Page 97 of His to Have
Violently I fought against the restraints, attempting any maneuver that would allow me to break free.
Fuck... fuck... fuck.
It would not budge.
The knots on the ropes were so tight, tied like they were knotted by a professional hostage taker. I couldn’t even squeeze my hands through the loops without feeling the rough fibers tear at my skin. Panic almost overtook me, but instead of freaking completely out like I wanted, I took slow steady breaths.
Looking around the room once more, I searched for anything. Something I could use to free myself and escape. Nothing stood out. Not a loose screw, an unattended tool, or a broken piece of furniture. It was mind numbingly frustrating.
The minute my eyes landed on the singular door across the room, it snapped open revealing the man I once called my boyfriend.
“Yanna... Yanna... Yanna,” he tsked, taking long overly confident steps toward me while I tried to ignore the lingering pain in my face, neck, and shoulders. And the disgust I now felt toward him. “I bet you think that nigga is gonna save you. Swoop in and be captain save a hoe.” The smugness in his tone was cold.
My fingers curled into a fist, my hand clamping together so tightly I lost all feeling in my fingertips. Every time I twitched against the restraints, his grin widened. My pain was his entertainment.
Once he reached me, he stood over me with a twisted smile. “Let me be clear. He’s not coming to save you, darling. No one is.” He laughed bitterly, and I swallowed hard trying to determine how I felt.
A part of me was sorry for my part I played in hurting his feelings, but then I remembered… he had to have been playing me from the beginning. Because there was no way he knew who my family was, dated me, and was related to enemies of both my family and Teo’s and never mentioned it.
While I had no business trying to build something with a man who never really satisfied me emotionally, I genuinely liked him and wanted to keep him safe.
“So, us meeting… wasn’t happenstance, huh?” I chuckled bitterly, wincing at the sharp throb pounding at my temple. “I should’ve known.”
The mumble was more to myself, but he heard it.
He shrugged nonchalantly. “I knew who you were… your people... you were the entry point. But you would never let me get close. I have to give your father that. You knew how to keep me at arm’s length."
I wasn’t scared of Corey. Not even a little. But this sudden shift into someone he’d never been? Raised so many more questions.
“So, what now? You gave your little speech. You gonna try to break me?” A snort of air escaped me. “Make me fear you.” I tilted my head toward him.
“If you were the last nigga on earth, I would never be afraid of you.”
“You did always have a mouth on you,” he chuckled, but there wasn’t an ounce of humor in his tone. “You know... I tolerated a lot of shit for a long time.”
His fingers crept up my arm with a touch that was anything but gentle. “Let’s review. There was the way you blew me off for your family and boutique at the drop of a dime. Then therewas your mouth.” He sucked his teeth. “Yeah, that shit could be brutal. And reckless. But the thing that was the most flagrant.” His eyes dropped to my finger, and chuckled.
This time I didn’t sense any bitterness. It was more like he genuinely found the situation amusing.
“Whole time yo ass was in love with another nigga. But it’s all good. That’s what got you here. Your inability to let go.” His gaze moved to my wrist and lingered on the bracelet that hung for a moment too long before snatching off the jewelry Teo had given me when we were only kids and somehow returned to me on our wedding day. The tightness formed in my chest faster than the tears that stung the corner of my eyes. That bracelet had been through a lot, but it was a perfect reminder of how long Teo and my love had been brewing.
“Give it the fuck back.” My voice broke, while my body thrashed against the ropes that bound me to the chair.
I damn near worked up a sweat trying to break free.
“Nothing lost is ever truly forgotten,” Corey read the inscription out loud, talking completely over me, and ignoring the commotion I was causing. “It was a message to you. Because you were never lost... and I damn sure never forgot. I knew this would come in handy.” He tossed the small trinket across the room, watching as it clattered against the concrete floor into the darkness.
“Crazy, right?” One of his brows lifted, and that sinister grin covered his face. “How something so small could put everything in motion. You probably wore that shit every day since your wedding. Whole time, it was doing exactly what I needed it to do. Tracking your every move. I knew your ass was gullible.”
I stared at him, breathing heavy, disbelief clouding my thoughts. All this time, I thought I had a leak in my detail but in reality, he had planted a tracking device in something that was so dear to me.
“That’s right, piece it together.”
“You stole the bracelet,” I muttered. “That night after you saw Teo with me for the first time.”
He stood there, arms crossed and an expression on his face that relished his cleverness.
“You’re gonna wish you moved on...instead of trying to be him.” I shook my head.
