Scarred Empire: An Enemies to Lovers Dark Billionaire Romance (Broken Cross Book 2)

by Bri Blackwood

  Scarred Empire

  Bri Blackwood

  Bretagey Press

  Copyright © 2021 by Bri Blackwood

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. For more information, contact Bri Blackwood.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  The subject matter is not appropriate for minors. Please note this novel contains sexual situations, violence, sensitive and offensive language, and dark themes. It also has situations that are dubious and could be triggering.

  First Digital Edition: April 2021

  Cover Designed by Amanda Walker PA and Design

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Note From The Author

  Playlist

  1. Anais

  2. Damien

  3. Anais

  4. Anais

  5. Damien

  6. Anais

  7. Anais

  8. Damien

  9. Anais

  10. Anais

  11. Damien

  12. Anais

  13. Anais

  14. Anais

  15. Damien

  16. Anais

  17. Damien

  18. Anais

  19. Anais

  20. Anais

  21. Damien

  22. Anais

  23. Damien

  24. Anais

  25. Damien

  26. Anais

  27. Damien

  28. Anais

  29. Damien

  About the Author

  Also by Bri Blackwood

  Note From The Author

  Hello!

  Thank you for taking the time to read this book. Scarred Empire is a dark billionaire enemies-to-lovers romance. It is not recommended for minors and contains adult situations that are dubious and could be triggering. It isn’t a standalone and the book ends in a cliffhanger. Make sure you read Savage Empire before reading this book. The next book in the series is Steel Empire.

  Want to join the discussion about the Broken Cross Series? Click HERE to join my Reader Group on Facebook.

  Please join my newsletter to find out the latest about the Broken Cross series and my other books!

  Blurb

  She is scarred.

  When I stormed into her life, it was supposed to be temporary.

  Anais was supposed to be like the rest,

  Then I became addicted.

  My past caught up with me and she walked out before I could make her mine.

  Tragedy strikes and I have no choice but to bring her back into my world.

  In order to protect her, I convince her to wear my ring.

  But I fear even I can't protect her from the turmoil we're about to face.

  Playlist

  911 - Lady Gaga

  Save Your Tears - The Weeknd

  Use Somebody - Kings of Leon

  Kings & Queens - Ava Max

  Dirty Little Secret - The All-American Rejects

  Everybody Talks - Neon Trees

  How to Be a Heartbreaker - MARINA

  Alice - Lady Gaga

  Be Kind - Marshmello and Halsey

  Never Really Over - Katy Perry

  Still Into You - Paramore

  I Miss You - Adele

  The playlist can be found on Spotify.

  1

  Anais

  Panic.

  Silence.

  Fear.

  That was all I could hear and feel as I was carried somewhere. I struggled against my captor. My hands were restrained but that didn't mean I couldn't make his life difficult. I kicked my legs and moved my body as much as I could. Tears streamed down my cheeks, but they were absorbed by the cloth that covered my face.

  I heard something click to my right and I held my breath, wondering if someone had cocked a gun. I briefly wondered how long it would take for me to feel the piercing pain that my father endured just before he ended up in a pool of his own blood. But nothing followed the sound. I shook my head and felt the cloth that was covering a portion of my face loosen. A few more shakes and I was able to get the fabric below my eyes and I squinted. The blinding light directly over me was disorienting, but for as bright as it was, it did little to light the entire room. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust, but I didn’t know where the hell I was.

  Where is my father? Dread filled my heart as I thought back to the scene that unfolded in front of me. The memory of seeing his lifeless form just before I was kidnapped made my body turn cold. My lips trembled and my teeth chattered as fresh tears burst from my eyes. I shivered, but when I tried to bring my hand forward, I couldn't. My hands were tied with what felt like some type of plastic. I looked behind me and found that a zip tie held my hands together.

  Fuck. My mind raced because I knew I had to get out of this. Nobody was coming to rescue me and I would have to do this myself. I took a few breaths, calming myself enough to stop the shivers. Now, Anais, what are you going to do? I knew there was no way to break out of this without hurting myself. How can I free myself? Is there a tool I can use to rip these cable ties open? I took another steadying breath and steeled myself before I examined my surroundings.

  This room was foreign to me and had barely anything in it. There was a brown sofa, an outdated television sitting on a tiny stand, and I was sitting in a brown chair that had seen better days. I spotted a single closed door, but no windows or any signs that anyone actually lived or worked here.

  Panic once again rose in my throat as the events of the last couple of hours flooded my brain. My heart thumped harder in my chest, and I knew that if I didn't get myself back under control, fear would take over again.

