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‘Fine,’ he said, ‘But I will put her up in an apartment with my guys watching her. I don’t trust your surveillance after the last escapade.’
‘I’ll add some of mine too. And we need to see her.’
‘I’ll give access to her family members.’
That excluded me.
‘And you don’t touch her until you’re married,’ Logan countered.
Harold laughed, sending a chill down my spine. ‘I’ve plenty cunt to use in the meantime. She’s not so irresistible that I can’t wait two weeks to fuck her.’
Esther’s face pulled into a disgusted frown as she looked from her father to Harold.
Harold moved to leave, his men gathering behind him as he walked up to Esther. I’d thought he would kiss her again, and tensed, ready to witness it despite every part of me wanting to run between them and rip his fucking face off.
A loud thwack resounded along with a yelp from Esther as Harold backhanded her hard across the cheek.
‘What the fuck?’ Malcolm said, grabbing Esther by the arm and pulling her out of his reach. Her hand cradled the spot where he slapped her, tears pricking at the edges of her eyes.
I saw red.
I was almost on him, knife drawn, when hands pulled me back from behind. I struggled against them, needing to spill his blood for hurting my girl. Needing to see his skin split and his motherfucking entrails hit the floor.
‘Stand down,’ Malcolm roared at me, while Logan joined the hands holding me firm.
Harold watched me, his eyes flaring with interest. ‘What do you care? You were the one who brought her back. If anything, I should thank you for bringing my wife to me, but here you are acting like a lovesick puppy.’
He looked from Esther back to me, then grinned. ‘Oh, I see. She’s been paying you with her cunt, has she? A little slut. Just like her mother.’
I tensed against the men holding me, trying to get leverage to rip the arsehole to shreds.
‘It must have been a mighty fine cunt too, to have you ready to get yourself killed. Good to know.’
He walked out without another word, followed by his men as Esther crumpled into her sister’s arms. Tension thrummed around the room, hands releasing me after Harold’s exit, leaving me feeling exposed.
‘Dad, you need to call this off,’ Esther said, her voice trembling in a way that tore me apart.
‘I can’t. You know we need this war to end.’ Malcolm ran a hand through his greying hair, his face ashen as everyone faced him.
‘He hit me.’
‘You’re lucky that’s all he did.’
Logan interjected, ‘She’d right Dad, you can’t marry her off to him. He’ll destroy her.’
‘It is her, or all of you. I can’t lose everyone,’ Malcolm said, steeling his shoulders and avoiding Esther’s eyes.
‘Why am I worth less than them?’ The pain in Esther’s voice was raw.
‘They are my boys. They carry on the business.’
I needed to gather her up in my arms, to soothe the aches that plagued her. To keep her safe.
‘Alec, Logan, with me. Esther, go get your things packed for moving to the apartment. Maeve, go with your sister.’
We shared one last, lingering look as I followed Malcolm out of the room, my body screaming at me to stay with her. She hadn’t been out of my sight, out of my reach, since we’d given into the passion between us, and it burned to be away from her. It was all wrong.
* * *
