Page 26

“Love?” Eugene sneers at the word. Oh, so that’s a dirty word. Got it. “I don’t need her to love me. All she needs to do is obey. She’s mine, and that’s all there is to it.”

How utterly pathetic.

I study him for a long moment, filing away his every word and watching the way his eyes flicker with rage andobsession. It’s almost pitiable. “Control doesn’t last forever, Eugene. Neither does fear.”

His sneer stretches into a grin that doesn’t touch his eyes. “Then I’ll break her. One way or another.”

I let the silence stretch between us before speaking. “Relax.” I wait for him to see the corner of my mouth curve up. “She didn’t escape.”

He freezes. Suspicion flares in his eyes. “What?”

“She’s been in my office this whole time.” I smooth out the cuffs of my crisp white shirt and enjoy the way his face contorts. “I needed to get to the bottom of this little situation.”

His entire body tenses. Even his fists clench until his knuckles turn white. “You had her?”

Veins bulge at his temple now. That’s new.

“Yes.”

“I came to your office. Twice.”

“And I told you I was busy.” My smirk widens into a grin. “Anyway, she’ll be returned to her cell soon enough, where she’ll stay. You can visit her there if you’d like, but she stays put unless I say otherwise. Is that clear?”

For a moment, Eugene looks like he wants to argue, or maybe even tickle my liver from the inside with his bare fingers, but he doesn’t. He swallows his rage instead. Even his nostrils flare like a bull being led by a ring through his nose. I should torment this man more often.

Without waiting for a response, I turn on my heel and walk away before he can say another word. I leave him to take out his rage on the other men who were standing around gaping the whole time.

By the time I reach my office, I can already tell something’s changed. The room is silent. Still. That’s never a good sign. I step inside and scan the space.

Zoey crouches near the chair where I had cut the ropes from her wrist. Her golden hair, a little wilder now, catchesthe dim lighting. Her body is tense and poised to strike. The little firecracker is up to something.

Her sharp blue eyes snap to mine. They burn with a fury that hardens my dick more than anyone or anything I’ve ever encountered. She lunges before I can blink.

She’s quick, but not quick enough. I sidestep her attack and catch her wrist mid-swing and twist it enough to make her drop the knife. The carpet mutes the clatter, but she doesn’t flinch. Her chest heaves with a ragged breath, and I can feel her trembling in my grasp. This time, it’s not with fear.

She’s pissed.

Beautiful.

“Feisty.” I release her with a grin. “I like that.”

Zoey jerks her arm back and glares at me with distrust. She’s smart. I shouldn’t be trusted. “What do you want from me?”

I lean against the desk and cross my arms lazily. “That’s a good question. I’ll let you know when I figure it out.”

Her glare sharpens. “You’re just as bad as the rest of them.”

I tilt my head and watch her. She’s so amusing. “I wouldn’t say just as bad, but Eugene…well, he’s certainly going to great lengths for you. I’m seeing why.”

Her laugh is sharp and bitter. “Is that what you call it? Narrow it down to a mere ‘great lengths’?” She squares her shoulders and glares at me. “He’s a monster. He doesn’t care about me. All that matters to him is control.”

“Control?” I repeat the word. She’s not far off. Eugene has jumbled priorities, but he’s harmless as far as I can tell.

“Yes,” she snaps. “I’m allowed to have free will, regardless of what you or any of your dregs think.”

The words catch my attention. “Dregs?”

Her glare intensifies, and it hardens my dick to a painful point. If she keeps glaring at me like that, we’re going tohave a whole new set of problems on our hands. “That’s what you are. The dregs of humanity. The lowest of the low. People with no morals, no compassion. Scavengers picking at what’s left of the world and destroying what little light there is left.”