Page 115 of Never His Girl

“If you don’t, I have low friends in high places,” he grimaces. “One phone call and I’ll have Child Protective Services at your door so fast, your ass won’t even know what hit it.”

My heart’s racing a mile a minute, making me dizzy.

“I’d hate to see where Scarlett ends up if that happens. I might have a friend or two willing to take her in. Hell,bothof you,” he adds with a laugh. “I’ve got some very efficient means of making pretty little girls like you and your sister disappear without a trace. And thanks to a certain risqué photo I have in my possession, I’ve already gotten several impressive bids foryou, sweetheart.”

His finger taps me just beneath my chin and I’m shaking now, thoroughly convinced his threat is far from empty. This man’s dark side is black as coal.

“There’s a silver lining,” he chimes in with a wicked grin. “Heed this warning and there won’t be any need for you and me to have another conversation. Understood?”

Gritting my teeth, I’m flooded with emotion, but at the top of that list, grappling with fear for the number one spot, is rage.

“Understood,” I force out with a furious growl, feeling so violated by this man.

He knows all there is to know about my family, about me, and he’s using it all against me as a tool for manipulation.

My trembling hand is on the door handle, but he reaches for my arm, holding it tight enough to stop me from making a clean exit.

“One last thing. In case you haven’t noticed, West has a hard head. Boy doesn’t know how to cut ties, even if something’s bad for him, weighing him down,” he explains.

“I can’t make him let go,” I snap, feeling the heat of fresh tears streaming down my face.

“Ohhh, but you can,” he croons, that grin of his widening with those words. “If you’re going to stay on my good side, and if you want to keep your sister safe, you’d better do a damn good job of convincing him to move the fuck on without you.”

My brow tenses when I finally dare to face him head on. “How? How the hell am I supposed to do that?”

The nonchalant shrug he gives contrasts the acutely wicked response that follows.

“Get creative! You have his heart, don’t you? So, break it. Crush it if you have to,” he offers casually. “It’s on you to make him believe you don’t want him. Either that, or might I suggest that you make peace with the idea of watching your sister being ripped from your arms. Then, after you’ve losteverything, I’ll see to it that you disappear so deep within my abyss it’ll be like you never… even… existed.”

I can hardly breathe, and he feeds on my fear. It’s exactly what he wanted, exactly what he knew it would take for me to comply.

“My son is inherently strong-willed,” he points out, “so I’m giving you a couple months. If you fail, or if I so much as hear awhisperabout the two of you still fucking around, you know what’s coming for you.”

His stare stays trained on me a moment longer, then he releases me. I don’t waste any time, sprinting toward the house as fast as I can, slamming and locking the door behind me. As my body slumps against the wall, my thoughts are in an uncontrolled freefall.

My first encounter with Vin Golden was a disastrous one, resulting in me being torn between two impossible options. He’s asked me to break the son he’s already broken so many times, the one I want so badly to heal. But with what I stand to lose if I don’t, the choice is terrifyingly clear.

To protect my sister, I’ll be forced to do something I swore I never would. If I can’t come up with another option in two short months, not only will I have to break West’s heart, I’ll have to grind it to dust.

So fine he’s guaranteed to hate me forever.

In hindsight, it seems we were doomed from the start, destined to cause one another unspeakable pain, even when we don’t mean to.

All because, maybe… I was never meant to be his girl.

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