Page 6 of Stolen Bride

“If he wants me, he wants me, so there’s no need to show him every inch. What’s the phrase?”

She cuts me off. “Yeah, yeah. He’ll pay for it all.” So she knows that the bastard is willing to pay for me. I bet her father wouldn’t sell her off to anyone, but since I’m his stepdaughter, I’m fair game.

****

It’s time for dinner, and our guest is about to arrive. All afternoon, I thought about his looks, his age, and his attitude. If he wants me for marriage, then he has to be a total loser.

“Where is Camille?”

“She won’t be joining us tonight. She has better things to do. This is just for you, so you better make it worth my effort.” My body is full of nerves as I await my fate in the living room. The doorbell rings, and my father goes straight to the door.

“Welcome. Please come in, Thomas.”

“Good evening, James.” I hear the greeting, and immediately the voice tells me he’s not young, as if I had any hope to begin with. They sound similar to each other. When he enters the room, I have to hold back my revulsion at the large, balding man in his late forties.

His eyes rake up and down my body, tracing my figure like a sick vulture. “She’s gorgeous, Jimmy.” He licks his lips. “You weren’t lying.”

I gag. “Excuse me.”

There’s no way I can marry that man. No way.

I run from the room and vomit as soon as I make it into the bathroom. My stepfather comes bursting into the room, fisting my hair, gripping it violently with evil eyes that shake me to the core. That hasn’t happened since I was a little girl. With a deadly expression in his eyes, he whispers through clenched teeth, “Wash your mouth, get your ass out there, and behave. You’ll pay for this outburst later.”

He releases me hard, and my hands barely catch myself against the sink. A moment later, I’ve managed to compose myself and then exit the bathroom, moving to the dining room where they’re gathered. As soon as my presence is known they’re attention is on me and I can’t help but feel like a spotlight is on me. Still, I give him my fake apology as demanded. “Sorry. My breakfast hasn’t sat well with me.”

He gives me a snide look and then smiles. “It’s okay. I’ll make sure it’s taken off the menu.” Every urge I have to vomit is held back as I politely return his smile.

“How old are you, Stella?” I’m sure he’s already aware, but he wants to hear it from my lips.

The bile fills my throat, but I manage to swallow it back. “I’ll be eighteen in a few weeks.”

“Good. Good.” There’s a sinister appearance on his face as he focuses on my mouth. “There’s so much I can do with that pretty mouth of yours once you’re legal.”

“The wedding should take place right after her birthday,” my stepfather says.

I drop my fork, but I haven’t forgotten the warning I’d gotten. “Behave, little girl,” Thomas says, taking no issue with correcting me in front of my stepfather.

“Don’t worry. She’ll be disciplined for her behavior.”

He smirks and takes a drink of his wine. “Remember—I want her to be perfect coming to me, so no damage to her face and that innocent little hole.”

“Of course.” The smirk on his dirty face was something I haven’t witnessed before. I bite my tongue because they both just agreed that my stepfather could abuse me as long as he didn’t hurt my face or fuck me. I’ve never been more disgusted.

I just want the night to end. Mercifully, I’m sent to my room before Thomas leaves, but that doesn’t stop the punishment. It’s in the middle of my sleep when I’m awakened to being pulled from my bed, the belt landing on my body several times. He grips my bicep violently and forces me to stare at him. “You ever disrespect and embarrass me again, and your marriage to Thomas won’t save you from what I have planned.”

He tosses me onto the floor, and the pain radiates before I black out.

Chapter Three

Damiano

As the party gets underway downstairs, my night is only beginning. Bodies dance on the floor below while the music thumps and the drinks flow throughout the club. Given my reputation, it’s a money-maker with little to no trouble because no one is stupid enough to come in here and start problems—a reputation that is well deserved.

Technically, the club is a legal establishment, but that doesn’t mean my actions aren’t well known. I am dangerous, deadly, and take shit from no one. It’s the reason my club is calledBody Count.It’s not the number of women to fuck, because that’s the furthest thing from my mind. No—my bloodlust drives me in life, pushing me forward daily.

I may be considered the most ruthless mob boss in town. Still, the authorities mind their fucking business. Paying to have the right people in your pocket is instrumental in life. A lot of those pieces of dirt are so corrupt that they almost make me appear clean. Although, nothing could do that. I’m sick, deadly, insane. My soul is colored blood red, and my heart is darker than night.

My underboss sits across from me as we review last night’s figures. “It’s prosperous, as usual.”

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