Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 141255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 706(@200wpm)___ 565(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 706(@200wpm)___ 565(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
“I’ll make a call and have them pick up Frost tomorrow morning. He made his bed with them so they can deal with him. You okay with that?”
She nodded.
“We need everything else on the table. Tell me everything else.”
“You don’t wanna know.”
“I do. I wanna know it all. I need it all.”
Her gaze went razor sharp. “No.”
“Angel…”
“Why? Why would you want to know about the abuse I dealt with? It won’t help me to relive it and it won’t help us when you can’t get those images out of your head.” She threw the tea towel on the counter and folded her arms.
I was proud of the fact that she was feeling brave enough to say No to me but now wasn’t the time for it, not in this situation.
“I need to know it all so we can move forward. It could take a while before we’re out but the more info I have, the better. Their partner summit is coming up and–”
“You’re going?” Horror swept through me.
“I might have to,” he answered. “It’s gonna take time to get out of this business without making enemies, so I have to play their game for a while.”
I swallowed hard and started to tremble, imagining being back there after my teensy weensy taste of freedom.
“So, information is power, Angel. I need you to trust that I can take whatever information you have. What they did to you, all of it.”
No. No way did I want him knowing about the horror they’d put me through. No way did he want all that in his head. He would never look at me with love in his eyes again. He’d look at me through a tainted lens. He’d see worse than the broken slave on her knees begging him to be her Master. He’d see how dirty and broken and unfixable I really was, how broken and unfixable I’d always be, and he’d know that he deserves better.
“Please, Dare.”
“Baby.” He grabbed me and put his arms around me. “I need you to come clean about it all. You need to come clean. You’ve already come so far. You’re transforming before my eyes. You’re not Felicia.”
“Well, I’m not her, either.”
“Her?”
“Her. That other name. I’m not her, Dare. She was crushed into dust. She’s gone.”
“Maybe you’re not Angie anymore. But you’re my Angel. You’re my beautiful girl who survived all of that.”
“I’m a fucking mess!” I shrieked.
He smiled. “Yeah. But you’re showing some good signs. You’ve been damaged but you’re not broken, babe. Now, tell me. Let’s sit down. I want to know the rest of your story.”
“I can’t. I can’t.” I shook my head and cross my arms, backing away from him. Damaged? Damaged was an understatement.
“Baby, listen…”
“Can I go to bed? I want to go to bed.”
He sighed and stared at me a beat. I pleaded with my eyes.
“Okay,” he relented. “For tonight we’ll leave it on ice. We need to talk this out, though. Kiss me goodnight. I’ve got a bit to do and then I’ll be up.”
I approached. He put his arms around me and I sank into him. He pulled me down onto his lap and held me tight. My chin trembled.
“I’m tired, Dare. Can I go?”
“Go. I’ll be up soon.”
I listlessly climbed up the stairs, crawled into the bed, and got under the covers, completely under the covers, head and all.
I found a folder on Frost’s laptop that said Angie. It was filled with video files; Bile bubbled at the back of my throat. I didn’t open them. I paced the floor instead.
There was no way in the world I wanted to watch her get abused, watch anyone lay their hands on her. The fact that Frost could watch that shit? Repeatedly? What the fuck? I stormed down to the barn, telling the guards to get out of earshot.
“What’s in those video files, Frost?” I greeted. He was lying on the floor against the wall on some hay. He propped his head up on his palm.
“That’s a lot of footage of Angie’s first days at the resort. It’s also some footage of her and me before she found out about Kruna. And Donavan gave me footage of her from about three months in. Quite a transformation.”
“You videotaped sex with her without her knowledge?”
“I’m glad I had spank bank material all this time without her. I needed it. Once you have a girl like Angie you don’t wanna forget. I know you know what I’m sayin’. Of course you know what I’m sayin’. That’s a ten-million-dollar cunt you’ve got yourself in there and I know she’s worth every penny your old man paid.”
I ignored the urge to crush the guy, it wasn’t easy. “So, you inherited Donavan’s stock and thought you’d take over his position?”
“That was the plan. But obviously that’s out the window. Listen, can we make some sort of deal? I know I’ve got balls to even ask since I shot first instead of approaching you, but we’re reasonable men, aren’t we? We’re business associates at this point, co-shareholders. How about we strike a deal?”