Page 38 of Ruined
Dominic’s eyes gleamed. “Why not?”
“Because it’s wrong.”
Dominic let out a soft laugh. “That wasn’t wrong, Luca. That was hot as hell, and don’t act like you didn’t know it.”
“You don’t understand.”
His smile turned wicked. “I do, though. You can’t stand how much you wanted it. You hated how hard I make you. Now you’re here, hoping I’ll forget it happened.”
“Please. I need this to stop.”
“Then stop it,” he shot back. “Face it, Luca. You came here because you can’t get me out of your head.”
“No, I?—”
“You’re standing here, vibrating with how bad you want to hit me. Or fuck me. Maybe both.”
“Go to hell.”
“You think bringing that girl here changes anything?” He jerked his chin toward the crowd. “She’s not enough.”
I swallowed down my rage. “She’s everything I want.”
“Keep telling yourself that, buddy.”
“Why do you have to be so fucking difficult?”
“Because watching you tie yourself in knots over me is entertainment I can’t buy.”
“Fuck off, Dominic.”
“Oh, I will. Right after you tell me why you sucked on my thumb like a good little boy. But hey, if you wanna keep playing these bullshit games, that’s on you. I’m not the one coming back for more.”
“You think everything is a goddamn joke?—”
My gaze locked onto a man’s pale face—Alexei, a scarred ghost from my nightmares. Older, his face more lined, a cold sneer twisting his lips. His shaven head stood out from the crowd.
A cold room. Bright lights. Alexei’s hands gripping my shoulders, shoving me down into the chair.
“Don’t move, boy.”
He tied me to the chair. My arms burned where the ropes dug into my skin. I kicked out with a leg, and he slapped me across the face. Pain burst through my cheek.
“Stop fighting.” He crouched down, glaring at me. “You think someone’s coming to save you? Your papa’s dead. So is your mama. You’re alone.”
I thrashed harder. “You’re lying!”
He grabbed my chin. “You belong to us now.”
I could still feel his hand squeezing my jaw until I choked. Alexei’s mouth curved into that same cruel smile. His voice slithered into my ears, pulling me back into that room.
They’d come for me.
Pain clamped around my chest like a vise. Grief, rage, a cocktail of emotions so potent it was hard to breathe. His glare drilledinto me, his eyes hollow pits of darkness, and then he slipped through the crowd.
Shit.
How many of them were here?