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“That’s wonderful.” I gave both men what I hoped was an appropriately pleased smile. Inside I was screaming.
“Isn’t it? Glen will be at the estate often, so you should get to know him better.” My dad’s smile was anything but pleasant. Glen’s was positively lascivious. It made my skin crawl. My guess was, Glen’s price for getting my father into the governor’s seat was me.
The rest of the night passed with me trying to keep Glen’s hands off my thigh while trying to look like nothing was wrong. I felt ill. Dirty. He leaned close several times to engage me in conversation that seemed innocent enough, but he was doing it to touch me. His cologne was overpowering, making everything I ate tasted like the vile stuff. Thankfully, I’d lost my appetite when I’d left the Iron Tzars compound, so it wasn’t much of a problem. Moving his hand up my thigh or draping his arm over my shoulder, he staked his claim. It was a blatant show of possession, which was all the confirmation I needed that my father had sold me to someone who could push his political career forward.
When I’d had all I could take without gagging, I excused myself. “I’m sorry. Powder room.” I gave Glen a gentle smile as I stood.
“Don’t be too long, darling.”
Ew! Who said “darling” anymore? I mean, outside of a Southern rake? Then it’s more of a drawled “darlin’.” Glen sounded like some pompous aristocrat who thought his shit didn’t stink. And I wasn’t his darling, dammit!
I hurried out of the dining room and headed in the direction of the bathrooms. I waited to see if anyone followed. When I was sure I was alone, I made a break for it. I got in my car and headed to the house. I’d grab Walker’s pup and a few necessities then call an Uber or a cab and have them take me to the Iron Tzars’ clubhouse. I’d give the puppy back and ask for sanctuary until I could find a place to go. It was a horrible imposition, and they probably wouldn’t help, but at least I could return the puppy before she was missed.
I’d just packed up one backpack of clothes when the door to my suite burst open, banging against the wall.
“Stupid little bitch! You left your daddy’s friend alone. He waited for you to come back from the pisser but you bolted!”
“Bruce…” Dad’s muscleman. His enforcer and bodyguard. I knew I was in trouble. Possibly more trouble than I’d ever been in in my life. By the looks of him, Bruce had been given the go ahead to work me over but good. And the monster was looking forward to it. “Mr. Winston is furious, little Blossom.” His smile was pure evil even as his tone was almost conversational. “He said he won’t be satisfied until you’ve been made to scream. But not just any scream.” That grin of his widened into a sadistic, macabre parody of happiness. “He wants this to be a beating you never forget. Right up my alley.” If my disappearance had cost Dad this shot at the governor’s seat…
“You embarrassed him, Blossom. You know what happens when you embarrass him.”
I did, and I barely held back the whimper.
I needn’t have bothered. Before he was done with me, I would most definitely be screaming. Until I wasn’t.
Chapter Two
Walker
Granted, the little fuckers were all over the fucking place, but I was pretty sure I was down a pup. Good thing I had them chipped. I took out my phone and pulled up the app. Sure enough, I was down one. I frowned. According to the screen, the missing was… way the fuck over on the other end of town? And the ritzy end, at that. What the fuck was it doing out there? More importantly, how’d it get there in the first Goddamned place? A possibility tickled at my mind, but I didn’t think Blossom had the nerve to steal from me. Not even to get revenge. Sure, she had a crush on me, but I’d seen the doubt in her eyes when I’d given her what-for this afternoon. She knew I wasn’t a man to be fucked with, and that I wasn’t on her side with anything. Which set off one of those “feels” again. As I replayed her expressions in my mind, those tiny glimpses of fear and hurt made me very uncomfortable, and I didn’t like it.
I stomped back to the clubhouse, fuming mad. “Wylde!” He was our tech guy, and he always took care of the microchipping shit.
“‘Sup, brother?” Wylde leaned back in the chair in his office to look out the door. Younger than most of us, Wylde was athletically built with a good amount of muscle, but his shaggy hair had a bright green streak in the top of it. The more shit we gave him about it, the brighter it got. I was afraid of what all that hair color was gonna do to his brain. Open door meant he wasn’t in the middle of a game. God forbid someone interrupt him in the middle of Fortnite.
