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“You can’t do that,” I answered, and he just laughed.
“Do you know who I am?” he chuckled. “I am Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes. When I tell someone to sit, they sit. I tell them to roll over and play dead, they roll over and play dead. They do what they’re told unless they really do want to wind up dead, along with every single member of their family beside them. I don’t tolerate anything less.”
“You’re insane,” I said, my voice rising in pitch.
“If I were someone else, the officials inside the registrar office would deny the legality of our marriage, but they answer to me. Later today, we will perform a civil ceremony in the back gardens and by the time night falls, you will be my wife by all legal definitions, at least here in Mexico. It won’t matter where else because you’re never going back,” he spat.
“I won’t marry you,” I yelled, my fury palpable. It didn’t seem to have any effect on Nemesio.
“You don’t have a choice, Zoe. Ismael and I signed a contract. I paid him a tidy sum for you. I agreed to stay out of his territory for years. I kept my end of the bargain. I don’t give a flying fuck if he tricked Grayson Asher into paying for you too. He sold you to me first,” he said. He was clearly beginning to show annoyance at my protests, and I didn’t know if that was a bad thing yet or not.
I decided to keep quiet, at least for now.
“You know, at first I was just going to let it go. Marry a nice girl, perhaps from another family, but then I learned about what you do,” he began.
I really didn’t like what he was insinuating.
“What do you mean?”
“I have friends all around the world in various industries, but only a few in medical tech. They told me about your company, about the potential in the compound you’re developing, and I decided that I was curious enough to look into it,” he continued.
I took a step back.
“I’ve never gotten involved in the legal world of pharmaceuticals. It’s typically much more lucrative that way, but from what I’ve heard, your compound is going to turn the drug world on its head. As my wife, your assets are mine and as such, it belongs to my family. The money you bring in for me is going to change everything. It might be enough to wipe Ismael’s sorry ass off the map. Mexico will be mine and I won’t stop there,” he chuckled dangerously.
“I will give you nothing,” I scoffed.
His gaze hardened and I wondered if I’d gone too far.
He grasped the gun on his belt and pulled it free from the holster. Slowly, he stroked up and down the barrel. With a hard pull, he cocked it and aimed it lazily at me. I stilled, staring down the length of the barrel knowing that all he had to do to end my life was pull that trigger. Everything would be over in less than a fraction of a second. He looked back at me with a dark expression that insinuated all that and more. I pressed my lips shut.
I wouldn’t say anything more. I wasn’t stupid.
“Go bring her to Esmerelda and get her cleaned up. I want to see what she looks like when she’s not covered in filth,” Nemesio demanded, and Scar grunted in understanding behind me.
I had my fists by my sides. I was still only wearing my bathing suit and the knitted coverup, but it had long since lost its clean hue. My legs were covered in dirt and my shoulder was throbbing from the fresh cut of that rock. My head was still pounding and to avoid any further complications, I turned and faced Scar with a sigh of acceptance.
“Lead the way,” I said quietly, and he pointed down the hall. I didn’t look up at Nemesio again. Seeing my compliance, Scar started walking. I followed, with Righty and Lefty close on my tail.
They escorted me into the right wing of the mansion, where there was a woman waiting in an oversized guest suite for me. It was in the center of the house on the ground floor. There were only two windows, but both of them had decorative bars on the outside. I had a sneaking suspicion that they were actually more of prison bars than anything else.
“We’ll be right outside,” Scar murmured, nodding politely to the woman. My three guards exited the room, closing the door behind them. There didn’t seem to be any way out and even if I could, I wouldn’t know where to go and what to do in the dense jungle all around the house. I had never had any sense of direction, and I didn’t even know if Grayson was still alive. At this point, I just had to survive and get out of here alive.
I didn’t want to assume the worst. Nemesio could have had him killed, or maybe he was just fucking with me to keep me compliant. For all I knew, Grayson could have just assumed I’d taken the first opportunity at escape and run off. He had more money than he knew what to do with.
To be honest, he could do better than me. He could have the prettiest girl in the world. With me gone like this, maybe it would be for the best.
I blinked back tears. I turned my gaze to the floor.
“My name is Esmerelda,” the woman offered gently. Her accent was thick. English probably wasn’t her native language.
“Zoe,” I whispered. I couldn’t stop the way my voice trembled, and I felt her reach out to me. Her hands were soft as she squeezed my shoulders.
“Nemesio likes his women silent and obedient at all times,” she said quietly, and a disgusted shiver raced down my spine.
That was something Grayson had known. He’d liked that about me. He hadn’t sought to change me or control my life in the way that I knew Nemesio would.
I choked back a sob.
