Page 157 of Devil's Bargain

“Dad. We’re not together,” Rick replies.

Baron’s eyebrows hit his hairline. He puts the sandwich down on the plate and wipes his mouth with a napkin. “Forgive me. I found a half-naked lady running around in my house. I assumed you were dating.”

Rick clears his throat. “I like her, Dad. We are taking things slow.”

Baron pins me with his dark eyes. “How about you, April? Do you like my son?”

“Baron…” Rick’s mom says, noticing my discomfort. “Leave the poor girl alone.”

Beneath the table, Baron is playing footsie with me. My stomach turns as Rick gestures at the food.

“Are you not hungry?”

I’m starving, but I can’t stomach any food with Baron’s eyes on me and my skin smelling of his son. I want to scoot my chair back and run for the hills. I can already feel the panic start to well up inside of me. What the fuck have I done? I should never have come here.

“I need the bathroom.” I stand up and rush out. The walls are closing in. I can’t ever escape that monster of a man.

I lock the door behind me and wash my face with scalding hot water at first and then freezing cold. Anything to take my focus off the panic inside me.

Reaching for a towel, I pat my face dry. My hair is a mess. It’s not guesswork what Rick and I were up to in the night. I had breakfast with his parents like this.

“Jesus Christ,” I groan, gripping the sink and dropping my chin to my chest. “What the fuck am I doing?” Rick must never find out. Not only will he never talk to me again, but it’ll ruin his relationship with his dad. I need to get out of here.

With my mind made up, I push off the sink and unlock the door but before I can step outside, Baron barges into the bathroom. He locks the door, then grabs me in a chokehold and cups my sex possessively. “You little whore! Did you like fucking my son?”

I scratch his face and earn myself a hard slap in return, but at least his hands are not on my body anymore.

He brushes his fingers through the blood on his cheek and looks at his hand.

“You knew!” I hiss. “You fucking knew! What kind of a sick and disgusting man are you?!”

He clamps his hand over my mouth. “You listen fucking carefully! Mr. Scott and Mr. Hayes had strict orders to keep you away from my son. You belong to me! I have paid good fucking money for you. So you’re going to get yourself dressed and then make up some excuse as to why you have to leave. There will be a car waiting for you outside. Don’t say a fucking word until I get to the house to deal with you!”

My nostrils flare as I fight down the emotions welling up inside me. I don’t want to go back there. Ican’tgo back there!

“You want to see your mom?”

I nod.

“Good,” he breathes and dips his hand between my legs again. Then he sinks a finger inside me, erasing Rick’s touch. “Do as I say! Get in the car, and I will let you see her. Don’t get in the car, and I’ll hurt someone you love. How about that girl with the wild curls? What’s her name? Steph?” He smiles and leans in close to my ear. “Or the girl with the black bob.Nina.”

My heart leaps into my throat. I shake my head, mumbling behind his hand.

He removes it and slides his finger out.

I watch him suck it clean. “I’ll get in the car. Don’t hurt my friends.”

He smiles, cupping my jaw. “It would be a shame, wouldn’t it, sweet angel? Especially now that Nina is in love with that boy. What do you call him again? Chess boy?”

A tear slides down my cheek. “How did you know?”

He wraps his hand around my throat. “I know everything!”

“I’ll get my things if you let go of me.”

He steps back.

I open the door and run down the hallway to Rick’s bedroom. It should be a safe haven, but there’s no escaping the monster in the dark anymore.

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