Page 50

Rachel

“No,” I replied simply, not turning my head to look at him. I couldn’t look at him. He looked like a fucking God, with the sun shining on him like that. My mouth was already watering, and we all knew where that landed me.

“Did I phrase it as a question?” He growled down into my ear; the warning note clear.

“What are you going to do, manhandle me in front of all these children?” I shot him a quick look over my shoulder and quickly regretted it. “I hardly think so.”

I silenced the yelp that left me as Dante grabbed me under my arms and hauled me over the back of the bench as though I weighed no more than a sack of flour.

I fought against his hold, my legs dragging across the floor, struggling to get my balance as he dragged me over the grass and towards the trees.

“I swear to fuck, Dante, if you don’t let me go right now!”

“You’re making a scene in front of all these children, Rachel,” he mocked me, but he did haul me up enough for me to get my footing.

I spun on him then, my fist connecting with his jaw with a crack that had a few heads turning. “That,” I spat at him. “Will be the last time you ever use your height and strength against me. I am sick and fucking tired of you dragging me about! If I say no, I fucking mean no!”

He held his chin, looking at me with both astonishment and blinding anger. I planted my feet firmly on the floor and met him with a furious look of my own, refusing to be intimidated by him.

“Hit me again and—”

I swung at him once more, cutting off his words. He was prepared for me this time, his huge hand clamping around my fist, stopping it dead in its tracks. “I could break this with a single move,” he said, squeezing my fist. “One twist, that’s all it would take.”

“Do it,” I challenged. “It will heal, and once it does, I’ll come back for round two.”

He twisted slightly, and I willed myself not to show the pain of the bone straining. “Have you done it yet? Is it broken? Is this the part where I start crying for mercy?”

He let out a humourless laugh. “Are you done being a brat yet?”

“Are you done being a bully?”

“Are you done being an arsonist?”

“Are you?”

Every question had us taking a step closer to each other, until we were practically nose to nose, our breathing heavy. The only thing separating us was my fist, which he still had trapped between his, and was now squashed between our bodies.

“You’re testing my patience, woman.”

“Likewise. Do you think this has been fucking easy on me? I think I’ve behaved like a model citizen, compared to how I could have been. You’re not exactly easy to get along with.”

“Give over. No harm has come to you.”

I almost barked with a dry laugh. “Are you fucking kidding me? Can we just break down what’s happened to me since I’ve been here?

In two days, I’ve been kidnapped, I’ve been tied up, I’ve been denied basic necessities like food and water.

I was even denied going to the toilet. I had an idiotic Malfoy try hitting on me, and then I had to watch him get beaten half to death.

I’ve had nothing but arguments with you, your mother…

your brother is a weirdo. My mother’s house was set on fire, I’ve been dragged about, I’ve been choked to within an inch of my life, I have no belongings, not even a pair of underwear I can call my own…

need I go fucking on?” I said, holding my one free hand palm up so he could inspect the damage.

“Oh, I see. You were expecting prince charming, were you? And that your life would be nothing but comfort and roses?” He raised an eyebrow at me sardonically.

I pulled my hand out of his grip and shoved his chest. The fucking behemoth didn’t budge an inch, so I shoved again, the sarcastic smirk pushing my anger higher and higher.

“I wasn’t expecting anything. I’ve learnt to hope for nothing, and yet somehow still expect the worst. The only person that seems to have any expectations here is you .

You’re expecting me to be this wonderful, traditional housewife.

One who sucks dick like a pro, and expertly handles all household affairs.

You expect me to be mother to a child I’m not allowed to be around, to be happy that I’ve had to leave my entire life behind, and you want me to do it all with a happy-go-lucky, positive, sunshine attitude!

It seems to me, the only one here with deluded expectations, is you! ”

“I never said you couldn’t be around Bee. I just didn’t want you taking her out alone right now.”

“And whys that?”

“Because I don’t know you.”

I almost roared with frustration. I spun around and took a couple of steps away before wheeling back and marching towards him, shoving him once more with every ounce of strength I possessed.

He still didn’t budge, and it made me want to kick his stupid fucking shins.

