Buttons and Shame (Buttons 4)

As much as it disgusted me, I turned to Cane and silently asked permission.

Pearl snapped her fingers and brought my attention back to her. “Don’t ask him for a damn thing. Do what you want. You wanna come?”

“Whoa, hold on.” Cane walked up, staring at her like an annoyed sibling. “She does have to ask my permission. She’s living with me under my roof. I call the shots.”

“Is she a dog?” Pearl countered.

“No, but—”

“Is she a child?”

Cane’s annoyance turned to rage. “No. But she’s my property, and I dictate where she goes. If I don’t want her to go somewhere, she doesn’t go. That’s the end of the story. So don’t come into my house and start calling the shots. I’m not a pussy like Crow. You can’t push me around.”

Pearl crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him with hatred. “I’m so disappointed in you.”

His eyes shifted slightly, like that insult actually affected him. There was something about Pearl that softened his edges, made him more human. I’d never seen him react that way to me. But then again, I really hadn’t told him off before. His treatment, compared to Tristan’s, was always such an improvement that I didn’t have the audacity to complain. “Crow will be there?” He clenched his jaw.

“Yes.”

“I want her home before I walk through the front door. Not a minute later.” He grabbed his wallet and keys and prepared to walk out, his shoulders stiff with anger. I suspected he would be harsher to Pearl if she were anyone else. She had an innate power that I could see even though it was invisible.

He finally walked out, shutting the door harder than was necessary.

When he was gone and it was just the two of us alone together, she sighed and relaxed her shoulders. “Good. That asshole is finally gone.”

The drive was surreal. Olive trees and vineyards took up most of the scenery, along with beautiful hillsides that flattened out to the next vineyard. Ancient castles were in the distance, but they weren’t run-down and old. They seemed to be inhabited by a lucky Italian who was fortunate enough to inherit the estate.

It reminded me of the view from Cane’s house, but we were much closer to Florence. Out here, we seemed to be alone for miles.

Pearl didn’t say much or bombard me with questions. She slowed down once she passed a large three-story estate behind a set of black gates. Green ivy clung up the walls and revealed the windows set in stone. Vineyards stretched across the fields in either direction, along with mighty oak trees. “This is where Crow and I live.”

The two of them lived in that mansion? “It’s beautiful…”

“Thanks. It surprised me how quickly it felt like home.” She passed the house then sped up again, getting back up to speed. “His winery is just a few miles to the west. We’ll be there in no time.”

I wasn’t in a hurry because I had nowhere else to be. If anything, I wanted time to slow down. I wanted to stay like this for as long as possible. When Cane returned me to Tristan, I’d fall to my knees and sob.

Pearl drove with both hands on the wheel, a pair of sunglasses sitting on the bridge of her nose. It was obvious she was American because she didn’t have a hint of an accent, not like Cane did. “When Crow and Cane took me from Bones, Crow took me to his house—”

“Who’s Bones?” I interrupted.

“He’s the man who bought me after I was kidnapped.” Despite how painful that must have been, she spoke with a strong voice and didn’t shake at the memory. She seemed to have made her peace with it, leaving it in the past where it belonged.

My suffering would never be a thing of the past.

“Crow kept me as his prisoner for a long time. Said I had to work for my freedom before he would let me go. According to him, he did me a favor and deserved to be compensated.” She rolled her eyes. “That man has always had a big ego.”

“What happened then?” I’d never seen Cane’s brother, but I imagined them looking a lot alike. Dark and strong, with powerful arms and shoulders. I assumed they had the same manner, the same constant fury in their eyes.

“I did what he asked… I slept with him.” Instead of frowning at the painful memory, she smiled. “And somewhere along the road…I fell in love with him.”

I could hardly believe it. Cane had been nice to me, and I got off every time he was inside me, but I couldn’t picture myself falling in love with him. All I wanted was to go home where I belonged and get back to my old life—with Lizzie.

“Bones tried to get me back a few times, and Crow protected me. Eventually, we killed him. And now we’ve been living happily ever after here in the countryside.” She finally turned to me and gave me a smile. “I know my story shouldn’t have gone that way. I fought my feelings for a long time, and so did he. But that’s how I got to where I am.”