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“Tell Mark I enjoyed watching you two fuck. I think you and me, Mrs. Cade, would enjoy each other’s company once we meet. I could teach you a few things about pain and control.”
My mouth gapes open, and sharp needles creep up my legs.
“Everyone should know how much you enjoy to be well fucked. It’s a pity you missed meeting me at the ball.”
Oh my God. It’s him. The man who stole our intimate moments from us is calling to gloat. And he is calling me instead of Mark.
I push to my feet and stagger into the living room.
“I enjoyed your screams and moans, Mrs. Cade. No wonder men in power can’t get enough of you. You’re quite stunning at the mercy of a well-trained man.”
My blood chills and fingers stiffen as his words register. I halt, trying to grasp what he’s saying.
“Well-trained?” I croak, barely recognizing my own voice.
My muscles stiffen from dread as some foreign instinct fires my senses in overdrive.
“Not as gullible as you look in the bedroom, are you Red?” he chuckles, and his voice grates on my nerves and I burn with anger and humiliation. “The things I could show you . . .”
I block my mouth to stop shrieks from spilling out, but I force my voice to sound indifferent.
“What do you want, Mr. . . .?” I watch Mark and his men talk, casting their sharp gazes my way as I approach them. I don’t signal or let them know who’s calling. I don’t dare to scare him away before I know his real motives.
I jerk, startled, almost losing the phone from my hands as the security guy appears from nowhere. The male works as a ghost and attaches some external device to my phone, and without a single word, he goes back to their setup station.
Mark gets the headphones and puts them on, scanning me as he purses his lips, and his eyes become cold and focused golden marbles. The creep laughs at me like I amuse him, but when he speaks, his controlled voice is seething.
“The discretion in this world is something Mark Lawson doesn’t understand. He owes me for who he is today, and yet he’s playing games. Nevertheless, I will teach him a hard lesson he won’t ever forget, Mrs. Cade. I have done it before . . .”
Mark’s expression becomes ashen, even haunted as he listens. When his gaze finds mine, I see nightmares clawing at him.
Does he recognize him?
“For a man who hides behind the shadows, these are quite strong promises. What if you deal with someone who knows how to keep secrets and have the means to end this misunderstanding?” I try to appear not too frazzled and show my authority through this connection. He doesn’t need to know I am Mrs. Cade only by name.
My attention fixates on Mark, who stands so still I’m not sure if he’s breathing. His hands are balled at his sides, his body taut with tension as if someone touches him, he might snap like a twig.
“Oh, we will, Mrs. Cade. We’ll meet again, and I’ll serve your needs like a true man should. Mark’s just a boy compared to the things I’m capable of providing.”
Bile fills my throat, and my legs start to tingle as my mind processes the threat. My surroundings gradually melt from my awareness, and the last thing I see is someone rushing toward me and then nothing.
18
Wings of a Butterfly
~Mark~
“Mark, look at me, buddy.” Leif steps in, trying t
o help me to come back from a PTSD episode as I fight dizziness. His touch fuels my revulsion, and I’m tempted to puke my guts out, but I hold back, breathing in a controlled manner until I regain a slither of balance.
The cold detachment penetrates my mind, bringing a temporary reprieve, just enough to return to my usual self. I know the drill. Usually, I don’t react this strongly, not after the desensitizing therapy I had years ago. But the bastard came back and reached for the woman I care about. The thought of him hurting her, touching her with his depraved fingers, dragged me into this dark place I thought I’d never return to.
The pervert thinks he’s untouchable, but he’s wrong. I have evidence from a victim about him trafficking young women and children. I kept secret her existence because it’s just her words against his. I needed to find where he takes them. To gather substantial evidence of his crimes to lock him in jail for life.
So far, he was too careful to leave us clues. Lester thinks he has power over me, but I’m no longer that little kid he could easily break. Cassandra isn’t a bird he can pluck from my hands and kill to prove his supremacy. I’m not the only one who’s looking after her.
I jerk, alarmed, searching for any signs of her.
