Chapter 4 Four

Rhys

“Are you always this stubborn and audacious?” I asked, genuinely curious as I watched the tiny brown-haired sweetheart of mine glare at me through tears. She wasn’t really staring—she was burning holes into me.

I had watched her sneak out of her room like some frightened chicken, heading straight to Edward’s. She thought she made an escape, but she didn’t. All it took was reminding Edward that his father was dangling over a ditch I could easily push him into, and the coward folded. Sold her out like it meant nothing.

That was what angered me most. She should’ve chosen better friends. Instead, she placed her trust in a weakling who would’ve delivered her on a silver platter, if it wasn’t me already hunting her down. And the sheer panic on her face when she saw him standing there, head bowed in shame while my men closed in—that panic was priceless.

“You’ll not touch my sister,” she snapped, her voice carrying the same fierce edge I remembered from our earlier conversation.

We were back at the villa now, in the same room I’d first kept her in. I hadn’t really locked her up—I gave her the freedom to roam, though she would never have slipped past my men. I knew the type she was. Bold enough to stare down a loaded gun but foolish enough not to flinch until the trigger was pulled. I loved women like that. The ones who pretended to be unbreakable, when in truth, they were the easiest to snap.

But she should’ve known I don’t forgive slenderness against me.

“I said I would if you attempted anything stupid.” My tone was calm, almost bored, though my anger simmered beneath.

She snorted. “I bet you didn’t expect me to bend to fate.”

“I had to do something,” she continued, her voice cracking with restrained fury. “I can’t just watch you decide my life and threaten my family.”

I nodded as if I understood. “I would have been disappointed if you did.”

Her teary brown eyes met mine then. God, I’d never seen brown eyes so captivating, especially paired with her shoulder-length hair, small nose, and those full red lips. She was stunning, even in defiance.

“So…?” she asked, adamantly.

I tilted my head. “I don’t back down from a promise, Georgia.”

Frustration rippled under her words. “I already said I would marry you. Even if it’s tonight, I will. Just leave my family out of it.”

“You should’ve thought of that when you decided to test me.” My hands slid into my pockets.

“And I’m to blame now even for the incompetence of your men?” she fired back, her voice rising.

God, this little woman.

I laughed, genuinely. She was fire, and every spark made me want to keep her even more. Her article about me had amused me, but she herself? She was addictive. A little Barbie you never got tired of teasing.

Truth was, I was never going to touch her sister. No, I wouldn’t even sell her off the way I threatened. The Black Market was the very thing I’d been fighting against. I’d never promote it. But I loved watching Georgia’s panic, loved pressing her buttons, loved reminding her who had control. Still, if she refused to bend, if she kept testing me, then yes—other measures might have to come into play.

“My men?” I echoed through laughter.

“Yes. Your security is scrap. I got away so easily. No troubles at all. How is that my fault?”

I licked my lips, watching her eyes dart to the motion before she quickly looked away.

“And you didn’t think,” I said smoothly, “that maybe I was just too bored, so I decided to play a little game of hide and seek with you?”

Her lips parted, eyes flashing. “You—”

I cut her off, straightening. Enough play. “Get some sleep. Tomorrow will be chaotic.”

“And my sister?” she asked quickly. Her voice softened, almost desperate. “Look, I’m sorry I wrote that article about you, but please—don’t do anything to my sister.”

I turned slightly, letting her pleading eyes meet mine. They glittered beautifully through the tears. I could watch her cry all night; she was even hotter that way.

“You said it yourself, Georgia. The Black Market is nothing but a myth.” Her brows furrowed, the anger returning. I leaned in just enough to add quietly, “Don’t think that’s enough reason to run again. Your dad’s neck snapping under my fingers isn’t.”

And with that, I walked out.

Calvin was waiting at the door, my right-hand man, the only one I trusted with blood work.

“Did you really have to marry her, Rhys?” he asked as the door clicked shut behind Georgia. “Her article did no real damage. Why keep her?”

He was right. Nothing was damaged. In fact, I’d ordered her article promoted myself. I found her intriguing. But when I learned Pierce was after her, the decision was sealed. Marrying her kept her close, and once Pierce was dealt with, she could leave, if she wished.

“What did you get?” I asked, dodging his question as we moved toward the left wing and my study, the hidden passage to the torture room.

“He didn’t admit to your cousin’s involvement, but he claimed a man named Dimitri hired him.” Calvin’s voice was steady, factual.

“Did you get the number of girls he auctioned?” I pressed as we entered the study. I hit the hidden button by my desk, the glass wall sliding open to reveal the descent.

“Sixty,” Calvin said. “Age ten to sixteen.”

I clenched my jaw, rage tightening every vein. My hands locked behind my back as I forced myself to breathe.

Sixty children.

Men like him made me want to drown the world in their blood.

“He didn’t confess the exact numbers or locations, but after I threatened his two daughters, he spilled enough. Funny how they all fold when it’s their kids on the line.” Calvin’s voice carried disgust.

We reached the torture room where the sick bastard was, his body already battered and dripping with blood from the beatings he’d taken.

“Sean, that’s your name, right?” I asked, stepping closer.

He lifted his head, eyes swollen and fearful, then quickly dropped them again before sliding off the chair and collapsing to his knees. He hadn’t been bound. I never bound my captives. I wanted them to roam, to sin further against me until their guilt crushed them.

“Tell me where the market is located.”

I’d been hunting it for years. Kill after kill, but the location still eluded me.

“I… I don’t know. I swear. I’m only a middle man. Dimitri would know.” His voice cracked, panic pouring out. “Please. Please, don’t harm my girls. They’re innocent.”

My jaw clenched. “Those little girls you stole,” I growled, “I bet they begged you even harder than you’re begging me now.” My chest ached with the silent cries of the girls suffering at that very moment.

“I—I’m sorry…”

I raised my gun, fingers tightening around the cold steel, but then I dropped it. Death by a single bullet would never be punishment enough. Not for the sixty lives he destroyed.

“I won’t sell your daughters, Sean—far from it,” I said, my voice low and venomous as I walked slowly toward where he kneeled. One of my men, who had been tormenting him, handed me a dagger. I crouched down before him.

Sean tried to jerk backward, barking in panic as if he could crawl his way out of the corner. His eyes widened, brimming with dread.

My lips curled. “How is it that men like you, who indulge in horrors that demand slaughter, always bolt at the face of death?”

I grabbed him by the throat, yanking him forward until his terrified face was inches from mine. His tears streamed freely, his breath ragged.

“But I’ll do something far worse than death.” My voice was a whisper of ice.

I raised the dagger high, and as he watched in horror, I drove the blade deep into his forearm.

Sean’s scream tore through the room. His teeth gnashed together, his body convulsing in agony. I twisted the blade slowly, feeling his flesh give way. A shudder of satisfaction rippled through me.

I leaned close, speaking through his pain. “I’ll make sure your daughters know exactly what you did. They’ll loathe you for it. They’ll curse your name every day they breathe. That’ll be your punishment.”

Sean wailed, his voice breaking. “Please… no… oh God, please…”

I let him collapse to the floor, clutching his mangled arm against the dagger, sobbing like a dying dog. Straightening, I turned to Calvin, my expression cold. “Rip out his balls, eyes, and heart. No easy death. Then send his butchered remains to his family. Let them know I killed him.”

Calvin inclined his head, stepping forward. “With pleasure, Boss.”