Indebted - Piper Stone Page 0,35
hated it because you’re such a nasty person.”
“Did your father tell you that he was an extortionist?” he countered as he gazed down the length of me as if I’d been marked by my father’s sins, soiled by decisions made and enemies created.
I moved closer, my anger increasing. I hadn’t even contemplated my father was likely murdered by the same son of a bitch who believed he could capture me, keeping me as his hostage. “Tell me, Gabriel. Did you fucking kill him?”
“As I said, I’m not a good man, but I am no murderer. However, if your father were alive, you’d need to ask him the same question.”
“How fucking dare you!” I screamed out the words, prepared to scratch out his eyes. I no longer cared what happened to me. I refused to have my father’s name taken in vain.
“How dare I?” he snarled. “I know things that a pretty little girl like you should never hear, the kind of stories that would make your skin crawl. I’ve been around death and destruction my entire life, but there are some people who enjoy the annihilation of life. Do you really want to hear the messy details about why I’m the only man who can follow through with your father’s wishes?”
I was shaken to my core, the ugliness of the words stunning. I had no idea what to say as a cold chill trickled its way down the back of my neck, snaking out like tiny ribbons with razor edges. I planted my hands over my ears, feeling even more helpless than before. The pain was too significant, the reality not one I wanted to face. I slowly dropped my hands by my sides, praying that he’d fucking leave me alone in my misery.
“Just let me go home. I will find a way to repay you,” I managed to whisper, the sound disgustingly imploring.
“That’s not going to happen. The sooner you accept your fate, the easier it will be for you.”
“You’re a horrible monster.”
He laughed, the sound washing over me in an insane way, forcing my nipples into hard peaks. “So be it, Alessandra. I suggest you try and get some sleep.”
“Don’t you dare do that to me. You watch me through a two-way mirror, an animal in a cage. You leave me alone for two days, but I knew you were there at night watching me. What do you want from me? I already read that my father believes you and I should be married.” I laughed hysterically, my body swaying back and forth. “That’s bullshit. That’s a damn lie. Whatever you think you have on my father I will never believe. Never.”
“Have it your way, Alessandra, but the will was presented to me by a judge. That is easy to check.” He huffed, his eyes never leaving me.
“No. No way. There was no personal note to me, explaining his reasons and that definitely isn’t like my father. I refuse to be your possession, Gabriel Masters or whoever you are. I will not enter into any relationship with you.”
“Yes, we will be married as requested by your father, and do you want to know why? Because of what he owed me. He believed you to be his greatest commodity, just another possession that he could bargain with.”
The hard slap I issued stunned the hell out of him.
He stated the words as if I truly had no choice. I reacted, unable to stop the building fury, pummeling him with my fists. I didn’t care what he did to me, the punishment he’d inflict. I needed to release the rage that had been buried inside for weeks. Fucking weeks.
The craziness of the arrest.
The lies the little fucker’s friend had told the cops.
The way the entire police department refused to listen to me.
The stupidity of an attorney... that my father hired. That he’d allowed to represent me. Why hadn’t my father come to see me? He’d been alive when I was arrested, or so I’d been led to believe. Wait. Everything seemed off. I hadn’t talked to my father in weeks. Then I’d heard from him out of the blue. He’d called me, wanting me to come to see him and I’d said no. I’d missed the last opportunity to see my own father.
Oh, God. Oh, God...
What if all this was wrong, a terrible setup that I’d fallen smack in the middle of?
Gabriel grabbed my wrists, yanking me onto my toes as he dug his nails into my skin. “I suggest you