Chained Hands (Chained Hearts Duet 1)

Turning from me, he addresses Keir, “You can keep the bitch.”

“I’m not yours to sell!” I scream back at him.

Dillan turns quickly and gets in my face, his fingers digging into my cheeks. “You are whatever I want you to be. And now you will be whatever he wants as well. Because you are nothing, Sailor. No one likes you, and you have no one.”

My mouth drops open in disgusted awe at his words that he could say something like that to me after everything I’ve done to please him. “You are so cruel.”

He shrugs and pulls back, completely unfazed. “You were just too blind to see it and always saw the best in people. Your parents warned you.” He smiles as if it’s a win, as if he’s happy he’s won. He’s gloating. My parents told me not to marry him, but I was young and believed Dillan loved me, that he could take me away from the life I was living. What a fool I was.

“Do you love me?” I have to know, not that it will change anything, but I need to know.

He licks his lips as if he’s contemplating answering me, then says, “We both fell out of love with each other a while ago, you just didn’t want to believe it. You pulled away from my kisses, you stopped liking them, and you pulled away from me in doing so.”

To be honest, I never liked the way he kissed me anyway.

Or the way he fucked.

Or … fuck. Anything.

From the corner of my eye, I catch Keir watching us as if we’re boring him with this interaction. We probably are, and to be honest, I can’t blame him for his lack of empathy. Why would he care about our marriage or our lives when I don’t give a shit if I see Dillan ever again.

“You have one week to pay this debt off. That’s all I will give you. After that, I’m walking out. And if this man chooses to kill you if you haven’t paid, that’s your problem, not mine. And … I want my phone back. I need to work.” I cross my arms over my chest and look back to Dillan when Keir says nothing in return.

“I can’t get that type of money in one week!” Dillan has the audacity to yell at me.

“Maybe you should have thought of that before you …” Turning away from him I don’t bother finishing because I don’t care anymore.

I walk over to Keir. “I’m ready to go back to my room now.”

Keir nods, and that’s the only answer I get from him before I move to exit the room.

“You don’t get to decide how long you’re here for,” Dillan calls out as I get to the door. “You are my collateral, my payment.”

Over my shoulder, I look at Keir, who hasn’t moved a muscle. He briefly studies me, then looks to Dillan. “You have one week,” he tells Dillan, then saunters past me on his way out of the room. I send him my best smile before I follow Keir with a little pep in my step.

Fuck Dillan!

Fuck him every which way to Sunday.

“Thank you,” I say.

As we get to the door, I hear a loud scream and then Dillan swearing. When I step back through the door, I see Dillan on the floor with two men holding him down.

“That wasn’t for you. Do not think anything I do will be for you. I just came to realize you aren’t worth the amount he owes me, so a little push to get my pay and fuck you right off is just what I need.” My eyes go wide at his words. “Go to fucking sleep.”

Then he’s gone.

Chapter Seven

Keir

“You were meant to keep her,” Joey says as I sit opposite him in front of the fireplace. He just got back from doing some jobs, and most nights he doesn’t stay here. Except when his demons haunt him.

They haunt all of us—me the most.

I grunt at his words.

“Boss.” I turn to look at him as he passes me a crystal glass of whiskey. “We could use her.”

“For?”

He smirks. “Sex. I’m sure the boys will be gentle, at first.”

“You all get enough pussy,” I say back to him, gazing into the fire.

“Yeah, but a live-in one?” He nods as if it’s the best thought he’s ever had.

“We don’t rape women, Joey.”

“Whoa.” He holds up his hands. “No one said that. We could pay her. A lot.”

“No,” I answer back. We may be a lot of things, but that is something we are not. And we’ve done a lot of dark shit in our lifetime.

“Boss.”

We both turn.

Phillip stands there with his arms crossed in front of him and his eyes directed to the floor. “She asked to swim. She’s outside.” Phillip turns and walks off.