Page 23 of Blood and Lies (A Twisted Duet 1)

“Excuse me?”

She carefully got off the bed and faced me. “I’m a woman, not a girl.”

“Yet like a petulant child, you refuse to eat.”

“I’m not refusing to eat. I’m refusing to obey. There’s a difference.”

He shrugged. “It won’t be long before you learn.”

“Learn what?”

I stepped forward, bringing us a few inches from one another. “That he who pays the piper calls the tune, Miss Linscott. Here, I am the boss, and you will learn to obey me.” I took another step closer, looking down into the depths of her sad yet fiery eyes. “And believe me when I say I look forward to helping you learn that very costly lesson.”

Staring at her, witnessing the fear mixed with the faintest glimmer of fight in her sapphire blue eyes, was downright toxic. The darkness curdling inside me reached out to her fear, to her fight, wanting to taste it. I’d always been drawn to the darkness of night, wanting to see how far I could push until evil would completely consume me. Little did I know it would take the death of my twin to finally let the shadows have my soul.

I slanted my head, studying the woman standing so close to me. I could see why Carlo might have pursued her, why he would want to fuck her. Even with her dirty hair, tear-stained face, and bloodshot, tired eyes, she still looked enticing.

Maybe that was it. Maybe it was the brokenness depicted on her face that made her seem so tempting…for me. I just couldn’t fathom whyhewould have wanted to be romantically involved with her. If Carlo had wanted her purely to fuck, I’d understand that. I wouldn’t deny the fact that she was a beautiful woman. But Carlo? Tatum didn’t seem like the kind of woman he would find alluring or even interesting. He and I, we were a lot alike, but when it came to women, we were like night and day. Carlo being day, me being night. He preferred the sophisticated, well-mannered women he could wear as trophies at his side. I, on the other hand, liked the more complex kind of woman—the broken ones, hiding behind impenetrable thick skin, too afraid to embrace the darkness they craved. Fucking them into the twisted world they yearned for was euphoric. Right now, I wasn’t exactly sure which kind of woman Tatum Linscott really was, but I sure as shit was going to have fun finding out.

I leaned closer, my cheek touching hers ever so slightly, and I felt her stiffen as I inhaled deeply before I moved my lips to her ear. “You stink.”

She turned her face toward me, bringing her heart-shaped lips inches from mine. “Fuck you.”

I smiled, her sudden daring bravery intriguing me. “I think it’s time for you to clean up.”

I grabbed her chin in my hand, and she flinched as I gripped tight. “I can’t have you looking like a used-up whore and smelling like a pig when I present you to the rest of my family.”

Her eyes widened, the courage portrayed mere seconds ago gone. “What do you mean, present me to the rest of your family?”

I let go of her chin with a jerk and stepped back. “Perhapspresentis the wrong word. Let me rephrase…I need you cleaned up before I put you on display for the rest of my family to see.”

“What are you going to do to me?” Her voice lacked the fear it had earlier. It was like she had somehow scraped together every bit of courage she had left to try to hide the terror she was feeling inside her gut.

I stepped back. “First, you need to clean up.” I walked out of the room, not the least bit worried she would try to make a run for it. Besides, there was another security door between the monitor room and the outside hall, and the only person who knew the security code was me. The only way Vico got access was when I let him in.

I grabbed the silver bucket of water and the bar of soap I had placed on the floor earlier before walking back in.

She spotted the bucket. “What is that?”

I placed it down in front of her and dumped the bar of soap into the water. “This is your new Jacuzzi, Miss Linscott.”

She looked up at me. “That’s a bucket of water. How the hell am I supposed to clean up with one bucket of water?”

I shrugged. “You’ll be amazed at what we can do when we realize we have no choice but to use what is given to us.” I grabbed the chair and placed it right in front of the bucket before taking my seat.

Her big, blue eyes widened. “What? You intend to watch me?”

“Of course.”

“I’m not going to wash myself in front of you.”

“I’m afraid you have no choice, Miss Linscott.”

Like a damn child, she crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I’m not washing myself while you sit there and watch me like a fucking pervert.”

“Watch your mouth, Miss Linscott. I’ve been real nice so far, so do not force me to show you what I’m really capable of so soon in our little game. Now,” I glanced down at the bucket and back up at her, “clean yourself up.”

“If I refuse?”

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