“Good evening, gentlemen,” he says over his shoulder. “It has been most…entertaining.”
The door shuts behind him before I can gather my wits to say anything more. Though I realize that my breath is coming out in great sobbing gasps.
“Well, I certainly never saw that one coming,” I hear someone say with a hoarse laugh.
As if they didn’t just watch a human being wagered in a poker match.
“McErlane!” the senator barks. “We have to talk!”
“We’ll deal with this later,” my father says sharply. “Come, Emma.” He turns to me. “You need to get ready.”
“You can’t be serious, Dad!” I’m shaking my head. “You can’t make me do this!”
“Stop being so dramatic, girl. You’ll be right as rain,” he says dismissively. “It won’t be for long…mark my words. He won’t be around long enough to be a problem in our lives. Just be sure not to get attached to the fucker.”
What?
What does he mean by that? Is he going to save me? Get me away from Raoul Caraldi somehow so he can…what? Marry me off to the senator? Either way, I’m screwed.
Though maybe Raoul wouldn’t be the worst option. At least he knows how to get me off.
What the hell, Emma? He wants to kill you!
I should run. That’s what I need to do. Leave it all behind and get out of here. Start again somewhere else. Anywhere else. I can fucking live on the streets!
And what about your baby?
Oh, my God…
For a second, it’s as if the world around me slows to a halt. Because I have no idea how long I’m going to be at the mercy of this man. And it’s only a matter of time before he discovers that I’m carrying his child.
Chapter 10
Raoul Caraldi
“I’m sorry, Boss, but Mr. Dario’s not taking no for an answer. He says if you don’t take his call, he’s flying over right now.” Mario is holding the phone out to me as if he’s grasping a live snake.
Shit.
There’s no getting out of this. No sense in delaying the inevitable. I take the phone.
“Hello, brother,” I say.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Raoul!” he yells into my ear. I hold the device away for a minute as he goes off like a madman. “Are you actually fucking listening to me?” I eventually hear him shout. Even at arm’s length, I can hear the cursing.
“Yip,” I tell him. “You’re mad.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Mad? You think I’m mad?” he carries on yelling. “What did I fucking tell you, Raoul? Just answer me that? What the fuck did I tell you to do last night?”
“You said to take care of things,” I respond. I glance around, find my seat, and sink into it, propping my feet up on my desk.
“No, my actual fucking words were: don’t break the furniture, don’t offend anyone, and don’t fuck anyone’s wife in the goddamn restrooms!” he hollers.
“Hey, one out of three ain’t bad, right? Not a thing got broken. I checked inventory myself.” I rub my jaw. “Wait a minute…how do you know I fucked anyone? Because technically—”
“There are motherfucking cameras in the motherfucking restrooms, you idiot! Dear God, what kind of fucked up shit was that anyhow?” I can hear his breath snorting down the line like a raging bull.
“You watched?” I asked. “You filthy dog.”
