Page 29 of Forbidden Desire
“Try.”
Desiree heaved in a deep breath, the sight of her distress both disconcerting and riling me. Whoever had done this to her—left her feeling so emotionally vulnerable—would pay. I would make sure of that.
“Rasmie is in charge here.” Her voice lowered as if she was concerned about being overheard. “He shot Charlie when he attacked me.”
“He shot him?” I exclaimed.
“With an arrow, yes.”
Jeez, who were these guys? They sounded like barbarians.
“Charlie and I were both brought back here.” She hesitated, and I wondered what awful detail I was forcing her to relive. “They accused us of trespassing, and Charlie was charged with his attempted assault of me.”
“And?” My brain raced, struggling to make sense of everything she was telling me.
“And Rasmie insisted the cost of my trespass was to stay here as his wife.” Once more, Desiree glanced away.
“Did he force himself on you?” I couldn’t help the fury simmering in my voice. “I’ll cut his fucking balls off if he—”
“No.” She insisted, meeting my eyes. “He never did. That’s the problem. I actually quite like him, despite some of the outrageous liberties he takes.”
“You like him?” The pounding in my head throbbed with a vengeance.
“I know it doesn’t make sense, but yes.”
“So, you’re staying by choice?” The pain in my head made me want to throw up.
“No.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I still want to get away, but it’s complicated, El. He’s been good to me, as well as being a swine, and he did save me from Charlie.”
“What happened to Charlie?”
“You don’t want to know.”
I tensed at the tremble in her voice. “No, I really do.”
“They...” She paused, closing her eyes. “They have a rule here. Whatever crime you commit happens to you.” Her eyes flickered open. “So, you can work out what they did to Charlie.”
My brow rose. “You mean they—”
“Yes.” Her reply cut me off, but it couldn’t halt my racing heart. “Don’t say it, please.”
“Fuck.”
A heavy numbness fell over us, her hand gripping mine.
“They don’t mess around here, do they?” I glanced at the small space.
“No,” she agreed. “That’s why you shouldn’t have come. Now you have, there’ll be repercussions for you as well. They’ll force you to stay and be someone’s wife.”
“Someone’s wife?” I laughed out loud. “That doesn’t sound like me, does it?”
“Maybe not, but they won’t care,” she warned. “The worst of it is they have ways of making the outrageous seem normal. The things he does to me...” She pulled in a sharp breath. “The things he expects me to do, but somehow, I like them. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, El.”
“Are you in love with him?” I’d never seen my sister like this about a guy. I hadn’t even seen her so dewy-eyed over the guy she’d liked in high school.
“I don’t know.” Her reply was barely a whisper. “That’s the truth.”
“Shit.”