“And if I were to say fuck your family too?”

  I didn’t see him move.

  He was in front of me wrapping a hand around my throat, applying enough pressure to make me squirm. I gripped one of his wrists pulled while reaching down with my other hand to grab hold of his balls.

  I cupped them roughly and started to squeeze.

  “Let me go or I’m making sure you’ll never have kids,” I seethed.

  A small grunt was the only sign he made to show that this remotely bothered him. He brought his face closer to mine and grinned almost manically. “I thought you’d know by now; I like it when it hurts.”

  What the fuck?

  I felt his dick harden, proving he wasn’t simply talking shit. I knew he liked rough sex, but this was a bit different than that. He took advantage of my brief surprise and released my throat, only to spin me around and grip the back of my neck, forcing me to bend over the couch.

  “What are you doing?” I growled.

  “Exactly what I said I was going to.” He kept his hand firmly in place, using his foot to kick my legs apart.

  “Stop,” I protested, pushing against the leather to try and free myself.

  The jiggle of his belt and the sound of his zipper going down seemed to echo throughout the house. I flinched when the head of his dick brushed against the back of my thigh.

  “Judas--.”

  “Shut the fuck up,” he demanded in a cool, deceptive tone.

  My body trembled with a mix of unwarranted arousal and apprehension as he forced me to bow, even more, placing my knees almost entirely on the chaise.

  He didn’t bother with foreplay, didn’t remove a single article of clothing. He pulled my underwear to the side and then spit into his hand, rubbing the head of his cock with saliva before forcing it inside me. I cried out, grabbing at the couch as a searing, pleasurable burn followed his rough intrusion.

  There was no time to adjust. He pulled out and slammed back in, wrenching another cry from my lungs. His dick stretched and filled me. Relentless, that’s the way he fucked me. One hand wrapping my neck so tightly it would bruise with me bent over his sofa.

  “Judas,” I breathed on a moan, my pussy growing wetter with every punishing thrust.

  He released my neck and tangled his hand in my hair, fisting it at the scalp and roughly pulling it towards him. The ceiling high above me became my new focal point, the arch in my back deepening from the posture he’d forced me into. I whimpered loudly, moaning uncontrollably as his dick went unimaginably deeper.

  “You like when it hurts too,” he practically growled, tightening his hold on my hip.

  He pounded into my pussy so savagely that the pain began to feel heavenly. I was on the verge of coming, pleading for him not to stop. My nails dug into leather, I silently screamed when the feeling in my lower stomach burst, sending white-hot pleasure coursing through my veins.

  “There you go, that’s beautiful. You feel so fucking good,” Judas moaned appreciatively as my pussy contracted around his dick, squeezing him tight as he fucked me harder.

  I whimpered again when a prickling sensation erupted across my scalp, he forced my head back even further, rendering it almost impossible to swallow. His lips came to my damp, heated flesh and he licked and nipped his way to my ear. Not once did he slow in what he was doing. He continued to roughly thrust inside me with an almost terrifying ease.

  “Remember whose fucking you right now, making you come so hard you lose your ability to speak. Whose making it hurt like you need it to. Why your pussy is so wet your thighs are soaked.”

  I swallowed inaudibly, unable to do anything but breathe heavily and moan. Skin hitting sweat-drenched skin filled the air with the sounds coming from my mouth. It was never-ending. By the time he pushed himself and bottomed out I’d long stopped being able to hold myself up and had come two more times.

  He kissed the side of my face as his dick emptied every drop of his come inside me. At this moment, I thanked my lucky stars I was on birth control.

  Without a word he pulled out, causing me to wince as the ramifications quickly set in. My pussy felt like it had been initiated into a gang.

  The muscles in my thick, sticky ass thighs were reduced to limp strands of string.

  And Judas knew.

