Bitter Vows (Crimson Falls 1)

A smile slowly moves along my face, one that isn’t filled with humor, but a sinister need to have her here right now. I have time, but I’d like it sooner rather than later. When the Bardot ball takes place, she will be on my arm. And if she tries to escape, I’ll lock her up in this palace until she submits fully, in every way possible. Another grin graces my lips at the thought, this one filled with dark humor.

“Mr. Shaw,” the voice of the man I put in the Bardot home to keep an eye on my new possession calls to me, causing me to return to the present. “I’ve met her,” he says as he enters her bedroom, where I’m still standing over the vanity.

“And?” I turn, facing him as he moves deeper into the room. I’ve known Gray since I was a child. From the moment I realized I would never have a normal life, he was there for me. He’s been good to me, obeying my commands without question.

He nods slowly, a small beam of happiness on his face, and for a moment, I think he’s going to tell me not to do this, but then he says, “She’s beautiful, I have to admit. You will make a wonderful couple. But there’s something you do need to know.”

“What is it, Gray?” The frustration in my tone has him wincing, and I have a feeling whatever it is he has to tell me, I’m not going to like.

“Your brother is here,” he informs me, and he was right in being wary of telling me. My hands fist at my sides as I focus on trying not to smash my knuckles into the brand-new mirror. I can’t break anything I’ve set up for her.

“Where is he?” The words are gritted through my clenched teeth. I knew he’d come back to haunt me, but I didn’t think he would be so close by.

“Uh… he’s working for Mrs. Bardot. She hired him to do the garden, set the fox traps.” Gray looks up at me, and I can tell he’s more fearful of my wrath than my brother’s stupidity. He was around when my brother decided to fuck over the family to join a fucking motorcycle gang. He took the word of murderers instead of his own flesh and blood.

He became someone different. Someone I didn’t know, and the more time he spent with his new family, the more he’d forgotten about his lineage. I never forgot, though, and if he thinks he’s going to steal my payment, he has another thing coming.

“Make sure the girl is safe and stays indoors,” I tell Gray. “And if my brother goes near her, I’ll kill him myself.” I have a feeling my sweet little red isn’t someone who’ll obey the order to stay indoors. Only, she doesn’t know just how feral the predators on the outside are.

“Yes, sir.” Gray turns to leave, and I face the mirror once more. I know Darius will do something. I have a feeling the asshole is here to fuck with me. But what he doesn’t know is I have ways and means to ensure he can’t go near her.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and when I pull it out to find an unknown number, I’m sure it’s my brother. Swiping the screen, I press the device to my ear.

“You know, she’s quite the looker,” he tells me, the familiar voice ringing in my ears. As much as I hate him, I love him. There’s a fine line between the two emotions, a very fragile line.

“She’s mine, Darius,” I inform him, attempting to keep myself calm but failing when my fingers tighten around the cell phone. I only earn myself a chuckle in response.

“And you think the Bardots are just going to let you take her? She’s quite curious, isn’t she?” He’s testing me to see what I’ll do, what I’ll say. The thing about it is, my brother no longer knows who I am, but I know exactly who he is. I’ve seen him over the years, had people watching him, and I saw him turn into a monster. My intel has been wrong. He must’ve known I had eyes on him. The moment I’m done here, I’ll have my team fired for fucking this up. They should have known he was in Crimson Falls.

“Darius.” His name is a threat on my lips, the tone of my voice giving away just what I’m feeling right this second—pure rage. “I’m not your little brother anymore. I’ve welcomed the violence that you told me I couldn’t find within myself. And as a Shaw, I don’t give a shit about family anymore. I will kill you if you go near her.”

“From the garden, I can see into her bedroom,” he informs me coolly, as if he’s telling me about the fucking weather, which certainly doesn’t help my anger. My feet carry me out of her room into the hallway. I’m already pulling the gun from my shoulder holster when I reach the ground floor of my house. “She looks so beautiful in her little tank top.” His taunts continue with amusement tainting every mumble. My blood boils with every word he utters. “I wonder just how she’d feel squirming under me.”