AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I still don’t know what that means.”
And he didn’t enlighten her. “You remember what I said about rules here?”
“Rules don’t exist here.”
Those were his words.
“Anything,” he said, his eyes narrowing in certainty as they came closer. “Whatever you want to do, whatever you want done, it can happen here. You won’t be denied anything. No one will tell you to stop. No one will say no to you.As long as you’re in that room with me, you rule the McDades. You are our leader.”
“Don’t,” she said, her eyes drifting shut. Emotions were high and intoxicating adrenaline flooded through her. He was intoxicating. Somehow, their chemistry took over. She could feel him in every intimate nook like he was arousing her again. “I promised myself I’d be strong.” And that was turning out to be a pipedream. “Conn…”
“You are strong,” he said, his lips grazing her temple. “I am with you.”
Is that why she was strong? Did his power give her strength? Yes, it did. Had in the past. His fingers found their way between hers to guide her into a long, dark corridor. About halfway down, they paused at a door.
“Conn,” she whispered, tugging his hand before he could open it. “Is he… tied to something?”
For a second, he assessed her, then his brow came down again. “He won’t touch you. He won’t get anywhere near you. But, yeah, he’s strapped to a chair in the middle of the room… He’ll stay there until you say otherwise. You’re safe.” He turned to her again, jerking her chin up. “You’re always safe with me. Tell me. Where are you always safe?”
“With you,” she said. “I won’t let you down.”
Though she had no inkling of what would happen in the room beyond. He kissed her head and opened the door. She held her breath as they went inside.
She expected a dank cell. Yes, it was dark, but the room was clean. The floor was a paler gray than the walls. Men stood in each corner. Off to the side, a table bolted to the floor. The canvas over it concealed whatever was underneath.
But it was the man in the middle of the room, his ankles shackled to a metal seat, his hands behind his back, no doubt restrained somehow, that drew her keen focus. His head stooped, his whole body sagged forward.
Connel said something in his other tongue and the guy in the furthest corner came to stand behind the prisoner. No mistake, that was exactly what he was.
“Show respect!” Connel demanded.
The guy standing guard kicked the chair hard.
The prisoner snorted and raised his head. Bruised and bloodied, it was clear she wasn’t his first visitor. Her instinct when his eyes met hers was to step away. And there was Connel at her back, holding her up, his hand sliding onto her shoulder.
“This fucking bitch?” the prisoner spat.
The chair got kicked again. Somehow, he jolted, though the chair didn’t actually move.
“You didn’t know…?” Connel said, his voice dark and heavy. “You put your hands on my woman, Pietro.”
A flash of surprise crossed the prisoner’s face. “You—your woman?”
Another order came in Connel’s mother tongue and the guard grabbed the guy’s hair to yank his head back, exposing his throat.
Her inhale wavered when Connel wrapped an arm around her to hold her against him as he kissed her head. His strength was her foundation. The cornerstone of her stability. That power remained even when he slipped away to whip the canvas from one end of the table to the other. She didn’t look, just heard it and then he came into view between her and this Pietro, a blade in his hand. Curved and shining, the precision tip at the end of the eight inches of gleaming metal was terrifying.
“No, no,” the guy said, his head jerked back, harder, the strain of his voice came out in a whine before words. “I didn’t—I didn’t know! I didn’t!”
“Send them out of here,” she murmured. Connel stopped just a couple of feet from Pietro. “I don’t want anyone else here.”
Connel gave an order, and the four moved for the door. The one behind the chair threw the prisoner forward so hard only his restraints caught him.
Once the door was closed behind them, Pietro started again. “We didn’t know. How could we know?” The guy coughed, his body sagging forward again. “You killed Carl.”
“Aye,” Connel said without hesitation. “He begged too.”
The confession was unexpected. But this guy wasn’t leaving alive; it didn’t matter what they said to him. He’d never be free to utter the truth to anyone.
