TWENTY SEVENCATHERINA“I have whores for daughters” my papa thundered.I flinched, wondering if he was going to hit me or Audrey who was cowering behind my mamma while I stood in a corner.The news of my sister’s pregnancy had reached my mamma’s ears through me. There was no way I was going to keep that huge secret to myself knowing that she was about to get married and it could cause a problem for my family if the Cruz clan realized that we had given them a pregnant girl for a bride.I had begged my mamma not to inform my papa and should instead find a solution to the matter but she had been so devastated by the news and soon we were in some family meeting with my papa presiding“At least your sister was sensible not to get herself pregnant when she ran off with that dumb boy, troia” he bellowed.I flinched again at the mention of what I had done but said nothing. It was better to let him get it out of his system before we began pleading for mercy. I tried to not look in my sister’s
TWENTY EIGHTCATHERINA“You refused of course and told him to shove it” I asked no one in particularThey were all just staring at me like they had sent me to die and this was my funeral procession.“You have to do this for your family” My papa said grufflyThis was probably the first time I had seen him not staring at me with anger or disdain or hatred. He had pity in his eyes and sadness.“I am not going to marry Andres Cruz, papa” I cried out.“It is settled; you have no say in the matter” my papa said, turning away from me.“You did not hear me. I won’t marry the man and I do not care what say anyone has in it. I am not going to subject myself to such… I refuse to be like… mamma” I blurted.“Catherina Elizabeth Salvador!” my mamma’s voice rang out.I turned and fled for the second time in two days and from the same person. He had pushed me away the previous day like I was some whore that had forced myself on him and now he wanted to marry me? No, the damned man wanted to punish me
TWENTY NINEANDRES“You are going to allow them get away with shaming our clan?” Miguel’s voice echoed.“Yell at me one more time, Miguel and you will not leave this room alive” I threatened.My step brother fell silent and so did everyone at the table. They had expressed their discontent at the news on the table this morning and were waiting for me to say something namely when the attack on the Salvador’s would begin and how many men I needed.It would have been so during my father’s time… hell, even right now, the call to arms ringing in my head was very strong but I had to consider Catherina. She was the only reason I hadn’t given the familiar order that everyone was waiting for and I was sure my cousin knew this judging by the way he was staring at me, his eyes voicing unspoken words.I was going to have to tell them that I had chosen to exchange one other for the other even before calling for their presence and there was nothing they could damn well do about it.Ana sat by my rig
THIRTYCATHERINAPapa had informed me of the arrival of my now husband to be and asked that I put on a smile on my deathly face for the sake of the family. I was going to put on a smile of course but never for his sake, only for that of my sister, mother and brother.My sister had been sent somewhere far to give birth according to what my papa said because she would still not name the father of the child and I wasn’t going to betray her again by giving out the name. I knew it wasn’t because of her pregnancy, he only to separate us from one another and he asked my mamma to accompany her to the beach house. There they would stay till she had given birth and then he would think about what to do with her then.Only my brother and I remained in the house with him but I mainly stuck to my room, packing up the clothes I do not want to part with and the books I loved reading that I was going to take with me when I moved in with Andres as his wife.I swallowed when my arm brushed the jacket he
THIRTY ONEANDRES“You like her, don’t you?” Manuel asked as soon as Catherina was taken out by her brother“Excuse you?”“You now have every chance to take over the corners that I control in this city in exchange for sparing my life and that of my family. Hell… you have the chance to dispatch of your enemies once and all but you chose to pick an exchange. It can only mean that somehow you feel something strong for my daughter, Catherina”“I am still taking some of those corners you are talking about” Andres said, leaning forward.“That was not what we agreed on. You said you wanted just Catherina and all would be forgiven”“Then you don’t mind if I pimp your daughter to my men every night for the rest of her days to assuage their anger at your family’s insult”I could see the realization hit Manuel as he leaned backwards in his chair, clearly defeated.“What corners do you want?” he asked“The one by the mall, the one in the north where that parking lot is facing…”“That is my best s
THIRTY TWOCATHERINAI had succeeded in bidding my brother goodbye without him having the slightest inclination to what I was about to do and I had to admit that I was quite giddy with excitement at fooling them all. Pedro waited in the parking lot while I stepped into the dress shop owned by a French woman who was one of mamma’s friend. I was quite sure she had not had about my sister’s pregnancy nor about the fact that I was the one now getting married to the man my sister was supposed to get married to. It was a fucking circus and one of the reasons I had to be away immediately“Come on, Catherina. I wasn’t expecting you today, how is your mamma and where is she? She and I were supposed to check out some dresses for your sister’s impending nuptials” Celine preened, enveloping me in a hug.I knew about the saying that the French people oozed sexual appeal and it definitely had to be true because Celine was the total definition of sex on heels. She had such beautiful and slim body wi
