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I glared at him with all the hatred I felt, trying to keep a smile on my lips even though I continued to feel sick inside.
“You and I need to come to an understanding, my little peach.”
“What understanding is that? That I have no rights in this house? That you’re going to pretend to care about me while grilling me for information? Tossing me aside when you no longer have use for me? Is that what I need to come to terms with?”
Everything about the man was entirely different than the one I’d met yet he was the same person. The dichotomy of his two personalities was partially what I couldn’t get a grip on. He’d been so amazing, loving, and thoughtful before. Now he was… cold and dark.
While I realized he was two sides of the same coin, that didn’t make dealing with him or my emotions any easier.
“You’re in my house for your protection, Georgia. That’s something you need to keep in mind. I don’t want to treat you as a prisoner but there are rules that must be followed. People die when they aren’t.”
“Oh, my God. You’re openly threatening to kill me?” This was a low blow even for him.
“Have you not paid any attention to just how powerful your ex has gotten since you fled or what he’s capable of?”
I laughed in his face. “Do you want another up close and personal look at the scar he gave me? Why don’t I describe the setting for you, Sabatino. First, he dragged me up the stairs by my hair. Then he tied me to the bed, ripping off my clothes and issuing a few nice punches to my face and kidneys. While my eye was starting to swell shut, he pulled out his favorite pocketknife, shoving my panties into my mouth while he took his fucking time carving my skin. Even as my muffled screams penetrated the night air, no one would dare come to my rescue. When he was finished, he spit on me not once but twice, calling me a whore then leaving me in the dark. It was hours before he allowed one of his house employees to unshackle me.”
The look in his eyes was murderous, his chest heaving.
“So,” I continued. “No, I really don’t want to revisit the man or his dungeon of torture after I finally had a new life far removed from the nightmare I’d been stupid enough to get myself in the middle of. Do you have any other ridiculous questions?”
He wrapped his hand around my throat, but unlike what had occurred in the parking lot of the carnival, he used no pressure. The hold was simply possessive. “No one will ever hurt you again. That much I will promise you. If they even attempt to do so, they die.”
“Does that go for you as well?” It was as if we were doing a showdown of wills. I acted tough but inside, I was fading into the same paralyzing fear I’d fought so hard to get over.
“Such a fiery woman. Aren’t you? You will learn that I’m the only man you can trust.”
Was he kidding me? I said nothing, including when he took my hand, leading me down the stairs. I didn’t fight him. I knew there was no use. When he led me into the same office Dillon had raced into, I couldn’t seem to stop shaking.
He was calmer than before, closing and locking the door behind us. I folded my arms, trying to keep from letting him see how terrified I was.
“What about Dillon? He’s in a strange house with people he doesn’t know.”
“Don’t worry, my peach. I have a small staff who work inside the house. They were told to watch out for and over your son. Nothing is going to happen to him.”
Wow, he’d thought of everything. The bastard.
As he walked toward his desk, I remained where I was. He took his time removing his jacket, rolling first one sleeve then the other over his elbows. When he sat on the edge of his desk, planting his hands on either side of him, I became lightheaded. What was he doing?
“Why did you lock the windows from the outside?” I asked, cooling my tone by a few degrees.
“As I mentioned, for your protection. At some point, Rico will learn of your existence. That will place you in harm’s way.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because it’s necessary in the war that is on the horizon.”
“War?” I laughed, not realizing I’d taken several steps closer to him until I’d already done it. “The last time I checked, this country wasn’t actively engaged in a war.”
“Don’t be naïve, Georgia. Whether or not you researched the man you agreed to marry at any point, you’re intelligent enough to know exactly what he was involved in.”
“The same kind of business you’re involved in.”
He exhaled, leaning back on his desk as he studied me. Why was it every time he did, I felt as if the man was peeling another layer away, exposing every vulnerability I had? “There is a vast difference in the way I handle my corporation and what Rico does.”
“And that would be?”
“He has no issue taking innocent lives, brutalizing anyone who gets in his way. There is no sense of respect in his organization, nor does he attempt to improve the lives of those who work for him.”
