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My comment obviously amused her.
“Come now, Margot. You’re a smart girl. You know your police can’t do a damn thing. Besides, my family won’t allow that to happen. Now, you’re going to enjoy married life and all the pretty things money can buy. Just be careful of Daniel. He does bite.”
“You make him sound like a monster.”
“I assure you he is. He’s the worst kind of man, one with no heart and zero conscience. He’s a true killer. However, he is something to look at. Yes?” Her laugh was stronger than it had been before. Perhaps evil put her illness into temporary remission.
There was no way I was going to answer her.
I was surprised when she reached out, pulling me into a tight hug. I honestly wasn’t certain how I was going to be able to go through with the horrible charade. Although I had to. I had no doubt what she or her goon-like family would do. At this moment I needed to be close to my mother more than ever. Even during some of her sickest moments, she’d been there to provide support and advice. I couldn’t imagine what she’d have to say to me now. My guess was that she’d be disappointed I’d sold my soul for money.
Even if the cause was worthy. But worthy of dying over, of losing what was left of my humanity or worse?
“Trust in Daniel too. He won’t allow anything to happen to his family. Who knows. Maybe one day you’ll come to thank me for such an incredible opportunity.”
Unless he figured out who I was.
I made a promise to myself that one day I’d find a way to bring down her family.
Even if she was already dead and buried.
The truth didn’t always set you free.
CHAPTER 14
Daniel
The hunt.
Since I could remember, I’d loved the concept of hunting humans. I’d both tempered my strange desires over the years as well as tried to shove them into the darkest reaches of my mind, but the fact my wife had disappeared made the desire to conquer prey a crazed need all over again. Perhaps it all based on what my father had instilled in me as a kid or that shock of having a woman like Maria able to thwart my men that made my blood boil, and my cock ache more than it had before.
I wasn’t certain but it didn’t matter. What did was that she belonged to me. If she honestly believed she could just run away without consequences, she was out of her mind.
And I was determined to track her, capture her, and bring her back to my lair. The thought gave me a smile even though every aspect of attempting to find her over the last four hours had proven futile.
When I couldn’t find her in any of the places I’d believed she could be, including the hotel where she’d stayed with her family for over a month, I was forced to realize I didn’t know my wife at all.
Not that we’d had any decent conversations. I sat in the passenger seat, fuming over having been forced to search for hours. There hadn’t been a single enemy in my life I hadn’t found, not one. Granted, it had been years since I’d been required to do so. Maybe my skills were rusty. Kane said nothing from the driver’s seat as we remained in the parking lot of one of the restaurants Maria had been followed to, but I could tell he was getting impatient, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.
Where the fuck could she have gone?
“You’re certain she wasn’t taken?” I snapped, my nerves already on edge.
“I’m not certain of anything but she did steal a car,” Kane snapped back. We’d driven thirty minutes in a short period of time in our attempt to find her. I had men all over the fucking place, scouring the city, tossing over every rock to try to locate her. I had no doubt the threat had been real.
“Why haven’t our men found it yet?”
“I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe she left the city.”
“Not possible. She wouldn’t do that.”
“Are you certain? I saw the anger in her eyes when she stormed out. She was forced into marrying you.”
Anger rose like bile in my throat, the concept she’d dare go against my rules something I couldn’t accept. Was her hatred that great? I rubbed my jaw then fisted my hand, the aches and pains from the accident nothing in comparison to the rush of adrenaline from the thought of losing her. It was ridiculous but the woman had already crawled under my skin. I closed my eyes, able to envision her face, the horror of seeing me covered in blood creating a sudden turn in her acceptance. The sound of his drumming fingers was finally too much.
“Stop fidgeting,” I barked at him even though I was doing the same thing by adjusting the cuffs of my shirt. Maybe that’s because the expensive cotton material continued to scratch the cuts from the accident covering my neck. I even slid my finger under the collar, regretting I’d worn a shirt and tie, the attire far too suffocating.
My anger at the men supposedly guarding the house who’d allowed her to leave without so much as a notice continued to increase. There were vile and brutal thoughts about the need for savage punishment. All because a young woman with limited knowledge of the city had managed to get away so goddamn easily.
