Monster A Dark Arranged Marriage Romance - Vanessa Waltz Page 0,64
a mask shielded K’s features. The only parts I made out were his eyes. Thick lashes fanned out from pools of amber-brown, which fixed on my forehead.
“My husband is rich. He’ll give you whatever you want.”
“I have all the money in the world.”
I shouted, grief tearing my voice. “Then why do you do this?”
He seemed to look through me, not at me. “Inside. Now.”
“Please. You don’t understand.”
K shoved the door open and jabbed my back with the cattle prod. “Walk.”
I jumped away from the metal scraping my skin, into a room with peaceful landscape photos, two white leather chairs, and a side table. A bowl of strawberries sat beside a bottle of champagne.
A man stood beside it, drinking. The plain black mask still hid most of him. He had long, sturdy Viking legs. Unruly, dark wisps curled against the V of his open collar, where his chest hair blended into his deep tan. His massive shoulders strained the midnight-blue suit. He must’ve been at least six feet tall, huge, and his limber movements hinted at youth. Details about him added together, forming an incomplete picture—wild hair, a chiseled, defined jaw, a muscular physique, a full mouth that parted when he faced me.
His glare burned through me.
The stubborn set of his jaw tingled the back of my head. The hairs on my arm stood on end. His aura threatened me more than K’s oily smiles because this man had an air of authority and the appearance of one who demanded instant obedience.
I plastered myself against the wall.
“Lot thirty-nine. Here are her medical records.” K strolled toward the man, who didn’t acknowledge him. “She’s clean. No drugs. No STDs. No birth control. A shiny, new toy. It wasn’t easy, making her behave without leaving any marks.”
K stroked my neck in a sensual caress that seemed to affect the man. His fists balled, his knuckles whitening. The power seemed to coil within him when he approached.
K, who flicked through his cell, didn’t notice. He inclined his head toward the man. “I just sent you the documents.”
A chime echoed from the man’s phone, and he tore his eyes from me to cycle through them. He nodded stiffly and pocketed the cell.
“Great. That’s all in order.” K flashed a smile at the man, who still hadn’t said a word. “Ah. I almost forgot.”
K reached into his blazer and pulled out a syringe and small vial. “You’ll want this. Three months’ worth of birth control.”
The man snorted and made a dismissive wave.
“Not a fan of the shot?” K tucked it away and produced a packet. “Fine. I have pills.”
The taller, broader giant’s mouth lifted with a contemptuous curl as K offered them. His hand whirled, slapping the foil from K’s fist. It skidded across the floor. K jumped back, scowling.
“I strongly suggest you get her on something. We don’t run a daycare for your bastards.”
The temperature seemed to drop a thousand degrees.
The man wheeled on K.
His hand shot out. He grabbed K by the neck. Cracked his skull on the wall. Bright red smeared the white paint. A dazed K staggered, clutching his head. The stranger pummeled him, knocking him flat. His thick bicep curled around K’s neck; K twisted and squirmed, but the man held on. He tightened his grip, squeezing with a calm, lethal determination until K’s legs stopped flailing. Then he took out a switchblade and opened K’s throat.
Oh my God.
I sucked in a breath as K’s body hit the floor. Blood pulsed from the gash as I dashed for the door.
“Don’t.”
Tony’s voice burst from the man, stunning me. It couldn’t be. The drugs taunted me with the voice of my husband, but he wasn’t here. K was dead and he’d left me in the company of a new monster.
The man hesitated. He settled himself. His dimpled chin rose and fell as he inhaled deep, steadying breaths. Then he rushed forward.
I backed away. “I don’t know who you are or what you think you’ve done, but if you bring me home—”
“Evie. It’s me.”
His graveled tone tugged sharply at my memory, and then he cupped my face. His big hand grazed my cheek as the other claimed my waist, pulling me close. Vanilla musk breezed into my nose. He smelled sweet and crisp, like the linens in the apartment I’d made my home. The images washed over me like a warm tidal wave.
“Tony?”
My throat tightened, thick with the tears I’d shed hours ago.
The mouth trembled. Then he yanked the mask off, revealing a face