Beautiful Tyrant (Enemies to Lovers - Dark Romance Book 3) Read online

'That might be more useful. You never know, someone might hear you and come to our rescue.' I am currently trying my best to avoid looking at the darkened floor below, but it's really difficult, seeing as how my head is pointed directly at it.

  'For God's sake shut your eyes; you look scared half to death,' Brandt says. I resent that remark. I am scared half to death, there is no 'look' about it. 'It's nice to see that you do have a human side, you know. I thought you were invincible.' Brandt is really lucky I don't have the use of my limbs at the moment because if I did, he would be unconscious right now.

  'There's no point shutting my eyes,' I grit out. 'I know what's beneath us and there's no 'unseeing' it. I can shut my eyes all I like, but that view will still be waiting for me when I reopen them. This is the stuff of fucking nightmares.'

  'You were in a major nightmare for God knows how many years while inside. This is a piece of cake considering.' If he's trying to make me feel better, he's failing miserably.

  'Then it's the shittiest cake I've ever tasted. Mal is setting us up. If we're not dead in the next couple of days he'll send someone in to finish the job.' That's another thing about me; I'm a realist. There's no point sugar-coating this crap. This is like falling into quicksand, while there's a tornado raging right above you. Any which way you turn is destined for disaster.

  'Oh, ye of little faith. We just need to be smarter than he is.' Brandt is still sounding remarkably cheerful, considering. I wish his optimism was catching. In whichever direction I look the apocalypse is looming just around the corner, and our demise is almost guaranteed. I really don't want to die just yet. Brandt had better have something good up his sleeve.

  'Then you'd better be Einstein because I'm not dying less than a week after I've got out of prison. You hear me?'

  'I hear you.' Brandt's voice now sounds about as happy as mine because he knows as well as I do that it's going to be almost impossible to get out of this disaster without losing the contents of our bowels and developing a rather unpleasant blue tinge to our skin. Having said that, if anyone can figure a way out, it's him. As an added incentive, if he doesn't I'm going to be waiting for him on the other side with my pitchfork at the ready.

  Chapter Five - Harper

  As Mal pushes my head down into his car I resist the urge to angrily bat his hand away. All I will get is a slap for my troubles, and I'll be getting enough of those later.

  'Who do you want him to kill?' I'm not sure why I need to know, but I do. As soon as he tells me, though, I'll begin hyperventilating about whether he'll make it out alive of whatever Mal has planned. The odds are firmly against it. The whole object of this exercise is for me to watch him die.

  'Nice to see you, too, 'Arper. Did you miss me?' Mal sits back in the tan leather of his seat and grabs a lock of my hair, rubbing it together in his fingertips. He brings it up to his nose and breathes me in. I'm a weirdo magnet. It's official. First Alex, now Mal.

  'We've already covered the pleasantries, I believe,' I snap. 'Now are you going to answer me, or are we going to play cat and mouse for the next few hours?' I can't deal with him right now. There is way too much going on in my head.

  The car pulls away from the house with a burst of speed that threatens to send my spine bursting through my ribcage. What is wrong with Mal's lackeys? They're like animals. Perhaps that's a requirement on the application form. It wouldn't surprise me.

  Buckling up my seatbelt because I don't trust our driver, I turn my attention back to Mal and wait for his reply. There's no guarantee he'll give me one, but I've got nothing better to do.

  'You still love him, don't you?' It's just like him to answer a question with a question. The man should be a politician. If he's not giving me what I want, I don't see why I should return the favour.

  Bringing my hand up to his stubbled jaw, I gently rub my fingertips across it. 'Still jealous? I hardly see the point as you're going to kill me in a few days' time.' Moving my lips to his jawline, I kiss it. If he wants to fuck with me, I can fuck with him.

  As fast as a whip his fingers grab my chin and he tilts my face up to his. I can see the desire burning in his eyes. It's always pissed him off that the look is not reciprocated in mine. That's why Alex died, and it's why he wants Brandt dead. He's going about things the wrong way, though.

