Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 47758 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47758 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
The man gave her the direction to where Jade was.
“What’s your name?” Tulip asked.
“It’s Gabriel Colton. Where’s Rick?”
“He’s outside.”
She didn’t linger and made her way upstairs, going straight to Jade’s room. The door was open but Jade sat on the bed, one handcuff around her wrist and the other to the bedpost.
“Do you see what kind of hospitality they show?”
Seeing Jade up didn’t sit right with Tulip.
Bending down, she tried to lift the bed and Jade laughed.
“Believe me, if you could have lifted the bed for an easy escape, I’d have already tried it. It would seem that not only did they have the basement to keep people locked down, they also have so many bedrooms.” Jade laughed. “I’m stuck here until my family comes. They may even bring a doctor, you know, to test to see if I’m still a virgin.” She sniffled.
“What?”
“Yep, my virginity is the most important point about me, didn’t you know?”
“No, that sounds wrong.”
“Oh, it is, but in our world, being a virgin is more important. It’s not for the men. No, they can lose it whenever they want, but us women, we have to remain untouched for eternity, until our husbands want us, of course. We’re not allowed to experience pleasure.”
“Enough with this. I’m not going to let this happen to you.”
Tulip looked around the room, trying to find something, anything that would pry open the cuffs. “There’s no point. It’s useless.”
“Nothing is useless. I’ll be back. Try not to … be sad.” She rushed out of the house. A place this big needed to have a garden shed, surely. A gardener, maybe? Someone who tended the grounds.
She made her way to the bottom of the yard, trying to find what she was looking for.
The Denton house was pure luxury and even the shed was something she’d live in. It was large, a big space, and as she looked inside, she saw it was all neatly presented. All the tools were in place, and it was tidier than her flat back home.
Shaking her head, she found what she was looking for and headed back to the house, only to be intercepted by Rick.
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing,” he said, taking the snippers designed to snap twigs.
“Hey, give them back!”
“No, you’re not going to break free your friend.”
“You’re going to let her go.”
“Tulip, I suggest you go and hang out with Landon. It’s only a matter of time before I have to move him. Bounty hunters will try to chase him even in here.” He shoved her toward the house. Before she could attack him, one of the guards was there, holding her in place.
“Let me go.”
“I admire your spirit, Tulip, but you’re not going to win. Stop fighting the inevitable, and be grateful you’re not in her place.”
The guard dragged her inside the house. The moment he let her go, she spun around, slapped him hard across the face, and kicked him between the thighs.
She ran upstairs and went to find Jade. She was still in the same place, sitting there, likely giving up.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“It’s fine. I’ll be fine.”
She took Jade’s other hand, locking their fingers together. “It’s not fine. I wish I could stop this.”
“You can’t. The only thing you can hope for is Landon will survive long enough to give you some kind of life.”
“Don’t talk about Landon right now. I’m annoyed with him.” Annoyed was putting it mildly. She was furious with him.
“Don’t be angry with him,” Jade said.
“You’re not angry with him?”
“Yeah, but that’s between me and him. Don’t ruin your relationship with him just because of me. My dad, when he’s sees I’m all good and a perfectly sellable commodity, he won’t be pissed for long.” Jade shrugged.
“You’re giving up?”
“No. I’m not giving up. I’m accepting what my life is going to be.” Jade offered her a smile but it didn’t reach her eyes. “It is what it is.”
Tulip didn’t know what to say. There was nothing she could do or say to console this woman who was going to end up back with her family, which was exactly what she didn’t want.
Resting her head back against the bed, she closed her eyes and tried to come up with a plan.
Chapter Thirteen
“The Castillos are coming to claim their daughter. He’s bringing an entourage and I’ve advised him no armed guard will be entering our house,” Rick said. “They are also bringing a doctor. As long as her hymen is intact, he will see it as our debt to them is repaid.”
“You can’t give her back,” Gabriel said.
“This matter isn’t up for discussion. I’ve had Landon, Tulip, and now you. That girl is a problem and I don’t want to deal with it. With our focus on the bounty hunters, we don’t have time to start a war, and in case you haven’t noticed, with Maddox’s death, and you two fucking up rulings, things haven’t exactly gone to plan.” Rick looked at him and then at Jacob. “For the foreseeable future, my decision will stand.”