I give a shake of my head. The image is gone as quickly as it came—a split second of memory. It leaves a void in its place and has me wondering if it’s truly a memory or something I was told.
Focus.
Scarlett grits her teeth, jaw tensing.
“Why did you look?” I ask.
“Is my brother going to be okay?”
“Why?”
“Because he’s my brother.”
I walk toward her, and she backs up until the backs of her legs hit my bed. I catch her before she falls onto it, straighten her, taking her jaw in my hand, putting my thumb over her lips. “You like playing games? I’d be careful playing them with me if I were you.” I release her and turn to walk across the room. “Do not sit on any of my furniture until you get that dress off.”
Opening a drawer, I look at the array of cufflinks. My dad’s supposedly. Fuck. Again. Nothing. Not a god damned thing. The only thing I recognize is the engagement ring I tossed in here after taking it off Scarlett’s finger.
I choose a pair of cufflinks at random, closing the drawer a little harder than I need to.
“Why did you look?” I ask again as I turn to her, slipping the links into their slots.
“Because they deserved what they got. Actually, they deserved worse. You were too easy on them.”
“Hmm.” I study her. See a hate in her eyes I find familiar. That’s good. That’s what I need to see.
“Why did you have my uncle do it?”
“Why did I have him kill them?”
She nods.
“A test of loyalty.”
She snorts, rolls her eyes.
“He failed. But to be honest, he’d have failed either way. Kill your own blood and I know you’re a traitor. Don’t, and you’re not loyal to me.”
She’s confused, her forehead wrinkling.
“The reaper stands at his door either way.” A knock at the door interrupts us. “Yes.”
The door opens and my uncle, David, peeks his head inside. When he sees the girl, I see a flicker of surprise in his eyes, but he’s quick to catch himself. I’m sure he’d agree with Dante. I should have killed her and the boy, too.
“Ready?” he asks.
“Two minutes.”
He glances at her again, nods to me and leaves, closing the door.
I turn back to Scarlett, look her over and close the space between us. I give her credit for not backing away.
“Get that dress off. Get showered.”
“Can you just tell me if Noah’s okay?”
“He’s fine.”
“Is he going to stay fine?”
“For now. Get showered. I’ll have food sent up. You don’t leave this room.”
“Why? Why didn’t you kill us?”
“Yet.”
“What?”
“Why haven’t I killed you yet. That’s how you should ask that question.”
She swallows, worry making her face go pale.
“You may be useful.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’m going to need something to fuck when I’m back.”
Shock registers on her face and her mouth opens into a perfect O. I give her a minute to process.
“I will not be fucking you,” she finally says, tone a little quieter.
“Face down ass up is my preference. So I know my options. Be sure to be in position—”
She raises her arm to slap me. Instinct or stupidity. Jury’s still out.
I catch her wrist. “You’re an angry little thing, aren’t you?”
“You can fuck yourself, Cristiano Grigori. I will not be fucking you.”
I chuckle.
She raises her left arm to do what the right couldn’t. I catch that wrist too, my opinion leaning toward stupidity rather than instinct.
“Don’t think what I did for you was a kindness and don’t ever think to strike me. If you get rough, I’ll get rough and you’ve seen what I’m capable of.”
“Giving the order to kill you mean?”
I squeeze her wrists, walking her back to the wall. “The only thing keeping your brother and you alive right now is the warm pussy between your legs. Once I’m done with it, all bets are off, so I’d try really hard to ingratiate myself if I were you.” I lean in so the tip of my nose is touching the tip of hers. “I’ll make this simple so you can follow. Do not fuck with me. Am I clear, Scarlett?”
She grits her teeth I assume to stop herself from opening her smartass mouth.
I press her wrists into the wall and squeeze. “I asked you if I’m fucking clear?”
She winces, eyes wide. What does she see in mine, I wonder? Rage. Fury. A monster.
I raise my eyebrows. “Do I need to dumb it down some more?”
“I’m not stupid and you’re fucking crystal clear.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
She calls me an asshole under her breath. Not stupid enough to say it to my face at least.
“What was that?” I ask, cocking my head to the side.
She keeps her lips sealed.
“Did you fucking say something, Scarlett?”
“No.”
“Good.”
I look down at her blood-crusted dress, shift her wrists into one of my hands and grip the bodice.
“What are you—”
The dress makes a glorious ripping sound, cutting her off. It exposes her bra, her flat belly. I shift my gaze back to hers. Her eyes have gone wide, mouth still open.
“Get it off. Shower.” I release her wrists and walk to the door. “Alec.” The guard turns to me. “Keep an eye on Ms. De La Cruz,” I tell him, glancing at her. “She doesn’t go out and nobody comes in.”
She’s wordlessly cursing me to hell and back. All I have to do is look at her to know. Her hands are tight fists holding the remnants of her dress together.
“If she does anything stupid, don’t touch her. Punish her brother.”
“No!” she calls out.
I walk out, then stop and turn back to her. “Remember what I said. Face down, ass up.”
She loses what color remained on her face. Good. She’ll heel. Because the tables have turned on the De La Cruz family and I decide whether she and her brother live or die.
3
Scarlett
I stand at the wall and watch the door close. I don’t breathe until it does. I don’t move until his footsteps have receded and a full minute has passed.
Punish her brother.
Shit.
He could have threatened to throw me back into the cell. Could have threatened me bodily harm. But he’s too clever for that. He knows I’ll obey if he threatens Noah.
Face down, ass up.
I can’t even begin to think about that part because what the hell just happened?
And the comment about no one coming in. Who would come in? My uncle? I’m an enemy to every single person in this house. I guess he wants to be sure I’m in one piece when he gets back to do what he thinks he’s going to do.
I shake my head, try to clear that thought and the ones that follow. Because I’m not stupid. He doesn’t need my permission to do anything.