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“Say I agree, what do you get out of all this?” she asks her dad.
“Peace,” he answers.
She looks down at her nails, then back up. “Okay,” she whispers. “But if I do this, I never want to see any of you guys ever again. All you do is fail me. Use me and spit me out. You get to use me one last time and then I’m free from this life. No more running a bank or selling drugs.”
I push my chair back, but my dad grabs me. “It’s her choice,” he says, and I lean back against him. She is right. All we do is fail her time and time again.
I look up to her, my eyes pleading. “I can just kill them all,” I say, and she rolls her eyes. It’s like my walls have crashed. Somewhere along the way, my hatred for her turned into love. One minute, I didn’t care if she died; the next, I would kill to keep her alive. I can’t explain how she crawled inside my skin and opened my heart but now, it only beats for her. I only want to breathe her air. I wanted to make her smile instead of cry. She is my lifeline. My beginning and end. And no fucking way is anyone taking her from me.
“No,” I growl.
“Excuse me?” she says, putting her hands on her hips.
“I said no. You will not marry Mark. You will not never see us again. If you don’t want to run the fucking business, then done. You don’t have to. I wouldn’t make you. I’d take your slack and let you be free, but you don’t get to run from me. No matter what stupid shit I’ve done, you’re not going anywhere. And you’re sure as fuck not marrying anyone but me. I’ll put a bullet through their fucking skulls and kidnap you. Do you understand me? I will end anyone who stands in my way of my future with you. Because it’s you and me, baby. Till death. So, no.” My chest rises and falls heavily.
Everyone is silent. I look around, cursing, forgetting everyone was here. My mom's eyes widen. My dad shaking with laughter behind me. Jackson looks like he’ll murder me. Brylan and Maddox are smirking. And Jessica and Emerson are hiding smiles behind their hands.
Jasmine’s mouth is dropped open. “I… you… no.” She shakes her head furiously.
“Then the body count is on your hands. You agree to marry him, and I’ll slaughter him.” I am serious. If she marries that fucker, I will kill him.
“You don’t get a say anymore. You and I are done.”
My body tenses and I look at her, a cruel smile on my lips. I try to go to her, but my dad is holding me firmly. It’s like he knows how I’m going to react before I do. “We’re done when I say we’re done.”
She falters before lifting her chin. “No one is making decisions for me anymore. This is my life. And my first decision is eliminating toxicity from it. Starting with you.” I see red. She can’t fucking leave me. I thrash against my father’s hold on me, and the last thing I see before he manhandles me out of the room is one lonely tear run down her face.
Fuuuuuck!
JASMINE
“Tell me how you feel, Jasmine.” Doctor Shackler adjusts the notepad on his knee, studying me.
“Is that a real question? My mom is in the hospital. My ex is being a psycho. He released a sex tape of us. As a bet. I’m promised to the dang Irish mafia, a vile boy I go to school with. So, no. I’m not fine. I’m drowning.”
Doctor Shackler writes it all down, throwing his notepad down before leaning on his knees. “I’m so sorry, Jasmine,” he says, but I feel like we’re on different pages.
The doors bursts open, cracking against the wall of the office. Men in black suits that have the initials IM plastered on the front of bulletproof vests. Two of the men grab me. I scream, thrashing against them as Doctor Shackler follows me out.
“What is this?” I look at him behind streaks of black hair that has fallen in my face.
The smile that graces his face is cruel, transforming the man I’ve trusted half my life into someone unrecognizable. “My name is Gabriel Kelly. And I’m your new brother-in-law. See, Jasmine, this whole time I’ve been giving feedback to your uncle. I’ve made it so you stay weak. Making sure you don’t remember the finer details of the story. Hypnosis works in so many beautiful ways.” He sighs, a sick smile twisting his lips. “I needed you and your family completely broken before we took you. The rape should have done it, but you grew stronger, in a way, instead. On top of not telling your family, we had to get more creative. Your uncle enjoys games. It would have been no fun to just snatch you up. No, why not twist your life up a little more? All it took was a broken mom and heart, and you were done for.”
He laughs. “Teenage girls are funny like that. My brother—or should I say, your soon-to-be husband—knew that Easton wanted you. It was clear, just not to Easton. He set him up for the bet. Knew he’d fall in love and break you. We knew your family would try to find a way out of this deal. So, we simply acted first. My sister, Holly, the ignorant child, failed. We just had to wait until your guard was down again. I know you’re all trained well.” My mouth drops open, and then I feel a pinch to my skin before everything blacks out.
* * *
“Get up.” A kick to my stomach has me gasping as my eyes flick open. “Hello, sunshine.” The man, known as my uncle, is looking down on me. “We meet again.” His grin is cruel and chilling. “Now you need to get ready and meet your new husband.”
Men haul me up. I wince, my head is pounding, mouth dry. They place me in a room where an older lady comes in, first putting me in a shower, and then more people come into the room to do my hair and makeup, sliding me into a long off-the-shoulder light blue dress. Like a doll, they pick and prod at me.
I’m being rushed again, into a giant foyer. The place looks like a palace with rich greens and golds, similar to my home, actually. Only, everything is an eggshell white, including the marble floor. Placing me on a green chair trimmed with gold, I shrink into myself a bit. Me being trained was a loose observation at best. Honestly, I am the weakest member of the family. The one they worry about being kidnapped and tortured. I wouldn’t give anything up, but I would be the one they received in body parts because I could never get myself out of such a situation. I simply am not cut out for this life, and the pressure has been weighing me down for years. Granted, I agreed to this, but I figured they’d get me out.
The doors swing open and Mark walks in, wearing a dark gray suit paired with a pink button-up. Top three buttons undone, showing his chest. He smiles wide, showing his white teeth, and his blue eyes sparkle. His blond hair is pushed back. Doctor Shackler walks beside him, and my uncle is on the other side.
Mark stops in front of me, grabbing my hand and placing a kiss on it. “Fiancée.” He flashes his teeth. I glare at him as he pulls me up. “If you’ll excuse us, I’d like some alone time with my fiancée,” Mark tells the other men.
Dread burns in my stomach. Placing my arm through his, he leads me out the huge, gold doors. Once outside, he takes us into a garden maze. Giant hedges rise far above our heads, blocking half the mansion from view. Cobblestones lead us to the middle, where a gold fountain stands. Two figures dancing. It’s a beautiful piece for such a horrendous place.
