Page 14 of Throne of Sin

“Why am I here?” Confusion riddles her tone and her eyes dart around the area.

“Because you’re too stubborn to accept a job from me, but willingly sold yourself.” I can’t help the scoff leave my lips.

She nods. Her lips are pursed with uncertainty, like she still doesn’t understand.

“I bought you,” I confess, but I’m sure she’s already come to the same conclusion.

“Wait!” Her hand goes to touch the spot where the needle pricked her. “What the hell was in that needle?”

“I have no control over that. That’s how they do business. You’re lucky that’s the only thing that happened.”

“Says the big mafia man who buys women.”

“You’re lucky it was me.” I shake my head. “Look at you. Mad at me over something that’s out of my control, when it’syourstubborn ass that got you into that situation. Some things never change.”

She crosses her arms over her chest glaring at me.Fucking unbelievable.

“I own everyone in my club. And that’s where you will work until you pay off your debt. At that point, you will be welcome to leave or you can choose to stay. Up to you.” I fight the urge to fiddle with my hands, needing them to be occupied; otherwise I’m liable to pull her in.

“That’s going to take me like thirty years.”

I rock my head back and forth. “Realistically, less than twenty. But with inflation, you never know. I don’t charge interest. My first offer would have been better, but you’re still as headstrong as you’ve always been.”

I walk back to the kitchen area, giving myself space from her, and pour another cup of coffee, as well as one for her. “Coffee?” I place it on the counter, making her come to me.

She walks over, looking stunned and fragile. “Twenty years,” she repeats in disbelief.

Maybe I should start charging interest… I don’t know if I can let her walk out of my life again.

“I only have a few months. I can’t stay longer than that.” Her eyes are wide, flickering with worry. She’s taking the news better than I imagined, and I realize she has no idea how bad it could have been.

“You don’t have a choice. You’re lucky it was me who bought you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have lived past the first year. I saved you.” I spit with my words. She’s so fucking clueless to the mess she willingly placed herself in.

“Once you’re bought, you’re bought for life. What the hell did you think was going to happen?”

She sets her hands around the warm mug but makes no effort to drink it. “I only have a year.” She repeats as she slowly digests my words.

“When was the last time you ate?”

She looks up from her coffee. “Three days ago?”

Immediately, I pull out my frying pan and crack a few eggs into it. She just sits there, staring into her dark liquid. I don’t have the heart to tell her that this lifestyle is easy for people like us. She has no family to speak of and lives in poverty. After a month working for me, she’ll have familyandmoney. All the girls protect each other, and they never go days without food. She’ll never be hungry again. It might be too much at one time if I say this out loud, though. I’ll let her get some food into her stomach and a hot shower before I introduce her to her new family.

Chapter 7

Demi

EventhoughI’mwalkingand talking, I feel like this is a dream.This can’t be my life. I shake hands and smile at the other girls who also work for Dante. Dante’s Girls, everyone calls them. The term family keeps getting thrown around and I want to scream and shout I already have a family. Instead, I keep everything locked in, buried deep, as I have to protect Oakleigh as much as I can.

Pressure sits heavily on my chest as Dante’s bartender introduces me to an endless stream of women and I can’t help but be dragged back into my past.

“Are you fucking Mancini?” Jameson bites my lower lip, his hands grip my hips with bruising pressure, keeping me between his legs. “You promised me you were my girl.”

I pull away, tasting the metallic tang of blood. I’ve never been Jameson’s girl. We had one date, to McDonalds, but he likes to keep tabs on me. He has that crazy look in his eyes. I should have listened to Dante and stayed far away from a guy like him.

He shakes me. “You’re my girl, right?” His eyes slide from me to someone behind me.

“You okay, Demi?” I check over my shoulder to see Savio, Dante’s brother. My cheeks flush pink with embarrassment. I came to talk to Jameson because my mother had an envelope for his mother, and this was the only way I could get it to her.

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