Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
“No, no, of course not.”
He closed the distance between them and cupped her face, tilting her head back to look at him. Drago had noticed she tried to avoid eye contact whenever she got nervous or unsure. He didn’t want her to be afraid of him.
Drago was starting to see traits in her that suggested her father would often yell or upset her. He hoped to fuck that the man never raised a hand to her. Nothing would save George from his wrath if he raised a hand to her. He’d gladly fuck him up.
“This is … I’m so sorry.”
“You thought I owned them, and they were not here of their free will?”
Tears filled Selma’s eyes. “I know my dad was into a lot of stuff.” Her voice was barely audible.
“Human trafficking?”
She pressed her lips together and nodded.
“I hated it. He told me to stop being so immature. People would take other people. It’s a dog-eat-dog world. Dogs are not that bad.”
Drago stroked her cheek. “You know I’m not a good man, Selma. You know that when it comes to the bad shit, I rival your dad.”
She nodded but he wouldn’t allow her to look away.
“I have limits,” Drago said. “I have never, nor will I ever, deal in human trafficking.”
“Y-you don’t?”
“I saw that kind of shit on the streets all the time. I fucking hated it. Anyone who works for me does so willingly, and I make sure they’re paid well. I don’t believe in forcing people into positions they don’t want.”
Selma frowned.
“You don’t count,” he said.
She smiled at him. “Ah, so I was your one exception?”
Drago pulled her close and pressed his nose against her neck, breathing her in. She was intoxicating to him.
“I couldn’t resist you and I knew your father was doing a fucked-up job of taking care of you.” He nearly told her how he felt, but he wasn’t ready to admit that.
He knew she wouldn’t use his feelings against him, but there were other people in the world who would love to harm him by getting to her, and he wasn’t going to allow it.
Chapter Nine
Selma had no doubt Drago was a bad man. His reputation had rivaled her father’s, and she knew her father had also been afraid of this man who was now her husband.
But, he was surprising her, and that was also a bit of a shock. She didn’t expect to be … surprised. It was nice.
She didn’t want to know exactly what he dealt in, but she did believe him when he said he didn’t deal in human trafficking. When she found out her father was into that, it had freaked her out. Some of the staff that worked at his home had been branded, and she knew they lived in fear. Glancing across the car toward her husband, she had no idea where they were going.
“What’s the matter, baby?” he asked, taking her hand, and lifting it to his lips to kiss her knuckles.
The little touches were making her fall in love with him. How insane was that? She hadn’t come to this marriage willingly, and yet she loved when he gave her the soft kisses and the sweet looks. She relished every touch, and the truth was, she also hung onto his every word. Drago was becoming everything to her, and that was scary.
She was not supposed to fall in love with him. He was supposed to be a monster, the enemy, but she was falling for him with every passing day. There were nights she woke up and watched him sleep. Hearing about his past, knowing he’d been dumped, she doubted Drago would ever admit to that plaguing his mind, but she knew it did, and she hoped to wipe out all of those fucked-up memories for him.
She also loved that even without saying a word, sometimes just giving him a look, he seemed to know exactly what she was thinking or feeling, and that made her feel so many different things.
“My dad had a lot of staff. Most of them … they had some kind of brand.”
Drago nodded. “Your father would grade the people he purchased. If they were beautiful men and women, they were sent to his brothels. Those he didn’t think would get much money worked the streets with the pimps he assigned to them. And those with no value worked for him.”
Selma felt sick to her stomach. Tears filled her eyes. “What happened to them?”
“The brothels are gone. I’ve dealt with the pimps. The people working for your father … I have worked with the cops to find out where they’re from, and either return them, or get them some help.”
“You work with the cops?” Selma asked.
“I have a working relationship with a couple of them. Sometimes, I’m the lesser of a few evils.”