Page 63 of Crossed

“Of course you are.”

He shrugs. “You’re mine, Amaya. I don’t like people touching my things.”

“I’m not a piece of property.Jesus,” I snap.

His smirk drops, a cold, icy glare taking over his face. “You should be a little more grateful instead of such a bitter bitch.” My lungs cramp from his words.

“You’re tainted goods now,” he continues. “In fact, I’m not even surewhyI’m still going through with it. The board of Errien Enterprises won’t like that you’re on my arm. It’ll be bad for business when it comes out that astripperwho murdered a man is the one wearing my ring.”

The way he saysstrippermakes me want to lunge across the seat and rake my nails down his face. He makes it sound dirty, disgusting, when it’s anything but.

“Dancing is real work,” I reply. “It put food on my table and paid my bills. If it weren’t foryou, it would have allowed us a cushy life. I won’t act ashamed of it. I’llneverbe ashamed of it.”

“Doesn’t matter now, does it?” Parker’s eyes skate down my body, and I feel sick. “In any case, I’m sure you can make up for the loss of my reputation. It’s been a long time, sweet girl.”

I swallow back the retorts I truly want to make and nod.

The car pulls to a stop outside my apartment, and Parker sneers out the window. “This place is as disgusting as ever.”

“It’s home,” I reply softly, my fingers already on the door handle.

I step out into the cold, my stomach twisting with nerves.

“Don’t be long. We have things to do,” Parker’s voice commands at my back.

Is this how it’s going to be from now on?A man controlling my every move, telling me how to look and where to stand and how many minutes to take?

With every step closer to my front door, I feel the reality crashing down on top of me. I’m exchanging one pair of shackles for another.

But what’s done is done.

Dalia’s sitting on the couch reading a book when I walk in.

She glances up at me and must see something on my face because immediately she drops what she’s doing and sighs, leaning back against the couch. It’s incredible, the way she just knows what I’m going to do before I do it, so much so that I’ve joked about the town needing to look closer at whether it’sherwho’s the witch.

“Tell me then.” Her voice is resigned. She’s been waiting since

I got home last night, but I put it off, claiming I was too drained to explain.

My stomach tenses into knots that I’m not sure will ever unravel, but I don’twantthem to untangle, not when they feel like the only thing keeping me together.

“I’m marrying Parker Errien.” The words feel fake as they roll off my tongue and I brace myself for her reaction.

“Okay.”

I lift my brows, taking a few steps closer now that I know she won’t be screaming at me.

“Okay,” she repeats, nodding.

“That’s all you have to say?” I press. “You’re not…surprised? Or worried?”

“What would you like me to say, Amaya? That I think it’s a terrible mistake? I don’t.” She shrugs. “That I think you’re being trigger- happy and jumping into this too fast? Maybe. But what other choice do you have?”

I open my mouth to reply but she continues.

“It’s no secret Parker’s always been obsessed with you. And time isn’t really our friend right now. I think Parker’s a little bitch just in the general sense, but he’s a powerful bitch. If you think he’s the answer, then I trust you.”

Swallowing back the thick knot in my throat, I walk over to the couch, grabbing her in a bone-crushing hug. “You don’t think I’m making a mistake?” I choke out.