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“Did I give you their full names?” I ask, frowning.
“He ODed.”
Shit. “He’s dead?”
“No, sadly—but because his habits have come to light, he’s not going to be allowed to foster either.”
I blink several times. That’s…too big a coincidence. Three of my worst abusers, dealt with in semi-permanent ways?
“When did that all happen?”
“Between Saturday and today,” Marius replies happily. “I’ve been busy.”
Jesus Christ.He did this?
“How the hell did you manage—”
“Money. Connections.” He directs that arrogant grin at me again, and for once, I accept it. He’s haughty because he has every right to be. He’s beautiful, young, rich, and more powerful than I can begin to understand.
The fact that he turned his wrath on those who hurt me is, well, disturbing.
And a little frightening, too.
Suddenly I understand how lucky I was to just have been tied to a chair and teased. He could have done far worse. He would have if he’d believed I was guilty, too.
What was it his brother said?I know you didn’t film us—and that idiot does too, deep down, or he would have handed you to our father, who would have put a bullet in your and buried you.
He wasn’t exaggerating one bit. If I’d been the one behind that threat to them, I would have been killed. And when they found who did it? They won’t hesitate to destroy them.
I think about all the cameras in my rooms, on myclothes. What would they have done to me next? Marius is right, that crap would likely have kept escalating.
I’m good with the Goltzes dealing with them however they see fit.
“You did all that,” I whisper, not quite asking.
“I’m looking into them to see if anyone could be behind our little issue.” Marius’s eyes don’t leave the road. “All of them deserve what I dished out and more.”
He’s right, but that doesn’t change the fact that no one has bothered to make them pay. Until him.
I can’t fully believe he’d do that sort of thing for me. And maybe he didn’t. Maybe he simply enjoys messing with people, destroying their lives, and I’ve given him a good excuse. Either way, I’m grateful. Demons that have been haunting my nightmares are getting their comeuppance. Maybe I’ll sleep a little better knowing they no longer can spew their venom with impunity. It doesn’t help the scared little girl I was, but it might save the next Sarah.
We reach the house, and this time, I can’t bring myself to just jump out of the car. I’m starting to see another layer to Marius; he’s a huge jerk, and as arrogant as ever, but he’s also the kind of man who can’t see an injustice and fail to act. That instinct put us on different teams when he believed I was his enemy, but today I witness his protective instincts working for my sake.
“Thank you,” I say, meaning it sincerely.
Marius tilts his head. “Did you check your clothes?”
I blink several times. “Pardon?”
“We cleaned up your room, removed all the cameras. But there were some on your stuff too. Did you check that out?”
“Oh!” I clear my throat and nod. “Yeah, I—I’ve been looking. I can’t say I’m entirely sure what I’m lookingfor,however. I ended up buying a couple of things over the weekend.” I point to the oversized sable dress I’m wearing. “See? This’s new.”
“It’s another potato sack is what it is,” he tells me.
Asshole.
“Well, it’s all I can afford. Sorry it’s not Fendi,” I snap back.
