“No,” she said firmly, shaking her head, her face paling even further.
“Sorry, did I give you the impression that this was a fucking negotiation? The way I see it, you can’t afford to say no. You give me six months. You don’t complain, you don’t threaten to leave, and you perform your old lady duties. If you do that, I might consider giving you our son back. You fail and I’ll see you imprisoned, and with that rap sheet of yours, you’re looking at life.”
“You know, I could always flee to somewhere with no extradition…”
“Oh, yeah?” I challenged. “And what would your options be? The Middle East? I’m sure with your attitude, living in the Middle East will go splendidly.”
“I didn’t fucking say the Middle East, did I?” she said through clenched teeth.
“So where then?”
“I’m hardly going to tell you that, am I? Besides, I’ve hidden before. I’ve got pretty good at it.”
“And I’ve found you before. I’ll find you again. But…” I added as she opened her mouth to respond. “I’m willing to play along with your delusions. You go ahead and run. If none of this has been convincing enough for you, how about this? If you somehow manage to flee this country, taking my son with you, then your parents will be the one to pay the price. And I won’t make it a painless death either, Rachel. I’ll make them pay, and pay heavily, for every one of your crimes.”
I could tell by the flicker of panic in her eyes that she believed every word of my threats — as she should.
“You agreed to be my old lady once, Rachel, and you’ll do it again. I’m asking for six months, and that’s it.”
“I fucking hate you.”
I shrugged off her words. “Makes no difference to me. You’re my old lady. As far as bikers are concerned, agreeing to be someone’s old lady is as sacred as marriage, and I don’t remember signing the divorce papers to let you go and setting you free. So if you know what’s good for you, you’ll spend the next six months learning to love, honour, and obey, and then we’ll discuss that freedom you want so badly.”
“You want love?” she hissed. “I’ll love when I’ve destroyed everything you own. I’ll honour my commitment when I’ve wiped out the rest of the King family, and I’ll obey my vow to see you cold in the ground.”
She was fucking glorious.
Every angry, venom-laced word she spat at me was like nectar. I lapped it up, craving it like a literal fucking drug.
What the fuck did that say about me?
“Those are some big words from a woman who went running the minute things got tough.”
“That’s some fake ass dismissal from a guy who cried that he loved me and begged me not to leave.”
Jesus. How was it possible to crave someone so badly, and yet want to gut them where they stood at the same time?
The reactions Rachel brought out of me were nothing but extreme. One second I wanted to fuck her, the next I could gladly squeeze her neck until the last breath left her body.
The thought of doing both at the same time didn’t exactly fill me with disgust, either.
And by the look in Rachel’s eyes, she felt the exact same way.
“That was then. I know what you’re capable of now. Believe me, I know better than to ever fall for the illusion again. All I want from you is my son. You can feel free to fuck off and leave him here, otherwise you can agree to my terms. It’s as simple as that.”
Chapter 10
Rachel
The hate I felt towards this man was like nothing I had ever experienced before.
My fingers twitched, pleading with me to gouge his eyes out. To peel the skin from his face and make him fucking eat it.
The all-consuming need to end his useless, pathetic existence was so palpable I could almost taste it. It was a craving—a longing—to make him feel some of the pain that was currently splitting me in two with grief.
He had me over a barrel, and I was completely fucked. Even in my rage, I could see how damning this evidence was. Most were only stills taken from videos, but I knew the video was out there. Dante wouldn’t have played his hand if he wasn’t entirely sure he had me cornered. I ought to be counting my blessings that this country didn’t have the death penalty.
But I wasn’t. Instead, I was thinking about all the ways I would skin this man alive the minute I got the opportunity to.Thatwould be a crime I would happily take responsibility for.
