Page 39 of Scarlet Mark
“Already answered that,” he replied. “But if you need it repeated, yes, I am going to kill him. As well as anyone who gets in my way. And as I’ve already said, he’s not going to stop coming after me. So you might as well tell me what it is he thinks I know.”
I grimaced, that proclamation weighing heavily on my heart all over again. Because he was right. Malcom would consider him a liability just for having spent time with me.
Which meant Amir would, too.
Even if I went back to Malcom now and swore on my life that I’d not said a word, he’d still go after Killian to wrap up the loose end. He couldn’t afford for anyone outside his circle to know the truth, or even suspect him of it.
“You know, as a little girl, I thought I was lucky,” I said, thinking out loud. “My birth parents weren’t all that well off, so when they sold me to the Rose family, I thought they wanted me to have a better life. But it was always about the money. Originally, they intended to put me in the auction right away.” I gave Killian a look. “There’s a market for little girls.”
His expression gave nothing away, his dark eyes holding mine without a flicker of emotion.
“Well, apparently, I passed an aptitude test that set me apart from the others. And so they put me on a different track. They gave me a room upstairs filled with everything a seven-year-old could dream of, homeschooled me, and even gave me bodyguards, telling me a princess needs protection.” I picked at my jeans, bitterness pooling in my mouth. “I was sixteen when I realized the truth.”
Until that point, I’d bought into the lie. I thought they cared. I had so many tutors. I had friends in the house, at least until they left to join other families. I generally enjoyed my life.
But it was all a charade.
And those friends? They didn’t get adopted the way I had thought.
Everything of my youth was turned on its head in a single night.
“Clarissa and Geoff had this party, and they asked me to attend. I was so excited because they usually didn’t allow me to go, but they said I was finally of age.” I bit the inside of my cheek. Now that turn of phrase made me sick to my stomach. “Long story short, they passed me around to the men in attendance. Let them have a proper look, as they called it. And the bidding began.”
I really needed a drink.
But the look on Killian’s face held me in place.
“Sixteen?” he repeated, the word sounding like a curse on his tongue. “Tell me they didn’t…”
“Fuck me?” I supplied, snorting. “No. Not quite. I had to remain intact for the winning bidder, but Clarissa pledged to provide me with a healthy regimen of sexual studies in addition to my academic pursuits. The product, as she called me, was the perfect high-society bride who understood her place in the bedroom.”
“And Malcom claimed the highest bid.”
I smiled and shook my head. “No. Amir Assad did.”
It wasn’t something I knew, as I hadn’t been privy to the bidding. I was just the item on the proverbial pedestal.
From the shock on Killian’s expression, he definitely recognized the name. “Amir Assad?”
I gave him a sad grin, as if to say,I told you that you didn’t want to know. But I kept the remark to myself and instead replied, “Yes. I was a gift. To solidify their partnership.”
Which was why I knew all about their working agreement.
About the weapons Malcom was funding under the table.
About the political promises he’d made.
About the murders Amir had committed to help Malcom gain power.
Despite my short nine-month engagement to the monster, I knew everything. Not just through observation, but through my own research.
“Why didn’t you run when you were in college?” he asked, flabbergasted. “My notes showed you lived on campus. Although, I couldn’t find many friends outside your roommates.”
“Who all happened to be bodyguards,” I added. “You don’t think I tried to escape? Because I did once. Learned that lesson really fast. Only my virginity had to remain intact, Killian. Everything else…” I left the sentence unfinished. He could infer the rest.
However, ironically, the biggest mistake the Roses made was providing me with a thorough education. Not only did it grant me access to computers and electronics, but it also helped me form an opinion on life.
I spent so many years assuming this was my destiny, accepting it because I saw no other way out. Then I moved in with Malcom during our engagement period and put my knowledge to the test.
