Her heart started to race

Saya approached him and slapped him on the shoulder. “You keep on believing that, buddy. I know the truth. I’ve known you for years, and you want to slit my throat. It’s fine, but maybe you need to know what it is you want first, before you ask people to do this.”

“Laura is a slut.”

“I don’t think she is. If so, then I’m not the kind of man she goes for. We all know the ladies drop their panties for me.”

Johannes couldn’t help but look at Saya’s neck and think how good it would look oozing with blood.

“You know that murderous rage you’re feeling right now? That’s not what a guy who wants to have other men sleep with his wife should feel like.” Saya winked at him and left to rejoin the party.

Running a hand down his face, he attempted to clear his mind. Tonight was not going well.

He was running on only a couple of hours of sleep, and to be frank, he was exhausted. For the last three days, he’d been chasing a goddamn rat, one who wanted to trade their secrets for money and a safe life. It was one of their science nerds, and so far, the son of a bitch hadn’t made it out of the city. The fucker had been able to make it another day. If it wasn’t for his father telling him he had to be here tonight, he would’ve still been hunting him.

Maybe what he needed to do was stay close to home and make sure his wife fell into the traps he’d set.

So far, she had proven him wrong, and he didn’t like that.

For the first time since her marriage had been arranged, Laura Horowitz felt a little thrum of excitement. She made her way across the college grounds, found the usual tree where she had lunch, and sat her ass down.

It had been five days since she last saw her father, but last night, he’d stopped by Johannes’s apartment, where she’d been placed since the party, and told her she needed to get back to college.

She didn’t need to argue with him because staying at home, waiting for something to happen, and attempting to find her own entertainment sucked. Coming back to school and taking her classes was a welcome relief.

The sun shone brightly in the sky, forcing her to remove her cardigan, and she slid down the tree, crossed her legs, and pulled her backpack between them. Since she’d packed herself a couple of sandwiches, a bag of chips, and some fruit, she snagged her banana and ate that first.

She was so hungry. This morning, she’d only gotten a few slices of toast. Within a few bites, the banana was gone, and she grabbed her apple to take a bite.

Keeping her gaze open, she stared across the campus grounds. It was humming with activity, and she loved that. She loved learning.

For the longest time, she wanted to go to college. Her father hadn’t wanted her to. He’d offered to pay for tutors and for her to learn at home, but she refused. She wanted the experience.

He hadn’t forced her to study at home through high school. She’d gone to a public school, and that had been … interesting. Bill, her bodyguard, had always been present. Okay, he hadn’t been present, but after one particular day of bad bullying and sporting a black eye, Bill had followed her to school.

One quick glance toward the parking lot, and she saw him standing there, watching her. She held her hand up and gave him a quick wave.

In response, he lifted his hand. It looked more like an alien gesture, but she took it. He meant well.

Finishing off her apple, she then grabbed her sandwich.

Since being married to Johannes, he’d denied Bill’s presence. The man worked for her father, so he wouldn’t allow the other man anywhere near her. Last night, her father told her that he’d have people looking out for her. She was going to be a target now, not just for his enemies, but also for Augustus’s enemies.

Personally, she’d done nothing wrong, but it would seem, in their world, they liked to make people pay for others’ mistakes.

Leaning back against the tree, she slowed down her eating so she wouldn’t give herself a stomachache.

She missed Bill. Missed her dad. Missed Mellie, the cook back home. That woman had a way of making her feel loved and safe.

Johannes had a chef at one of his restaurants who dealt with meals. They were delivered every day at the same time. Breakfast was served at exactly seven thirty. Lunch at twelve thirty, and then dinner by six thirty. She never got a say in what was cooked. The food looked pretentious, like it had spent a lifetime attempting to win awards.

Laura hated it.

Mellie’s noodle soup and dumplings and lemon cake, and the list kept on going, those were the best. Just thinking about them now made her a little homesick.

After dusting off her hands, she put her wrappings all together and went in search of the necessary trash bins. She put her trash inside and then glanced down at the time. She had five minutes to get to English class.

Glancing back toward the parking lot, she saw Bill was there. She wanted to go to him, to thank him, at the very least hug him, but she knew he wouldn’t like that. Bill liked to keep things strictly professional. At least outside, in the open. When they were alone, he let her hug and sob against his shoulder.

He was like daddy number two.

Shaking that loneliness off, she headed toward English class, only to come to a stop when she caught sight of Johannes. He didn’t look at her, and she stepped behind one of the thick oak trees and glanced toward her husband. He was talking to a man, but she didn’t recognize who he was.

He hadn’t come to get her, so what was he doing on school property? Did it matter?

Johannes glanced toward her, and she sank against the tree, not wanting to be seen.

Her heart started to race. Did he see her looking?

Laura was about to make a break for it when fingers wrapped around her wrist, stopping her. She spun toward the person who’d grabbed her and saw Johannes was there. How had he moved from across the grounds toward her so fast?

“What are you doing?” Johannes asked.

She tugged at her wrist. “Let me go.” She didn’t want to cause a scene. Not many people were around, but there were a few. She hated bringing attention to herself.

“Why are you here?” Johannes asked. “Who sent you?” Why was he accusing her?

