Page 65 of Bonita Brynne

The guard obeyed.

Raymond gasped for air and was a sweaty mess. Tina would not be happy about the bruises and cuts on his face. What to do, what to do?

They’d heal of course. He may have some minor scars but was relatively unscathed in the grand scheme of it all. I could’ve had one of the barbarians chop off his finger as I’d had them do to…

What was the servant girl’s name?

I always forgot their real name when they were brought into a life of servitude. Unlike the Mafia princess, Rosa Remotti, I rolled the Rs in my head. It was a beautiful, regal name, unlike DA-Eight’s, which I could not remember for the life of me.

Simply put, runaways and the homeless were forgettable. Nobody thought twice about them when passing them on the streets. The money panhandlers collected came from guilty consciences who wanted to do good but not actually. Anything more than tossing a couple of dollars or loose change into a can was too much trouble. I at least gave them a roof over their head, food, clothing, and employment.

But nothing was free in the world. The things I provided came at a price, even if the conditions were oppressive.

“Did you like your servant?”

“She wasn’t my servant,” he muttered through clenched teeth.

“No, I suppose she was mine. But you got to enjoy her brief moments of companionship, didn’t you?”

He looked at me as if he didn’t understand. I saw some of Christina in him. It put an ache in my chest as I wondered what our child would’ve looked like—had we ended up together.

“She brought you food and water, yes?” I peered at him. He was a good-looking boy. When he was grown, he’d be handsome.

“Yes.”

“And she washed you, yes?”

“Mhm.”

“Then she served you as a servant.” Surely he understood me.

“Five minutes, sir,” the driver said.

“What was her name?” Raymond asked.

“I don’t remember.”

“How can you not remember? You just don’t want to tell me.”

I exhaled, annoyed now. “DA-Eight is what I call her.”

“That’s a dumb name!” He had a temper and didn’t appear to fear me.

“It’s not a real name, but one I give all the servants,” I told him, honestly. “It’s my initials and then a number. It serves a purpose.”

He scowled at me.

When the vehicle stopped, warmth spread through my body. Finally, I’d get my Brynne back. Soon we’d be married. Before the end of summer, she would be pregnant with my child, then my elderly parents could get the fuck off my back.

“Don’t do anything stupid.” I shot an intimidating glare at Raymond. “I will kill you.”

“Wh… Where are we?”

“We’re meeting your parents and sister. I’m giving you back, and they’re giving me Brynne. If everything goes as planned, it shouldn’t take more than ten seconds.”

“Why do you want Brynne? What happened to the servant and the other girl?”

“The other girl?” I arched my brow. “Did the servant tell you about her?”

---