Buttons and Shame (Buttons 4)

It was the first time I was truly scared of him. Even on my first night here, I felt safe. He would never do anything against my will, and he wasn’t the cruel type. But right now, I wasn’t sure who I was dealing with.

I waited for him to speak first since he had the right, but nothing ever came out. I closed the distance between us, taking my time getting closer to him. The nearer his presence became, the more unnerved I felt. I always felt like I had the upper hand with Crow because he allowed me to have it. He respected my drive and my strength, but now he definitely wasn’t a fan. “I know you’re mad—”

He lunged at me with lightning speed and grabbed me by the neck. He dug his fingers into my throat before he slapped me hard, so hard I stumbled backward.

My hand went to my cheek, and I stared at him in shock.

With only fury in his eyes, he came after me again and grabbed me by the back of the hair and forced my head back so I was forced to look him in the eye. He tugged on my hair harshly, yanking at my scalp. The ferocity in his eyes only grew as he breathed hard, directly into my face. “What the fuck were you thinking?” He tugged on my hair purposely to cause me pain. “You think you’re invincible, but you aren’t. You think you’re strong, but you’re just weak. You think you’re smart, but you’re a goddamn idiot.” Spit flew from his mouth as his face turned red.

“I was just—”

“You forfeited your right to speak when you put yourself in danger. You disrespected our marriage by making yourself vulnerable to a man known for raping and torturing slaves. I was a flight away and couldn’t have done a damn thing to save you. How dare you insult me like that?”

He told me not to speak, but I did anyway. “I wanted to save Adelina—”

“By risking your own life?” He released his hold and pushed me back. “How could you do this to me? You don’t think I’ve been through enough?” He moved toward me, forcing me to step back. “You think I’m not haunted by everything Bones has done to you? You don’t think that every day of my life I’m not scared that something is going to happen to my wife? My whole fucking world?” The vein throbbed in his forehead, and he looked like an executioner about to take me to the grave. “You. Betrayed. Me.”

“I had to do something—”

“I’ll never forgive you.” He shoved his finger in front of my face, shaking it like a man disciplining a child. “Not ever. I did what I could for Adelina and tried to figure out a plan, but nothing worked. It wasn’t like I ignored you.”

“I know, but—”

“Shut up.” He put his hand in my face. “I did what I could because I knew it was important to you. And this is how you repay me? He and his men could have done whatever they wanted to you, and you wouldn’t have been able to stop them. You think you’re powerful, but you lack strength as well as intelligence. If you had a brain in that thick skull of yours, you wouldn’t have been taken in the first place.”

Ouch.

“You pushed me too far this time. Too fucking far.”

I fought the tears that burned in the back of my eyes. They weren’t from pain after the way he struck me. They were from the heartbreak his words caused. I knew all his rage stemmed from fear for my safety. When he couldn’t protect me, it drove him insane.

“I don’t want to speak to you for the rest of the week. And you aren’t allowed to leave the estate. Consider yourself grounded.”

Any other time, I would have fought tooth and nail against what he said. I’d refuse to let a man control me like that. But right now, we hung in a delicate balance. Crow was truly enraged, and I knew he had every right to be. So I kept my mouth shut because I deserved the punishment.

He turned around and walked to the stairs, leaving me standing in the entryway. His shoulders were just as rigid as before, and he looked like he wanted to destroy his own house. When he reached the third floor and disappeared from sight, I finally let the tears escape my eyes.

And I sobbed.

23

Adelina

“What are you doing?” I walked into the bedroom and saw the duffel bags on the bed. His t-shirts and jeans were packed like he was going somewhere. The other bag contained some of my things.

Cane zipped up the bag and lifted it over his shoulder. “We’re taking a short trip. Pack anything else you need.”