“I refuse to be a part of trafficking children,” Jensen bites out. “Standing by and watching some of the men and women is bad enough.” He glowers.
I lower my head to face him, my eyes searing into him. “You knew the business when you got into it,” I snipe out.
He swallows hard. “I know. But Azrael, kids? She’s so small, Azrael, she’s—” He swallows again. “Hurt. A grown-ass man hurt a kid that way.” He shakes his head, disgust marring his every feature. And knowing how brutal some of these men can be, I’m sure my expression mirrors his, haunted.
I clear my throat. “Where is she now?”
He studies me, his gaze ping-ponging over mine, and I hold his stare, then his shoulders relax. “At mine.”
I nod. “Good. Keep her there.”
“She’s safe with me,” he states.
His words are a contrast to the man I know. Jensen isdeadly, full of muscle. He’s ex-military, loyal to the bone. I saved his life after he became a target at a charity event. His team had turned on him, and in return, he became my guard.
He protects the very thing he swore to take down. It’s funny what betrayal can do to you, how your morals can change in a turn of events.
Of course, I’m well aware of his connections. Though he thinks I’m oblivious, I’m sure, but not once has he stepped out of line. Not once have I had reason to doubt him, though there’s only one man I trust with my life completely—Czar. But Jensen is a very close second.
I drag a finger over my lip. “I’ll see what I can find out.”
This seems to satisfy him, and he pushes back in his chair. “Azrael, I found her in one of your father’s bedrooms. He might be aware she’s gone.”
The wing in the mansion that my father and I use is the only one without CCTV. The rooms are checked by our staff for bugging devices, and women are brought into the rooms on our arrival. There’s no reason for anyone to go into the bedrooms unattended, and only someone with fingerprint recognition can get out of the wing.
When my little toy ran, she was completely unaware of this. She wouldn’t have gotten far, not without my help anyway. Pride fills my chest at knowing how much she does indeed need me.
“Leave it to me,” I say, and the tension slips from his face.
He jerks his chin and opens the door, but just as he’s about to walk through it, he turns to face me. “One day, I’ll repay you, Azrael.”
I open my mouth to respond, but he walks through the door, leaving me with a deep-seated hatred for the man whogave me life. Deep in my soul, I can feel the darkness looming over us, seeping in. He’s determined to make this new endeavor a reality, and I refuse to comply with it.
Only death and destruction await a demon, and I happen to be named after one.
Chapter Ten
Hevan
As soon as I was confident he left, I rushed to refill my glass and drank down two glasses of water before stopping myself from having more.
I don’t know how long I was curled up in a ball on the shower floor, but it felt incredible to wash away the dirt along with my tears under the heat and warmth of the jet stream. Eventually, I decided to face the night head-on. After all, I’ve already been through hell. How bad can it be?
After lavishing my body with the silky body wash, I washed my hair, ignoring the lump on the back of my head. It feels like a lifetime ago I received the injury, when in reality it’s only been a couple of days.
There’s an array of products beneath the sink: toothbrushes, combs, face creams, natural makeup products, and waxing products, all of which appear unused. I coat my skin in the velvety creams that smell of luxury, blow-dry my hair, then, with nerves rushing through me, I slowly open the bathroom door.
I’m grateful to find the bedroom still empty, and with a towel wrapped around me, I walk over to the dresser, which houses a mirror above it, and open the drawer but find it empty.
I move on to the next, and the next, and each one is bare. Opening the double doors, I expect there to be a closet, and though I’m right, there’s nothing hanging in there either. It’s just a large room with mirrored walls and a large chair resting against the back wall.
My mouth becomes increasingly dry as the time ticks on, and I chew on the corner of my nail, anxiety creeping up my spine with an incredible sense of expectation looming in the air.
I mentally prepare, telling myself this is the only option, the one to cause me less pain and trauma in the long run. Azrael might coerce me into having sex with him, but at least he’s good-looking, unlike some men who entered the basement and forced themselves on the women until they screamed or passed out.
He doesn’t seem like them at all; my body came alive in ways almost foreign to me when he spoke those filthy words that had heat traveling over my body like a punishment and a balm.
I’ve considered fighting Azrael, I have. I even searched for something to use as a weapon but came up blank, or perhaps I was too scared to try.
