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“You paid for her surgery; my father still has your bag of money,” I tell him.
“I’m not in debt for what you did willingly,” I remind him when he goes to speak, but I cut him off.
“How much is my life worth? As it stands right now, my life is worthless to my family if I am dead.”
He raises an eyebrow at me. “You’re still alive,” he tells me. “For now.”
“Let my father keep the money.”
Leone scoffs. “Your father will be lucky to leave that hospital with his life.”
“The fact I’m still breathing means you want something; you could have killed me by now but haven’t. Why?”
He seems to think like he isn’t sure himself before he answers. “You intrigue me. Your defiance excites me,” Leone declares, his lips curving into a sinister smile.
Leone’s eyes glint with a dark promise as he leans in, his breath warm against my skin. “You’re a risk I can’t afford, yet a temptation I don’t want to resist.”
“That’s not why you want me; you could have anyone.”
His smile softens, yet there’s an undeniable firmness in his touch as he traces the line of my jaw with his thumb. His eyes, intense and unyielding, lock onto mine. “You might think you have some say in this, but let’s not forget the facts,” his voice is low, almost a growl. “You stole from me. That makes you not just a thief but my property. And I will decide what to do with my property.” His grip tightens ever so slightly, a physical reminder of his control. “So, believe me when I say, I’m far from done with you.”
I shiver slightly at his words, trying to pull away from his touch on my cheek. He doesn’t let me.
I shiver slightly at his words, the cold realization of my situation seeping deeper into my bones. I try to pull away, but his hand on my cheek keeps me where I am.
“So what could you possibly offer that I can’t simply take?” he whispers, his breath hot against my ear. “What did you think would happen? That I would let you off, maybe forget?”
As he pulls me closer, his hand drifting down to my waist, the other hovering menacingly near my throat, we stand eye to eye. His fingers tighten around my neck, a possessive reminder of his control. “Answer me,” he demands softly.
My heart pounds frantically, the gravity of my choices pressing down on me. If I don’t comply, what then? An endless cycle of fear, always looking over my shoulder? Always dreading the next threat, always wondering when my father or Emma might pay the price for my defiance? How can I expect Emma to live like that when she has never had a chance to live at all? Endless hospitals, avoiding life and people so she doesn’t get sick, no school, no friends, she only has us? Not agreeing, I could be taking her only chance away at life from her, or worse, taking Dad from her, leaving her to fend for herself in a world she’s barely spent any time in.
Leone tilts his head, his gaze briefly flicking to Milo behind me. “You’re like a moth to my flame, too mesmerized to realize the danger,” he murmurs, his voice a dark melody. “I could extinguish your light instantly, yet it’s far more enticing to watch you burn for me, slowly and completely.”
His words echo in my mind, a stark reminder of the dark path that lies ahead if I resist. Yet, surrendering could mean a lifetime under his thumb, a puppet. “I wanna trade my life for his. Let him keep the money, at least I know they’ll be okay.”
“Your life is already mine, I already own you.” Leone laughs.
“But I won’t fight you, I won’t resist, you can do what you want with me,” I tell him, though I hate the words that leave my mouth.
“You fighting me is half the fun,” he chuckles, only for his eyes to move to Milo behind him. “What if I don’t want you to be just mine,” he says, his eyes remaining on Milo. I swallow wondering if he is planning to pimp me out.
“You’ll let my father live?”
His eyes move back to mine and sparkle with amusement.
“You’d really do anything for them, wouldn’t you?”
“You seem surprised,” I tell him.
“I am. I’ve seen people do some despicable things and one thing most have in common, they’ll betray those they love out of fear, but not you.”
“Well, then they couldn’t love them if they wouldn’t give their lives for them,” I tell him.
He watches me for a second before he lets me go. I take a step back when he shrugs off his jacket.
“I’ll let your father live, but he crosses me again and nothing that you offer will stop me from killing him, and if you cross me Fallon. I’ll make you pull the trigger that ends him,” he whispers, and I suck in a breath. “Am I clear?”
“Crystal,” I tell him through gritted teeth.
