AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There is no escape. Reese Carmichael will marry me this instant, or she will spend the next six years in prison. If she were smart, she’d choose prison. At least there, they have rules. In my prison, the only rules that govern me are the ones that work to my benefit.
Those curious emerald eyes blink slowly and cautiously. “This is a courthouse—a place of law. If you drag me out of this car, they’ll arrest you immediately.”
Her naïveté is sweet.
“You seem to have a lot of faith in the judicial system when less than twenty-four hours ago, Detective Dumbass accused you of a crime you didn’t commit.”
I flash her a wink. “But hey, maybe the public servants here will be smarter and recognize your distress for what it is—guilt.”
She scoffs. “You’re insane.”
“And you’re out of time.”
As soon as I reach for the door handle, Reese goes for hers and is out of the car, running down the sidewalk like an escapee. Her golden hair whips behind her in the wind, seeking the warmth of the eastern sun.
“Flower,” I call, not bothering to run but leisurely walking behind her, “don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
Her steps falter, and her pace slows, but it’s not because she’s scared.
She’s out of breath.
“It’s quite a shame, really,” I scold, closing in on her. “You might have had a real chance at escaping if you’d scammed the track team instead of a lazy frat house.”
I give her about two seconds before I sprint the remaining distance between us.
“Ahh!” she screams, her weak hits doing nothing as I wrap my arms around her and toss her over my shoulder.
“I hate you!” She tries again, attempting to kick me instead.
She’s the worst criminal I’ve ever seen. What criminal resorts to kicking? I might as well marry a sexy toddler who enjoys playing on everyone’s cell phone.
“You only think you hate me now,” I add, holding her tighter. “Just wait until we spend our first night together as husband and wife.”
She doesn’t know what hate is. She should be grateful I’m leaving the car running for her fucking cat.
“The joke is on you, asshole. Married or not, I will never sleep with you.”
I laugh at the finality of her voice. “Oh, thank goodness. I was worried I’d have to keep the cuffs on you all day.”
Her body might appeal to my baser nature, but the rest of her I detest. I have no space in my life for anyone other than a prisoner. Reese taught me that many years ago. I’m not like other men. I don’t get the joys of a woman’s love and body. That’s not my purpose. My purpose is to punish the guilty for the innocent. The judicial system has many holes that I fill with evil souls who thought they could escape my wrath.
I might not have the love of a woman, but I damn sure have a passion for vengeance, and that’s enough to keep me satiated.
“Cuffs?” She stops kicking and goes still. “You’re going to put me in handcuffs?”
Finally, a little fear works its way into her brain. “Since when do you use cuffs?”
Since never, but she doesn’t need to know that.
“I’m not the same man you betrayed, Flower.”
I walk back toward the courthouse.
“Oh, well, that’s certainly something to brag about.” She lowers the pitch of her tone and mocks me. “Don’t fuck with me, Flower. Like a true serial killer, I’ve evolved.”
My mouth twitches, but I fight off the smile. “I think you’re mixing up your criminals, darling. You need to kill to be a serial killer.” I smack her on the ass just for getting on my fucking nerves and making me laugh. “I’ve never killed anyone, unlike you.”
Something drew Reese and me together all those years ago. We both carried a weight of guilt deep in our dark souls.
