I don’t move from my spot. “What am I? A dog?” I ask as he turns to look when I don’t automatically follow.
He heaves out a sigh and comes back, grabbing my arm and towing me after him. “Tori, please just do as I say,” he mutters, and before I can argue, he continues. “Don’t make this worse for any of us. Mario will make Tristan torture your father and aunt. Don’t do that to any of them.”
I stumble after him before righting myself and getting control of my fury. He’s right, I really don’t want to be responsible for them being tortured.
“Where are we going?” I ask as we walk out of the house and find Mario, Vienna, and Colton watching as a moving van pulls up in front of the mansion.
“Ah, wedding time.” Mario rubs his hands together and waves at a car parked off to the side. “Take that one. We will have a nice family meal to celebrate when you get back, and in a couple of weeks, we will have a big party to launch this new relationship. I promised Stacey a big wedding, and I wouldn’t want to overshadow her big day next week.”
Vienna’s eyes widen, and her mouth purses at that statement, so I guess Tristan’s upcoming nuptials really are news to all of them.
“They are getting married? Already?” she asks Mario, and he sneers at her.
“Of course they are. I promised her they would, and I always live up to my promises. Now go with these two and make surethey get it done.” He dismisses us by turning his back to us and gesturing for the movers to start unpacking the van.
“Penelope is inside. She will show you where this all needs to go and the things that are being removed,” he instructs.
“What the actual fuck? You can’t do this,” I argue, but again, Xavier grabs my arm and drags me over to the car, Colton and Vienna trailing behind us.
“Just get in,” he snarls and shoves me at the passenger door before going around to the driver’s side.
“He can’t do this. That’s my home and my things,” I snap but do as he says. I will pick my battles, and for the moment, furniture is the least of my worries.
The other two get into the back, and Xavier guides the car out of the gate and onto the road, heading toward Suncity.
The vehicle is quiet, although I can hear Colton and Vienna murmuring to themselves, but I don’t bother to listen while I stew in my anger and resentment. I can’t believe I used to feel something for these people. Hell, if I’m honest, I still do, which makes it all the more distressing. It’s like Stacey all over again. I dropped my guard, let them in, and bam, it blew up in my face, but this time it’s worse. Stacey was my friend, but I never had feelings for her until that dreaded night. In fact, most of the time I found her annoying, but she was a little less annoying than all the other people in my year. But this group? This group managed to weasel their way under the bulletproof barrier I put around my heart. Somehow, they found the cracks letting Sage in created, and they managed to pry them apart and slither through, making a place for themselves in the fortress where I keep those pesky feelings like love and trust. Although I’m beyond furious, I’m also so fucking hurt and sad, I just don’t know what to do with myself.
“Just when I thought I couldn’t feel any more betrayed, you pull this shit. Was it all fake? Are you all that fucking good atacting? Did Mario put you through a class, or am I not the first person you’ve set up like this? Is this just a common thing for you? You’re like the ultimate honey traps.”
I hate that instead of sounding angry, you can hear the utter betrayal in my voice. Fuck.
“Tori,” Vienna says, but I refuse to look anywhere other than out the window and the blur as the world goes by.
Before she can say anything else, Colton interrupts her. “Xavier, what’s on the windshield? Is that some kind of insect?”
I glance toward the front and wrinkle my brows in confusion. The windshield is sparkling clear, like it was just cleaned by hand without streaks, marks, or unfortunate smears.
“Yeah, I think it’s some kind of bug,” Xavier replies, and I sit up straighter. “Don’t worry, I’ll get someone to wash it off when we get to the courthouse. There’s a car full of Mario’s men following us, one of them can do it.”
I swing around and peer out the back window, and sure enough, there is an SUV with men following us. I catch Colton’s eye, and he gives me a quick nod. “Damn bugs everywhere at the moment. It must be the season for them. I bet the mansion is full of them too, with all those doors left open today,” he says solemnly, and my eyes widen as I comprehend what they are trying to tell me.
The car is bugged, as is my house. Everything we say is being listened to, and we can’t speak freely anywhere. At least they told me. A small flame of hope sparks inside my heart, and I turn forward. I bet they don’t know about my father’s hidden room. Ugh, but Lorenzo did, so maybe he told them. I wouldn’t put it past Lorenzo to keep some things close to his chest. If he can betray family, then he could betray Mario as well.
“You know I’m not going to make any of this easy for you, right? I may be agreeing to marry you, but I will make your lifea living hell,” I warn him, and I hope they can read between the lines. I think there’s a good chance we need to have a sit down.
Xavier sighs. “I wouldn’t have expected anything else. Just accept this is going to happen. Once you sign on the dotted line, you will be my wife, and short of death, nothing will change that. I won’t give you a divorce. As long as we have access to the Russo legacy, nothing else matters.”
“And the baby factor? What if I don’t get pregnant? You have to fuck to have a baby, and I won’t let you anywhere near me to do that,” I ask carefully, wondering how he feels about that.
He turns to look at me, and I almost flinch at the desire I see in his eyes. Surely that isn’t right. His attraction to me was all an act, a way to get what they wanted.
“We will share a bed, Tori. Mario won’t have it any other way.” It sounds like he’s warning me. “You will get pregnant with my child, even if I have to tie you up and hold you down while I fuck my cum into your perfect fucking pussy, and by the time I’m done, you will be begging me for more.”
Holy fucking shit. My nipples pebble, and my core throbs at his threat. He’s basically insinuating he’s going to rape me to get what he needs, and here I am, being turned on by it. Fuck me, I’m messed up.
“I won’t have a child. I am not mother material,” I argue, not even touching on the whole nonconsensual part of his statement. “Nor will I allow any child to be used to manipulate me.” I make sure I emphasize the wordany. A small smile lifts his lips before he turns back to the road.
“No, but Vienna is, and she would be more than happy to raise our child.”