  I couldn't allow that to happen because I had to get out of here. I took a deep breath and wondered if I could yell for help. Maybe my kidnappers were gone, and someone would hear me. It wasn't the best plan, but it was all I had. I took a deep breath and started screaming. I prayed that it wasn’t for naught and that my screams wouldn’t do anything but steal my voice.

  “Help! Help! Help! Is someone there? Help me!”

  “Would you shut up!” a deep voice from the corner of the room yelled.

  I flinched and my mouth snapped shut. Fear returned tenfold. My heart sped up, beating a rapid drumbeat in my chest. I wasn’t alone.

  The door opened, and I hadn’t heard it. Two burly men walked into my line of sight and just beyond them, I could see someone else was stationed at the door. I thought about rushing at them, but that wouldn’t be smart.

  There was no way I would make it very far. As if he understood what I was thinking, one of the men walked closer to me. A sliver of terror rushed down my spine. I pushed back into the chair, trying to shrink away from him.

  I pulled my legs up to my chest and shook my head, whispering, "Please, no… don't do this… please!" but it was barely audible as my throat was so tight with fear.

  The bald stranger gestured for me to get up and turn my body.

  I didn't know what to do, but I knew I had better do as he asked before he killed me right here. Maybe on my feet I could figure out a plan of escape. I struggled to get to my feet, but before I could get myself standing, he grabbed
one of my arms gently, helping me up.

  Confusion flooded my mind. What is he going to do? My breathing turned erratic, as he turned me around. Is this it? Is this dirty brown chair going to be the last thing I see?

  He surprised me further by snapping the zip tie that had been holding my hands together, freeing me from my bonds. Questions continued to surge through my head as I examined my arms under the light. Why is he freeing me? Who are these men? What do they want with me? I rubbed my wrists which were red and hoped the marks would soon fade. I brushed the tears from my cheeks and spun around, ready to confront my kidnappers.

  “What’s going on? Why am I here? Where is my father? Did you leave him to die on the street!” I stepped up to one of the men, who had to be double my size, and said, “So help me if you don’t get me to my father, I’ll…” The words tumbled out without a filter as my mind raced a thousand miles per hour.

  The men looked at each other before turning their attention back to me.

  “It’s not our job to tell you anything,” said the man who broke the ties that bound me.

  “Who are you? Could you at least tell me if my father is okay?” I pleaded.

  “It’s not our job to tell you anything.”

  I could feel the urge to snap at him growing in my gut. “How dare you?” My anger overflowed. “Where am I?”

  I knew we had driven for a while, but I wasn’t sure how long exactly. It felt like an hour or so, but it was hard to keep track with my face covered and with no phone. I patted my pockets and found that I indeed didn’t have a phone, nor did I have my purse. Had it gotten lost in the scuffle of throwing me in the SUV, or had the assholes who kidnapped me snatched it? I sank down into the chair, my body sagging onto the cushions as I could feel the adrenaline from the night’s events wearing off. “Where’s my purse?”

  The stranger said, “You’ll get it back when you leave here.”

  I took a step back and looked at him. This was the weirdest kidnapping I’d ever heard of…not that I got kidnapped often. I looked at each man as closely as I could, given the lighting in the room. If I had seen either man before, I didn’t remember them.

  “Who are you?”

  Before anyone could tell me it wasn’t their job to answer my questions, there was a knock on the door. One of the burly men opened the door a crack before opening it wider.

  I recognized the woodsy scent first, and my jaw hit the ground when he came into view.

  “Damien?!”

  “Anais.”

  He walked further into the room until he was standing mere feet from me. I could see his eyes scanning me, checking to see if I was hurt. Damien didn’t look surprised to see me, but he looked angry. My body shook, but no longer with fear. It was as if someone had injected a surge of energy into my veins.

  It was as if a switch went off and I became enraged. Every ounce of anger I had in me was directed at him. I glanced at each man in the room, judging whether they would be able to stop me, before I launched myself at him.

  “You did this!” I roared.

  My hands curled up into fists and they went flying. At first Damien did nothing, letting me release my anger against his broad chest. The calmer he was, the angrier I got. Tears of fury streamed from my eyes once again and I screamed unintelligible words as my fists beat a steady rhythm against him. After a couple of minutes, Damien caught my arms, stopping me from hitting him. One of the men grabbed me around the waist, trying to pry me off him.

  “Get your hands off of her.” The words that came out of Damien’s mouth sounded deadly.

  The other man let me go without a word. Damien looked down at my arms and lightly touched the red marks.

  “You shot my father and then kidnapped me!” My breath came out in heavy spurts as I stared at him. I hoped he could sense the hatred I felt for him.

  “I did nothing of the sort. In fact, I did the exact opposite. I saved your life.” He paused and turned to the bald man who freed me, “Carter, we will have the room and if you ever lay your hands or leave a mark on her again, I’ll kill you myself. Understood?”

