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We’re both focused on the laptop screen when the sound of a slap and Alex’s whimper forces Tamar’s fingers to freeze on the keyboard.
Glancing up, I see Alex on the floor, her cheek red and her eyes brimming with tears.
"You disgust me,” her dad hisses with fury, now standing up in front of her.
I knew I was safe from him. I hadn’t realized Alex was the one who wasn’t.
“I’m sorry,” she whimpers as he towers over her. She curls onto herself, attempting to make herself smaller in front of him.
“Your mistakes are going to ruin my entire career, Alexandra. He might as well shoot you because I’m going to kill you myself otherwise. I spent so much time on you. What for? So you could turn into the biggest disappointment of my life? You don’t want to find out what happens when you’re not useful to me anymore.”
Am I fucking hallucinating right now?
“Dad…I’m sorry…”
“Youfuckeda man who is going to destroy everything I worked so hard for. You let him use you. Take you for a fool. Did you honestly think anyone could love you?You?” he barks. “I can see his cum running down your leg! Girls who can’t be ladies are put with the whores, Alexandra. Is that what you want? For me to throw you out and give you to my friends, who’ll show you what it’s like to be used like a dirty slut?”
I stride to him as he rears his hand back to hit her again. Grabbing his wrist, I stop him. He turns around, scowling at me as Alex whimpers from fear.
“Mr. Delacroix,” I drawl with a deadly calmness. “Hit her once, and we’ll call it an unfortunate mistake. Hit her again, and I’ll set your house on fire with you in it.” I lean in slightly since he’s much shorter than me. “And that’s if I’m feeling kind.”
He tries to jerk his arm from my grasp but doesn’t compare to my strength. Not even a little bit.
“Alex,” he rages. “I swear to God you better call this thug off or else—”
“I must warn you,” I growl. “I can only take so many threats to my woman’s life before I start losing my shit.” I grab his tie. “That’s a nice tie you have here. It would be a shame to end up hung by it.”
As I watch sweat drip down his forehead, I realize that for the first time since I’ve met Alex, she doesn’t try to stop me from being violent. She defended her dick of an ex when he was in the wrong, and she’s the first one to say she hates violence. Yet, right now, she’s watching me manhandle her father with wide eyes and in complete silence.
And that’s when it hits me.
The lack of self-esteem. The fear. The people-pleasing. The infinite sorry’s. Thebruises.
All of it was deeply rooted. All of it was instilled by her own father.
The man who was meant to love her unconditionally, abused her. Who knows for how long.
“Sit down,” I order her dad, my tone deadly. This time, I undo Alex’s cuffs and put them on him. I give her the gun and train it on him. “He moves, you shoot.” I glance at him. “You’re only alive right now because I might need you.”
Alex’s bright, wet eyes dart to me, and against all odds…she nods. She sits on the opposite armchair and keeps my gun on the man she truly hates.
“Xi,” Tamar grabs my attention. I stare at Alex for a few more seconds, her gaze stuck on her father and power in her eyes.
I walk back to my friend, and she shakes her head. “It’s nothing,” she whispers so he can’t hear us.
“What?”
“It’s a burner phone, but there’s only one conversation on it, and…it’s nothing. Just some normal texts.”
I lean over her from behind, looking at her screen.
And how I wish it was nothing.
I read silently, knowing exactly what this is.
Tamar sighs. “It’s just him asking some art dealer for a painting. Unless that painting is stolen, he’s just talking about the cut the dealer will get. Vito Luciano can’t use any of that against him.”
“It’s not a painting,” I rasp, barely believing my eyes.
