Page 11 of Relentless Sinner
“I’m aware.”
“And what do you think of that, Gabriella? You were held for ten days and those men had so much worse planned for you.”
Ten days.
My God, was it really ten days? Hearing that makes my insides squeeze and my heart stall.
Ten days in captivity. In that dungeon. Tears sting the back of my eyes. It would have been better if I didn’t know.
Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm.I try to slow my breathing so I can focus enough to speak to him. "I’d like to go home in the morning.”
Jaxon tilts his head, almost as if he’s amused by my words, though his expression doesn’t shift. “This is your home now, Gabriella. The wedding will take place in three weeks’ time. Given what’s happened I think it’s best that you stay here with me.”
My chest tightens at his answer, as if someone clamped my insides with a wrench. A shudder of rage and terror courses through me and I fight to hold on to the courage that’s slipping through my fingers.
“I can’t stay here. Not yet.”Not ever. I want to say that but I know better. The bottom line is there is noyetorthree weeks’ time. In my mind it’s never. So if I leave here I’m not coming back.
“Your father will arrange for your things to be sent here over the next few days.” Jaxon completely glosses over what I said.
"No," I whisper, my voice cracking. “I won’t do it. And I can’t marry you either. You can’t force me.”
With the same cool, calm manner he walks over to me, and now he’s way too close. So close the room seems to shrink with the walls pressing in on me, like one of those scenes in the movies.
And he doesn’t stop there. He moves closer, so much so that I have to step back. When my back hits the wall I realize I’ve run out of room.
He rests one hand on the space above my head and the other next to me. The gesture draws attention to how wide and big his shoulders are.
Jaxon looms before me, making me feel as small as an ant. I peg him to be at least six feet six. I’m five feet four, so he seems colossal up close.
“I don’t think I have to remind you thatyousigned a contract.” Finally, he speaks.
“It would never stand up in court,” I snap.
“Court?Really?” Humor lights up his eyes and his lips slide into a mocking smirk.
Instantly I feel foolish. I should know that men like him are above the law. So is my father.
I’m acting like I don’t come from a mafia family. And like my father doesn’t provide his shady as fuck investment services to the families in the Syndicate and half of the underworld.
“Let me give you a rude awakening, Gabriella.” His voice dips on saying my name and I feel it low in my core. The feeling heightens when he inches so close we’re sharing the same air. “There will be no court. That contract stands because I say so.”
“But—”
“No.” He shakes his head and sharpens his gaze. “There will be no buts, or maybes, or any other fucking shit like that. You will not challenge me or even think of escaping meagain.Am I understood?”
“Can’t we even talk about this?” Surely he can be reasonable and hear me out. “My father held a gun to my head and forced me to sign that contract. I would never have signed it otherwise.”
Something shifts in Jaxon’s gaze and for a moment I sense he’s surprised to hear what my father did. It’s strange to thinkthat he—the Beast—would be surprised. But any sort of emotion fades from his expression seconds later, so maybe he wasn’t that surprised after all.
“Be that as it may, you’re mine now. Your father doesn’t have any power over you anymore. Now, let’s get to bed. It’s fucking late.”
My nerves scatter across my body as if someone attached a bolt of lightning to my skin and charged it with napalm.
Bed?
Let’s go to bed?As in the one across from us? Him and me?
No way. He can’t be serious. I was trying to find a good comeback for his high-handed dictator demands but now my mind is numb.