  'It doesn't have to be like this, Harper. You obey, you get to stay in my world. Well, for as long as you can hack it. I can't be any worse than that bastard. You look like shit. What's he been feeding you?'

  I almost laugh out loud. At least Brandt was nice enough to feed me. Mal didn't even give it a second thought. If he'd had his way I'd have starved to death already. The man is about as much use as the 'g' in lasagne.

  'I'm not killing anyone else for you. I'm not putting anyone in prison, I'm not dumping drugs on your unsuspecting enemies, and I'm not going to be whored out to your friends. We've had this conversation before. I haven't changed my mind. You even try that shit and I'll squawk to anyone who'll listen.' My resolve is firm. It might not be when he's got the tube of superglue and a sledgehammer in his hands, but by that time I'll be a lost cause, anyway.

  'Oh, I think you'll do exactly as I say,' he purrs. 'You can't handle the consequences.'

  'Try me,' I whisper. Who am I kidding? We've already proved I usually fall at the first hurdle. Mind you, after last night with Brandt there's no way I can do the dirty on him again. I need to stand up and take responsibility for my actions, just like I said. On the plus side, there's one thing that stands in my favour. I like pain. I like even the really bad kind of pain. It's going to get me killed one day.

  'Promises, promises,' Mal rasps, his fingers crawling between my legs. Fuck, what were we talking about again? It takes me a minute to get my head back in the game.

  'Who are you getting them to kill?' That's the question I need answered. Clamping my legs tightly together until he plays ball, I clench my jaw and wait. As expected his next move is to pinch the delicate flesh of my inner thigh between thumb and forefinger. I grimace, but I don't budge. I know I'm going to lose this battle, but I need to learn how to put up a better fight.

  'Open those legs for me, sweetheart. You aren't going to like the consequences if I have to part them with my gun.' I glare at him. Seriously? He's going there? And here I thought he was madly in love with me.

  'Are you seriously going to waste a bullet on me? If I'm lucky I might bleed out, and then you won't be able to have lots of fun when you kill me later. There are some very important arteries in the leg.' From memory, I think they're femoral arteries and if you slice one open you probably won't be in good shape for a while.

  Mal pulls his gun out of his jeans and slides the barrel up the valley of my thighs, so it's pointing towards my stomach. He then strokes the trigger with his index finger and everything in my body clenches.

  'Open your fucking legs, 'Arper. If you don't, we'll have a banging little session where I'll show you just how good my knowledge of human anatomy is. I have studied it somewhat over the years, and occasionally I like to play with dead people.'

  He likes to what? I don't think I want to know what that means. Does he cut them open? Does he... Oh God. I think I'm about to lose my breakfast - or I would, if I'd had any.

  Opening my legs, a red stain of humiliation spreads across my face and chest. Here we go again. One moment I think I can stand up to him, and the next I'm obeying every single word he says. This can't continue. A small part of me says I need to stay alive to see if I can help Brandt and Gabriel out of this terrible predicament, but how useful am I likely to be? Mal will have me tied up somewhere in his warehouse, and it will be a waiting game until he's got footage of their death. That's what he's after. That's what he wants to torment me with. It would be better if he shot me now. The trouble is, I know it won't be a kill shot. It won't even be a dangerous one. He'll give me something that smarts and a crack across the cheek, and I'll be his obedient little slut once again. I can't do this. I can't.

&nb
sp; Feeling the butt of the gun crawl higher up my thighs, I feel a sense of impending doom hit me. I'm back in Mal's clutches, he has Brandt right where he wants him, and I'm pretty sure this is going to unfold like some kind of horror story. I'm Mal's next 'project' and he's going to enjoy making an example of me. If I don't play by the rules I'm going to suffer - in the most shockingly scary way possible.

  The butt of the gun passes the hem of my T-shirt, burrowing between my legs. It doesn't stop until it rests against my pussy.

  'Have you ever wondered what a bullet might do, if I shot it from here?' He inserts the tip of the gun inside me and twists it from side to side. The metal is cold and hard, the feeling unpleasant, to say the least.

  'Can't say I have,' I whisper, not fighting his hands as they spread my legs wider.