THIRTY THREEANDRES“You went behind my fucking back!” my fist slammed the head of my cousin, Alejandro“I did what needed to be done” he snapped back, spitting blood“I had given an order and you defied it” I said, slamming my fist again to the other side of his head.“You are fucking weak and all because of some whore’s pussy” He spat, glaring at me through bloodshot eyesI had caught them all trying to escape after committing the unpardonable deed of defying their jefe. I had given an order for them to stand down and while I had expected such defiance to come from Miguel, I had not thought to have Alejandro watched.“I should have you executed; I should kill you right now” I bellowed in rage“But you won’t because you fucking murdered my father and because of that piece of shit girl. The elders are going to be furious if you succeed in wiping out the last of his bloodline” he smiled through bloodied mouth.As much as I hated to admit, he was right. I could not kill him and not beca
THIRTY FOURCATHERINAIf I could locate the gate, the one I had been brought in through then maybe I could be free once again, I thought as I ran.Nobody paid me any mind and I could only imagine this was some norm in their household; Andres torturing and hurting women.I got lost a couple of times before I began hearing shouting and people searching around for me, I realized. They finally knew I wasn’t supposed to be roaming, I thought bitterly as I pressed my back against the stone wall, waiting for the next set of men to pass.I could never go back there and be wife to a man that had my family killed and just because he wanted to prove some point. I refuse to believe that he was unaware of what they were going to do; they were his men and would never act outside his orders and even if they did, then it wasn’t safe for me here. I could be killed anytime one of them was in a fit or tried to undermine authority. I would forever be caught in the middle of some internal war going on in
EIGHTEENALEJANDROShe was sitting too quietly for my liking… just there with her legs bunched together like I had taken the life force from her when we were barely started in our question for revenge.I had sent the nude pictures I had taken of her, straight to Andres’ through an untraceable network and I was now waiting for him to call me with the number I had dropped alongside the pictures. If there was anything I knew about my cousin, he was going to try and trace where the picture had come from and only when he is sure that he has exhausted all possible ways to find me will he place that phone call.I was giving him an hour at most before I heard from him… the empty threats. I call it empty because he would not be able to catch me so easily ever again. The last time I had allowed him do his worst to me even when I had not been directly involved in what had happened to his pet.I had given the order so yes, that would make me the most guilty in the matter but he and I were family
SEVENTEENAUDREYI don’t know how long I sat there, naked with my legs drawn up to my chest and my head bowed low as I thought about how the fuck I had allowed myself to be so seduced.I don’t know how long I slept before I woke up in a cold sweat, my heart pounding furiously in my chest as my eyes took a sweep round the room.It wasn’t a dream… not a nightmare either, I thought as the memories flooded back; memories of my own shame.I buried my face in my hands and berated myself for my stupidity.How could I have been so blind? The truth had been staring at me in the face but I had been so fucking stupid and horny.I had hoped that he loved me but how could a man… I should have figured out immediately he started paying special attention to me that there was something wrong. I had let myself be seduced by his smooth words and charming demeanor, never once suspecting that he was the same man who had caused so much pain and suffering in my family.Now, as I sat in the dimly-lit cabin,
SIXTEENALEJANDROShe remained sitting, her arms folded across her chest and her eyes pinned somewhere above my head. She had her mouth in a thin line and was trying not to look in my direction even as I stared pointedly at her.My cock twitched as I pinned her with a glare, my mouth also set in a grim line. She wasn’t supposed to have heard about what Sergio and I had talked about; I wanted to do this my own way but oh well… it was what it was.I pushed back from the wall I was standing, twirling the knife she had almost used to stab me in my hand; the very same that her brother in law and my cousin had marked me with.I could feel the rage spinning in my chest and welcomed it, allowing it fuel me as I approached her until she had no choice but to look up at me.She was glaring, her eyes twinkling with distaste and disgust, two emotions which were so foreign to her countenance and person…As foreign as the scar on my face, I musedI wanted to think that I knew her but she was the ene
