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“Have faith,” my father murmurs. “We will figure this out. We will find her, and the threat will be eliminated.”
I’m not sure if I believe him. I think he’s trying to make it sound positive, but I know my father, and right now, he has not one single clue of who could have done this shit, which is scary as fuck.
The fact that he’s calling in security for the women makes me think that he is fucking scared of what could happen. Not just to Parker and Claire, but my mother, too. And at the end of the day, I know that my father loves my brothers and me. I know that he cares what happens to the women we’ve chosen as our own, who we’ve married.
But nobody, not a single fucking person, means more to him than my mother.
CLAIRE
“It’s going to be okay,”I whisper, taking Parker’s hand in mine and squeezing it.
She’s breathing heavily, but she seems to be okay other than that. I watch her, waiting for her to completely and totally freak the fuck out, but she doesn’t. Instead, she nods her head once, then her gaze finds mine and holds it.
“I’ll be next,” she whispers.
“Parker?”
Her tongue sneaks out and slides across her bottom lip before she speaks again. This time, the words come out in a whisper.
“I don’t know who took her, but I was kidnapped a few months ago, and I’m telling you they will come after us.”
I blink, unsure of what I’ve heard. She was kidnapped. What the fuck? I open my mouth to say just that, to ask what the actual fuck, when Hendrick clears his throat and begins to address the entire room.
“Allison is mine. I’ll find her and bring her home, and I’m marrying her. I don’t give a fuck about the prize. I just want her. She’s everything.”
Parker looks at me, her brows snapped together, and I know I must wear the same expression on my face because I’m completely confused about his words. Prize? What the fuck is the prize he’s talking about?
Wells says his name, but it sounds more like a warning. It doesn’t matter because Hendrick is so far gone in his thoughts that he just keeps rambling. For a brief moment, I wonder if Coleman and Wells are going to rush him and tackle him to the ground. They both look primed to do just that, but I have a feeling their father being beside them keeps them from doing anything.
“Dad,” Hendrick calls out. “I love her. I know she’s not the right person to marry. I know she’s not a virgin. She’s a little loud, definitely brash, and runs a sex toy shop. But she’s who I choose.”
Henry takes a step forward, almost as if he’s placing himself between the three men. But it’s not any of them who speaks next. It’s Parker.
“What do you mean she’s not a virgin?” she asks.
“Our prize is to get a virgin. For devoting our lives to the family, we’re due a prized bride, bought and paid for and always a virgin.”
Hendricks’s words are like a sucker punch. I don’t know what Parker says. I can hear her voice, but it just sounds like mumbling to me. The blood rushes through my body, my heart pounding in my ears as everything spins around me.
A prized virgin, bought and paid for.
That’s exactly what I am.
I knew it, but hearing it confirmed sends a wave of nausea through me. I know what I am. I know that I’m bought and paid for. A debt owed by my family, and I am the reason it’s cleared and my siblings have a chance at having some kind of inheritance now that they’re gone. I know I was supposed to be a virgin on my wedding day, which is why I made damn sure I wasn’t.
But to hear it verbally said that I was sold to this man standing in front of me because I was a virgin hits something deep inside of my soul. I knew it, I fought it, and yet, I silently accepted it just like I’ve silently accepted everything.
Everything.
I want to scream at them all for being sexist fucking pigs. But at the same time, can I really be so angry? I like the man who bought me. I want him to love me because I’m falling for him, and every minute of every day, I fall a little deeperintohim.
“If that is who you choose, Hendrick, can I just give you a bit of fatherly advice?” Henry says. He is calm, cool, and collected as he speaks not only to his son but also to the entire room.
“Yeah.” Hendrick jerks his chin.
“You’re only twenty-two years old. If this is who you choose, she will be who you choose in eight more years. Wait before making any permanent plans. But first, let’s find her before we argue, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Hendrick mutters, repeating himself.
