Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
“Get in.” He opens the passenger side door of his car for me.
“Such a gentleman.” The sarcasm rolls off my tongue before I catch it.
“Would you rather the fucking trunk, princess?”
I bite the inside of my cheek so I don’t make another smart-ass comment. The trunk would be better than sitting next to him, but instead I do as I’m told and get in.
“That’s what I thought.” He slams the door. I roll my eyes. A second later he’s in the driver’s seat and peeling out of the parking lot.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Does it matter?”
“Suppose not.”
“Put your seatbelt on,” he orders.
Is he serious right now? I do it anyway. Normally, it’s the first thing I do when I get into a vehicle, but being kidnapped has me thrown off, I guess.
“Wouldn’t want to damage the goods.”
“Goods.” I shake my head in disgust. Of course, that’s what he considers me. I shouldn’t be surprised in the least. I’ve heard rumors about how little the Talettis value their women.
“That’s what you are now.” He cuts a cold glance over at me, and I notice his eyes flick up and down my body. I fold my arms over my chest.
“You’re trying to scare me.”
“Trying?”
“Does that make you feel powerful? To point guns at unarmed girls? Threaten them with assault?”
“You’re not a girl. You’re a Fernandino.” His words are laced with utter disgust.
“I am,” I agree without hesitation.
I take pride in my family name and what it stands for. I may appear as some helpless spoiled princess to him, but someone should have taught him to never judge a book by its cover. The only way I’m going to get out of this is if I fight. The key is going to be when to do it. I’ll have to wait and hope there is an opening before they kill me or do whatever godawful thing they have planned.
He smirks. “By the time my father is done with you, are you sure your family will want you back?”
Fear floods my whole body as the reality of my situation starts to settle in. The shock is finally wearing off, the adrenaline fading.
“You’re going to give me back?” I know my family will take me back.
“Depends if you can be a good girl or not. I’m sure he’ll tire of you after a while.”
“When he’s done raping me?”
He cuts another one of his cold glares at me. It really can pierce right through you.
“You think your family is any better than mine?”
“No.” I shake my head. “I know we are.”
His hand on the steering wheel tightens as he speeds up. “You have no fucking clue, princess.” He knows nothing of real value about my family.
One thing no one would guess outside our family is my father and I share a love for reading. I adore when he quotes something and I can name it. It’s our own little game. Everyone rolls their eyes when we do it. Some will still try to guess, but I always get it right. One of his favorites floats through my mind right now.
“I’m certain I know one thing about you. ‘Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.’”
“Shakespeare,” Sergei says, shocking the hell out of me.
It only ignites my anger more for some reason. He takes his eyes off the road again to glance my way. Something in his eyes makes me pause for a moment, but I remind myself there is nothing behind his eyes. Only cruelty.
I’m sure there are things I don’t know that my family has done. There’s no doubt our hands aren’t clean, but we’ll never be as vicious and blood-soaked as the Talettis. I glance to the mirror to see if there are any cars behind us. No one’s there.
Perfect.
There are worse things than death, but why go alone when you can take a Taletti with you?
“I don’t think you have a clue either.” I reach over and grab the wheel, yanking it hard as I can.
War is here. I’m a Fernandino. I won’t go down without a fight. I will lay my life down for my family. It’s one worth dying for.
I bet Sergei had no clue that was coming.
Not from the princess.
3
SERGEI
“Fuck!” I roar and yank the wheel out of her grip. The car fishtails on the gravel shoulder, spewing rocks as I work to get it under control.
She slaps me, her hands in my face as I try to keep us from wrapping around a tree. “Bastard!” Her nails rake along my cheek, drawing blood as I finally get the car under control and skid to a stop. She’s thrown back into her seat from the momentum, and I’m on her before she can hit me again.
I grab both her wrists and yank her forward, her face only inches from mine. “What the fuck do you think you–” I yell when she headbutts me, my nose exploding in pain as stars swim in my vision. But this isn’t the first time I’ve had my nose broken. I recover quickly, anger rising to blot out the pain.