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“I saved him for you,” I said, rising.

Her eyes flashed. “What do you mean?”

“He’s yours.”

“I don’t want him! What am I supposed to do with him?”

“What do you want, Ru?”

“Let him go.”

“I’d give you the world if you asked for it.” I stepped toward her. “But that’s the one thing I won’t do. He doesn’t live past today. You get to choose how.”

“Please,” Rhett begged again. “Please, just let me go—”

I put my boot on his back and pressed him flat.

“Shut the fuck up,” I said through clenched teeth. “You think he deserves to live?”

“I don’t want him dead!” Her hands balled into fists at her sides.

“I don’t think that’s true.”

“I…” she trailed off.

“Then why did you want to see him?” I needed her to face this. Face what he’d done to her. “You wanted to ask him how he was doing? Make sure that he was okay and set free? Or did you want him to tell you what he did? And what are you going to do when he admits he planned it? That he wanted to take what wasn’t his? You really wanted to bandage his wrists and help him walk out of here?” She flinched at the venom in my voice. Whatever illusion she was clinging to, I was going to rip it out of her hands.

“I wanted to confront him,” she whispered.

“So do it, Ru.”

My voice dropped and she arched like I’d dragged a finger down her spine. Her hand flew to her belly as a fresh wave of her scent filled the room, sweeter than before.

My little lamb’s body liked my voice, even like this.

Her eyes slid to the garbage on the floor, his cheek pressed to the cold concrete. Her chin trembled. I hauled him up by the chain until he was on his knees, facing her.

She waited until his shit-brown eye found hers.

When it did, the uncertainty drained out of her face.

“What did you do to me?”

“I already told you.” He grunted. “On the video. Why are you asking me?”

“Because I need to hear it from you.” Her voice shook, but she held his gaze. “I need to know he didn’t make you say it.”

Rhett’s eyes flicked to me, then back to her. As if he still had a fucking chance with my mate. “Would you believe me if I said I never touched you?”

I growled. Her eyes darted to mine, then back to him.

“I’ll believe the truth,” she said.

He laughed maniacally. “You were just one of many. But you played hard to get from the minute you came to town. You were such a fucking tease and I don’t like being told no.”

“Did you drug and rape me?”

“I fucked you.”