Page 97 of Illicit Obsession

I sank into the hard plastic chair. “He’s been hurt enough. I can’t be the cause of that.” My voice cracked with emotion. Slowly, I looked at Samantha. “If I promise to be good and do what you say, could you give Jagger a message for me?”

Her brow rose. “What is it?”

Tears welled in my eyes. “Please tell him that I love him and . . . I’m sorry his mother is such a cunt.”

Samantha moved so fast that I never saw her open hand coming until her slap nearly knocked me backward.

“Little bitch!”

I rubbed my cheek, laughing. Apparently, I was losing my fucking mind talking to her that way. Betrayal did nasty shit to people. Closing my eyes, I felt the room spin and opened them again. My chest heaved with my frantic breathing, images flashing in my head and an eerie feeling of déjà vu tiptoeing down my spine.

“I highly recommend that you settle down, Ari. You’ll have a new life, and if you earn it, you and Jagger can spend some time together.”

I sat up and stuffed my sandwich in my mouth to keep it fucking shut. Samantha stared at me and offered me a sweet smile. “It’s fascinating. All these years and it’s still working.”

I brushed a few loose strands of hair from my face. “What are you talking about?” I reached for my bottle and took a sip, allowing the water to roll over my parched tongue.

“I’m shocked but so happy. This is a huge game changer in how we run the business.”

I swallowed excessively, attempting to clear the lump in my throat. “What was the game changer?” My hand fluttered to my chest, where my heart pounded against my ribs.

“Your stepbrother.”

ChapterForty-Six

Ariana

Istopped midchew, waiting for her to explain how Jagger had changed her business for the better. Considering that she kidnapped and sold kids, I wasn’t okay with her revelation.

The few bites of food I’d eaten rolled in my stomach, and I willed them to stay down. If I was going to try to escape again, I needed all the energy I could get.

“When Jagger and I moved in with you and Theo, Jagger figured it would be fun to skip school. He thought Theo and I were at work. When he snuck into the house, he checked all the rooms to make sure no one was there. When he opened our bedroom door, he caught Joe . . . well, Psycho and me in bed together. Later, I found out that Jagger overheard us talking about how to nab us a new kid to sell to the highest bidder. Like a stupid child, he threatened to turn us in.”

“I’m guessing if Jagger did tell the cops, you and Psycho talked your way out of it.” I sipped my water.

“He never told them because we slipped him a drug that blocks your memory. It’s similar to what doctors give to their patients right before surgery. You remember what happened before and a few hours after, but not during those moments. It was new on the black market and had some glitches. A few years later, Jagger remembered and accused me of the same thing he’d overheard us talking about. It was clear that we had a problem on our hands.”

I listened intently, my legs shaking with what I suspected would be shared next.

“Joe and I decided that Jagger needed to be removed, so we decided a fire was needed.”

“I was there. I recall all those horrible details of setting the fire and being held hostage. Too bad you didn’t use the drug on me.”

“And why would I want you to not remember those good times?” A wicked grin curled Samantha’s lips. “It kept you in line and away from Jagger. I had to make sure our tracks were covered.”

The room swayed, and I clutched my stomach. “You’re insane.”

“Maybe, but it’s so much fun.” She gave an innocent half-shrug. “After your time with Crimson, you were so easy to manipulate and control. It was as if you’d died inside.”

“That’s because I thought I killed Jagger,” I growled, mentally picturing myself strangling the bitch.

Her gaze thinned, and she leaned farther onto the table, pinning me with a steely glare. “Here’s a fun trivia fact for you. I’m Crimson’s boss, Ariana. I arranged for her to kidnap you, force you to set the fire, and hold you hostage for three days until Joe could grab Jagger.”

I gripped my bottle so hard that water sloshed over the rim and the plastic crinkled. I stared at her, unseeing, as my heart rate spiked. My chin trembled, a rush of confusion and anger hitting me all at once. “Youwere behind it all?”

She threw her head back and laughed as if she’d told the best joke she had ever heard.

Just then, a knock on the door pulled our attention away from the conversation. The entrance cracked open, and I nearly tumbled backward and out of my stupid chair.

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