“I’m going to class,” she said. “Please, I don’t want to be late.”

“Sir, I suggest you let her go.”

This was Bill. This was going to be very bad.

She looked from Johannes to Bill, then back again.

“Why are you here?” Johannes asked.

“I have it on strict orders to keep an eye on her, to protect her, while she goes to school,” Bill said.

“She is my wife. She is coming with me.” Bill stepped in front of Johannes, stopping him.

She tried to tell Bill to just step aside, but he’d been given orders by her father.

“Laura, go to class,” Bill said. He didn’t take his gaze from Johannes as he brought his cell phone to his ear. “Sir, I have Johannes here, and he is trying to remove Laura from school.”

She saw Johannes’s jaw clenching. This wasn’t good. This was very, very, bad.

As she looked between the two men, Johannes took the cell phone. He didn’t remove his fingers from her wrist.

“What?” Johannes asked.

Bill had one hand at his waist, and she knew he was getting ready to strike. Bill was deadliest when he appeared calm and collected.

This wasn’t going to end well.

Johannes handed his cell phone back, but he didn’t let her go.

In fact, he grabbed Bill’s jacket. She gasped as he slammed his head against the other man’s, taking Bill by surprise and knocking him out, and then, he rested him up against the tree.

As he did so, he’d let her go, and Laura tried to escape. She took several steps away from him, but he wouldn’t let her go. He grabbed her, and then they marched across the school grounds.

She didn’t say anything, but fear traveled down her spine, and she felt sick. A hand went to her stomach, and she tried not to throw up.

Her father had always tried to hide violence from her as it did make her sick. She hated the confrontation, the aggression. None of it served any purpose to her, other than to instill fear inside. She wanted to run away.

But Johannes dragged her across the parking lot. She attempted to dig her heels into the ground.

If she wasn’t such a coward, she’d have shouted for help, but how would that have looked?

Screaming because her husband was taking her away. Was he going to beat her? Hurt her?

Her father had said it was fine for her to return to school, but the way Johannes was reacting, this was the furthest thing from the truth.

He opened the car door and pushed her inside. She held on to her bag for comfort.

Johannes moved around the car and then went to the driver’s side. She tried her door, but he must have put the damn child lock on because she couldn’t get out.

She wasn’t going to show fear though. Fear was for the weak, wasn’t it?

Her heart pounded and her throat felt thick. She didn’t have her cell phone with her, and there was no way to contact her father for help. She was on her own.

Bill would wake up soon. Wouldn’t he?

“Did you kill him?” she asked.

Johannes pulled out of the parking lot, and then they were on the road. He didn’t answer, and Laura hated this.

“Did you?”

He still didn’t answer.

“Damn it, Bill is important to my father. You better not have killed him or else—”

“Or else what?” Johannes asked.

“Or else my father will consider it a slight against him. He will make you pay.”

Johannes laughed. “Make me pay. The man is a fucking fool.

Allowing you to go to school.”

“How dare you? Just because you don’t want your women to be intelligent. My father is the complete opposite. He believes all women should be treated equally.”

“I have nothing against women seeking an education!” He snarled out the words.

“Then why are you taking me away? And slow down. You are

going to get us killed.”

She had already slid her seatbelt on, but now, she dropped her bag down between her legs and held on to the door.

“I can’t. We’re being followed.”

Laura gasped and looked around, trying to see if there was anyone following them. At that moment, Johannes changed lanes, and she saw a black car did exactly the same move. Johannes changed again, and the same car did the same action.

“Okay, okay, we’re being followed.”

“From the moment I got to the school, that car was sat there. I thought it looked a bit suspicious, but it was there before I turned up, so I didn’t think much of it. Knowing you were there, that’s why the black car was there.”

“They want me?” Laura asked, starting to panic.

“Are you too fucking dumb to realize that you are now a powerful woman? You are married to the Augustus Boss’s son, and you are the daughter of Leon Horowitz, notorious crime lord. There is a target on your head, Laura.”

She had no idea. “I’m not important.”

“Do not be dense.”

“My dad will move heaven and earth to save me, but to you, I’m nothing. I’m just a contract you can’t stand.” She was only stating a fact.

Johannes didn’t like her.

“Then you are more foolish than I thought.”

“I just … my dad said it was fine for me to go to school.”

“Maybe it was before you married me, but not anymore. It is not safe for you.” They came to a long stretch of road, and Laura felt the hum of the car beneath her.

“Stay down,” Johannes said.

She had nowhere else to go.

This was the most they had talked in their two months of marriage.

He spun the car, and all of a sudden, they were facing the other car. At some point, Johannes had gotten himself a gun, and he pointed it toward the car. Laura screamed as bullets hit the car.

Johannes put his foot on the gas, and the car squeaked. She held on for dear life, but the noise was deafening, and she felt like she was going to be sick.

The car wasn’t turning. She just knew they were going to crash.

Johannes didn’t veer. He didn’t change direction as he stayed completely focused on the car in front of him, and panic filled her. They were going to die, and if he killed the people in the front seat of the car, they were as good as dead.

She called his name, but Johannes wasn’t listening to her.

They were going to die.