Page 97 of The Bastard Prince

My father never cared. He'd raised me with the sole purpose of handing me over to these men.

Fabio was coming for me, and if he found me, he would rape, sell, or kill me.

Probably all three.

If I stayed with Trigger, he would lock me back up in a room and then torture me with cold indifference.

My body started to shake violently, teeth chattering noisily, and I felt the small flicker of hope I'd clung to these past nine years slip away.

It was no way to live.

I had nothing to live for.

I had no way out.

A pained sob escaped me, tearing from deep in my chest.

"Stop it,corderito," Trigger ordered, tone thick and full of emotion. "You are safe now."

He was lying.

I wasn’t safe.

I was trapped.

Another sob tore from me, followed by another and then another until I was crying loudly, shaking and trembling in his arms for the world to see.

"Calm down," he snapped, clearly irritated with me. "Shut your mouth and stop the tears!" His chest was heaving, his heart thundering hard against my ear. "I need you tonotbreak on me. You are stronger than this!"

Covering my face with my hands, I cried harder, unable to get a handle on myself. It was all too much.

My father's betrayal.

My life with Fabio.

The abuse.

The dead girl.

Yegor's lifeless corpse.

The blood.

The feel of their hands on me.

The smell of death.

The lack of hope.

I couldn’t fucking deal with this anymore.

Releasing a furious snarl, Trig stormed down the enormous staircase leading to the main floor, still barking orders at the men who surrounded us.

When we reached the ground floor, he stalked through the foyer and deposited me in a heap on one of the antique raja rani sofas before turning to the men that had followed us and demanding they find Patrice and bring the car around.

Some of the guards remained behind to guard us, while others hurried in search of Patrice.

"Look at me," Trig commanded then, turning back to face me. "Ashton. Look. At. Me."