and family?” I finally said to Ollie. “Just to get me back for your messed-up plan in Marbella. Another staged ‘attack’?” I laughed cruelly at his patheticness. “And what? You were going to swoop in and save me again? I’d fall at your feet and we’d fall madly in love?” Ollie’s cheek twitched, and I knew I had pissed him off. “And you killed my father and Hugo in the process?”
Ollie tipped his head to one side. “Your father and Hugo defaulted on their payments.” He leaned forward. “Did you know the trouble your old man’s company was in? The great and iconic Harlow Biscuits. Did you know it was about to go into administration, and that you, your daddy and fiancé were about to be ruined? They had no money left to their name, not even a bloody penny.”
My pulse raced, but I kept my face neutral. I hadn’t known. I hadn’t known any of it. “Your old man had already given us the deeds to your house. Hugo’s fancy fucking flat in Chelsea. They’d already signed over their cars.” His eyebrows danced. “Heirlooms.”
“You bled them dry. And when they couldn’t pay any more money, they paid in blood.”
Ollie’s jaw clenched, then his nonchalant façade dropped. “Why do you have to ruin EVERY-FUCKING-THING?!” he screamed.
I flinched at his sudden vehemence. The cool persona he wore was shattering and revealing the true evil monster underneath. He got up from his chair and kneeled before me, voice calm and soft once again. “I wanted you by my side. I wanted you to want me back.”
“I could never want you. You killed my family. My friends. You drained my father and Hugo of their assets, of their dignity,” I hissed.
“Dignity?” he said, affronted. “What dignity?”
“You killed them. Tied them to chairs and shot them in their heads as they begged you for forgiveness. For mercy. I saw the video. You sent it to me. You wanted me to see it so when you saved me, you would look the hero.”
Ollie reached out and ran his hands down my face. I tried to pull away, wrenching my head back. He struck out and grabbed my jaw, yanking me close as he sank his nails into my skin. I cried out at the pain, unable to hold it back. Ollie got in my face. “I’ve wanted to fuck you for so long.” I froze, and Gene’s breathing changed. He was angry. I wanted to beg him not to try anything. To not get himself hurt.
“You never stood a chance,” I said.
Ollie waved his hand at one of his men. The next second, a woman near my age was dragged in. In fact, as I studied her more closely, that wasn’t the only similarity. She looked like me. Brown hair, same build, same eyes. She could have been my doppelgänger.
She was silent as she was dragged further into the room. I tried to get her to meet my eyes—the same eyes as mine—but she just stared at nothing. No light in her gaze; alive, but no longer living.
She was dressed in a purple silk dress, and my stomach rolled in dread. Ollie walked over to her, running his hands down her bare arms. He cast a look my way, then palmed her breasts.
“Stop,” I said, my heart breaking at the girl’s non-existent reaction, her lack of expression. How long had he been abusing her this way? Then I realised …
“You trafficked her,” I said, knowing it to be true. “You stole her.”
“I bought her,” he corrected and kissed her on the lips. She didn’t react. But that didn’t seem to matter to Ollie. He groaned as if she was kissing him in return, loving him back.
I bought her…
I closed my eyes and recalled Ronnie’s story. Ollie’s family’s business had tried to buy Ronnie too. They’d paralysed her father with debts that he would never be able to pay off and tried to take her as payment.
I bought her …
This woman’s parents, her husband … someone … they had sold her to save themselves. They’d thrown her to the wolves—to the biggest most vicious wolf of all.
Ollie turned until he was facing me, kissing the back of the girl’s neck. “You know,” he said and slipped the straps of her dress off her shoulders. The dress fell to the floor; she was naked underneath. It was freezing, but she made no complaint, no move to keep herself warm.