What the hell was she thinking provoking Larissa that way?
Why the hell can’t she be the submissive slave I expect her to be?Because that’s not who she is or who you really want.
“Fuck!” I shout, throwing the kitchen door open, and head for the bar to pour myself a drink.
The sound of her heels clicking has me lifting my head, and I knock the Scotch back before pouring myself another. “You’ve no idea what you’ve just done, do you?” I spit out.
She crosses her arms over her chest, and Jesus, do I love the way her tits lift beneath my shirt.
“Larissa’s going to run back and tell my father about you, Hevan. Then fucking what?”
She glares back at me with fire in her eyes. “What did you want me to say, Azrael?”
“Nothing!” I bellow. “I wanted you to say nothing.”
Jensen joins us in the kitchen. “What happened?”
“Larissa.” I glower in his direction. The bitch has been a thorn in my side for years, and now she has some ammunition in the form of Hevan and my baby. A lump gathers in my throat, and I struggle to swallow it back. He can’t find out about how I feel about her; he can’t.
“Do you think we could get ahead of this?” He meansCan we stop her from opening her mouth and exposing my relationship with Hevan?
“No, she’s probably already run back to him.” I swallow the Scotch and pour another, my hand shaking. “End the bitch.” I hold his stare, and he nods.
“Azrael!” Hevan chastises. “You can’t be serious!”
My anger threatens to spill over, so I turn my focus to her. “Deadly.”
She gasps.
“If my father thinks you mean something to me, I’m telling you he will use you against me.” She jerks, but I continue on. “And when I say use, I mean fucking use, Hevan. You have a target on your back bigger than ever now, and my father will be fully aware of who you are to me. You need to get your head out of your ass, sweetheart. This is the fucking Mafia. If you think for one minute you won’t be sold and abused to hurt and control someone, then you’re lying to yourself, and that fucking heir inside you will make him feel like he hit the goddamn jackpot. There will be nothing left of you by the time he finishes with you.”
She flinches, her face pales, and her hand shoots out to grasp the doorframe, and when her bottom lip wobbles, it’s almost my undoing, but I continue on. “If you think I cansave you, you’re wrong. That baby inside you means nothing to a man like him, a man like me. We’ll be lucky if he keeps you around long enough to birth it.” My words are callous and sharp, but every one of them is true. She needs to realize there’s no choice in my world. Our honeymoon period is over, and this is our reality. “He’ll sell you as a whore, Hevan,” I bellow.
“I’ve already been sold, the devil bought me,” she whispers, then turns and walks away, taking my regret with her.
Chapter Forty-Two
Azrael
The mood is somber when we return home, and I hate it. Three fucking days of bliss, and now I’ve no choice but to return and face the wrath of my father and his plans. The man is unhinged at the best of times, so trying to figure out his next move has become a challenge, especially when he trusts no one. Not even his sons.
My phone buzzes, and I scoop it up from the desk.
Czar: You’ve been summoned.
Me: When?
Czar: Tonight. Eight thirty.
Fuck.I rub my fingers over my temples. All I can hope is that he deals me a physical punishment like scars on my back. The sexual ones as a child and teenager were much worse, and it’s something Czar would not be able to sit back and witness, though I’d encourage him to.
We’ve been trained to learn if we step in, then Sienna is next in line, with promises of selling her into sex slavery. That’s not something either of us is willing to risk for our sister.
As long as he still sees me as an asset and heir, then he won’t force me to endure humiliation. At the end of the day, he wants me to become a strong leader, so for his men to witness the depravity he longs for would be undermining us as men.
I’m unsure if that gives me solace about my situation, because all that does is leave Hevan and our unborn child in more danger than ever.
Jesus, I need to get ahead of this and speak with Hevan, but I can’t bring myself to do it. What the fuck do I say? You can’t keep the baby? It doesn’t matter what we want; it’s not safe. I’m going to destroy her, and as cowardly as it is, I just can’t do it. Not yet, not when she looks at me like I’m her everything.
