His hand stilled.
I bit my lip and winced, internally chastising myself for asking him that now when I was alone and vulnerable.
I held my breath. Now that it was out there, I wanted to know if he would actually answer truthfully.
The silence stretched. I tried one more time. “Fine. You don’t want to give an answer to why you ruined my life. So answer me this. Why does Jameson want me dead? It’s not like I was talking to anyone, claiming the accident was fake. I thought it was real…I thought he was dead.”
A log in the fire popped, making me jump.
After a long pause, Pierce circled his hand on my back again…caressing it. “You’re tired. It’s been a very long day.”
My shoulders dropped. He was just the same. An arrogant, entitled asshole.
One brother used me as a prop in a staged accident.
The other used me as a piece on his chessboard.
One would have killed me for ruining his plans.
The other…
I turned to meet Pierce's searching gaze. Images slammed through me—his hands forcing me beneath the water, his body driving into mine.
The other had tried to kill me while his cock was deep inside of me.
CHAPTER 43
PIERCE
Those beautiful eyes which had so entranced me from the beginning narrowed. “I want answers, Pierce. I deserve them.”
Some inner demon taunted me to answer her truthfully. She may have deserved answers, but that didn’t mean she was ready for them. “It wasn’t about protecting you, not at first. It was about protecting my family’s fortune.”
Madison scurried off my lap, fisting the oversized towel between her breasts as she stood before me. Her mouth opened and closed several times before she huffed. “At least you’re honest about it.”
She turned on her heel and headed toward the bedroom door.
I stood and closed the distance between us in three strides, stretching my arm across her and slamming the polished wood door closed. “You don’t seriously think I’m just going to let you waltz out of here, do you, kitten?”
Her body trembled as I pressed my chest against her back.
She turned to face me, lifting her chin. “Let me go.”
“No.” I moved in closer, pinning her against the door.
She was so small, so frail, but full of fight. She was stronger than she knew, and more resilient than I had anticipated. Too bad she’d never escape this.
“You won’t get away with this,” Madison said. “You used me.”
“I didn’t have any other options,” I said.
Madison’s lips thinned. “You used me as a pawn. Even though you knew he wasn’t dead, you framed me for his murder!”
“It was the only way,” I replied. “My brother was planning something big and if I wanted to stop him, I needed to fuck with his plan to draw him out. I needed leverage. I would’ve made you whole…eventually.”
“And that leverage was me?” Madison said sharply. “You ruined my life over fucking money! For revenge against your brother!”
A dark smirk spread across my face. “It was a lot of fucking money, and he really has it coming.”
