Page 2 of Sweet Possession
I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the girl, whoever she was. Her lifefrom now on was going to be fucking miserable. But with a cunt like Freddy as a father, I doubted her life up to this point had been anythingbutmiserable.
“Let me get this straight. You’re selling your own flesh and blood toget me my money?”Diaz said, humor in his voice, and for some reason,thatmade me want to knock his front teeth out.
Human trafficking didn’t sit right with me.
Freddy shrugged unashamedly.“I don’t have a need for the cuntanymore. I’ve had years of putting up with her shit, she’s fucking useless. The least she can do is fetch me a pretty penny to help pay back the money I’ve spent on her over the years. She can be someone else’s problem from now on.”
I subtly ground my teeth. His words hit a nerve. If I had to take aguess, I would have bet all my moneythatthe girl had been subjected to a similar childhood to the one I had.
Poor girl.
Christ, I was sure, given the chance, she wouldn’t have chosen tohave been born into a world where Freddy was her crappy excuse of a father.
Justlike I didn’t ask to be born tomycrappy excuse of a father.
Diaz snorted before narrowing his eyes on Freddy.“What makes youthink your daughter will fetch anywhere near what you owe me?”he sneered, looking Freddy up and down like the piece of shit he was.
“Zach and Marvin were sure she would when I showed them herpicture. She’s a pretty girl, look.”He shoved the piece of paper he’d been clutching in his grubby fingers under Diaz’s nose, giving me the briefest glimpse of a photograph.“She turned eighteen last week,”Freddy went on as Diaz took the photo from Freddy.“She’s still a virgin. In fact, she’s neverevenbeen kissed. The Dukes said innocent girls like her are worth their weight in gold.”
Fucking hell. This guy was one sick fuck.
“There’s no way she’s your daughter,”Diaz said accusingly.
“She is, I assure you. Her momma was Greek,”Freddy said hurriedly,as ifthatwould explain everything.
Diaz was quiet for a moment, and the longer he stared at the picture,the more my curiosity peaked as to what the hell was holding his attention.
“I can see why the Dukes think she’ll sell well,”Diaz saidafter several more seconds passed of Freddy waiting with bated breath.“What do you think, Fox?”
He held the photo out to me, and despite part of me wanting nothingto do with this bullshit, I took it from him.
And my world shifted.
Staring back at me from the crumpled photo were big, golden-browndoe eyes, framed by beautifully long lashes, and perfectly sculpted brows. A shy smile played on her rosy pink lips, and a small hand was raised, brushing her bangs off her forehead.
Long chocolate-colored hair trailed down around her slender shoulders, and if Freddy hadn’t said she was part Greek, the olive skin of her flawless complexion would have given it away.
The girl was breathtaking.
As if my heart hadjustbeen jump-started, it began to race, poundinghard against my chest as an array of emotions flooded me. Anger at the douchebag standing before me for using his beautiful daughter in such a callous manner. Rage at the Duke brothers for agreeing to sell her to dirty cunts who would violate the angel in such unspeakable ways.
But more than anything was the overwhelming need to find her, anddo everything in my power to keep her safe from the monsters of this world.
And there were many monsters. I’d once had the job of keepingsomeone else safe from a monster, only I’d failed. But as I stared at the picture in my hand, I knew without the slightest hint of doubtthatI wouldn’t fail again.
Diaz held his hand out for the photo, and I reluctantly handed it over,doing my best to hide my reaction. The last thing I wanted was for Diaz to realize the effect the girl had on me. He was the type of assholethatwould find a way to usethatkind of information against me, the same way I would have done against him.
“What’s her name?”he asked Freddy, unaware of the stupor I’d falleninto.
“Cora. Cora Annabelle Clarke.”
Cora Annabelle Clarke.
Her name repeated over and over in my head, only Clarke wasn’t thelast name my brain played.
Cora Annabelle Fox.
Fuck.
