Page 96 of Pretend You Love Me

He steps closer to me and grabs my face with his hand. He's holding it too tight. I struggle, but his grip holds me in place. A smile slowly spreads across his face.

“You look like your fucking whore of a mother.” His hand squeezes my face even tighter.

“I have your money.” I don’t sound scared. How? I have no idea because I’m trembling on the inside.

He leans his head back and laughs. “Oh, you’re cute. And stupid.”

I scowl.

“I’m not after yourmoney. I’m afteryou.”

My stomach drops.

He runs his fingers through my hair, and I shudder. “Do you have any idea what you’re worth? Adopted by the fucking President? A billionaire.”

He’s laughing again.

“Where’s Mom?”

“Far away from here.”

I try to lunge toward him, but he pins me against the wall, his hand wrapped around my neck.

“Feisty. That’s the way your mother was too when she was young. She’s boring now.”

He takes his hand and slowly moves it down from my neck until it’s covering one of my breasts. He squeezes – not gently. All the hairs on my arms stand up. “Get your fucking hands off me.”

“I bet you like it rough like she does.” I try to knee him in the balls, but he moves too fast. He’s laughing again. He calls over his shoulder to someone sitting at the table. “Told you she’d put up a fight.”

The other man gets up.

“Gary, help me tie her up.”

Gary walks over. I’m struggling to get free from Daryl’s grasp. Gary pulls me over to a chair. While Daryl is smaller than I remember, this Gary guy is huge, and he has a gun on his hip.

I’m fighting him as much as I can until Daryl pulls out a knife and holds it to my throat. “Brooklyn, sweetie, we can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way. Which do you want?”

I feel the knife digging into my skin, and I still my body.

“That’s a good girl. Just like your mother, she always gives in eventually.”

I’d like nothing more than to rip this guy's eyeballs out, but my hands are behind my back now.

God, James is going to kill me if they don’t.

“What’s the plan, boss?” Gary asks.

“We move her tomorrow, and then we let her rich fucking brothers know the price.”

I can’t help myself. “You’ll never get away with this. He’ll kill you.”

Daryl just laughs. “Oh don’t you worry about me, sweetheart. I’ve got a plan.”

“He’ll track you anywhere. Doesn’t matter where you run. He’ll find you and kill you.”

He slaps me hard across the face. “Shut your fucking mouth.”

“Where’s Mom?” I yell. He hit me so hard that my eyes are watering.