  He always knew what he did to me and how good he’d done it. I wouldn’t deny I came harder than I had in a long time or that I screamed for more. I wouldn’t dispute anything he whispered in my ear because it was all true. None of that changed that I’d said fucking no. I righted myself and turned to face him.

  Aside from a light sheen of sweat, he looked as put together as possible, like he hadn’t just been fucking me brutally. I knew I had to look exactly as I felt, raw and thoroughly used. It fanned my anger and humiliation.

  “Why did you do that to me?”

  “Because you deserved it.” He turned away and retrieved his cellphone from the Pesadilla jacket he’d discarded earlier.

  I stared at the back of his head, unable to settle on anyone's emotion or response. He could be so good to me and then there were the times like these that were happening more and more frequently.

  “There’s somewhere I need to be. You need to stay here for now. Check my third drawer down for something to change into.”

  That was it? How could he sound so casual? He didn’t bother to look my way when delivering the order. I swallowed, shocked to feel tears burning behind my eyes. I wasn’t a crier by nature. I took this as a testament to how bad this was all getting to me.

  Not only what happened less than ten minutes ago, but everything collectively. Dax, the missing jock, Audrey, my parents. Him. I hadn’t had a chance to truly sit with myself and deal with any of it. I was close to losing control with each passing moment.

  This just wasn’t me—and I hated whoever it was.

  “I hate you.”

  He stopped texting and looked over at me. His beautiful eyes seared straight into my troubled soul. Lowering his phone, he moved so that he was in front of me, forcing my head to tilt back so that I could hold his gaze. He smelled of sweat, sex, danger, and jasmine—he smelled like us.

  “What did you just say?” he questioned softly.

  I repeated myself, the admission weakened by the way it was chocked from my lungs

  “I said I hate you.”

  “Ah, principessa, that’s the best thing you could ever do. It’s a shame it isn’t true.” He brought a gentle hand to the side of my face and lowered his mouth to mine, staking a final claim against my trembling lips before walking away.

  CHAPTER TEN

  He didn’t have to voice his displeasure for it to be known. Thomas Green was balding, pushing forty, and had been blackmailed by two adolescents into betraying his boss.

  He was an easy target to get what we needed. His desire to keep hidden that after he let a man twice his size leave a gaping hole in his ass, he went home fucked his poor wife, and kissed his kids with a mouth that swallowed come, surpassed his loyalty to the Clermonts.

  “Keep driving,” I ordered from the back of his car.

  “How much further ya want me to go?” he asked. His irritation couldn’t mask the stench of fear he was beginning to emit.

  “Until we tell you to stop,” Gavin answered authoritatively. He was sitting passenger side, his gun low and trained on our temporary friend in case he tried to pull something. “Where’s what we asked you for?”

  “Under your seat.”

  I slid over and reached down, keeping my head up while I felt for what I was looking for. It took a matter of seconds to locate the manila envelope. I lifted it and flipped the front flap to take a look at the contents.

  Four five by seven black and white photographs sat before me. The resemblance between the girl in the photo and Rhiannon was striking. I had to remind myself that she was in my kitchen cutting up fruit before I left the house.

  This girl had been drugged, beaten into submission, and raped. The blonde tied to a bedpost in the second photo had undergone the same treatment. I studied each picture carefully. These were vital pieces of information. No mistakes could be made.

  “What do you think?” I flipped the folder closed and passed it off to Gavin. “Park near that tree over there,” I directed Thomas.

  Gavin whistled low, approving of what he saw. “Damn. This is almost disturbing to see.”

  I reached into my waistband and removed my gun, flicking off the safety just as Thomas put his car in park. His beady blue eyes met mine in the rearview mirror, so wide I could see every inch of white within them. He knew what was coming but wasn’t ready to accept it.

  His blatant show of fear disgusted me. The man wasn’t made for this line of work. Most of those associated with the Clermont’s weren’t. They were sheep trying to run amongst hungry wolves.

  “Please, I have a family.”

  “Everyone has a fucking family.”

