Don't test me.

CATHERINE

“Where is my son?”

The question hit me hard and fast, like a club of solid iron, and I found myself taking a few steps back. My heart raced faster than ever, and I swallowed, breaking my eye contact with his probing green stare.

My voice was suddenly very small in the shadows of the night. “H-how did you know it’s a boy..?”

He must have been stalking me to know. Yet, he was a powerful man that could get any information he needed in the twinkling of an eye.

My head reeled. I could not let Andre go anywhere near Brian. Never. He was my baby, my son alone.

Not the son of a merciless and remorseless cheat.

Andre scoffed, brushing a hand through his hair to push back some loose strands. Reluctantly, I watched him, with a familiar feeling pooling in my gut.

Him touching his hair that way was familiar. It dug up memories that I had painfully buried, and it made me feel hurt and vulnerable again like I felt a year ago.

“Don’t question me, Catherine.” He grunted. “You lost that right the moment you decided to run off with my son. Now, tell me where he is.”

I met his angry gaze with mine, trying to fake some courage to hide the fact that I was trembling inside.

I said with false bravado, with as much rudeness as possible. “No, Mr. Gray. I will not tell you where he is.”

His eyes darkened even more, as he stood there in the shadowy parking lot like a demon who rose from hell to drag me back, drag me down.

Without a word, he strode towards me and grabbed my arm. I struggled, but from his silence, I was too scared to say a word. I could only watch him with frightened eyes as he dragged me over to his car and shoved me into the expensive leather passenger seat.

His big hand strapped the seatbelt over me and roughly fastened it. He was so close as he did so, that I instinctively held my breath to block out his alluring male smell.

My hands clenched into fists on my bare thighs, when he met my gaze.

Anger was rumbling in those emerald green eyes, but I could not help noticing the tiny freckles blending with his tan skin.

It was unnoticeable unless one took a close look at his face. And we were too close right now.

My heart pounded. It would have been easier to hate and resent him if he did not look like a gorgeous, dark archangel right now.

Shit, Andre was a freaking walking god.

He could easily have been crowned the god of beauty if there was anything as such.

Without a word, he move away and slammed the door shut. Soon, he was in the driver’s seat, moving the car out of the driveway.

I glanced at him in alarm. “Where are you taking me?!”

“Don’t test me, Catherine.” He snarled, and even without looking at me, his deep baritone was threatening enough to glue my lips shut. “One more word. And nothing will save you from me.”

A shiver racked my spine.

What did he mean by that? I backed off, shrinking into my seat as if it could protect me. My world was crumbling down all around me. The little safe space I had built around myself and my son was going to be ruined.

Andre Gray was back in my life, and now he was ripping apart every solid wall I built, shred by shred.

What do I do now?

~

Andre’s death grip was unforgiving as he dragged me into his hotel suite and slammed the door shut. My hair was messy from all his manhandling, and I was growing more furious with every moment that passed. I glanced around the suite. It was large, lavish and dark, very much like him.

But why was I here?

“I can not be here. Let me out.” I snapped, rubbing the part of my arm that he had grabbed.

He ignored me, the muscles of his broad back rippling under his shirt as he strode to a shiny table against a wall and picked up some neatly arranged papers.

He scowled as he turned back to me and shoved the papers in front of me. It was a silent order, and a huge part of me wanted to just bow to his will since I was powerless against him.

But the part of me that he had deeply hurt, could not let go of the hate I felt. So I ignored the papers he was holding out at me and glared death straight at him.

“Freaking let me out, Andre. Are you going to take me as a prisoner now? You’re abducting me? Why do you think you can just get away with everything?!” I rushed out and let out a breath.

“I can get away with everything.” He said darkly. “You will find out soon. Read it.”

Sending him one last boiling glare, I snatched the papers from him and looked down to go through them.

My eyes widened when I saw that it was a court document. Slowly, I read through it, and by the time I had gone far enough to know what this was about, my hands were trembling and my heart had fallen to the pits of my stomach.

The court had ordered me to hand Brian over to Andre Gray. They had made him the official custodian of my son since he was the biological father.

They were ordering me to give up my baby… to the person who hurt me.

My mouth fell open, a choking sound escaping it. No, this could not be happening!

Andre would not do this to me… could he?

The papers quivered in my cold fingers as I slowly looked up at him, and he was silently watching me, with a triumphant look glinting in his eyes.

He would.

He would take my son away just to punish me. This was Andre Gray, and before I had gotten into a contract marriage with him, I knew he did not build his riches by being kind.

He got to the top by being ruthless. Merciless. Punishing.

He would take my entire world away if he could not be in it. Slowly, my whole body quivered from the maddening fury that erupted in me.

Hurting me was not enough. He wanted to destroy me!