AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He thought he was better than me,” he growls. “I was loyal to him, but he turned me away just because I knew how to loosen up. Snorting a line every now and again would’ve been good for him.”
I try not to laugh out loud. I must have missed that issue ofMen’s Health.
Jasper’s lip is curled as he paces. “He thought he could control how I lived. He didn’t respect me. He didn’t actually care about me; he just wanted me under his fucking heel.”
The gun glints as he spins it around and around and around in his hand. I close my eyes, trying to settle my racing heart. “Jasper… you’re making a mistake.”
“The mistake was thinking we could start over. The mistake was putting my trust in him again.”
“Thankfully, I stepped in,” Charles interrupts. “I showed Jasper how naïve he was being. I showed him there was another way.”
“What way is that?” I ask with disgust. “Abduct your own daughter and hold her for ransom?”
Charles shrugs. “Your husband has more than enough money to pay off my debts to the Italiansandset me up for life. I’m done fighting for scraps. I want to live well.”
“And you?” I demand, turning to Jasper. “What do you stand to gain from all of this?”
“My pride. My self-respect. Fucking revenge.”
“Revenge.” All of this for something as petty and intangible asrevenge. Suddenly, I’m stone-cold. I know there’s no point arguing with him, but I try, anyway. “Jasper, you’re not thinking straight.”
“Actually, I’m thinking clearer than I have in years. It’s time Arsen and I had it out once and for all.”
“He saved your life!”
“I saved his, too! More times than I can count. He wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for me. He would have died in max, choking on his own blood.”
“Arsen never needed you. He would have survived with or without you. He owes you nothing!” I shove hard against his chest.
A split second later, the butt of his gun makes contact with the side of my face.
My father’s slap was nothing compared to this pain. It spears deep in my bones and stays there, aching across the whole right side of my body. Stars burst behind my eyes, and I can taste blood.
When my vision finally clears, I realize I’m on the moldy floor. I inhale a desperate breath and almost choke on the dust.
“Great,” my father complains. “She’s bleeding.”
“Good!” Jasper snarls. “I want him riled up when he sees me. It’s no fun if he doesn’t fight back.” He pulls out a bag with white powder and unrolls it on a rickety table in the corner.
“You’re gonna do that now?” Charles balks, adjusting his coat so that I can make out the gun he’s got concealed within his waistband.
“I gotta be ready when Arsen shows up.”
I slowly sit up, breathing through the pain in my head. If there’s one thing my hip has taught me, it’s that there are ways to keep moving through the pain.
In any case, my cracked forehead and aching hip are the least of my concerns.
Nina may be safe at home with Polina and Evelyn, but from every other angle, I’m totally and completely screwed.
50
ARSEN
“I know it’s not ideal, darling, but it’s only temp?—”
Enzo is cut off by a high-pitched shriek that crackles through the phone. He winces at me apologetically and leaves the room.
“That reminds me: I should call my wife.” Dominik looks far too amused at Enzo’s troubles as he slips out of the room to call Kira.