  I raised my gun and pulled the trigger. The silencer reduced the noise and erased any recoil as a bullet tore through his headrest and shredded bone to get to his brain. Blood shot out of the hole, spraying the window and windshield with artistic lines of crimson.

  It’d been way too long since my last hit. I shot him again just for the fuck of it, grinning as his body slumped forward and his head bounced off the steering wheel. Few handguns worked as well as my Beretta even with its suppressor.

  “Having fun?” Gavin asked, amused by my overkill.

  “Not hardly. This isn’t even scratching my itch. We need to get the fuck home.”

  “With this,” he held up the file folder. “We can do that, right?”

  “Yeah.” I returned my gun to its resting place on my person and reached for the door. “Let’s go. Place the folder on his lap best you can.”

  He did as I instructed and met me at the back of the BMW. “You think Marcus will buy it?”

  “We’ll know soon enough. There isn’t any reason he should. Are you ready for what’s next?”

  “I’ve been ready all summer.”

  Leaving Thomas behind, we made our way through the reserve cutting across railroad tracks to reach where we’d stashed the van. I could’ve handled this alone, but it was nice having someone with me, Gavin specifically.

  He was a brother by love and devotion in place of blood.

  Owen and Bri were superb at what we had to do too, and I valued them each in their own ways, but they both still had too much heart sometimes and it was that slight bit of compassion we couldn’t afford to have. Gavin was most like me. He never faltered or had a thought of remorse before or after we handled business.

  Returning to the van, I got into the passenger seat and ran down a mental checklist of what needed to be done after I confirmed this hit with my padre.

  My thoughts flickered to Rhiannon they typically tended to do. She’d said she hated me while my come dripped from between her legs and the look in her pretty brown eyes said otherwise.

  I’m sure she wanted to hate me. Maybe even a part of her did. It didn’t change anything.

  I got the clear to take her away from and that’s exactly what I was going to do. There weren’t any other options. Too many people had come to know she was alive and the majority either wanted her dead or captured.

  If she stayed here, she was bound to suffer the worse fate. Someone would snatch her up and use her as leverage over the family that wanted their hidden heir back. It was my famiglia’s negotiations with them that had helped get us to this point. My claim on Rhia had stopped them from doing something rash.

  It had never been my intention to love this peculiar girl in any shape or form, but she’d gotten to me the moment she came wandering into the woods and helped me bury a man I’d been keeping an eye on after he raised too many suspicions. Letting me fuck her afterward sealed her fate. No one plagued by normalcy did things like that.

  Whatever afflicted me, she had traces of it in her system and that was too beautiful to walk away from. It could have been a one-time thing. I knew her well enough to see the truth.

  Some might blame it on the fact that she came from a family that built a legacy with a viciousness that rivaled the Barrons, but this was an obsolete claim when considering she didn’t know that yet. Darkness was simply a natural part of her. Right now, she was a delicate flower that had yet to grow thorns or bloom but when she blossomed, fuck she’d be breathtaking.

  Rhia was special for far more than what made her tainted soul align with mine. This connection between us made me feel like I’d know her in a hundred different lifetimes. Whatever I had of a heart, it was hers. I would do everything in my power now and later to make her forever mine.

  I wanted to protect her from everything and everyone but myself.

  Knowing after what was coming, she could very well come to hate me legitimately, I still didn’t question what I had to do. Her tears, anger, happiness, and pleasure belonged to me as she was mine and they were a part of her.

  I needed to fuck her as if our lives depended on it and ensure she remained at my side long after she became the fierce woman she was destined to be. She didn’t need to like me to do either, but this wasn’t much of a concern. Her hatred would always be tainted by the way I made her love me.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  At first, I was relieved he’d left.

  Sitting alone with my thoughts seemed like a good idea until I attempted to do it. I hadn’t gotten anywhere, digging myself deeper into a pit of turmoil with all the variables and unknowns.

