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I approach cautiously, like with an injured animal. “You don’t have to worry about that. It’s my job to take care of the details.”
“It’s my life. My fucking life.”
“Zoe.” My patience is running thin. It’s been a long night. “Don’t start.”
She folds her arms around her stomach. “A man died because of me.”
I slowly continue my advance. “He knew what the job entailed when he signed up.”
“Is Damian involved in the mafia? Is that why you’re keeping me?”
Stopping, I rub a hand over my face.
“Damn you, Maxime. Tell me! A man died tonight.”
The implied meaning hangs in the air. It could’ve been her. Tilting my head toward the ceiling, I sigh. “Damian is involved with his own mafia in prison. It’s got nothing to do with us.”
“Then why keep me?”
I wasn’t going to tell her, but the game is no longer the same. I’m never letting her go. What difference does it make if she knows? She’s right. After tonight, it only seems fair.
Taking a deep breath, I say, “Your brother is planning on taking back a diamond deposit he discovered. The mine currently belongs to Harold Dalton.”
“Dalton?” she exclaims. “The man who put Damian in prison?”
“Yes. He stole Damian’s discovery and framed him.”
“What does that have to do with you?”
“Dalton sells the diamonds directly to us, cutting out the middleman. We want to make sure your brother will sell to us when he takes over.”
She gapes at me. “You’re that certain Damian will succeed?”
“I’ve been privy to his plans. My money is on him.”
“Just in case, you needed something to blackmail Damian.”
My look is level. “Yes.”
“That’s why you took me.” The revelation settles slowly in her eyes. “You were never going to hurt Damian. You need him.” Her lips part on a soundless gasp. “You lied to me.”
I don’t deny it.
Anger washes over her features. “You twisted the truth. You used me. You made me submit to you with a lie. I could’ve defied you,” she says with disbelief. “I could’ve run. Nothing would’ve happened to my brother.”
I close the distance between us. “One way or another, I had to bring you here. I chose the non-violent way.”
Her entire body trembles as the betrayal peels away. Finally, she sees what she’s fallen for—the real me, the monster hidden beneath a well-cut suit bearing gifts and kindness. She sees through my plan, and she knows it’s too late. She’s already caught in my web.
“Why are you telling me now?” she asks, shaking so much her jaw quakes. “You’re never going to let me see my brother again, are you? That’s why you don’t care that I know. I can’t tell Damian the truth if I never see him again.”
Cupping her cheek, I stroke a thumb over that trembling jaw. “I won’t let you go, Zoe. Not in four years. Never. You’re mine. Your place is here.” I apply the gentlest of pressure, making her pretty lips pout. “What you better understand is it won’t end well for you if you run. I will always find you.”
She grips my forearms as her knees buckle under the weight of the truth. It’s a sugar-coated threat, but she’s learned enough lessons to let her imagination run wild with consequences.
I give her time to process it. I give her space when she shoves me away. Her fingers flitter to her lips as she looks around the room like a trapped animal.
“Too much has happened tonight,” I say. “Let me take care of you.”
“How?” she asks with a mocking laugh. “By locking me up? By lying to me?”
“By taking you to bed. The sun will be up soon. You need to rest.”
“If Damian finds out I’m here, what will you tell him?”
“That you’re here because you want to be.”
She looks at me as if I’ve slapped her. “How will you explain a lie like that?”
“I went to South Africa to meet with Dalton about business. We had dinner and shared a bottle of wine. I asked about the diamond discovery. He told me about Damian, and how your brother stole a diamond from his house and ended up in prison. I found that hard to believe, seeing that Damian discovered a riverbed full of them. My curiosity was piqued, so I looked you up. One thing led to another.”
“Just like that,” she says, the strange look on her face not wavering.
“Yes. Now come to bed.”
Turning her back on me, she walks to the liquor tray. A drink is probably a good idea. A little alcohol will help her sleep. A glass falls over. She’s anything but steady. I cross the floor to help her, and then stop dead as she spins around, pushing the icepick against my chest.
Chapter 8
Zoe
The compassion in Maxime’s eyes only makes me want to kill him more. This man has betrayed me in so many ways. He lied about killing Damian. He stole me. He stole my virginity. He kept the fact that he’s a mafia boss conveniently hidden from me. He teaches me cruel lessons. He controls every aspect of my life. By claiming me, he’s put me in danger. He knew how his secrets would impact me, yet he made me dependent on him. He trapped me with his sick games, physically and emotionally, and now I’ll always be a pawn for his opponents to get to him. This is as much as I can take.
