Page 45 of His Prize

I nodded. “Take her away. And make sure she’s on the ‘banned’ log for this property.”

Alice started to shake. “I’ll find a way to ruin you, Israel. I will bring the wrath of my entire family down on your head!”

I shrugged. “Then, I’ll simply let them know.”

“Know what, you slimy little asshole?”

I smiled viciously. “That you had a chance to marry me and be the daughter your mother wants you to be, but you squandered it on a lie.”

Her face fell as my security guard dragged her out of my office. And when my office door closed once more, I turned back to my desk. I gazed down at the divorce papers with uncertainty. I had to tell Bonnie what was going on. I had to tell her about this.

But how?

How did I tell her I was still legally married to her snake of a cousin?

Better now than later.

I dug my cell phone out of my pocket and went to dial her number. I paused, though, when I saw I had an unanswered voicemail from Bonnie herself. I dialed my voice mailbox and put the call on speakerphone, not wanting to miss a word of what she had to say.

And when her voice filled the room, my stomach dropped to the floor.

“Hey, Israel. It’s me. I’ve got one more thing I have to do today. Then I’m bringing the rest of my work back home. I need to speak to my uncle about everything. I think I finally have it put together, so I’m headed downtown now to find him. See you when I get home.”

She’s going to find out everything.

Including exactly what I did with the driver of the truck that almost killed her. And while Bonnie knew the kind of man I could be, she didn’t know brutality like this. She didn’t know this side of me yet. She didn’t understand what had happened to me and the things I was capable of when someone tried to rip away from me someone I cared about.

She’d find out after speaking with her uncle, though. Surely, he’d tell her what had happened to that driver. And I worried if the details would forever tarnish her image of me.

I worried she might not be capable of loving me anymore after she figured it all out.

19

Bonnie

I staredat my reflection in the plexiglass screen as I sat on the cold, unforgiving chair. My lower back started to pulse with pain as I moved myself to the edge of the chair. I didn’t want to be here any longer than necessary. But, I had some questions I wanted to ask my uncle.

And I knew he had a few to ask me as well.

With my hands folded in my lap, I heard the buzzing of the doors. The one in front of me swung open, and standing before me in a bright-orange jumpsuit with his hands cuffed to shackles around his feet stood my uncle with that smug fucking grin on his face. He sauntered toward me with his shoulders rolled back and his head held high as if he had something to take pride in.

Then, he sat and picked up the phone beside him. “Never expected to see you here, Bonnie.”

I held the phone to my ear. “I suppose surprises aren’t always terrible.”

He chuckled. “What are you doing here? What do you want?”

“Is that really all you wish to ask me?”

“No. I have a great deal I want to ask you.”

“Then, get to it. Because this is the only time I’ll be visiting you anywhere.”

He snickered. “Like you have that kind of self-control.”

I smiled. “Try me.”

His face fell. “Why have you fired so many of my best and most reliable men?”

---