Destroy For Her - R.B. Hilliard Page 0,37
she wasn’t Sage’s favorite person, she would never wish her harm.
“This is what you’ve been trying to tell me, isn’t it?” Alex asked. The look of disgust on his face shredded her.
“Alex—”
“Don’t,” he warned.
“It’s not what you think.”
“Why don’t you two have a seat?” Steele suggested.
“It’s not?” Alex asked, ignoring Steele’s request. “So, you’re not married to him?”
“I am but—”
He let out a caustic laugh. “Let me guess, he forced you?”
His derisive tone made her angry. He knew how much she hated Carlos, how much she feared him. That he was questioning her, treating her as if she were a stranger, was infuriating. It was maddening. She gave him a scathing glare. “Yes, Alex, that’s exactly what happened.”
His jaw flexed as he held her stare. Please believe me.
“Explain,” Steele ordered.
She took a seat across from Steele, and with her heart in her throat, she began to explain, “A month or so before we escaped, Petal wasn’t feeling well. I was in the kitchen looking for a thermometer when I heard voices coming from Carlos’s office. Being that Carlos was supposed to be on a flight to Chiapas, I went to investigate.” She blew out a breath. “God, I wish I hadn’t.”
“What happened?” Steele asked.
“Carlos wasn’t on a plane, he was in his office. A man was kneeling on the floor at his feet, and he had a gun pressed to the man’s head. It was awful. The man was crying and begging for his life.” She swallowed at the horrific memory. “When he saw me standing in the doorway, he asked if he should let a man who steals from him live? I was terrified. I told him yes, and he laughed. Then he pulled the trigger and shot the man in the head. When I close my eyes, I can still see the blood. It was everywhere, on the floor, the walls, me, him—I’ve never seen so much blood. I lost it. I completely came unglued. At that moment, I didn’t care if he killed me because I was through with him. I turned to leave and Sergio was there.”
“Sergio?” Alex snapped.
“He was one of Carlos’s guards. He had a needle. It happened so fast; I didn’t even have a chance to defend myself. I woke in a daze. The blood was gone, my hair was freshly washed, and I was wearing a white sundress. I thought I’d imagined it, except that my head was foggy like it was filled with cotton. I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t remember how I’d gotten there. Rosa was with me. She was upset and kept telling me to mind myself. I didn’t know what she meant until Sergio and Raul came to get me. They escorted me downstairs to the sunroom.” Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her face. “Carlos and a man were waiting. When I realized he was a priest, I tried to run, but Sergio caught me and dragged me back. Carlos told me that if I ran again, he would kill Petal. He forced me to stand there and marry him. God, it was such a nightmare. When I asked him why he said that I knew too much and he didn’t want to risk me talking. He also said that it was payback—that killing me would be too easy and letting me go would defeat the purpose.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alex snarled.
“I don’t know. It never made sense to me.”
“Did you sign any papers?” Steele asked.
“If I did, I don’t remember.” Her gaze traveled to Alex. “I tried to tell you. You have to believe me. I would never, in a million years, agree to marry that monster.”
His response was to walk out the door. He was getting really good at that.
“Alex, please—” she called after him.
“Let him go,” Steele said.
She didn’t know what to do. Carlos was here, and he was hurting the people she cared about. Lucy was mad at her, and Alex didn’t believe her. Her heart felt like it was breaking.
Steele dropped to a knee beside her chair and she was pulled into his warm embrace. In a low, soothing tone, he said, “There’s something you should know. Emma was found dead this afternoon.”
Her eyes jerked to his. “What?”
“We assume it’s foul play, but we’re still waiting on the coroner’s report to confirm it. Ax is taking it hard. Give him some space. He loves you. He’ll come around.”
She sat there with her mouth gaping open. Then, it hit her. It