A Kingpin Love Affair: The Complete series(37)

“I thought I could grill out tonight. We could sit on the porch swing and eat dinner together.” I could feel Jared’s hand on my own but felt disconnected from him. I was putting up a wall, shielding myself from the destruction I felt was going to take place soon.

“That…” I paused. “That sounds great.” I faked a smile, not wanting him to know just how alone I was truly feeling.

He was worried about me. I could see it on his face, yet he failed to let it hinder him. Instead, he pushed it away just as I gripped his hand in mine. I didn’t need him asking more questions or wanting to delve deeper into things. I knew I was a hypocrite for doing this, for failing to tell him what my instincts were telling me, but I needed to protect him.

He had finally opened up to someone, and there was no way in hell I would take that away from him. As we drove back to the house, I searched my mind for a memory, a picture, anything to tell me who the man was.

Then something hit me. It could’ve been the smell that still lingered in the car or the way his voice sounded in Russian as I replayed it over and over again in my mind. The repeating forced a memory to come forward.

“Which one is mine?” a male voice asked. I didn’t move. I knew better. I had heard many of the other girls beat for moving.

“This one right here.” One of the men gripped my arm pulling me up onto my unsteady legs. It had been days since they removed the bag from my head. They only ever removed it when we ate. One girl told me it was easier for the men if they didn’t have to see our faces all the time.

“She is so tiny,” the man commented. I could feel his hand on my waist, his fingers lingering on my skin. His scent engulfed me, reminding me of high-end collagen. He had money—that much was true.

“Most of them are, sir. We buy them as is and due to certain circumstances, we cannot offer them everything needed. Sometimes we have to discipline them. As you can see, some of them have flesh wounds and bruises. It comes with the territory.” I had seen death many times over since I was sold. They didn’t care if we lived or died. Only the ones worth a pretty penny survived.

I could feel the air around me grow tense. It was thickening making it harder to breathe. I stood very still, afraid if I moved even an inch, I would be backhanded, and maybe even have my chance at freedom taken from me.

“You’re to treat her with respect. She is more expensive than any of the others you’re holding. I paid far more than anyone else,” the man growled. There was violence in his voice, and it consumed me.

“Yes… yes, sir,” the man stuttered over his words as if he were afraid of my soon to be owner, which made me wonder if I should be, as well.

“Good. I want no ill harm to come to her, and if I find out that any has, blood will be shed in her honor.” There was no lightheartedness to his words. He cupped my cheek and whispered near my ear, his breath fresh and sweet.

“Дитя, ты в порядке с предприятием.” I didn’t know what he had said, but I did know it did very little to soothe me. I knew better than to hope the place I would be taken to would be much better than this one.

“Protect her at all cost. Otherwise, it’s your life that will be taken.” Those were the last words he had said before his footsteps sounded off in the distance.

“Izzy…” Jared called my name. His hand was gripping mine as if he wanted to keep me here with him forever. It was as if he knew and understood I was going to drift far away.

“Yes?” I turned to him. The memory had felt so real—as if I was truly there again enduring the pains of my past.

“Are you okay? You seemed lost in thought for a second there.” It was then I noticed we were parked in his driveway. His other hand lifted up, cupping my cheek just as the man in my memory had.

“Everything is okay now, no one can hurt you. I promise you that. I would die before I let anything happen to you.” What Jared was saying was supposed to comfort me, talk me off that cliff of insecurity, but it didn’t. I knew what the future held. I could feel it in my bones. The uncertainty of it all.

“I know, and thank you for that.” I placed a kiss on his lips, wanting him to know although my mind was elsewhere, he impacted me in so many ways, ways words would never be able to describe.

“You have no idea how much you have changed me for the better.” His words weighed heavily on my mind as we got out of the car and headed into the house. I took small steps, knowing closing the front door of the house would be when I needed to clear my mind. I didn’t want to worry Jared any more than he already was. Alzerro had him protecting me, but he also had the stuff of his own going on.

Once inside, Jared found himself searching the fridge for food to make for dinner. I couldn’t think of anything else but him as I stared, watching his every move.

“Keep staring at me like that and I’ll bend you right over this island.” He smirked, looking up from the veggies he had grabbed out of the fridge. I smiled innocently, pulling the top of my dress down to expose my bra covered breasts. As I rounded the island, I caught the sound of the knife hitting the counter and Jared’s footsteps right behind me. I stood very still as his hand worked its way from my shoulder down to the top of my breast.

“Do you want to be f*cked on this counter?” he asked curiously, his mouth against my neck. His lips were causing my mind to drift away, and the current was about to take me out to sea.