Opening the back door of the car, I shove Anna inside and slide in behind her, struggling to maintain any possible façade of calm. Carlos appears through the front door of the police station and jogs to the car, hopping in before he pulls away in a spray of sand and spinning tires.
Anna stares out of the window, saying nothing for long miles. The longer I sit here, the angrier I get until it almost becomes a physical thing, taking up every inch of space between us. As soon as we pull up to the gate, Anna shifts, climbing closer to the door as though she can escape me. She can’t.
Carlos stops by the front door and glances over his shoulder at me, a hint of worry in his expression. Then he gets out without a word. He knows better than to try and rationalize with me right now. I throw the door open, and Anna gets out, rounding the back of the car. She goes to duck around me, but I grab her arm hard and yank her into my side. “Oh no, avecita. You and I need a little chat.”
She fights as I drag her through the front door and along the hall into my office. Tossing her inside, I lock the door and brace my palms against it. I inhale several deep breaths, trying to force this feral rage back down.
“You fucking ran.” Silence.
I round on her, pressing my back to the door as though the contact might keep me rooted here. She stands there, trembling, and yet staring back at me with that bulletproof defiance. Her hair hangs over her face, and her white shirt is covered in dirt. “Why the fuck would you run? Where the hell would you even go?” I move closer to her. And grab a handful of golden hair, wrenching her head back. She grits her teeth, eyes spitting fire and hatred. “You have no one, Anna.”
“And nothing to lose,” she says, her voice steady and strong.
“Oh, you’re wrong. You have everything to lose. Do you have any idea what Dominges would do to you?” She says nothing, clenching her jaw. “Don’t I keep you safe? Are you not well treated here?”
She looks me straight in the eye. “For how long, Rafael? Until you hand me over to your friend? Or until you’ve decided to cut the bullshit and show your true colors?” She lifts a daring brow. “After all, girls like me are worth something, aren’t they?”
My blood pressure spikes, my pulse hammering like the angry beat of a war drum. “I suggest you tread carefully, little bird.”
She flicks her eyes over my face, her expression full of disgust. “You’re no better than Dominges.”
My grip on her hair tightens, and she hisses through her teeth. “The fuck did you just say to me?”
“You’d probably have fucked me as well, but I’m guessing that’s not part of the agreement.” I snap, like a rubber band pulled too tight. I release her hair and slam my hand around her throat, shoving her down on the desk. She gasps, struggling against my hold as I pin her to the wood.
“My patience is not fucking infinite, Anna,” I growl in her face. “And my rage is not something you should invite.”
Tension winds between us, an electrical charge sparking the air, just waiting for something to set it in motion. She breathes heavily and with each inhale, her tits push against my chest. Every one of her curves presses against me, her legs sitting either side of my hips. I become painfully aware of every beautiful inch of her body beneath mine. Her lips part and her tongue swipes over the bottom one nervously. I track the movement, pulse racing as I war with the more animalistic side of my nature. “What are you going to do to me?” she asks, and I hear the tremor in her voice, though she tries so hard to hide it. Such a loaded question. What am I going to do to her?
There are a hundred things I should do, but I do none of them. My fingers flinch against the soft skin of her throat, my last attempt at control before it all goes to shit. I slam my lips over hers. The taste of her, the scent of her skin…it’s infectious, taking hold of me like a damn fever. “I’ll do whatever it takes to remind you of your fucking place,” I growl against her lips.
She drags in a sharp breath. “A slave.”
I slide my grip from her neck to her jaw, forcing her to look straight at me. “No, it’s right fucking here.” I kiss her again, caging her small body against the desk. I don’t know what I’m doing. There’s something about her that I can’t leave alone. Her strength, the tenacity she shows despite all that’s happened to her… I crave the moments when she glares at me. When I see the fight in her eyes. I need her anger. I want her trust.