Page 12 of Broken Discipline
Finn stared down at me, his grip still firm around my waist. The doors were locked by Finn’s fingerprints. And the police hadn’t even acted concerned when I had tried to tell them what was going on. Finn had also been ready with the injection as if he knew I would need to be sedated. Worst of all, the police hadhelpedhim tackle me.
Finn knew I was going to call the police, then. Had he paid them off to ignore my cry for help?
“My name is Ramona Astley,” I stammered. “Where is my husband?”
“I am your husband.He gripped my back, helping me to stand up straight. His messy hair was long enough that if I had any sort of strength in my muscles, I’d be able to grip it and ram his head into my knee, but my muscles were flimsy like cellophane. A flash of the night I met him filled my mind: the blood on his clothes, the complete vacancy in his eyes. My memory was bad, but I knew what that blood meant: he had hurt someone at the Masquerade,someone like me.
And now, staring into his blue eyes, it was the same. There was no empathy. No kindness. He didn’t care that he had just drugged me in front of police officers.
And that terrified me.
He ran a hand across my face, cupping my chin. “You should get back to sleep—”
I slung my fist as hard as I could, but it barely hit his jaw before dropping again. He grabbed my wrist firmly, then pushed me against the wall, pinning me like a voodoo doll. I glared up at him.
“I’m not crazy,” I slurred. “I know I’m not. Where the fuck is my husband?”
His lips stretched into a grin, like a glowing crescent moon, and it unnerved me. It was like he hadn’t smiled in years.
“I am your husband, Ramona. This is your new reality.”
I shook my head. Everything in my life had changed, and I was supposed to be okay with a stranger claiming he was my husband?
“What happened to Bruce?” I whispered.
“He sold you to me,” Finn said.
Those words sent shivers down my spine because that sounded like Bruce. Bruce didn’t see me or the twins as people; he cherished us like valuable property to be taken care of.
But could I believe Finn? Would Bruce ship me off without even a discussion or a warning?
I tried to stay focused on Finn, but my eyes were blurry. What was Finn capable of? He squeezed my wrists then pressed his hard body against me, crushing me, making it hard to breathe, his thick bulge sending a violent warning. The earthy aroma of roasted, burnt coffee filled my lungs, my body like a balloon with so much tension that I was ready to snap. Finn licked his lips, his eyes focused on mine.
“You’re mine, Ramona,” he said.
“I amnotyour property,” I scowled, but he pressed his lips to mine, shutting me up. His tongue forced its way between my lips, and though I wanted to scream and fight, the drugs in my veins forced me to give in. His tongue stroked mine in long, passionate flicks like a whip forcing me to kneel at his feet. His hands drifted down to my waist, and I opened my eyes, remembering my captivity.
Finn had bought me from another man, then drugged me.
I bit his tongue as hard as I could, and he pulled back. A trickle of blood seeped between his teeth. His lips pulled back in a sneer, but he wasn’t angry; he washungry.His blue eyes glowed with tension, ready to devour me.
Pins and needles stung my hands. I wanted to shake them, but they were numb. What could I do to fight him? I could barely move.
“Where is Bruce?” I whispered.
“Off on business,” Finn said. I believed him; Bruce took business trips often, even if they were just to socialize with potential clients. “I know about your past, Ramona.” He put his hands on either side of me, locking me in a cage against the wall. There was nowhere for me to go. “I know you still owe money to that drug dealer.”
My heart palpitated in my chest. Years ago, before I married Bruce, I had tried pushing products for a dealer, but lost the stash. I still owed the dealer a lot of money, but once I agreed to the arranged marriage with Bruce, I had changed my name, and that worry disappeared.
The urge to run surged through me. Finn was dangerous. He knew way too much about me.
But I couldn’t move.
“I’ll contact the board of the Marked Blooms Syndicate,” I said, clinging to the only truth I still had. The Marked Blooms Syndicate had arranged my marriage with Bruce. If I had been sold like property between two members, then they would have to know what was going on. “They’ll stop you.”
“No one will believe you, Ramona,” he said. “The Marked Blooms Syndicate never interferes with negotiations between members, and Brucesoldyou to me.”
My throat tightened. An invisible hand clutched my neck, choking me. I gasped for air and closed my eyes, trying to wake myself to wake up from this nightmare. If what Finn was saying was true—if the Marked Blooms Syndicate never stepped in when it came to business between members—then if I contacted them, they wouldn’t help me.
