Page 16 of His Paradise

“We could continue this senseless disagreement, or just accept the help and look at what Luna has found.” Alec speaks up, always the voice of reason. Luna goes to the car, pulling out her laptop as she opens multiple files.

“Here’s the guy we saw lurking around David,” She begins.

“Fuck,” I curse. “Shit,” Alec says at the same time. The blue haired son of a bitch from the gas station. My instincts were screaming at me, and I ignored them.

“You know this guy?” Luna asks.

“We saw him at the gas station.” Alec says, scrubbing a hand over his face as he turns away to control his temper. But I’m beyond control. I slam my foot into the side of the car, denting the passenger door as I let out a cry of rage. Luna quickly grabs her laptop before it falls off the car and Jared grabs my shoulder, stopping me from making an even bigger scene.

“What’s up, princess? Wanna buy him dinner before you eye fuck him?” Markus calls to a man that openly stares while jogging past us. He stumbles, righting himself as he runs faster and Luna grins.

“Come on now, don’t be shy. He’s a very gentle lover.” She shakes her head, high fiving Markus while Alec works his jaw to the point he looks in physical pain.

“I’ve felt that rage, the helplessness. Don’t let it cloud your judgment.” Jared tells me, turning to Luna with a shake of his head. “Stop harassing strangers.” He scoops her up, stomping back to the car with her thrown over his shoulder.

“I’ll send you all the information I found on him. Dude’s name is Percival, so he’s probably a complete douchebag.” She calls back to me before Jared tosses her into the backseat and shuts the door behind them. Markus frowns, giving Alec a pleading look.

“Don’t make me get in there with them. They’re definitely doing immoral stuff, and I don’t want them to corrupt my innocence” Markus inches towards the driver's door of our car. Alec rolls his eyes, stomping towards the other vehicle without saying a word.

“Your innocence?” I ask, raising a brow. Markus smirks as we both get into the car.

“I’ll have you know that I am a lady, thank you very much.” Markus says in a high pitched tone, syncing his phone to the car's GPS. I already miss Alec’s aloof personality, as Markus starts singing off key to the music that blasts through the speakers. If Nina ever doubts my love for her, I haven’t swung on Markus in a few hours. That should say something.

Chapter thirteen

Nina

Grayson looks sick as he stands in the doorway and watches David lose his mind. David wrenches the dresser, ripping drawers loose as he throws them across the room. I stay where I am, cowering against the wall with a hand cupped over the bleeding wound on my face. My eyes flick to the knife that is lying near my feet, my blood still smeared over the glinting blade. Grayson moves before I can, kicking the weapon behind him and into the hallway. When I look up at him, he shakes his head once, warning me that it would be futile.

David turns to face me, pointing a shaking finger in my face as he storms closer. I lean backwards but he grabs my throat, lifting me until my feet dangle and my toes scrape across the hardwood floor.

“You ungrateful bitch. I give you a home, food and clothes on your back. Night after night you keep trying to turn me away and I’m sick of being a nice guy. You’ll submit to me or I’ll fuck your sister while you watch.” He spits the words in my face as I scrabble against his grip, my vision blurring as my lungs beg me for air.

“Submit,” He hisses the word, throwing me and bashing my body against the wall. My head slams backwards so hard that I see stars and a sickly cry wheezes from me as I suck in air. My tears burn while they stream down my face, and I watch as they mix with my blood to drip crimson spots onto the floor between my hands. I bow my head, touching my forehead to the floor and a sob shakes my entire body.

“Get her fucking cleaned up before I come back.” David shoves me out of his way with his foot as he leaves, slamming the door behind him. Grayson is suddenly next to me, trying to help me up. My face is slack and I allow myself to sink into a safe place within me. Somewhere that monster will never touch.

“You told him you would never give yourself to him, Nina. What were you thinking?” Grayson asks, opening the frequently used first aid kit on the bed next to where I’m sitting. I give him a cold stare, forcing him to look into my eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that.” He grunts, smearing antiseptic across my face.

“You are no better than him. He’s going to rape me, while you stand on the other side of the door and let him.” I say, my voice flat. He flinches, looking away as he calms his breathing.

“I don’t like this any more than you do. David knows where my fucking daughter is. If I stand against him, he’ll hurt her, or worse, Nina. I can’t do anything to put her in danger.” His voice is a low shout, and I can see the genuine fear in his eyes. “I want to help you, but please understand when I say that I can’t let what’s happening to you happen to her.”

This man, with piercings through his eyebrow, a skull tattooed on his head and knuckles covered in more scars than skin is afraid. He isn’t afraid of David, he’s afraid of what he would do to somebody he loves. To his daughter. I reach out, putting my hand in his as he stares at them. “Gabriella has already lost enough, when her mother died. Biologically I’m her uncle, but I adopted her when she was just a baby. I can’t let her suffer because of my stupid decisions.” He shakes his head.

“You should go get her and run as far as you can.”

“I can’t do that, he will find us. David has eyes and ears everywhere, he can reach you no matter where you hide. If I kill him, he has loyalists that would do the job for him and hunt us down. This is the only way I can protect her.” He shakes his head, turning to leave. “You remind me of her. My sister Carmen. She was kind, and fiercely protective of me. A little bossy, too.” I can hear the strain in his voice.

“I forgive you, Gray.” I say. Grayson stops with his hand on the door. His shoulders slump before he walks out and leaves me sitting alone. The lock slips into place and all I can do is pray that Percy sticks to his word and gets my sister far away from here tonight. Grayson is right, whoever kills David is as good as dead.

My head is still throbbing as I lay in the bed, pulling the blankets around me as if they will protect me from the monsters just as they did when I was just a little girl. But these blankets aren’t a magical shield, I’m not safely tucked in and the monster isn’t under my bed.

“I’m glad you’ve decided to show a little gratitude.” David’s voice is low as he clicks the lights off, shutting the door gently. I keep my eyes closed as I hear him emptying his pockets and taking his shirt off.

“Open those pretty eyes, Nina.” He tries to sound seductive, but his voice makes my stomach churn.The blankets are ripped away from me and he’s not impressed by the leggings and oversized shirt I am sleeping in. Grayson had brought it in, sneaking it alongside the sickly sheer lingerie set that David sent for me.

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