with a sedative that allowed both of you to act according to your most primal impulses. Nothing contained within these drugs was obtained through unnatural chemical synthesis…
Renzo trails off and mutters a sentence that I unfortunately agree with. “Does she think our biggest concern is that she drugged us naturally?”
He grunts deep in his chest and continues to read Nicki’s fucked up letter to us. My best friend did this. She did this to me and wrote it down in a casual confessional like she didn’t just leave me completely vulnerable to her psychopathic brother.
He continues reading the letter:
You will both be completely fine within forty-eight hours, although until that point, you will be more vulnerable to your ‘natural instincts’ for procreation.
Geralynn, I’m sorry that I had to do this to you. Truly. I see no positives in what I had to do, but I trust that you are a strong person capable of surviving and ultimately, I believe the ends justify the means. You are my sister and I need to make that bond a bond in blood.
Renzo stops reading. Color flushes across his cheeks as he visibly seethes. His thumbs tighten around my wrists so hard that I feel like my hand is about to pop off. I want to scream, but I’m suffering from a whirlwind of emotions as Renzo reads out loud his sister’s confession, which implicates her in my suffering and represents more betrayal than I expected from a girl I’ve called a best friend throughout the most formative years of my life.
He glares at me as if it’s my fault Nicki did this. Does he really think I want this? He’s the one who pressed his body on top of mine and what happened after that was an accident that was mostly Renzo’s fault if anyone’s.
“Yousickenme,” Renzo snarls at me. “I don’t care what she has planned but…”
His eyes drop to the letter. Clearly, there’s more to this letter than the already disturbing details Nicki shared.
I have several angles and hours of video evidence of your “breeding episode” last night, which I would prefer not to watch. However, Renzo, I am left with no choice. You and Geralynn must bothsign your individual contracts and only then will I release you from the room.
You have forty-five minutes upon receipt of this letter to review your contracts and to submit one amendment each in writing beneath the door. Your amendment will either be approved or rejected by the ‘legal representative’ I have structuring this deal.
“Who the fuck is this legal representative?” Renzo remarks with an unambiguous snort. The primary emotion this monster feels is disdain. Why would Geralynn want me to form a blood bond withhimof all people? Doesn’t he have an identical twin brother who isn’t an evil fucking monster? Renzo sighs. It’s not like I planned on responding to his rhetorical question.
If he wants to get out of here, he’ll have to keep reading. My tongue grows heavier in my mouth with each sentence. I can’t tell if it’s shock and horror from the content of Nicki’s blackmail note, the drugs still coursing through my system, or a massive adrenaline spike at the outright betrayal.
Renzo continues reading:
Once you sign your individual contracts, which were contained within the envelopes, you will receive a small amount of freedom.
At this point, I want to offer my heartfelt apologies to Geralynn for bonding her to my brother, who is nothing but a…
“I’m not reading this,” he snarls.
I try to glance over Renzo’s meaty arm to read the letter, but he rudely twists my wrist until I yelp and he pins me against the wall. The pain is immediate and his comfort with causing me physical pain disturbs me completely. But the part of me that can’t handle the suspense appreciates that my challenge prompts him to read the rest of his sister’s letter. Why leave out the insults? The jibes at Renzo are probably the best part of this whole fucked up thing.
Renzo continues reading Nicki’s letter, starting the sentence over:
At this point, I want to offer my heartfelt apologies to Geralynn for bonding her to my brother, who is nothing but a racist and bigoted piece of garbage. I hope that if it’s any consolation, several of his ex-girlfriends have claimed that he is a competent lover, but a dangerous psychopath who they never wish to speak to again.
“She’s lying,” Renzo interrupts the flow of the letter defensively. I stare at him blankly. I’m done fighting him and risking him taking out this outrage at Nicki on my wrist and shoulder, so I stay silent. Apparently, Renzo won’t be the only person I have to fight when I get out of this shitty situation.
Renzo glares at me, still resentful for my silence. He continues reading with a voice so dark and terrifying that a chill runs down my spine and leaves me with frosty, unshakeable terror.
He continues reading:
