Chapter 35 #3
“I won’t let you hurt him again,” I spit.
“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice. Not unless you want him to wave goodbye to all his money and his precious father.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. There is always a choice.
” Reaching into my pocket, I produce my phone, going in with my Plan A.
I raise it and show it to Floyd. “I have pictures of what you did to him.” I don’t, but Floyd doesn’t need to know that.
“You’ll let him and his father go, forget the entire deal, or I’ll show these to everyone. Your family included.”
Floyd grins, then, as though he has not a care in the world, walks over to the drinks cabinet and pours himself a glass of whiskey.
“Let me get this straight.” He sips his drink. “You’re blackmailing me?”
I nod, and he downs the rest of the drink, deposits the glass onto the cabinet top and crosses the room to stand a few feet in front of me.
My pulse races, but I refuse to let him see my fear.
I know men like him – ones who get off on control.
Who treat people like property, bending them to their will.
Never again will I give anyone that power over me.
“That’s cute.” Floyd steps into my space, and I stand my ground, clenching my jaw to hide the trembling.
“You expect me to believe that you’ll willingly show those photos to people?
” He makes this dark, flat sound that could be a chuckle.
“And even if you do, do you think they’ll believe my cheating slut of a husband and his boyfriend over me?
” He waits for an answer that I don’t give, then drops his voice.
“Go on. Do it. See how it ends for all of you.”
The threat is heavy and real and I inwardly curse myself for thinking he wouldn’t call my bluff. But he did. As though in his fucked up reality, he thinks he still has the upper hand and that he’ll still somehow walk away with that inheritance.
“Leave him the fuck alone.”
Closing the space between us, Floyd advances on me, forcing me to retreat until my back hits the wall, and he’s so close I can see the flecks of grey in his blue eyes and smell the liquor on his breath.
“Or what? I hold all the cards here.” Floyd tilts his head, eyes locked on mine. “I suggest you back off and keep your nose out of my business and your dick out of my husband.” His gaze darkens – he expects me to flinch, to back down, but I don’t. I won’t.
I spit in his face, and he recoils in disgust. “Fuck you, asshole.”
Floyd’s nostrils flare as he wipes the saliva from his cheek. I go to step around him, but am caught off guard when he punches me in the stomach. Coughing and wheezing at the impact, I instinctively wrap an arm around myself.
“You saw what I did to Darius when he pushed me.” Floyd punches me in the cheek, his wedding ring catching on the skin.
The pain is sharp, heat blooming, followed by the steady trickle of blood.
I wipe the back of my hand over it, and Floyd goes in for another hit on my abdomen.
This time I’m forced backwards into the wall, my lungs struggling to inflate.
“Do.” His fist connects with my ribs. “Not.” Another punch that lands in the same place, the pain so intense spots dance in my vision. “Push me.” My knees threaten to give out, but I refuse to let him win.
Mustering all the energy I can – which admittedly isn’t much – I lunge forward, circle his waist and throw him backwards.
He hits the side table with an oomph, and I raise my fist and slam it into his face.
Floyd stumbles backwards and, ignoring the blood in my mouth and the pain blanching across my abdomen, I take another shot at him, this time hitting him in the stomach.
“Fuck!” he yells, flicking out his foot to knock me off balance.
I stay upright, but the move has my focus elsewhere and I’m not prepared for the speed with which he advances, shoving me hard into the wall.
Before I can react, he lands a jab in my ribs which has a sharp pain ricocheting through my chest. I cough, doubling over.
When I straighten, he’s right there, grabbing me around the neck.
I grapple at his hands, digging my nails into his skin.
“Should have locked him away until I was done with him,” he snarks.
“This is why I don’t like people. So much fucking trouble.
” I am no match for him physically, but I won’t let him win.
I will protect Darius, even if I die trying.
Floyd squeezes and a black haze dances around the edges of my vision.
I press my nails in harder while trying to get a leg between us.
“Hello. Darius?” another voice says from the front door I left partially open. Floyd’s grip loosens, but he doesn’t let me go. “What’s going on here?”
Darius’s father – My Plan B – walks further into the apartment, his eyes narrowing on the two of us.
“Nothing you need to worry about,” Floyd says. He drops his hand and takes three steps away from me. He straightens his shirt and adjusts his cuffs as though he’s standing up after a long meeting. “Why are you here, Ralph?”
The older man shuts the front door and moves to stand to my right. “My son said he had an emergency that couldn’t wait and asked me to come over immediately.” His gaze darts to me. “Who is he, Floyd? And what the fuck are you doing to him?”
Floyd makes that dark chuckle again. “This,” he points at me. “Is the man fucking your son. The one intent on ruining our deal.”
“Jesus.” Ralph shakes his head, blowing out a breath as he turns to look at me. “I don’t know what your story is with my son, but you can’t get involved in this. There’s too much at stake.”
“Fucking hell,” I scoff, wincing as I rub my neck. “You don’t need to tell me what’s at stake!” My words come out raspy, my throat stinging much like it does at the start of a bad cold. “Why don’t you ask your son-in-law where Darius is right now?”
Ralph looks at Floyd, but neither man speaks, so I pipe in with the truth.
“Darius is at my place. Recovering.”
Ralph raises an eyebrow, a frown deepening on his forehead. “Recovering from what? Why isn’t he here like his message said he’d be?”
“Because I sent that message. Darius is in bed, covered in bruises after taking a beating from this piece of shit.” I point at Floyd. “Your son came to me, barely conscious, covered in bruises and with a fractured wrist. A wrist Floyd fractured for the second fucking time.”
Ralph’s features darken and his nostrils flare.
“You hit my son?”
Floyd grins, all fake charm and cold eyes. “I put my husband in his place. We had a deal that included making this marriage look real and he’s off fucking around with this one.” He taps his chest. “He’s mine until I have my money.”
Ralph is seething, his face flushed red. “I specifically told you not to touch my son!” he yells. “That was the deal. He’d marry you and pretend when he needed to, but you were not to touch him.”
Floyd opens his hands, palms up. “Oops. Guess I forgot.” He smirks, stepping closer to Ralph and, on instinct, so do I, even if I don’t fully believe this man deserves protection. “What are you going to do about it?”
Ralph visibly draws back. His Adam’s apple bobs as he regards the other man and the hesitation on his features stirs the anger inside me. It’s very fucking clear what he needs to do.
“Fuck the deal!” I shout when Ralph says nothing.
His attention flicks to me. “Darius is hurting because of your mistakes. All the things you did wrong, he’s paying for now.
” My throat tightens and my eyes burn. This is the second time in my life I’ve had to fight for a parent to make the right choice.
To put their son first. I only hope this time it doesn’t end in disappointment.
“Do you care so little about him you’d put yourself above his happiness and safety?
” Ralph purses his lips, his eyes dipping to the floor.
“Is it worth it?” I ask. I’m met with a silence that hurts like a punch to the gut. “Answer me damnit!” I get right in Ralph’s face. “Is. It. Worth. It?”