  Carter nodded and he and the other men exited.

  “How could you?”

  “You’re upset right now, so I will say nothing about the tone of your voice.”

  “Oh, go to hell,” I said without giving it a second thought.

  “Watch it.”

  He was still trying to dominate me, bend me to his will and my desire to fall back into his arms made me question my sanity. Is this his fucked-up way of getting back at me for leaving our deal early? But he did say he isn't responsible. If that is true, what is he doing here? I swallowed the retort on the tip of my tongue because if I wanted answers pissing him off wouldn’t get me any.

  “Where is my father? Is my mother okay? What do you know about all of this?” I wiped at the tears that continued to fall. Why did I survive without getting hurt, while my father was lying in a hospital bed? Any attempts at keeping my emotions in check were pointless. I wanted him to give me the answers I desperately needed.

  “Your father is in one of the best hospitals in the city under the care of some of, if not the, best doctors and nurses in the country and your mother is there. She is safe.”

  He didn’t say he was dead, and Mom is okay. Thank goodness. Weariness seeped into my body as I took a seat on the couch with a thump. The news brought some solace to my tired heart, but it wasn’t enough. “I want to see him. I want to go to her…I need to.” I hated that my voice broke, and I sniffled to top it off.

  Damien sat next to me. “That is being arranged, but first we needed to make sure that you’re safe.”

  He pulled the pocket square from his suit jacket and wiped my tears. His touch was tender. When my gaze met his, I didn’t see the coldness or indifference I was expecting. There was something warmer there. His thumb grazed my cheek, sending a tendril of warmth through me. I thought for a brief second that he might lean down and kiss me. Why was he being this way? The man had just kidnapped me. That thought revived my anger, and I pulled away from his touch.

  “Why the hell did you kidnap me? I could be with my family right now!”

  Damien remained calm, and that did little to help my racing heart. He stood and walked over to the chair that was across from me. When he didn’t answer me right away, I jumped up, ready to yell in his face.

  “Sit down,” Damien said.

  “I need to be there for my mother. Take me to my parents.”

  “I will.”

  But he didn’t move.

  “Why aren’t we going right now? Time is of the essence! Give me your phone. I’ll call my mother while we’re on the way.”

  Damien didn’t move, instead keeping his eyes on me.

  “Well?”

  “Anais, we have to do this as securely as possible. I’m waiting until my men get in place before we go to the hospital.”

  I drew my eyes into slits. None of it made sense. I needed to be with my parents as soon as possible, and I could tell he was avoiding my questions. “What aren’t you telling me? And don’t tell me it’s none of my concern. Because all of this is my concern. This is my business.”

  Damien glared at me before his expression shifted to one I recognized. His face was hard as stone and nothing could be done to break it. He stayed silent.

  “Damien, please.” I deserved to know what was going on and how it would affect my life and my family. My plea finally broke through the wall he had built.

  “Based on the information we currently have, this was a targeted hit on your father. The reason I brought you here was to prevent them from attempting to kill you too.”

  “Why would anyone try to attack my dad? Why did you have them blindfold and tie me up?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. He might have asked the wrong person for money. The blindfold was to prevent you from seeing where the safe house was. I assume the zip tie was to stop you from attacking one of Kingston’s men. I didn
’t intend on them hurting your wrists and I will talk to Kingston about that.”

  The glare I tossed Damien’s way would set anyone ablaze and turn them into a pile of rubble. He didn’t even flinch, which made me angrier.

  “So, is your plan to keep me locked in here like you did when I was staying at your house?”

  Based on the ticking of his jaw, I could tell that Damien didn’t like my cheap shot. I was far from caring about his feelings. “Anais, you had a choice. You could have left at any opportunity and I told you that.”

  “Yeah, and risk the livelihood of hundreds of people. I totally had a choice.” I knew I was playing with a time bomb. Based on what I’d heard since being with him, Damien had ordered people’s necks snapped for less. And yet here I was pushing his buttons.

  But I didn’t care. Nothing else mattered except getting to my parents.

  A knock interrupted our stare down and our eyes moved to the door. Carter peered into the room. “Damien, everything is set up at the hospital. Mrs. Monroe is there.”

  Damien dipped his head, and the man left and closed the door behind him.

  At the mention of my mother, I stood up and walked toward Damien and grabbed his forearm, digging my nails into his flesh. He looked down at my hand and back up at me, daring me to keep it there, but I prevailed and didn’t move. I wanted to quake in my shoes, but knew better than to show weakness, especially in front of him. “If you so much as touch my mother, I’ll become the scariest bitch you’ve ever had to face.”