Page 16 of Devil's Property
Sadly, the worst part was that my family had been destroyed and my instinct told me the nightmare was just beginning. That’s what happened when you tried to hide from who and what you were.
I could no longer trust my father, his years of pretending and ignoring shattering my protected world. My sweet little sister had no understanding our father was a monster hiding from his past. Why had she been chosen to pay for our father’s sins?
Because I’d been out of town. The irony was disgusting.
My mind was a blur, unwanted memories controlling too much of my mind. The memories continued to surface, every one of them leaving bile in my mouth. Now I was unsure what to do. All I’d thought through was hunting and killing Navarro. Finding Brooke was dangerous. I didn’t need the bastard to tell me that.
Locating my father seemed like an impossibility. I had no idea where he would have gone. Certainly not back to our home country.
Was I a killer? I honestly didn’t know. The ebb and flow of emotions was killing me. I’d been so blindsided I hadn’t thought the plan through. What had traveling a thousand miles away accomplished? Was Brooke still in LA as Navarro had suggested? I’d gone to the Los Angeles police on day one, forced to wait to file a missing person’s report for two goddamn days. There’d been clear evidence that her apartment had been broken into. So many of her things had been smashed, destroyed. The monsters had been searching for something.
The police had done nothing but take my report. No visit. No follow-up phone call. Nothing. I was all alone in trying to save her.
Yet with all my good intentions, the moment I’d stared into Navarro’s gorgeous eyes after he’d kissed and… fondled me, I’d failed. I’d failed myself and my sister.
But I wasn’t the person who’d failed her the most.
Our dear father was to blame.
Tonight I’d gone off the rails, off script from my typical behavior. Instead of providing some sense of satisfaction, my skin crawled.
As I moved through the crowd, pushing my way past drunks and idiots, I suddenly felt dirty. I’d enjoyed his soft caresses and his whispered words. The taste of him lingered in my mouth and my pussy was still throbbing from the earlier pleasure. Plus, the horrible bastard had spanked me. Instead of hating what he’d done, I’d been aroused. Something was clearly wrong with me, or maybe I’d bought into the whole femme fatale bullshit.
Hissing, I leveled a nasty glare at a man who was heading in my direction. At least he got the message, throwing up his arms in surrender. No one should fuck with me right about now.
I wasn’t the kind of woman who tolerated something repulsive with grace.
My father had scolded me the first time I’d had a smack-down with a man, telling me my behavior wasn’t very ladylike. Although secretly I think he’d been cheering me on. I’d been gangly, standing several inches taller than most boys. That hadn’t won me any favors. He’d attempted to tell me my motherhad never acted so impulsively, but he’d forgotten how much I’d remembered. I was the spitting image of my mother.
Bold and daring.
I’d learned the hard way that men preferred cutesy little blondes that could fit into the palms of their hands. Every perfect woman had giggles, not laughs, acting as if they were special just because they’d been born.
Maybe that’s why I’d turned into an introvert, choosing furry creatures over human beings. All they wanted was love. All men wanted was sex, which they used for control. I’d had more than my share of experiences, enough to fill dozens of canvases with stark, primal colors.
The nightmares hadn’t helped create confidence either. I’d suffocated in a foggy world where fantasy and reality had collided.
Painting was a solace, the only thing that soothed the sadness and anger inside.
I wondered what my mother would say if she saw me now? God, I missed her more now than when I was a child. In the last few days, I’d remembered more and more about her whereas before I’d tried hard to forget. That’s what tragedy did to young minds. My guess was her advice would be I was in over my head and should try talking to the authorities again.
I was too far into the game to turn back now. It felt as if I had the entire weight of the world on my shoulders, the only person capable of saving my sister. I had no way of knowing if I had other family or if they’d help. Plus, asking them would open Pandora’s Box and I wanted nothing to do with that life.
Sadly, I was way too attracted to Navarro. I touched my lips, remembering just how soft his had been. They were oh-so inviting and the way he’d kissed had been… wow. Just wow.
To hell with that.
He’d spanked me.
My original hatred of the man still applied.
Bastard.
I smacked my palm against the door, heading outside without losing a single stride. I only hoped I could get an Uber to come out this late. I’d been so angry, eager to slice and dice the man I’d become blinded. What had doing so accomplished? Absolutely nothing.
My father was to blame and I’d gone to his house to confront him, only to find he’d disappeared like the coward he was. Not only had our past found us, but if what I’d discovered in his home office was true, his promises that he’d left his former life behind had all been a lie. Why now? Why put his children in harm’s way? Had he grown bored over the years, wishing for the old glory days when he’d had money to burn? I’d thought he was at least content with the life he’d created for us.
So much didn’t make any sense.
