“We’re the messengers here to collect you and take you to your new life.” The young girl says, smiling icily. I frown, stepping away, I see Jordin backing up toward the elevator slowly, and I nod once.
“I beg your pardon?” I inquire, perplexed, and she juts her head forward, and two of the men come to my side. “What new life? What the hell are you talking about?” Did Damien send these people to get me? But why would he do that? Surely he would come himself.
“Your new life as Jian Lorenzi’s soon-to-be bride.” My heart rate decelerates drastically at her words, and all I could do is blink in response.
“Excuse me?” I blench, shaking my head slowly, trying to make sense of what the hell she was talking about. Did I just hear her correctly? “I don’t understand.”
“It’s an arrangement made by Daddy dearest. His life in exchange for you.” I stare at her dumbfounded.
He wouldn’t.
All the oxygen leaves my lungs, and my head spins. “Are you insane? I’m not going anywhere with you, and I will certainly be no one's bride!” I retort hotly and turn to run, but one of the men grabs me and hoists me into the air. I scream and fight in the big guy's hold until he wraps his arm around my neck and firmly squeezes, tightening my airway until I can only take small shallow breaths, which doesn’t aid my panic. I can already feel my vision blurring and the corner of my eyes dimming slowly.
“If you do not comply and come with us like a good girl, the two men outside your beautiful mansion will march on in there and kill both your Mama and Papi. Comprender?” Tears blur my vision, and I feel my lungs burn. I suck in a deep painful breath when the arm constricting my airways is lifted. I cough and sputter while my lungs fill with oxygen.
“My father would never…” I pant, shaking my head, and the young girl smiles as she leans over, and grasps my face between her fingers, and stares into my eyes. “I don’t believe you.”
“Oh honey, he did. He didn’t even hesitate, not for one second when he traded you to clear off his debt to Lorenzi.” We can call him, and you can ask him yourself if you want?” She utters. Taking out her cell phone, she dials and puts the phone on speaker so that I could hear.
“What?” Comes my father’s peeved voice on the other end.
“Daddy, what the hell have you done?!” I shout down the phone, and he goes silent. “Please tell me this isn’t true. Tell me you didn’t do this, please?!” I sob.
“Mi hija, I’m sorry. He was going to have your mama and me killed if I didn’t agree to hand you over to him.”
“What about me? Huh? I’m not a piece of chattel. You can’t just trade me off like a business deal to save your own ass. How could you do this?!” I cry, fighting in the hold of the man that was gripping me tight.
“Ezra..”
“No!” I yell furiously. “A father is supposed to protect his child, not throw them in the fire to save themselves! What is wrong with you?! I hope you rot in hell!”
Hot, angry tears well up in my eyes. How could he do this to me? My own father has sold me off to spare his own life and not just to anyone…to the head of the Mexican cartel. Damien was right about him…he really is an evil monster.
“Lorenzi should have killed my father then because I’m not going anywhere with you, and I would rather die a slow, painful death than ever marry him.” I gripe as I straighten, and she nods, licking her ruby lips. I stare defiantly into her deep gray eyes, and for a fleeting moment, I see Damien staring back at me, and my heart squeezes in my chest. I whimper as they drag me away toward the elevator. “No, no, please, let me go!” I feel a pinch in my neck, and seconds later, my body goes limp, and darkness swallows me up.
* * *
The next timeI open my eyes, I’m all alone in a room, in a place that is unfamiliar to me. I feel a surge of panic as I sit upright, and my eyes fly around the room, trying to make out my surroundings. Where the hell am I? How the hell did I get here? I rub the back of my neck with a wince and groan at the sudden ache that shoots through my skull.
My eyes roam around the room. The décor is chic and elegant. The walls a shimmering grey, a huge crystal chandelier hangs from the ceiling. I get off the bed and step onto the thick, luxuriously soft, light grey carpet. The bed was situated in the center of the room, and opposite were huge floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a gorgeous garden full of colorful flowers and trees. My memory from earlier on in the day comes rushing back, and sheer panic consumes me. Lorenzi. This must be his compound. The place is like a damned fortress.
I place my palms against the pane of the window, press my forehead to the cold glass and choke on the sob that rips through me. “Damien,” I whisper woefully.
I should never have walked away from him. Even with all of his betrayal, he still is the only person I can rely on or trust. I still couldn’t believe my father would trade me off like I was nothing more than a business deal to him. Forcing me to marry Calum is one thing, but to leave me in the hands of a man like Jian Lorenzi without a moment's regard to what he might do to me. To say I was devastated was an understatement. Why is everyone so desperate to marry me? I don’t understand.
I only pray that Jordin can get to Damien somehow, or the men he has hired to watch over me inform him that I’ve been taken. If anyone will save me from this hell, it’s Damien.
The door opens, and my heart leaps up to my throat. I spin, pressing my back against the window, and watch the young girl from before comes strolling into the bedroom. “Sleeping beauty is awake,” I observe her as she gets closer.
Long, dark, wavy hair that ends at the small of her back. Slim athletic frame, she’s a touch taller than me, five-foot-six if I had to guess. She couldn’t be older than twenty-one. Her eyes a striking gray with flecks of hazel when looked closely lined with thick long lashes. “Jian would like to see you.” She informs me, and I shake my head wordlessly, glowering at her. “A word of advice, Jian has zero patience and doesn’t tolerate disobedience. When he requests your presence, you go, or you’ll find he will ensure that your time spent here is less than pleasant.”
Maybe he will kill me, and I can finally find some peace. Never had I ever imagined this would be my life. I push off the glass and follow the young girl through the mansion and down the grand staircase toward the spacious lounge. I halt when I see a tall, hulking man standing by the window in the room, his back to me.
When he turns to face me, our eyes meet. Long dark hair neatly swept back into a bun at the back of his head. Big brown eyes and sharp chiseled features. I was expecting an older man, but he was younger and completely different from what I had pictured in my mind. Jian takes a sip from the drink he had clasped between his long fingers, and his eyes rake over me sluggishly.
“Ezra Quintero.” He drawls, taking a step toward me, and I try to retreat, but my back hits one of the guards, and I gulp, lifting my gaze to look back at the burly bald man staring down at me with no expression whatsoever.
I avert my gaze back to Jian, and I feel my knees start to shake…and not in a good way. You’d think I’d be used to the whole dark and dangerous demeanor from being around Damien, but something about this man before me, the look in his eyes, terrified me to my very soul. “I have been very eager to meet you. Your photos don’t do you justice, cariño.” He reaches out to touch my cheek, and I bat his hand away.