His Price(56)

Bernadette, it wasn't her mother's name or a hospital. Bernadette was the name of my father's boat, the one he had been renovating for a couple years now. I had totally forgotten about it, he basically gave up on it the day he decided to start that project.

My mom always gave him the benefit of the doubt when it came to my dad and his 'hobbies,' I however knew the truth. He liked to just have things and say he was working on them. When in reality, all his projects went unfinished. Until he finally payed someone else to pick up the pieces and fix it for him.

Why the fuck would Stefan bring her there?!

My blood had started to boil, bubbling up and driving into my veins. He had taken her from here, taken her from me. But why? What was he doing?

Fear for Noella and her safety, fear that he might try and hurt her, settled in my mind. Stefan was a cold and calculated person, I learned that first hand.

In the mansion that night, when he confronted me about her. I got a glimpse at his darker side, the one he had hidden from my family. I didn't know what his motive was or why he felt so compelled to ruin my life, but he hated me with a passion, and now I knew he would do anything to get me out of this family.

Stefan always looked at me with a sense of disgust, an eye of disdain. And when he was around my father, it went a whole level deeper. I had put up with it for years now, and tonight I was going to finish it.

This time he had gone too far.

He took what was mine.

Now, he had to pay. No one fucks with what I've claimed.

Noella, she wasn't his to take.





Chapter Nineteen


Noella

The sounds of the party started to fade, voices turning into whispers in the distance. Following Stefan down the hallway, he seemed to be turning in so many different directions. I wasn't familiar with this place yet, I'd only been here a few times since leaving Martha's Vineyard.

“Where are we going? There isn't another phone closer?” I asked him, trying to keep up with his pace. I was afraid to lose him in the maze of doors and halls.

“We're close, Noella. This phone is in a quieter spot of the house.” His head stayed forward, the sound of his voice riding back at me over his shoulder.

“Any phone is fine, Stefan, really,” I said, an uneasy feeling started to well up in my stomach. He seemed to be teasing me further away from everyone, further away from Hegan. It wasn't sitting right, and the sickening feeling floating around in my gut, made that clear.

“It's just over here.” Pushing open a door, the hall lit with a soft glow from inside the room.

Stepping inside, I noted the phone on the desk, placed off the receiver. Stefan held his arm out, and said, “See, here we are. Go ahead.” Nodding, he stood off in the corner, taking up what must be his standard placement in a room.

Grabbing the phone, I drove it into my ear. “Hello?” Listening for a moment, I asked again, “Hello?” The word strained over my tongue.

But the phone was silent, there was no one there.

Suddenly, a hard object jabbed into my lower back, my entire body shook from surprise. What the fuck? What the hell is he doing?

Stiffening my shoulders, my spine went taut. A low devilish tone filled my ear in a whisper. “Don't scream, and I won't shoot you.”

“Wh... What?” I was trying to process what was happening. Confusion had blanketed my thoughts, a dull numbing sensation had started to trickle through my nerves. “What are you doing, Stefan?”

“Shut up, and just do what I say.” His fingers twined the fabric in the middle of my back. Digging the gun in deeper, he said, “You're coming with me.”

My heart started to race, sweat beading up on the back of my neck. What the fuck is he doing this for? Shit, what the hell do I do? Think Noella, think!

I was trying to clear my head, focus on thinking straight. A gun to my ribs, a man who had peeled off his mask and was letting his true colors shine, and me. I had to do whatever I needed to keep me safe, to keep me alive. And to keep...

Would he really shoot me? Here and now, with all these people?

Inhaling a deep breath, I said, “I'm not going anywhere with you.”

I could feel his breath against the back of my neck, a soft chuckle began to roll across my skin. “Are you kidding me? You stupid bitch, I have a gun to you and you think you can tell me no?” Whipping me around to face him, he spun a curl of my hair around his finger. “You know I could shoot you here and now, and no one would hear the shot.”

Veering my eyes, I glared at him. “You won't shoot me here. I'm sure someone would hear it.”

“Really?” His lip arched up, head tilting to his shoulder. Lifting the gun up, he rolled it in front of his face. The shiny metal flashing with light from the room, his face warped in different directions across the mirror finish.