  'It would make a mess of the car, that's for sure.' It would also make a rather nasty mess of me, but no one cares about that.

  'I'll have you back working within the week, 'Arper. I have so much shit on you, you won't dare put a foot out of line. I might even think about getting married. We could send some snaps to Brandt, after the event.'

  'If you think I'm ever getting married again after what happened with Alex, to an even bigger monster than he was, you are much mistaken.' My face turns away from his to stare out of the window. I can't look at him. To do so would be to face my darkest fears, and I don't want to do that just yet.

  Mal snorts. 'If I say jump, you say how high. That's what's so fun about our arrangement. You've never had a say in anything we do, and it will continue to work that way.'

  'It won't,' I growl. 'Either kill me or set the cops on me. If you think I'm frightened of your bullets, you're wrong.'

  'Don't even think of getting yourself arrested. I know people inside. You'll be dead within a day, two at the most. That is not your ticket out of this.'

  'I know, I know,' I say with a bored voice. 'Alex already told me. There is no escape. I get it. You forget how alike you both are.'

  Mal's hand snakes up to grab my throat, his face filled with fury. 'We are nothing alike,' he spits. 'You never respected that fucker and don't you think I didn't know it. Alex never really had you, did he?' He sits back from me, shaking his head. Thankfully the gun is also removed from between my legs, which at least allows me to suck in a small breath, although the surrounding air is now feeling particularly hot and unpleasant.

  'He married me,' I say, when Mal's jaw tightens to near breaking point. 'If that isn't having me, I don't know what is.' I know it for a lie, though, as soon as I say it. Alex never had me, any more than Mal ever will. I didn't love him, didn't want him, and I sure as hell didn't respect him. Yeah, I found him attractive at the beginning but that waned quickly. As soon as I knew what he was capable of, I despised him with every fibre of my being. I tried to protect those around me, but when shit got personal I had to choose between protecting my friends or protecting myself. No one should ever be placed in that position, and yet here I am again with another sick asshole. Like I've said, I'm catnip for crazies.

  'Nah, marriage means nothing,' Mal says, shaking his head. 'Marriage is just a little slip of paper with a couple of names on it. You can be married one day and divorced the next. That's not 'having' someone.' There's a dangerous glint in his eyes which I don't much like, but I'm going to ask the next question anyway. I know I'll regret it, but it has to be done.

  'So what is 'having' someone, Mal? What exactly does that mean?' My face relays my vexation. I still haven't gotten the answer to my original question, and now we're back to the jealousy thing. I've had all I can take in the past few weeks. If he's going to kill me, I wish he'd just get on with it.

  He twists his head and stares at me. 'That's what I mean. You don't know. But after an hour or two with me in the basement, you might. At the moment you're Miss High and Mighty, but I don't think that would last long when you experience my mean streak, and I know you've seen it, 'Arper. I made sure of it.'

  'So you want me to be afraid of you?' That's not entirely what he wants, but I need to clarify it. Mal is well aware I was afraid of him from the moment I met him, and he took great care to foster that emotion. He wants something else, though. He wants to own me, like he mentioned before. The man wants to click his fingers and have me scurrying to do his bidding like a slave. I won't be that person and I told him so.

  'I want you to worship the fucking ground I walk on, 'Arper. I need you to do everything I fucking tell you to the second I tell you - and you will, or you'll face the consequences.'

  I won't. I'm done with this shit. Gabriel and Brandt will just have to look after themselves. I know as soon as I say it, though, it's a lie. If Mal will let Brandt live I'll probably do anything he asks, even if it's at the expense of my own life. If he knew, Brandt would kill me, but he'll never find out. The chances are we'll never see each other again. Still, I had my one night. It's something Mal can never take away from me, and the thought of us two being together will drive him crazy. It's small comfort, but I'll take it. I just hope those two make it out of Mal's clutches alive. I know he wants them both dead, and he'll take great pleasure rubbing my nose in their deaths, but there's a chance they might manage to slip out from beneath his clutches. Brandt's smart enough, and what he lacks in the violence department, Gabriel makes up for in spades. Together they'd make quite a pair if they could just get over their differences.

