chapter 4

DANTE

“Home.”

She wraps her slender arms around her torso like she is hugging herself before turning away from me again to stare out of the window. Her small body trembles, and I can make out goosebumps on her creamy smooth skin.

“Turn up the heat, Aleksei.”

“Got it, boss.”

For the rest of the drive home, we sit silently—only the engine’s sound and the occasional sob filling the cab.

By the time we pull to the compound, I’m sweating profusely under my three-piece suit. Aleksei must have turned up the heat to well over a hundred degrees. As soon as Aleksei opens the door, I slip out of the car.

The fresh air cools me, and I inhale a harsh breath into my lungs. Turning around, I’m prepared for a fight, or at least a struggle and am pleasantly surprised to find Serena sitting on the edge of the seat waiting to get out.

Maybe this won’t be as hard as I had assumed it would be.

Eyes cast down, she wrings her hands in her lap nervously. Sliding off the seat, her small feet press against the gravel, and I contemplate picking her up to carry her inside when she winces at the contact. I love how fragile she is and how much I know she’ll need me to make it through everything I have in store for her. When I’m done with her, she will rely on me for every single thing she wants or needs.

Obviously, I’m far too trusting because she slips past me like a small mouse. Breaking off into a dead run, she dashes past the car and down the driveway. I’m not worried, though, since there isn’t anywhere for her to go.

She doesn’t make it far before one of my men grabs her, tugging her by the arm a little too roughly. I grit my teeth, my jaw clenching as I bite back the need to tell him to get his fucking hands off of her. Anger zings through me when he tugs her again, and she loses her balance falling onto the ground, scraping her knees and legs in the process.

“Let go of me!” She screams, sobs ripping from her lungs in quick succession as she pulls against Roger’s hold, trying to break free. The strap of her nightgown slips off her shoulder in the process, and she almost flashes a tit at my men.

Fuck no. No one gets to see what is mine.

Walking over to her, I gesture for Roger to let her go, and he does almost as quickly as he grabbed her, retreating two steps back. I’ll deal with him later. Right now, I need to get her inside and put her in some different clothes. My men have seen enough of her already.

Looking down at her exposed legs, I see scratches from where she fell, so I’ll need to make sure she isn’t actually hurt. Reaching down, I grab her by the hips, feeling the heat of her skin beneath my hands and toss her over my shoulder like I did earlier.

A growl forms in my throat as I become aware of how she barely weighs anything.

She doesn’t even fight me and rests motionless on my shoulder as I carry her into the house, through the foyer, and up the stairs to the bedroom we will share. Pushing the heavy wooden door open, my shoes slap against the tile as I walk across the room and deposit her on my bed … our bed. The moment her butt hits the mattress, she looks up and scoots backward until her back is pressed against the headboard.

Big green eyes brim with fear. I could tell her she is safe here, that nothing bad will happen to her. But that would be a lie. She isn’t safe yet, especially not from me.

“ Stay here, get comfortable. I’ll be back soon,” I tell her as I slowly walk back toward the door. I’ve got blood to spill before I can tend to my new toy.

Looking at my beautiful prize one last time, I close the door and lock it behind me.

I let the anger that I was swallowing down boil up to the surface as I make my way through the mansion and toward the front door.

Stepping outside, I find Edwardo guarding the porch. He turns to look at me, his hand reaching for his gun before he recognizes it’s me.

“Is Roger still out here?”

“Yes, boss. He is doing a round over the west lawn. Is everything okay?” “It will be …” I snap before walking off and into the night.