“So that’s all this is about, Eli? The marriage. The money. Don’t you have enough of that on your own? You don’t need me.”
“You’re right, I have plenty. But there’s a difference between being rich and being filthy rich. With the kind of money your uncle has been hiding in your name, I’ll be untouchable. Even by him.” Eli’s eyes take all of me in. “It’s not me you should be mad at, Emery. We could’vedone this the nice way. You could’ve stayed put, married me, and we could have merged our empires in a more peaceful manner. It’s your fault it all had to happen like this.”
This time, when Eli grabs me, he clutches the inside of my thigh, pulling my body closer. He wrenches my legs apart, leaning over me as he grips my chin hard.
Tears sting my eyes. His nails dig in with a force that will leave bruises.
“There you are. It’s good to see that you’re finally understanding the situation you’ve put yourself in.” He wipes away a tear. “I would have been nicer to you if you had just married me, but you decided to make a fool of me first. Giving your virginity to that piece-of-shit biker. Being his whore. Letting him knock you up.”
His nails dig into me, and when I groan from the pain, his smile widens.
He’s enjoying this.
“You’re feistier than your uncle realized, and he was too weak to keep you in line.” Eli’s hand slides up, so close that I try to disconnect from my body so I don’t have to think about it. “Look at me.”
My eyes fly open. I didn’t realize I’d closed them.
His are wild through his dark strands. This close, I spot a scar that cuts through his upper lip. It ticks when he grins. One thumb drags across my mouth, shoving over my tongue and almost making me vomit.
When he pulls back, I curl in on myself, protecting my body the best I can with my hands tied overhead.
“I paid for the things you gave that biker. Maybe you thought that would fix your problem, that I wouldn’t bother you anymore. But I’m not weak like your uncle. I don’t toss things aside and give up; I teach them a lesson. You want to be a whore before you become my wife? Fine, we can have it your way. Remember that you did this to yourself, Emery. When you see me again, you’ll be begging for me.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to show you how much you want to be mine.” He tilts his head, tucking his hands into his pockets. “There are worse things, and when they’re done with you, you’ll be begging to be my wife.”
Eli leans in, gently caressing my cheek, promising nothing but pain. “And then, when you’re finally broken—when you’re finally mine—you’re going to get me your uncle’s fortune.”
“Please don’t do this.” A tear falls, and his gaze brightens.
“I have to. You started this, Emery. You decided how this would go from the start. If you don’t learn your lesson now, then how will we ever make this work? You need to learn to be good for me.”
“I can’t marry you. I’m already married.”
“That will be dealt with soon.” His smile widens. “I’m sure your biker’s bail hearing didn’t go well today. I gave them exactly what they needed to put him away. They’ll make sure he never gets out.”
“You’re the one who had Hayes arrested?” My eyes widen.
“How do you think your uncle and I started doing business?” Eli smiles. “After the Iron Sinners were taken out, your uncle needed help pinning it on the Twisted Kings. He needed resources—muscle. He asked me to look into it, so I did. I was about to let him know I’d found evidence of the Twisted Kings involvement when you turned up pregnant by one of them. After that, I decided your uncle didn’t deserve to play that card. He’d already fucked up so much, I couldn’t trust him. So I held it. Kept it for safekeeping until the time was right.”
A headache throbs at the base of my skull. “You set this whole thing up.”
“I can’t take all the credit. We both know they’re the ones who planted this footage to save their club if it came down to it. It just happened to work in my favor. And since your uncle was fine letting you play house and I was tired of waiting, I figured we’d speed this up. All sorts of terrible things happen in jail. Unfortunately for him, you won’t be married much longer.”
Eli is planning on having Hayes killed, and there’s no way for me to warn him.
“Please don’t hurt him.” Tears stream down my cheeks. “I’ll give you the money. All of it, I don’t care. Just don’t hurt him.”
Eli runs his hands through my hair so hard it stings my scalp. “The time for cooperation has passed, Emery. Like I said, we need to make you a good, obedient wife. I’ll be back. When I am, I have a feeling I’m going to find you much more agreeable.”
Eli’s hand slides from my hair down to my neck, dragging until he’s gripping my tank top. He tugs—hard, ripping the fabric and exposing my bra.
“You are a pretty girl, Emery.” His fingers brush my clavicle, trailing between my breasts. “Now you need to learn not to be so much trouble.”
At that, Eli pulls back. He gives me a final look of disgust before turning to walk away. When the bedroom door closes behind him, I curl my legs to my chest, hiding myself as best I can.
I curl into a ball, and all the strength I had this morning leaves my body.
