Merciless Promise (Brannington Empire Collection #1)

Prologue

SAGAPONACK, NEW YORK

T his was all too much.

My nerves were completely frayed. Desperate for an escape from this place, my eyes flittered from one side of the room to the other, but I could barely see anything through the thick plume of cigarette and marijuana smoke. They were all I smelled, too.

Thankfully, my hearing was still intact, but that seemed to be more of a curse than a blessing.

The roar from the drums and bass guitar was so loud that the entire room shook.

The thunderous beat of the heavy metal instrumental matched the same riotous thumping of my heart in my chest. It was unlike the music that escaped from every open doorway and window as I tried to find the exit.

I never should’ve been at this party. At that moment, I had no idea what even possessed me to come at all.

Call it teenage rebellion, or some warped curiosity.

My father had forbidden me from mixing with those he considered enemies.

Now that I was intoxicated, scared, and way out of my element, I could hear his admonishment even now.

A few days ago, I’d turned eighteen and my birthday party had been one of the most lavish events of the year at Summit Crest Preparatory, the boarding school I attended.

My father had gifted me with an F3 Jag, and the first place I’d gone in it was this party.

Who actually owned the property was a mystery to me, as was mostly everyone here.

A couple of girls from school had given me the invite, but even they were nowhere to be found.

My thoughts were interrupted when someone violently pushed me. My eyes narrowed, and I was about to tell whoever it was off until I looked at the girl, and one close to my age, who could barely stand, much less walk.

“Sorrrry,” she slurred to me. “Have a drink, hun.”

I shook my head, ignoring the way my ponytail tickled the hairs on the back of my neck.

“It’s just a shot,” she said, and I quickly glanced around.

Hell, what was one more?

Ignoring the nagging voice in my head telling me to decline it, I reached out and took the small glass from her.

I tipped it back, then grimaced as the liquor burned a trail of fire down my throat.

Our interaction ended there when she recognized someone she knew and left me alone.

I turned, watching her greet two other girls and a guy.

The females were all focused on the tipsy blonde, but the boy’s eyes locked in on mine.

Immediately, I froze. I knew of this guy, so the way he was staring at me was not only unnerving, but exciting as well.

Princeton Brannington. He was with the Irish mafia and was definitely one of the enemies my father had mentioned.

Still, he was handsome in a James Dean kind of way with the hint of danger and excitement in his dark eyes.

His hair was the same shade and was longer in the front.

Eventually, he smiled at me, revealing even, white teeth.

Involuntarily, I found myself smiling back at him, even as the sides of my face became flushed. He moved away, and I had lost sight of him until I felt his breath on the back of my neck when he came up behind me. “I’ve never seen you at one of these parties, Cinderella. Are you lost?”

I turned swiftly, and my eyes locked in on his. “I...ahh...no. I was actually just about to leave.”

There. I’d said it. Now, I needed to actually follow through.

He reached out to grip my elbows, and I couldn’t ignore the rush of electricity that came from his fingertips, especially once they made contact with me.

I shivered even though I was not cold. In fact, I was even more flushed.

Princeton leaned in, and even the scent of cigarette smoke and bourbon couldn’t make him any less attractive to me.

“Don’t leave,” he said, then added, “Why don’t we...”

I wasn’t sure if his voice had trailed off or if I just couldn’t hear him, so I made sure to slowly mouth my response. “I can’t hear you.”

“Come with me,” he said, and reading his lips, I should have declined, but I ended up allowing him to lead me farther into the crowded house.

I gave a quick nod, then followed him up the stairs.

By the time we reached the top, there were some guests mingling about in the hallway, but none of them paid us any mind.

I soon found myself inside a bedroom I assumed did not belong to him.

I only knew that because the entire space looked like the inside of a Pepto Bismol bottle.

The walls were a light shade of pink, and aside from the white bed in the center and the matching dresser, even the bedding was colored.

Only, it was a darker shade than the walls.

There were also stuffed animals on the bed, including a snow white teddy bear with pink pads at the bottom of its paws.

I glanced at Princeton and was about to arch my brow over this place, but the way he was now eyeing me had my nerves fraying more.

There were intentions in his dilated pupils I hadn’t noticed before, which made me incredibly frightened.

I turned away from him and chose to focus on the single piece of art hanging on the wall.

It was a white framed picture of two bunny rabbits in a field.

It dawned on me then that this room belonged to a very young girl, which was perfect because I now felt a lot like one.

I moved to the edge of the bed to sit down.

He followed, but gave me a bit of space, which I appreciated.

