Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
“Why are you here?” she asked.
He stared at her, his gaze moving up and down her body, assessing her.
“How old are you?” he asked.
This was almost laughable. He was her father and yet, he didn’t have a clue of her age.
“I’m twenty-one in a couple of weeks.”
He smiled and it scared the shit out of Rosalie. The man never smiled.
At the sight of her mother in the kitchen doorway, she was distracted.
“Mom, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, sweetheart.” She was positively shaking. Were those red marks around her neck? “Your father wanted to talk to you about something.”
Rosalie didn’t want to talk to him about anything. There was nothing good he could say to her. She waited, trying to figure out what it was he wanted but she kept drawing a blank. It couldn’t be anything important.
“You’ll do. It would help if you were skinny, but I think we could make this work.”
She wanted him out of their house. Her mother was pale and she didn’t look good. She shook so freaking much as well. The fear was clearly getting too much for her.
“I think you should leave.”
“I’ve found a husband for you.”
This made Rosalie pause. “Excuse me.”
“You heard me. I found a husband for you. Sunday, a couple of the boys are going to pick you up. We’ll get everything ready. You can get married.”
“What the fuck?” she asked.
His lips pursed.
“I’m not getting married. There’s no way in hell I am.”
The calm, collective man was gone, and in his place was something far more terrifying as he wrapped his fingers around her throat and pressed her against the wall. He tightened his grip just enough to offer the threat of choking, but not too much to make her stop breathing.
The threat, though, oh, it was there.
“You will do as I fucking tell you,” Daemon said, practically spitting in her face as he did.
“Let her go,” Gabrielle said.
“Do you think I’ll stop with her? You know what I’m capable of, Gabby.”
“Leave her alone,” her mother said.
Daemon loosened his grip but she saw the look he sent her mother and that wasn’t good. Her mother could be the protector, but when faced with him, she crumbled.
“It’s fine. It’s fine,” Rosalie said, stepping in front of her mother so he could only see her. “Sunday, a couple of your guys will pick me up. It’s fine.”
He took a step toward her.
“Mom, why don’t you go and fix us some food?” Rosalie said, facing off with the man that terrified her.
She wished she had the strength to take him out. Her hands clenched, hoping one day she’d get to hurt him, just once. To make him afraid as he’d made her mother for so many years.
“When you arrive at my clubhouse, I expect you to dress accordingly. I’ll send the necessary clothes, and you will not speak, you will not say a single word. If you do, I’ll make sure your mother pays for it.”
Rosalie tried not to argue with him. Keeping her lips closed, she stared at him, waiting, and then Daemon took one last lingering look into the kitchen, before turning on his heel and leaving. The moment the door closed, Rosalie rushed to it and flicked the lock into place. Her throat felt sore.
She didn’t linger, though, and instead went straight to her mother. “Are you okay?”
Gabrielle broke down. She collapsed to the floor, covering her face with her hands. “I’m so sorry, Rose, so, so, so sorry.”
Rosalie wrapped her arms around her mother, holding her. “It will be fine.”
“How? You will … he’ll…”
“It’ll be fine.”
Daemon had made up his mind. Whoever she was supposed to marry, that would happen. There was no getting away from that, she only hoped whoever it was didn’t want her and would gladly leave her the fuck alone.
****
“This is a fucking joke, right?” Colt asked, looking at his dad and president of the Satan’s Death Riders MC. Warden was not laughing. There was no twinkle in his eyes. This shit was serious.
He should have known it was no joke, seeing his mom, Kim, sitting on the office sofa. It was rare for his mother to be invited to club meetings. The whole club wasn’t present but Ox, Crow, and Pirate stood, arms folded, not looking the least bit happy.
“It’s not a joke, son,” Warden said.
“You want me to marry that piece of shit’s daughter, assuming he even has one.”
“There’s a rumor he has one,” Kim said. “I’ve never seen her myself, but I don’t know, the details are kind of murky.” She gave a shrug. “From what I know, she has nothing to do with her father.”
“I don’t believe that for a second,” Colt said. “There’s no way that anyone attached to the Evil Fuckers MC wouldn’t use that connection.” It was a trick, it had to be.