The door slamming closed startlesme awake. I don’t know when I fell asleep, but I’m curled up on a scratchy blanket on the wood floor. Heavy footfalls sound behind me, and I know it’s him. I can smell his patchouli cologne, and it triggers memories I’d rather forget, causing nausea to churn my stomach.
He bends down close to my ear, and I tremble when his fist tangles in my hair, pulling my head back at an awkward angle so that I’m squinting up at him painfully.
“Are you alone?” His voice is deep and emotionless.
I nod as best I can in his punishing grip. He releases my hair, and I fall back to the floor. I look up at him as he stalks around me like a predator. He’s dressed meticulously, like always, in a navy suit. Even when he came to my bedroom for all those years, he always wore pressed trousers and dress shirts. I hated the way he forced me to undress him one button at a time, fold his clothes, and lay them neatly on the foot of my bed. I hated the way he raped me while he wore gold-toed dress socks and then left my room with his clothing in perfect order like he didn’t just violate me in the worst possible way.
My heart pounds in my eardrums.
Dennis’s cold eyes assess me, and he wrinkles his nose, his mustache twitching. “You fucked them both.”
It’s a statement, and I don’t respond. Glaring at him, I clutch my hands together to control the shaking, refusing to feel weak in front of him.
“Just give me the papers. I’ll sign them, okay? Take my entire inheritance. I know that’s what you want.”
“And what if I want you, Red?” He places one hand on his knee and uses the other to tip my chin up so that I’m forced to meet his gaze. Then his fingernail trails over my cheek and pushes strands of my hair behind my ear.
I shudder. “Do you promise to leave Sebastian and Brantley alone? If I sign the papers?”
“No.” He cocks his head to one side. “They fucked what’s mine.”
“Then I’ll fight you every step of the way,” I snarl. “Kill me if you want, but I won’t submit and you won’t see any of my mom’s money.” I bare my teeth at him. “Brantley’s dad will kill you.”
He purses his lips, looking amused by my emotional outburst. “And if I promise to leave them be?”
I raise my chin, pulling my face away from his touch. “Then you can do whatever you want to me, and I won’t stop you. Take the money. Pay off your debt. Rape me. Marry me. Whatever.”
His eyes narrow. “What would be the fun in that? I like a little fight in my women. Sometimes I used to ignore your mother’s safe word, just to see her cry while I fucked her. Breaking her was my favorite pastime. I think I’d like to break you too.” I swallow, fear threatening to choke me, and he pulls a folded document from his pocket, tosses it in my face, and smirks when I flinch. “Marriage is a nice idea. Won’t really need this when we’re married, will we? Everything will just be mine, including your pussy.”
He stands, and I watch him cautiously as he picks up one ofthe blankets and shakes it off. Then he lays it on the floor and smooths out the corners. “You know, it’s a shame that Nedry is gone.” He doesn’t sound sad, just disappointed, and the chill in his tone is almost more terrifying than the thought of what’s about to happen. “We were going to share you. A little father-son bonding moment.”
My head snaps up, disgust crawling up my throat. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“He really liked your mother,” Dennis says as he bends to untie his shoes. “I let him fuck her when he was fifteen, and he was always so taken with her long hair. I think that’s why he was okay trading up for the younger model. Too bad he fucked up and got himself killed.”
I rear back in horror, scooting backward until the heater stops me. “You…you let yoursonrape my mother?”
He clucks his tongue, like he’s chastising a child. “Would we call it rape? Sure, she was really drunk, but she was always happy to share. We even did it together a few times.”
Saliva floods my mouth, and I gag, trying my damnedest not to vomit all over myself. How did I not realize he was sosick? I mean, he molested me and raped me, but this makes it even worse.
My eyes dart for the door, but a feeling of helplessness heats my limbs.
Shouldn’t Detective Lin be here by now?
“I’ll make a deal with you. I’m going to make love to you, and you’re going to let me. And I give you my word that I won’t hurt thoseboysif you promise to never mention their names ever again. You’ll leave with me—leave this country—and never come back.” He finishes unbuttoning his shirt and steps out of his pants, folding them neatly and placing them on the edge of the blanket. “You’ll be my property to do with as I please. Do you understand?”
“Why should I believe you?” I hate the way my voice shakes.
He shrugs, standing tall in nothing but a pair of plaid boxers, his erection already tenting the front. “It’s the best option you have, Red. Now take off your clothes.”
When I hesitate, he grabs my throat, pulling me toward him. He throws me down, my knees colliding painfully with the floor.
“Did I stutter? Take off your fucking clothes.”
I bite the insides of my cheeks as panic bubbles to the surface.
Maybe no one’s coming.