  'What are you going to do to me?' I've changed tactics. There's no point asking any more questions about Brandt because Mal won't answer them. He has no intention of sharing whatever he has planned, and that's probably a good thing. I'm pretty sure I'd be horrified if I knew.

  Watching the trees blur as our driver picks up speed, I'm not sure I want to know the answer. If Mal was mean before, he's going to be downright evil now, and judging by his past exploits I really don't want to be on the other end of anything he's dishing out. But it's not as if I have a choice. What are my options right now? I either play nice, and hope he takes pity on me, or I wait for the bastard to finish me. As I'm ninety-nine percent certain that's going to be the end result whichever stance I take, it hardly matters. It all depends on how much of a coward I am and how much pain I can take. As I sit trembling all over I decide I'm not feeling all that brave. I will probably do everything the bastard says to prolong my life for as long as possible. If a chance to escape presents itself I'll run, but that's unlikely.

  'Anything I want to, and you'd better brace yourself because the thought of you sleeping with Brandt has brought out my nasty side.'

  I look away from him, mostly because I don't want him to see the outraged expression on my face. He ordered me to sleep with Gabriel and Brandt and now he's going to get pissy with me? How's that for contrary? Still, there's no point arguing with the beast. It will get him riled up, and I'll suffer as a result. I might as well keep quiet and do my best to limit the damage coming my way.

  I rub at my tired eyes. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, mostly thanks to Brandt, and while I don't regret it for a second, I could do with a clear head right now. Every sense needs to be on red alert and I feel like I'm having an out-of-body experience. I'm jumpy, all over the place.

  Who would Mal want Brandt to kill? Disjointed thoughts are coming at me from all angles and I can't piece anything together. It's obviously someone important. Someone who'll have security, or some kind of entourage. He said he thought Brandt would be able to get close to him, so it can't be anyone too famous. Brandt has connections, but he's not rich or powerful enough to be involved with royalty or major celebrities. It'll be someone connected to his father. I fail to see how he'll be able to re-enter that world now that his family has disowned him, but maybe Mal knows something I don't. There's always the chance Mal is setting him up for failure, knowing he'll be a laughingstock in that circle of familiar faces as soon as he shows up. Who is it likely to be? In the end, I whittle the possibilities down to either someone in a security capacity or local government.
Maybe Mal's getting some trouble from the new Police Chief, or maybe he's being investigated. I can see how Brandt's family might have some influence there, although how much is questionable. Mind you, I guess all Mal needs is for Brandt to get an introduction. As long as he can get close to the guy, the possibilities for killing him are endless and Mal is nothing if not creative.

  I wonder if Brandt will actually go through with it. I already know Gabriel will do anything to save his own neck, but Brandt has proven he does have at least some morals. I can't see him killing an innocent man, even if his life is on the line.

  'Get on your knees and suck me off. I've been waiting a long time to be reunited with that filthy little mouth of yours, and the antics back there have left me with a pair of balls that are so blue you can almost see the ocean running through 'em.' Mal reaches over to unbuckle my seatbelt, and before I can say a word I'm being hauled across the seat so that my mouth is level with his crotch. He runs a hand over his shaven head and settles back in his seat, getting comfortable.

  'If you show me what that mouth can do, 'Arper, maybe I'll take pity on you when we get home. Show me a good time, baby, and we'll save the glue for tomorrow. How's that for a deal?'

  He looks at me as if he's just given me an early Christmas present. Seriously? It's a crap deal.

  'I'm waiting, 'Arper. You know I don't like waiting.'

  Chapter Six - Brandt

  I have no idea how long we've been up here now, but my stomach is making noises like an industrial boiler with an air leak. Gabriel isn't faring much better. At a guestimate we've been up here for a good twelve hours now, and the tape is beginning to cut off parts of my circulation. My whole body is protesting with pins and needles, and even if they did let me down now I wouldn't be able to stand. We'll be good for nothing when we're finally set free.

  'How's the leg?' Gabriel is pale and sweaty. I'm not sure if that's down to blood loss or his fear of heights, and I'm not sure I want to know.