Page 102 of Obsession & Oath

I say nothing.

His sneer deepens. “Amos always spoke of his daughter with such reverence. A perfect, untouched jewel of the Cartel, worthy of strengthening our empire. And yet?—”

His gaze drops to my stomach, the disgust in his expression twisting like a knife. “You are nothing but a common whore.”

The word slams into me, but I refuse to flinch.

I lift my chin instead, forcing steel into my spine, into my voice. “You know nothing about me.”

“You do not deny it?” His lips curl. “I had hoped the rumors were merely that. But your father couldn’t keep you hidden from me forever. That alone was enough for me to realize the truth: his daughter is a disgrace.”

He steps closer, the air between us growing tight, suffocating.

“Tell me, did you think that I would still take you as my bride?”

The bile rises in my throat, bitter and burning. “I never wanted to marry you.”

Lacruz chuckles, low and humorless. “No, I imagine you didn’t. You were too busy spreading your legs for an Italian.”

My stomach twists, but I force myself not to react. I won’t give him the satisfaction.

He studies me for a long, weighted moment. Then, with calculated ease, he reaches into his pocket and withdraws a single silver key. He turns it between his fingers, the dim light catching on its edges.

My throat tightens.

He holds the key to my cell.

He’s the only thing standing between me and the world beyond these walls. And he knows it.

Lacruz leans in, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Tell me, Carmen, what should I do with you?”

My body tenses, but he doesn’t lunge for me. He only stands there, watching me like a man savoring his last sip of wine before crushing the glass beneath his heel.

“There’s too much chaos upstairs,” he says as if discussing the weather. “No one will come looking for you. Not until it’s far too late.”

The words slither over my skin like a death sentence.

My fingers tighten into fists, nails biting into my palms. If I have to claw my way out of this, I will.

“You could have been great, Carmen.Respected.Instead, you chose to be nothing.” He tsks, shaking his head in mock disappointment. “I wonder, did the Italian even want you? Or did he merely enjoy ruining what was meant to be mine?”

I barely hear him anymore.

Something shifts in the shadows behind him.

My body stills, my spine straight, and suddenly, I know I am no longer alone.

A laugh bubbles up, slipping free before I can stop it. Light and breathless, almost hysterical.

Lacruz freezes. His dark eyes narrow. “What the hell is so funny?”

I meet his gaze, smiling now. A slow, knowing smile. “You’re not going to do anything to me.”

Confusion flickers across his face before rage overtakes it. He opens his mouth, ready to snarl another insult?—

But then a presence materializes behind him, solid and deadly.

Dante steps from the shadows, his expression carved from stone, his body thrumming with barely restrained violence. He looks like something out of a myth, like the wrathful god.

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