Bitter Vows: A Twisted Arranged Marriage Romance (Crimson Falls Duet Book 1)
Page 20
“What do you want?” The resignation in his tone makes me smile. First this bastard, and then his mother. I’ll make sure they both pay for what they did to me, my father, and Lycan. As much as I hate my brother, he was blood.
“Fifty million in an account which cannot be traced. I’ll send you the details,” I tell him, keeping my gaze on Scarlett. “I don’t need any negotiations on this. It’s the money for your daughter. Or will you sell her out again?” I hang up before the asshole can answer me or question why I’m doing this.
“Cut,” a voice calls from behind me, causing me to turn. “Ambulance arrived, he’s in ICU. It doesn't look good.” Kai, our enforcer, looks at me before his gaze lands on Scarlett. The flicker of desire in his eyes dances like a flame as he takes her in. The torn dress, which is gritty with dirt, her face has a couple of scratches, the blood caked on her mouth, and the way her eyes flash with pure venom makes her every fucker’s wet dream.
“Good. Keep me updated.”
He nods but doesn’t leave immediately. “If you need a hand…” He allows the sentence to hang heavily with promise. I know every man sitting in that clubhouse would love to be left alone with Scarlett. And I doubt she’ll survive.
“Leave,” I order, keeping my tone level. I don’t need them to know she’s something to me. All they know is that she’s collateral.
I don’t trust people with information they don’t need. This job has been in the making for years. And now that it’s finally here, I can’t have anyone fucking it up. I glance at Bear, who’s waiting for his orders. The man is an animal, but he’s tame, nothing like Kai.
“I’ve got it from here,” I tell him.
“Sure, boss. Let me know if you need me down here.” He glances once more at Scarlett before he leaves us. The heavy thud of his steps echoes as he reaches the first floor and shuts the door behind him.
Once we’re alone, I turn to her. “Would you like to sit up?”
“Fuck you!” She spits blood and saliva on the floor, which will only mix with the rest of the crimson from our evenings down here questioning criminals.
“You know, we can do this the hard way,” I taunt. “I quite like it like that. I’m sure my brother trained you for the darkness that comes with a good hard beating.”
Shock paints her pretty face like a mask as she regards me. I may not be able to fuck her violently, but I can make her scream. And I’m certain it would be a beautiful symphony to listen to.
“Why are you doing this?” Her plea is quieter than her curse. Tears trickle down her face, falling to the floor where her head is leaning on the cold concrete.
Tipping my head to the side, I regard her for a long while, contemplating if I should admit my pain to her. “Do you know what it’s like to be sent away by your own parents?”
Scarlett’s gaze lingers on my face before she nods. “Yes, yes, I do know what that’s like. From the outside, my life might seem perfect. It might look like I have everything, but my father sold me to Lycan. He signed my life away.”
“Did he? I mean, you didn’t seem all too bothered to walk down the aisle and marry my brother.” Rage simmers through me. Her words only seem to turn up the heat on my emotions. Perhaps that’s why Lycan was so taken with her. She does something to a man. Her sweet innocence mingled with the seductiveness of a vixen.
“No, I wanted to marry him because I learned to love him.”
“And you think he loved you too?” I challenge. I’ve known my brother all my life. He isn’t capable of love. Even when she left him all those years ago, I knew he didn’t love Yasmine. She was nothing more than a slave he could find pleasure with. She enjoyed the darkness he exuded.
“Yes.” Comes Scarlett’s response. It’s a mere whisper. And if it weren’t so quiet down here, I wouldn’t have heard it. “You killed him.”
“Not yet,” I answer quickly. It seems the shots weren’t fatal. But there’s always time to right my wrongs. “But I’m sure when I see him again, I’ll finish the job.” Shrugging, I turn to grab a chair and drag it along the cold concrete, ensuring the noise is loud, which will only cause Scarlett pain.
“Why do you hate him so much? Why do you hate me?”
I settle on my seat while considering her questions. When people are in danger or hurt, that’s the question they always throw out. Why? “I wanted nothing more than a family to care for, but what I got instead was shame for being who and what I was.”
She shifts, tilting her head so she can truly look at me. But it’s when she finally speaks, do I realize she’s really concerned. “I don’t understand.” It’s not a plastered-on worry that’s creasing her brows. She truly has no clue what her family is like.
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Acknowledgments
I’m so excited to have Scarlett and Lycan out in the world! I have to thank a few special ladies, Allyson and Sara for BETA reading this duet, and to Ashlee, without your amazing graphics, this book wouldn’t come alive.
Thank you to my editor for working on this. And a massive thank you to Illuminate Author Services for proofing!
To the team at Greys Promo, you ladies ROCK! Thank you so much for everything you did to keep me in line and on deadline.
To my ADULT, Caroline for putting up with my bullshit. And for ensuring I’m on time for everything I would be late to if it weren’t for you.
To my BEAUTY, Carolina, for helping me with the group, and for being so sweet when I forget everything I’m meant to do.
The Street Team, you ladies work your ass off to get my name out there, thank you. From the bottom of my little black heart, THANK YOU!
My Deviants!! I love my group, and you ladies make it so amazing to pop in every day when I need an escape from the world. Thank you!!
To my fellow authors who are there with advice, support, and just a general pick me up. Thank you. It means more to me than you know. Thank you for sharing my work with your readers, and giving me a friendship that is second to none.
To the bloggers, you ladies read, read, read, support, post, review, and you do it with a smile. Thank you!! We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you, so keep what you’re doing, we appreciate you! #AllBlogsMatter!
Lastly, to the readers, thank YOU! It’s because of you I’m able to put out book after book. Giving you what you ask for, and hopefully making you excited about the next book. Thank you for your reviews, keeping them SPOILER FREE ;) But most of all, thank you for buying our books. For your support, love, and encouragement.
Mad love, D x
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Also by Dani René
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Crime and Punishment (Newsletter Exclusive)
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Bitter Vows (Book #1)
Bitter Truths (Book #2)
Gilded Sovereign Series
Cruel War (Book #1)
Volatile Love (Book #2)
Sins of Seven Series
Kneel (Book #1)
Obey (Book #2)
Indulge (Book #3)
Ruthless (Book #4)
Bound (Book #5)
Envy (Book #6)
Vice (Book #7)
The Taken Series
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Severed
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Four Sons Series
Brock
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Broken Series
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Shattered by Love
The Backstage Series
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About the Author
Dani is a USA Today Bestselling Author of seductive and deviant romance.
Her books range from the dark to emotional, but every hero is alpha, and each heroine is strong-willed, bringing the men down to their knees.
She now lives in the UK, after moving from Cape Town, with her better half who does all the cooking while she writes all the words.
When she's not writing, she can be found binge-watching the latest TV series, or working on graphic design. She has a healthy addiction to reading, tattoos, coffee, and ice cream.
www.danirene.com
info@danirene.com
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