At least his men are with me and Stace is free to try and escape.
Run, baby.
I close my eyes. Even though I have distanced them away from Stace, I know the police will be chasing him down. He has no money. What’s he going to do?
Where will he sleep tonight?
“I need to go to the bathroom.”
“No,” the driver snaps.
“Where the hell am I going to go?”
“We are nearly there.” He growls.
“I’m going to piss in your car, asshole.”
“Do it and see what happens to you.”
The man next to me smirks and I elbow him hard in the stomach. He doubles over and the man on the other side of me bursts out laughing.
“Shut up or your next,” I snap.
They are all so happy with themselves. They came up with the goods. Makes me sick. Their pay increase for bringing me in will be substantial.
Fucking assholes.
My anger simmers beneath the surface and I clench my fists in front of me. If I’m going to go down, I’m going down fighting. He has no idea what I am capable of, and in all honesty, neither do I.
I am his daughter.
We drive into an industrial estate with huge factories on large lots of land, and I study the surroundings carefully, still hopeful that I can fight my way out of this mess. Stace’s mom is a whole other problem. I have to get them to let her go first and then I can fight. If she is there with me, I have no chance of escaping. How do you run and hide with an elderly lady who is injured?
I hope she’s okay.
The car turns into a long driveway and we travel off the main road and across open land through a windy dirt road for a few kilometres. How the hell am I going to get out of here? There is nowhere to hide, acres for as far as I see. I feel my apprehension rise. We come to a slow halt in front of a huge, old warehouse, and are greeted by three men holding semi-automatic guns, guarding the door and waiting out the front for our arrival.
I feel the adrenaline start to pump through me and I close my eyes in dread.
The men get out of the car, but I stay seated. I don’t want to get out.
“Get out.” The man I elbowed growls.
“Go to fucking hell.”
He reaches in the car and grabs me by the hair and I kick him hard in the face, but his grip is too strong. After a few moments of struggling, the other men help to hold me down and he drags me out. The pain in my head shoots through me and as I stand he hits me in the face and I stagger back.
“Don’t fucking hit me again.” He growls.
I look him square in the eye and fake a smile. “You pathetic piece of shit. He will kill you next, you’re just a number.”
He pushes me in the back toward the door and I stumble forward. I really wish I had something more appropriate on. I’m in a black, skimpy, tight dress and my tits are half hanging out. Two of the men grab my arms and drag me though the door and suddenly fear takes over and I fight to break free.
“Let me go,” I yell.
I get my arm loose and I punch one of the men in the face and we begin to violently struggle. The other man hits me again, and I turn and kick him as hard as I can in the groin. He doubles over and falls to the ground. The other two men grab me and, as hard as I try, I can’t seem to break loose. The push me farther into the room and that’s when I see her.
Oh dear God.
Tied to a chair with her hands behind her back, her eyes so swollen from being beaten that they are closed, she looks near death.
“What have you animals done to her?” I scream.
I run to her. “Annette. Annette are you okay?” I cry.
Her head is slouched and she is semi-conscious. She lifts her head slightly. “Stace,” she whimpers.
I bend and kiss her face so that they can’t hear me. “Stace is safe,” I whisper. “I’m here now, I’m going to help you.” I put my hand tenderly on her head. “I’m here to help you.”
I turn as if possessed by the devil. “Let her go!” I scream.
The gutless men all stand still as they watch me.
“Untie her now!” I scream. “It’s me that he wants. Tell him I’m here.”
The men all continue to stand still.
“Tell him!” I scream.
My father steps out from the shadows and my heart drops as the air leaves my lungs.
The little girl in me is terrified.
His eyes hold mine, and he steps toward me, wearing an expensive dark suit he is the epitome of evil. “Hello, Roshina,” he replies flatly, his voice is calm and collected.
I don’t answer as the fearful tears fill my eyes. There’s no air in here. I feel like I can’t breathe.
“I hate you. I hate you.”
He smiles as he stares at me and after a long pause he replies, “You are as charming as ever.”
I stare at him through bleary tear filled eyes. How could I possibly be half of this man?
“Where is he?” he asks calmly.
My blood runs cold. “He’s dead,” I murmur.
He smiles. “No, but he will be very soon.”
His words knock me. “What do you want?” I whisper.
“Something only you can give me.”
I stare at him.
He puts his hands behind his back and links his hands together and begins to pace. “I’m dying, Roshina.”
I frown.
“I have brain cancer.”
I step back and his man grabs my arm and I yank it from his grip. “Don’t fucking touch me.” I growl.
“Good. I’m glad you’re dying. It will be a blessing to the world,” I snap as I lift my chin in defiance.
He tips his head back and laughs out loud. “I do love your drive.”
I glare at him. “Just die already.”
“There is something I want from you before I do, and then you can die right along side of me.”
My eyes hold his.
“You will marry the man that I have picked to take over my empire.”
Fear pumps through my body and I begin to hear my heartbeat in my ears. “No, I won’t,” I snap.
He smiles darkly. “Yes. Yes, you will.”
I shake my head. “You are fucking crazy. Why would you possibly want me to marry your understudy? What could you possibly gain from such an arrangement?”
“A bloodline heir. I want your son.”
I smile from shock, I think. That is the craziest, fucked up thing I have ever heard.
A frown crosses his face and I see a trace of a weakness. “You think this is funny?”
I laugh a deep belly aching laugh. “Your stupidity insults my intelligence.”
He watches me intently and he lifts his chin in defiance.
“You didn’t think to check with me on that arrangement?” I smile.
He glares at me. ‘I don’t need to check anything. You will do as I say and you brought this on yourself when you killed my brother.”
“I will do nothing of the fucking sort!” I yell. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”
He narrows his eyes.
“Now untie her and let her go, or I am going to kill you.”
A broad smile crosses his face and he raises his eyebrows. “You?” He smiles, his eyes flicker around to his gophers and he points. “She’s hilarious.” He laughs and his monkeys all start laughing, too.
“Is that a threat Roshina?”
I step forward and spit in his face. “That’s a promise.”
He slaps me hard across the face and I smile darkly. “How does it feel to have your own flesh and blood hate you with everything that she has?”
His face drops as he wipes the saliva from his cheek with his forearm. That disgusting act felt better than it should.
“Mom left you.” I lean forward and raise my eyebrow as I whisper. “Do you want to know why?”
His eyes flicker to the men around us and I know I have hit a nerve.
“Let her go.” I gesture to Stace’s mom.
His eyes flash to her tied to the chair.
“Let her go and we can go to your house to discuss this grandchild.”
“I’m not stupid.
I smile. “Neither am I.”
“Where is Mac?” He growls.
“Let her go. It’s me you want. You have me.”
I hold my hands up. “You let her go or you can shoot me dead as I fight.”
He glares at me.
“I can’t procreate when I’m dead.” I pause and smile sweetly. “Can I, Daddy?”
His eyes narrow in fury and I know that my sarcasm is getting to him. I’ve got him. He needs me alive.