FIFTEENAUDREYI heard him climb out of the bed and muttered my protest as he carried the whole heat of his presence with him. I had had sex before, with a boy my age and in the house of my papa where we had to be quiet and afraid as we did the deed.It was the last time that I had allowed anyone of the opposite gender touch me until Victor. He was everything I envisioned powerful lovemaking to be and we had continued well into the night in as many positions as I could imagine.My eyes fluttered open as I sighed deeply and contentedly, stretching and wincing at the sore I felt in between my legs. I sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep away from my eyes as I stared around the room, taking in its appearance. I was fascinated by the way he had designed it and although I considered it really odd to have whips of various sizes strung to the wall and…I scampered out of the bed, reaching for the knife that was hung at the far end of the room. It had a very peculiar hilt and it was somewhat curv
FOURTEENALEJANDROShe looked like an angel sleeping there with her hair thrown back and her mouth slightly agape but it was not watching her that kept me awake; it was the energy thrumming through my body in waves and I wanted to tell myself that she hadn’t just touched something within me that had died with my torture but it was impossible not to feel everything she had given me and everything I had not returned.I smiled as she sighed, snuggling in closer to me and my arm involuntarily locking around her waist; she was beautiful and so innocent in many ways.I frowned hoping the hurt in my chest was because I hadn’t eaten in a while and was quite hungry and not because I was feeling sorry for what I was about to do to her. She needed no pity from me after all I had to endure from Andres and because of her sister; I wanted her to get the same equal measure of punishment and I wanted to break her so bad that she would never be able to smile ever again.As if on cue, her lips curved i
THIRTEENAUDREYThere were so many scars and I knew that it was the sign that I needed to be running for the hills but I was more intrigued with him than I had ever been with anything in my life and I could not tear my eyes from his body nor could I move as he stared at me with black eyes while I trailed my fingers over his scars.He looked like I was doing the exact opposite of what he had thought I would do and it fascinated him tooI rested my gaze on his chest, swallowing painfully at the scar that matted it even then; he must have been tortured to have been scarred this bad and I wondered who the hell would hurt him in such damning way.I watched his lips turn up in a smile before they descended on mine, his tongue forcing my mouth open and plunging deep. I was hit by the intensity of this kiss and clung to him to steady myself against the onslaught of heat pooling in my belly.He tasted like absolute sin and the danger I had been trying all my life to run away from but I was com
TWELVEALEJANDRO“I want to do this” she murmured as soon as we satI had no idea what she was talking about of course and told her so.She blushed beautifully, twirling her fingers in front of her as she sought words to properly convey what she was talking about.“Yesterday you said you felt something…I just… I really”My eyes twinkled as I watched her struggle to form words, glancing at me for help“Dance with me, Audrey” I murmured, putting out a handShe smiled, glancing around the quiet room.“There is no music” she pointed out“Isn’t there?” I asked.As if on cue, music filtered through the speakers I had positioned and had covered at the edge of the room. I watched her eyes widen in surprise and then amusement as she placed one hand in mine and allowed me drag her up so we were inclined against one another.I twirled her first before placing my hand on the small on her back and guiding her through the steps while she laughed.She was stunning; absolutely and deliciously stunnin
ELEVENAUDREYI was giddy with excitement and then terrified that I was giddy with excitement.How could I be excited that I was about to have sex with some man that I barely knew; I had no idea who he was and if he was even who he said he wasIt is just sex, I had tried to reassure myself and it could never be more, I had said but the shivers my body was making and the war that had been raging at the pit of my belly for the whole day was saying otherwise.Not even Valerie’s reassuring words was helping the terror and nervousness threatening to overwhelm me. The last intimacy I had had with a man was with Bruno and it hadn’t been as earth shattering as Valerie always described her rounds of sex with men.It had been something between two people that were scared of being apart and it had been done under my father’s roof with the fear of being caught overruling the passion and pleasure of the moment.There was also the case about an orgasm; I had no idea what that was like and I would h
TENALEJANDROMy eyes moved from the laptop in front of me to Sergio’s faceSomething was wrong“What is it?” I asked urgently“We have to proceed with the girl” he sighed“What is the hurry?”“Ana thinks it is a horrible idea and while I think it is fantastic, she is of the notion that it was going to make the revenge more complicated”“But?” I proddedHe blinked, confusion dotting his forehead“But what?” he asked“You have a but there” I told himHe chuckled, grabbing a seat“I think it is bullshit and she is only saying that because… well she is Ana and she is crazy. I wouldn’t take whatever that woman says serious”“I didn’t think so” I smiled, returning my eyes to the laptop“We need to…”“We will do it my way, Sergio” I interrupted, whipping my eyes to meet his.He remained silent while I boiled with anger.Every one of them wanted their moment with Andres but couldn’t find the guts to fucking go for him themselves. They wanted me to do it so they could hide in my shadow and po