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Good girl.When it slides from Lorcan’s lips close to my ear it lights my pussy on fire. When it comes from this monster, it fills me with nausea. I glance at Lorcan, and without looking at me, he nods. Walking to the table feels like wading through syrup, but I sink down opposite Lorcan. To my right sits the Russian, to my left, is a badly-beaten man. When he turns to flash me a twisted smile, I see half of his teeth are missing.
I can’t help but think,here we go again.
Antoin slides a sheet of paper across the table and says, “Mr. Bratnov, here is your copy of the contract. I trust your lawyer has already read through it?”
His tree-trunk thigh pushes against mine under the table. When I look up to sneer at him, I see he’s pinning Lorcan with a smirk. “Summarize for us.”
Antoin clears his throat. “On receipt of one, Poppy Murphy, the long-standing treaty between the Quinn and the Bratnov institutions are null and void. New legislation is in place that will prevent the Bratnovs from crossing the Quinn territory lines, and the Quinns from crossing the Bratnov territory lines. Both of which have been pre-agreed.”
The room spins.
“You know, Mr. Quinn,” Bratnov snarls, amusement tinging his tone, “if you wanted out of the treaty, all you had to do was ask.”
Lorcan doesn’t reply.
“We just need a signature,” Antoin says.
Wordlessly, I watch as Bratnov signs the rights to my life, and the man I foolishly thought I was in love with doesn’t move a goddamn muscle.
Here we go again.
The realization sinks like a stone in my chest.
Claimed, stolen, sold. No matter how much I’ve tried to fight against the tide and change my own destiny, I’ve only ever been a debt owed. Then a keepsake. Now, a bargaining chip in the midst of a war.
I was stupid to think the man I spent four years trying to protect myself from would protect me now.
Then, Nova’s cryptic words float into my head.Don’t rely on a man to save you.
My heart rate quickens, and I feel that familiar punch of survival instinct in my gut.
Save yourself.
I’m lightning quick, lunging for the Tiffany lamp and crashing it against Bratnov’s face with a hard back-hand swing. There’s a sickening crunch, a mix of stained glass and bones breaking. I’m not listening to the angry voices or the sound of guns clicking, I just run. Even in my heeled boots, I cross the tiles in three strides. The door is so close. The streets of Boston are within touching distance. I can get away. I can be free of this cruel world I never asked to be part of in the first place.
Except, I can’t. Because there are armed men on the other side of that door. And on this side of it, identical armed men are closing in on me. A strong arm around my waist, another twisting my arm behind my back. They turn me away from freedom, forcing me to face Bratnov. His lip is bleeding, dripping down to his white shirt collar, but he’s still grinning like a maniac. He cuts through the chaos with slow, deliberate steps towards me.
My screams rip from my throat. “Leave me alone! Let me go!”
His voice is a calm contrast to mine. “You’re a feisty one, Miss Murphy,” he snarls, rubbing a fat thumb over the trickle of blood. “I like a little fire in a plaything.”
“If you touch her, the deal is off.”
Lorcan’s voice comes from over his shoulder, raw and vicious. We lock eyes, just for a second, and behind the smoldering rage, I can see the hurt.
Don’t do this to me,I want to scream at him.I’ll do anything.
But I know it’s useless. One of the reasons the Devil is so dangerous is because he does what he wants.
“Shut it, Quinn,” Bratnov snaps back. “She’s mine now.”
“Not quite. The contract needs two signatures. I haven’t signed it yet.”
Bratnov’s nostrils flare as he studies me, jaw ticking. “Very well,” he grunts. “I suppose I can play nice for a few more minutes. Need a pen?”
Antoin slams his hand against Lorcan’s chest to stop him lunging at Bratnov. He takes a few ragged breaths, then hisses, “No. But I’d like a moment to say goodbye.”
A gruff laugh escapes Bratnov. “You make me excited, Quinn. She must be good if you have become so attached to her.”
