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When he pulls back, his eyes look wild, and he says three words that chill me to the core.

“You. Are. Mine.”

1

I’m his.

That’s what he just told me.

Only, it wasn’t just now. It was a few hours ago because right after that, a dark look crossed his face and he kicked me out. He wrapped me in a robe and shoved me into the hallway. Then he slammed the door and I heard the sound of a lock turning.

What the fuck was I supposed to do?

Luckily, Georgetta found me almost immediately and brought me into her bedroom. That’s where I am now. The two of us drank some tea, watched a couple of trashy television shows, and now we’re sitting on the bed facing each other. I’m still wearing the robe even though there are lots of clothes in Georgetta’s room.

Apparently, Ian was planning for her to come here.

Was he planning for me, too?

“I don’t like it here,” I whisper. My entire body aches. Ian fucked me harder than anyone ever has before and I still don’t really know how to feel about it. There’s a part of me that loves it. I love the pain he offers. I love the fact that he let me cry and he didn’t make me feel better. He called mehis. He claimed me. In the mob world, that’s a big fucking deal. Maybe it was just a sexual thing, though. Maybe he hopes I’m going to forget.

“You’ll get used to it,” Georgetta tells me. This doesn’t make me feel better.

“I don’t want to get used to it.” I feel like I’m trading one cage for another. The difference is that when I lived with my father, I didn’trealizeI was in a cage. Living with Ian, it’s different. Here, I know that I’m locked up and I can’t escape. Here I know that if I try to leave, I’m going to be slaughtered.

And it’s going to hurt.

“I know,” Georgetta says gently. I look over at her. She’s still so young. I know she can’t even be close to 40. My dad stole so much from her and I never even knew it until recently.

“I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were trapped,” I tell her.

“It’s not your fault.”

“I should have known. I’m 27 years old, Georgetta. I should have realized you wouldn’t have chosen this life for yourself.” I was self-absorbed.

“You were just a kid,” she says.