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“You may not believe me, Isla. But I can assure you that, for a time, I cared for your aunt a great deal. But not even I could get her off the drugs, and there’s not much an addict won’t do for their fix, including spilling secrets they shouldn’t have known in the first place. I was too liberal with what I told her and with what I allowed to happen in front of her. It was my responsibility to remove the threat to my family and my organization, no matter what means led to that end.”
Does he think this explanation is going to win him any favors? Does he think that I’m suddenly going to understand why he had to kill the woman who was like a second mother to me, starting a never-ending domino effect that almost ruined my life? That tore my family apart?
“None of this answers why I’m here. I’m not Clarissa. I don’t even look like her,” I argue.
“No, you don’t,” he agrees. “But I find myself much more intrigued by you than I was her. And I learned from my mistakes the first time around. I can make your life very comfortable and allow your father and best friend to walk free, without any threat from me looming over their heads, so long as you agree to stay here with me. You would be kept separate from my business, for both our sakes, and once I’m certain you’re not a flight risk, perhaps you could get back to some of the things you enjoy.”
“I’m married!”
He chuckles. “If you think a little thing like a ring and a piece of paper is enough to stop me from getting what I want, you have no idea what I’m capable of.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
ISLA
Before I have a chance to respond, he slips one arm behind my knees and the other behind my back, easily lifting me from the ground.
Panic flares in my chest, but whatever they’ve given me stops me from fighting against him. The worst part is, I have no idea how long it’s going to last. Whatever they gave me the first time didn’t seem to keep me knocked out for long, but I’ve been almost immobile for much longer than I would like.
He lays me down on the leather couch in the corner, his gaze moving over me hungrily. The oversized shirt I’m wearing is doing little to cover me, and he doesn’t miss how it’s ridden up my thighs.
“Such a pretty little thing,” Spade murmurs, brushing his fingers up the inside of my thigh. “I can see why Doc made the best out of a bad situation. But he didn’t do a very good job of protecting what belongs to him. Men who cannot covet what they do not deserve to have will always lose it.”
I want to argue. I want to tell him he has no concept of my relationship with Doc or how it’s grown over the last two months, but I’m too lost in the terror of my reality. The knowledge that he could do anything to me right now and Iwould feel every second of it is more than enough to render me speechless.
His fingers move over my black thong, pressing them to my clit and drawing gentle circles over the sensitive bundle of nerves. But I feel nothing.
“I’m going to have so much fun with this body. It’s a good thing you let that asshole break you in. I’m not really into virgins.”
I stare up at him with horror. How the hell does he know I was a virgin before Doc? No one knows that, except for Bree…
He chuckles, watching as I put the pieces together with keen interest. “Your best friend is quite the chatter when she thinks her life is at stake. She’s a pretty girl, could fetch me a pretty penny at auction, but sadly, while I don’t particularly enjoy an untouched woman, virgins are a hot commodity, and I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that Bree is far from virginal.”
Ordinarily that comment would make me snort, because he’s got that right. My best friend believes that sexual expression is the most freeing of them all, and she likes to find a new person to express with every second night. I’ve never judged her for it, because I take my hat off to anyone who can flaunt it the way she can, but there has always been an on-running joke about how different we are sexually. But something about this situation makes it impossible for me to find the funny side of his words, especially because he is openly talking about selling my best friend into the skin trade.
“I want to see my dad and Bree,” I force the words through clenched teeth. “I need to know they’re safe.”
“Unfortunately, that can’t happen just yet, but in time if you’re good, we may be able to arrange something.”
“How do I know they’re alive? How do I know you haven’t already killed them?” I snap.
I hold my breath, expecting him to be angry at how I’ve dared to speak to him, but instead his deep laugh fills the room. “You don’t get my reputation by not being able to admit who you have and haven’t killed, Isla.”
“You make it sound like a good thing.”
“It is.” He smirks as he pushes the shirt higher, uncovering my lower belly. “Your father and Bree will be released in the morning when it’s safe. Until then, they are not hurt, they are not being mistreated, and none of my men are planning to harm them unless you choose not to cooperate.”
His touch leaves goosebumps in its wake, the promise of what’s to come the longer we’re alone together is clear in every brush of his fingers.
“Where are we?” I ask, trying to distract him from where his hand is climbing higher toward my breasts.
“My cabin,” he tells me. “I’ll take you home to the mansion in a few days once it’s safe. It seems there are some people who disagree with my claim on you.”
“Like my husband?” I ask.
He nods solemnly. “Yes. Doc isn’t taking your disappearance well. But he and the Saint James family will soon learn what happens when they come into my territory without an invitation.”
I feel the moment the blood drains from my face, the promise in his words not lost on me. Is he going to kill Doc? I’ll never be able to live with myself if something happens to him because of me.
