Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 73423 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73423 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
“Sitting in that cell with little food, water, clothes…” he says, eyeing me, “with that beast … it must’ve done a number on you.”
“I’m fine,” I mutter, but my voice comes out in a squeak.
“You don’t look fine,” he says. “In fact, what I heard from my guards was that Beast already had his way with you. Is that true?”
Sweat drops roll down my back, but I try to stay calm even though, on the inside, I want to scream just because of his fingers slowly creeping upward across my leg.
“You know, he didn’t do his job very well, but maybe now that he’s had his fill, he’ll finally do what needs to be done,” he says.
I feel like my throat is clamping shut, stopping me from breathing.
“And I believe you can be of use to me too. I need to take the edge off things.”
His hand slides to his crotch.
Bile rises in my throat.
He zips down. “You know what to do, girl.”
My entire body quakes as tears form in my eyes. “No.”
“No?” His brow rises. “You think you have a choice?” He grabs my chin and makes me look at him. “I think you owe me payment for keeping you alive.”
He tries to push my head down, but the thought of doing anything with that man makes me want to vomit.
I thought I could do this, that I could be the good girl my papa always envisioned and be on his side forever. But I can’t do this anymore. I can’t be the sacrifice my father wants me to be.
I use all of my remaining energy to stand and step away from the lounge. “I’ll help you find my father.” Lex’s eyes begin to glimmer. “That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
A smile forms on his face. “And how do you think you can help me?”
“He’ll listen to me,” I say, hovering near the door as Lex stands. “I can call him, his friends, his partners. I know you want his money more than you want his life.”
Lex’s eyes narrow. “Go on.”
“Papa has a secret account. He doesn’t use it often, but I know where he keeps the files. And if you can find him, I can make him tell me the PIN. He may not tell you, but he’ll tell me because he wants me safe.”
A humming sound comes from his throat.
“You’re as cunning as your father, it seems,” he says. “Good girl.”
A chill runs up and down my spine.
I know what I just committed to.
But there’s no going back now.
“When I find your father, you will talk to him and make him give me the money he owes me …” he says, cracking his knuckles without moving an inch. “Or your body—your life—will be mine.”
CHAPTER 15
Beast
When the door opens again and I hear the familiar soft steps of the girl, I jump at the cage and cling on for dear life, trying to get as close as I possibly can to see her walk down the stairs.
She’s wearing a long, blue dress that barely fits her. But her eyes are wild, and that face … she looks like she’s seen a ghost.
Raymond pushes her down and opens the cage while keeping one hand on the stun gun, ready to strike at me if needed. He shoves her inside and shuts the door as quickly as he can before I even have a chance to pounce on him.
I growl out loud at Raymond as he turns and walks up the stairs again, leaving us alone. A tiny light is switched on in the back of the cell, just like before when I needed a shower.
Most of the time, the lights are off, but when it’s on, it’s a small slice of heaven.
Except when it isn’t.
Because the look on her face is anything but heavenly.
She shivers all over, and when I try to approach her, she jolts back in a knee-jerk reaction. “Don’t.”
My fists tighten. “Did he hurt you?”
Her eyes flash up to mine. One moment, she nods, then she shakes her head.
“Which is it? Yes or no?” I ask.
“He tried,” she says, hiccupping as a single tear rolls down her cheeks. “But I sold out my own father to make it stop.”
Sold out her own father?
To make what stop?
Did he fucking touch her?
Just the thought of him putting his filthy hands on her makes me seethe with rage.
She looks down at herself, the panic in her eyes growing. “Oh God.”
Her hands reach behind her back, and she immediately unzips the dress. It spills over her breasts, but she holds on tight, blushing crazily. “I have to get it off. Please. I need this thing off me!”
Her voice is as erratic as her behavior, and I struggle to understand what to do with it. But when I approach her again, she inches back.