AllFreeNovel
Share Us
TEAGAN
Sitting in the back of this car, it takes everything that I have not to cry. God, just when I think my life is finally changing, I get knocked back to reality. I had friends. I had people who actually seemed to care about me. Portia and Nell were always around me, helping me acclimate to society. They know my entire story, and I know theirs. It wasn’t easy opening up to people I didn’t know, but they made it a safe space for me. That’s something that I never had before, and I couldn’t keep my past from them. Both women cried when I told them about my life. They swore that they’d protect me, and I know they would have. But going against the Gallo’s is something I would never allow them to do. These men would kill them without blinking. Being around Portia, Nell, Ursula, Markus, and Paulie was insightful, and it also made sense as to why Portia and Nell were always together. Those two are thick as thieves. I didn’t get good vibes from the other members of their group, so I mainly stuck to myself when we were in group dynamics. But I was and will always be happy to be around Portia and Nell.
During the past month, I found myself. I learned who I was, and I finally found the strength that I always knew was deep inside. It took me a long time to stop doing the things I was conditioned to do. I no longer had to worry about what my words or actions would do to trigger someone. Not everyone is an animal and out to hurt people. Over the past four weeks, I haven’t been hurt or touched once. I have been able to grow as each day passes. I have also learned that the trauma I went through shouldn’t be swept under the rug and pushed aside. It’s the life I lived, and I should feel it, I should be angry that it happened, and I should cry because the person who was supposed to protect me, didn’t.
“Where are we going?” I ask, as Elio drives around the city.
“Home,” he replies, and the darkness in his voice causes me to shiver.
The man hates me. I can feel it in the way he looks at me, along with the way he speaks. His tone is dismissive and filled with anger. I haven’t done anything to him to warrant marrying him, but of course, these men—so full of power and money—are able to do whatever the hell they want. As long as they get whatever they want, they’re happy. Screw everyone else.
Elio’s out for revenge. What my father did to him is unforgivable, and I hate that he was hurt, that my father was the man who burned him, but it wasn’t me. I have suffered enough at the hands of the man who was supposed to love and protect me and his brothers. I shouldn’t have to pay the consequences for his actions. I don’t deserve to pay for his sins, and yet here I am.
There’s a lot about this entire situation that doesn’t make sense. He wants revenge so he’s marrying me. Why? I don’t understand why anyone would marry someone for revenge. What does he gain from it?
The car comes to a halt outside an apartment complex. It’s gated and needs a code for access. The gates swing open, and Elio drives through them. My nerves are shot as he parks his car in the parking lot. I hate the unknown. He has something planned for me, and I wish I knew what.
He switches off the engine and turns in his seat to look at me. He pins me with a look. “You’ll be staying here until the wedding day. You even think about running, Teagan, and I’ll find you. Make no mistake, there’s nowhere on this fucking earth that you can hide from me. You run, I’m finding you, and then there’ll be hell to pay.” He climbs out of the car, as does his brother.
Fuck. My personal gilded cage. How fucking lovely.
Dario opens the car door for me, and I climb out. “Thank you,” I say softly. No matter how much I hate these two bastards, I have manners and will always use them. Dario’s eyebrows raise a fraction, and he inclines his head to me in acknowledgement.
“Come,” Elio growls as he walks ahead of me. His strides are long and purposeful. He’s a man who carries himself well, his head held high. He’s a man who possesses power. Even the air around him is thick and filled with it.
I walk to keep up with him, though my steps are shorter and uneven.
We enter the building, and warmth hits me. That’s something I haven’t felt in a really long time. Even at the shelter it’s not warm, but here, the warmth hits you as soon as you walk into the lobby. Elio hits the button on the elevator, and the three of us wait in silence for the carriage to come.
The doors open with a ding, and I come face to face with a mirror. I look a lot different than I did the last time I saw my reflection over a month ago, when I was found in the basement of the clubhouse. I don’t look as pale, and my cheeks are a healthy peach color rather than gray.
The doors close once Elio swipes his card. The three of us look so weird. Both Elio and Dario are over six feet; giants in comparison to me. I barely reach Elio’s elbow.
The silence spreads between us, and it’s killing me. “So, is this where you bring all your women?” I question, unable to stop myself.
Elio slices me with a dark look. “No. You’ll be my wife, Teagan. That means there are no other women.”
My stomach drops at his words. “Oh, that’s a shame,” I murmur.
Dario’s shoulders shake with contained laughter, whereas Elio’s nostrils flare. “Why would you say that?”
“If you’re fucking other women, you’re staying the hell away from me.” It’s simple. The Demons were the same. If they got their kicks elsewhere, they’d leave me alone.
The grin on Elio’s face is sadistic, and I grit my teeth. He looks down at me, towering over me. He’s trying to intimidate me, and it’s working, but I’ll never show it. “That, sweetheart, is exactly why you’ll be the only one.”
He’s a fucking pig.
The elevator comes to a stop and the doors open. We’re on the top floor and walk straight out into the apartment itself. “This is your home,” he tells me. “Until we’re married at least.”
I don’t acknowledge his words. I don’t want to marry him, and I’m praying I’ll be able to find a way out of it. I’m not sure I’ll be able to survive being tethered to him, especially as he has so much anger in him, and all of that rage is directed at me. He could destroy me unlike anyone has before him.
I walk aimlessly around the apartment, taking everything in. It’s beyond beautiful. I’m scared to touch anything. I don’t want to break it. It’s just so clean and pristine. I feel like me just being here is tainting it.
“Where are your clothes?” Dario asks, and I realize that both men have followed me around as I take everything in.
I shrug. “I don’t have any.”
“What do you mean?” he says as he comes to stand in front of me. “Are they still in the clubhouse?”
