Page 101 of Ruthless Lord

“Nobody’s home,” Stefano whispers.

He’s supposed to be around somewhere, but the place seems empty. Davide swore Dad was here, or at least the motion sensors captured movement. “Let’s check upstairs.”

There’s a light on in the hallway up there. I skip the creaky steps and point them out silently to Stefano. He doesn’t sneak as well as I do, but he does his best, the big bastard. I don’t keep him around for his stealth though. We pause at the top landing and I listen carefully?—

A low moan resonates from my father’s slightly ajar bedroom door.

Cold horror fills me. I turn to look at Stefano and he’s grinning huge. He leans in closely. “Think that’s your mother?”

I punch his arm, gritting my teeth. Fucking disgusting. Mom and Dad don’t have this kind of relationship—as far as I’m aware, they hate each other and only had sex once in order to procreate.

But whoever’s in that room with Dad isn’t fucking him out of obligation.

I steel myself. We’re not here to make friends. My father’s a human with needs, and this might be a good thing. If we catch him in a vulnerable position, it might leave him rattled enough to tell us exactly what we’re here for.

“You can do this,” Stefano whispers in my ear. “Should I go first? Call you in when it’s safe?”

I shake my head, lifting my chin and staring down the door. Another moan followed by a masculine grunt. Oh my god, I’m going to puke. I have to swallow back bile. That’s definitely Dad’s sex noise.

“I’m going celibate after this.”

“We’ll see about that.”

I march forward, hating every step. I don’t want to go in there. I don’t want to see. I really, really don’t want to see.

There’s the creaking of a bed and more sex sounds. Moans, girlish and high, getting louder, followed by more slapping. Stefano’s smirking like crazy. I want to crawl into a hole and die.

I kick open the door and step into my father’s master bedroom.

It’s a beautiful space. Lots of carpets, paintings on the walls, a floor made from local tile. A fireplace crackles in the corner. It’s the definition of elegance.

And there, on the bed, is a woman. She’s riding my father like she’s actually enjoying herself. Dad’s wrists are spread out and I realize with sick terror that he’s handcuffed to the bed posts.

The woman is young. She’s got dark hair. A good back. She makes this strangely familiar noise as I march to the edge of the bed, and it’s not until I yank the sheets all the way back that she finally realizes I’m there.

She lets out a scream and turns around, covering herself with her arms.

The world stills. My body goes fully numb. If I was going to be sick before, now I feel like I’m going to break in half. My father’s lying there naked, looking more confused than anything else, ashis mistress looks at me with big eyes and skin turning milky white.

“Emily,” I say, choking out the name.

My friend blinks rapidly, staring at me?—

Before giving me a vicious smile.

“Got me,” she says.

Chapter 32

Charlie

Dad remains handcuffed to the bed. Stefano was kind enough to put a blanket over him at least. He’s glaring at us, but I don’t hear a word he says.

It helps that Stefano puts a gun to his head.

Emily sits in a chair in the corner. She’s wrapped in a silk kimono and smiling smugly. I have trouble making sense of what’s happening, but this is real.

“You’re fucking my dad,” I say finally.