“You’re a long way from school,” he told me.

“So are you,” I remarked, and he chuckled.

I wasn’t sure why, but the very sound of it had goosebumps rising on my flesh. “That I am. It’s surprising to see you slumming it here with us.”

I smirked, knowing this luxury mansion had to cost over ten million. “I wouldn’t quite call this place a slum.”

“I suppose not. I might’ve misjudged you because you look right at home here.”

I shrugged. “Something like that.”

He bared his teeth again as he smiled. “Well, there’s no need to waste a perfectly good room and stellar booze. Let’s take this off,” he said as he tugged on the black leather jacket I was wearing over my dress.

I pulled back, then brushed his hand away. “I would prefer to keep it on.”

“Less to have to find afterward,” he responded, and just like that, the energy in the room changed.

An eerie silence set in, and deciding that being here with him was a bad idea after all, I quickly rose to my feet.

I was about to turn to leave, but he stood up as well.

The flight reaction rose up within me, and I tried to hurry to the door, but he made it there before I could even get my hand on the knob.

Shaking at this point, I went to open my mouth, but he covered it with his hand. I tried using my hands to push him off me, especially when his mouth collided with my neck and he started to bite it.

I managed to pry his hand away from my mouth. “I want to go.”

I tried to plead with him as he kissed his way up my throat and over my chin.

Had it not been for me turning my head at the last moment, he would have kissed my lips.

I needed to get free, and as I struggled mightily against him, my hands must’ve annoyed him because he pushed me against the wall, then pinned them above my head.

His weight was pressed against me, and he immobilized me with one hand, while he roughly cupped one of my breasts with the other.

He was a savage, and the type of male my father had wanted me to avoid at all costs.

I continued to squirm, writhing to free myself until he smacked me hard across the cheek.

Pain exploded on contact, and I realized in that moment that I’d never been struck before in my life.

The action left me paralyzed for a moment until I felt his hand slip under my dress.

In a quick motion, he ripped one side of my panties.

“No,” I cried out as two fingers of his penetrated me. “Stop, please.”

Terror raced through me, and the more I moved to try to free myself, the deeper his thrusting fingers managed to get.

Once or twice, he would rub or scratch a particular spot which might’ve turned me on had I been a willing participant.

Since I was not, it scared me. I had to get away or else he would fuck me right here against the door.

“Please stop,” I pleaded, but to no avail.

“Shut up, bitch. I’m not one of those rich little toys you can control. You came to my birthday party, and now you’re going to let me unwrap you like a present.”

“I didn’t know it was your birthday, but I need to get back to school,” I told him, and he followed those words up with another hard blow to my cheek.

I had no idea where boys learned to hit girls, but he knew the exact spot to strike in order to make me freeze.

I couldn’t allow him to win, though. Fear was gripping me harder in its grasp than he was as he continued to hold my hands above my head.

When his mouth lowered to my chest and he bit one of my nipples through my dress, I drew my knee up, and it collided with my intended target.

He bellowed, and once immobilized, it allowed me to push him off me.

Never had I moved so quickly as I escaped through the door.

Fearful he would catch me, I didn’t even bother trying to get my keys out of my jacket pocket until I made it out the front door.

My hands, along with my knees, were shaking uncontrollably, but I was able to finally grab my keys and get inside my Jaguar.

Tears blurred my vision as the last few minutes came rushing back.

Adrenaline was still guiding me, so I pulled myself out of it and quickly started the car.

Though my eyes were completely dazed as I cried, I slid the gear into reverse.

A few seconds later, I started down the driveway when a dark shadow fell across the road.

He’d caught me after all and intended to drag me back inside where he’d do more than force himself onto me. This time, he’d get what he wanted. “Ekaterina, get out of the car,” he ordered while banging his fists on the hood.

He was maniacal, and I had no idea what to do.

I attempted to move my foot to the brake, but when I pressed down hard on the pedal, I realized it was the gas.

After a loud thump, the banging on my car stopped, and he was nowhere to be found.

Princeton was no longer yelling my name, so I was hopeful he’d given up and headed back inside.

“Thank fuck,” I said aloud, then put my foot on the gas again, this time encountering resistance.

I quickly put the car in park, then got out to see what it was.

When I rounded the front of the vehicle, I slapped my hand against my mouth.

On the ground in front of it lay Princeton, and he wasn’t moving.

A dark puddle of red expanded around him.

I screamed as everything started to spin around me—from the towering pines lining the driveway to the eaves of the home.

It all had my head throbbing until a brief moment of calm finally settled over me, and I crumpled to the ground.