  Two hours into Judas being gone I didn’t know what to do with myself.

  I’d eaten.

  Bathed and dressed in one of the outfits Judas had placed in a dresser drawer for me. Kudos to him for getting some cute sweats I didn’t have to jump around to fit into.

  There was a paper I could do for British Literature to accumulate extra credit. After bombing the quiz, I desperately needed those points. I wasn’t feeling the assignment, though. Ironically, I needed to write a five-page paper on where I saw my face after graduation. I was partially convinced Judas paid the teacher to come up with this bullshit.

  I didn’t know where I’d be after high school. Dead. On my way to pursue law so that I could stand on the right side of justice.

  I snickered at the thought, wandering through the dining room. I hadn’t had a chance to look around too much before but now I could see the whole place was off.

  The mansion was gorgeous and so was everything in it, but why did it feel more like a staged model home than a house? Even the giant Barron monogram I’d seen the first time I stepped foot inside here was nothing more than a fancy decal.

  That didn’t fit with the wealth or level of luxury placed throughout the rest of the house. It was a cheap way to do something that could have easily been afforded to be done properly. The discovery left behind an ominous feeling.

  Once again, I was faced with the question of why Judas came to Crudele in the first place. His sister wasn’t here, was she? He surely would have found her by now. I decided then to text my dad again, asking him what was going on.

  Not wanting to stare at my phone until he may or may not reply, I called Audrey. She picked up on the second ring.

  “Hey.”

  “Are you busy?” I asked, peeking out a back window.

  “I’ve got time for you. What’s up?”

  “Judas left me alone at his place, so…”

  “Woah. You guys are taking some big steps,” she joked.

  We’re doing something alright.

  Needing someone to talk to, I was careful with my words as I told her some of what was going on with my mom and dad. Audrey listened respectively without once interrupting.

  “Rhia! Your mom is a bitch, I’m sorry but not sorry. And your dad needs to grow some damn balls.”

  I laughed softly, kicking my feet up onto the lounge. “You know…they aren’t my real parents?”

  “Rhia, sweetie, a blind man would know,” she replied playfully. “You’ve never said anything about it, so I wasn’t going to be the one to bring that up. Only an asshole would do that. Do you not see them as mom and dad now?” she didn’t sound judgmental, but curious.

  “No…they’re still dad and Evie is the only woman I’ve ever known as mom. I see things differently now, though.”

  “That’s completely understandable.”

  I traced the elevated ceiling with my eyes, lying flat on my back on the sectional. “I wonder why they never sat me down and talked about it.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. They never mentioned it, ever. It’s not like it was a giant secret, though. You’re the outside of a Hostess and they’re the center.”

  The image of the round chocolate cupcake popped into my head, causing me to laugh. “Thanks for that.”

  “It’s what I do. Gavin wants to meet up later. Should I go?”

  I was thrown by both the sudden change of subject and the mention of Judas’ best friend. Why was she asking me?

  My advice to her would be hypocritical at best. She should stay as far away from him as possible.

  I got the allure, unfortunately.

  Gavin, like Judas, was built like a world-class athlete, tall with his blonde hair a shade different than hers and an odd shade of blue eyes, the boy was beautiful. He was also toxic and dangerous. I could tell myself the same damn thing about Judas. See how that was working out?

  “How much do you like him?” I found myself asking. I made sure my tone was nonchalant.

  “I don’t know. We haven’t sat around and had a deep heart to heart or anything. The sex is bomb doe.”

  “Really?”

  “His dick? Yes, girl.”

  “No, Audrey. T-M-I. That isn’t what I meant,” I clarified with a laugh.

  “I know it isn’t, but you’re my best friend so it’s honorary you know. Wanna tell me about Judas?”

  I coughed and sat up. “Absolutely not.”

  “That’s stingy, Rhia,” she deadpanned, “Hey, my mama needs help with the next batch of cookies. I’ll call you in a few, okay?”