“You’re right, you don’t know me. So you shouldn’t have fucking taken me! ”

“I’m not going over this again, Rachel. I did what needed to be done.”

“Oh, fuck off. You never do what needs to be done. You do what you want to do. Look at Bee—”

“What about Bee?” he said, his body stiffening and his voice colder than ever.

“Oh, come on. You can’t tell me you do everything that needs to be done as far as she’s concerned. She doesn’t even go to school, for fuck's sake!”

“Not that it is any of your business, but she doesn’t go to school because it's not safe for her to be there. I have a lot of enemies—”

“If that’s the case, you had no business bringing a child into this world and raising them in an unsafe environment!”

“Besides,” he carried on as though I hadn’t interrupted him. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with homeschooling.”

“No, there isn’t. I actually love home schooling – if it’s done correctly. And this isn’t correctly. What is she learning, Dante?”

“My mother sees to all that.”

“Stop it. If you’re going to forgo conventional education, then you, as her parent, should be stepping up and making sure she’s getting everything she would have been getting at school.

That means actually putting the effort in to ensure she’s not getting left behind!

And before you start,” I warned when he opened his mouth.

“No-one is saying you have to sit her down for six hours a day and mimic a classroom environment, but locking her in a dusty old house, with a grandma who has no patience for her, and refusing to socialise her with anyone else, isn’t the way!

Do you know how often your mother loses her temper with her?

How often Bee is left to her own devices because your mother is manning the bar?

Lord knows there’s no love lost between me and your mother, but even I know this isn’t fair to either of them.

Your mother has already raised her children – although the jury is out on that one.

If you ask me, you were dragged up, not raised—”

“Are you finished?”

“No. The point is, why should she have to raise Bee too? She doesn’t deserve that, and Bee doesn’t deserve to be rotting away in a house where people can’t be bothered with her!

She deserves friends her own age, Dante.

She deserves to have fun where she’s not surrounded by drunken, angry bikers.

She deserves some essence of normality! You should have seen how excited she was to come to the park!

Look at her now, Dante! The smile hasn’t left her face, because she’s playing with other children! ”

He was silent for a moment as I broke off, breathing heavily. “Is that it? Are you done now? Because that’s quite the assessment you’ve made after only spending a morning in Bee’s company.”

“Sometimes an outsider’s perspective is the clearest one.

You’re too blind to see what’s right in front of you.

But let's try a different angle here. What sort of message are you sending to her if you bring a woman home, publicly declare her your old lady, but then deem that woman unsafe for her to be around? Children see more than you think. What sort of message is Bee getting, if the only adult interactions she sees is her dad throwing his weight around, and bullying women? Because that’s what you’ve done, Dante.

You’ve tried your best to bully me. I stand up to you, but that could have very easily been different.

And let’s face it, that’s what you wanted.

You didn’t want me to fight back! Would you be happy with Bee growing up thinking this is acceptable?

What if her future partner puts their hands around her neck and chokes her?

Or kidnaps her? Or sets your house on fire? ”

“I wouldn’t let that happen.”

“Would she even tell you? If she grows up thinking this is normal behaviour, she’s not going to even think about telling you, because she won’t think it's wrong! You can’t always protect her.

She has to live her life. And if someone was to treat her badly, then the damage was already done.

She will have to live with the aftermath, no matter if you deal with the person who caused the hurt or not!

Physically, you can heal her, but can you heal her mentally? ”

“You’re getting all of this because my mother said you couldn’t take her out?” He grinned at me, and it was as though he had set me alight with the way the anger ran through my veins.

“Fine!” I all but screamed at him. “Have it your way and keep your daughter locked up like you’re some fucked up, tattooed, giant version of Mother Gothel.

Don’t let her have friends, or relationships, or a life outside of you, your mother, and your shit fucking bikes!

I’m beginning to understand now why Laura ran off.

And mark my words, Bee will end up doing the same if you keep her living like this!

” I was breathing heavily by the time I was finished.

And it was only when I saw the flash of pain in Dante’s eyes that I realised what I had said.