Page 12 of Betrayal (Corrupt Empire 1)

He kissed the top of my head before standing and putting his hand out to me. I placed mine in it.

“Let’s go find Esme.”

I smiled, following him from the room.

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The sound of the bolts on the door jerked me awake. My cheeks felt wet. I put my hand to them. Great. Now I was crying in my sleep.

I looked over at the door. Aiden filled the frame, blocking out most of the light. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with him again. Not after that dream.

The full force of my emotions hit me like a punch to the gut. My dad was gone. I’d never see the little crinkles at the corner of his eyes when he smiled at me. Never get to have one of those bear hugs.

Aiden walked slowly towards me before coming to a stop by my feet. The shaft of light streaming in from the door lit him up. The avenging angel was back. I looked up at him.

“What the fuck do you want now?” I muttered.

I wished I’d controlled my mouth because the next moment, he squatted down and was right up in my face. His expression made me flinch. Cold and heartless.

“Do you want to rephrase that, Daniels?”

I’d started down this path. If I turned back, it’d be admitting he had control over me and I was never giving that to him.

“What. The. Fuck. Do. You. Want?”

His expression darkened. Even in the low light, I could tell he was pissed with my outburst. Served him right. His rules were bullshit. I wasn’t obeying anyone let alone the man who’d chained me up in a concrete cell.

He grabbed me by my hair and hauled me up to my feet. I yelped. My scalp burned from where he was holding my hair in his fist.

“Is this what you get off on, huh? Chaining up women and forcing them to do your bidding?” I spat.

He spun me around so fast, I felt dizzy. Slamming me against the wall, his hand wrapped around my throat. I froze, my heart thudding against my chest.

“Oh, Avery, you really have no idea,” he said, his breath dusting across my cheek. “No fucking idea at all.”

His chest was flush with my back. I could feel the solid wall of muscle, pinning me in place.

“This little tough girl act isn’t going to fly with me.”

“I’m not afraid of you,” I hissed.

“You should be.”

His other hand was at the bottom of my t-shirt. He released my throat only to tug it off me. He tucked it in his pocket.

“Clothes are a privilege. Each time you break a rule, you’ll lose something else. You think I’m playing games? I’m not.”

The concrete wall was cold. I shivered, goosebumps appearing all over my exposed skin.

“Fuck you.”

He grabbed both my hands, forcing them behind my back. I felt cold metal against my wrists. When he released me, I realised he’d handcuffed me. I struggled against them. He shoved me to my knees.

“I’m not going to give you any more warnings. If you want to do this the hard way, be my guest.”

I tried to turn to look at him, but he pushed me over on the floor. I might not have use of my hands, but I sure as hell still had use of my legs. I kicked out at him. He narrowly avoided my knee to his face. In response, he sat on both of my legs, stopping me in my tracks. I continued to try to struggle against him, but it was no use.

“Let go of me.”

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