Lace and Bullets(55)
She pressed on. “You wouldn’t do that to me, would you?”
He snapped his attention back to her face. “Only if I had reason to. Tell me, where is that boyfriend of yours?”
“I don’t know. It’s like I said on the phone, after the warehouse, he changed. He’s not the man he pretended to be. I—I couldn’t let him hurt me again. I ran away while he slept.”
Steven reached up and grabbed her by the jaw. He twisted her face to get a closer look at the bruise. “What makes you think I’m not worse?” His grip tightened and Mia struggled to breathe.
“You’re about to be the District Attorney.” She choked on the words. “You’re so powerful and important now. With Marcelo supporting you, you’re unstoppable.”
He let her go and she gulped in a mouthful of air.
“I used to think you were different. When you turned me down at your father’s party, you earned my respect. Now…you’re no better than that snitching whore.”
Mia swallowed. She had to get him to implicate Marcelo. It must be what they were waiting for. She licked at her lips. “Damien opened my eyes to a lot of things. I get it now. The world isn’t black and white. There are no good guys and bad guys. We’re all just treading water, trying to survive.”
She clutched at his arm. “Please, Steven. You’ve got to help me. You can talk to Marcelo.”
“That doesn’t mean I can ask him for a favor. Marcelo is a dangerous man, Mia. He’s not someone to be trifled with. You should know.”
“What if…What if I gave him Damien?”
“You said you ran away.”
“I still know where he is.” She swallowed down the disgust in her throat. “Marcelo’s bankrolling your election, right?”
“You know he is. Without him, that bitch from the public defender’s office would be a shoe-in.”
“Then use Damien as a thank you. You hand Damien over after you win the election.”
“How does that help you?”
“In the meantime, I can…earn my tuition.”
Steven closed in on her until her back hit the upholstered leather behind her. “Marcelo would use you up and spit you out in a week.” He glanced down at her trembling belly. “And what about that precious bundle of joy you’re carrying?”
“I lied. I wanted to get out of there. I thought you were going to kill me.”
“Tell me why I shouldn’t.”
“I’m the only one who can tell you where Damien is.”
“Not good enough.”
Mia swallowed. “If you pay for my tuition, I’ll be yours. Anything you want, I’ll do it.”
He leaned back and took a long, slow look at her. Mia held her breath.
“You be my girlfriend in public, I get to parade you around, show off the dead DA’s daughter on my arm…”
“Anything.”
“And at night…” He paused as his gaze raked over her body. “You do whatever I tell you, with whomever I tell you to do it.”
“What about Marcelo?”
“Marcelo might be rigging the election and I might be helping get his underlings out of jail, but he doesn’t own me.” Steven reached out and palmed her breast. “Not like I’m going to own you.”
Fear rose in Mia’s throat as Steven groped her. His hand crushed her breast and his fingers mashed the wire into her chest. Oh my God, he’s going to find it.
As he squeezed, his brow furrowed.
Mia tried to scoot back, but there was nowhere to go.
Realization washed over his face and Steven screamed. “You bitch!”
He grabbed her dress by the fistfuls. The fabric tore and Mia shouted at the top of her lungs. “Massachusetts!”
His hands were all over her, groping and scratching and tearing at her clothes. Her dress ripped straight down the middle and his fingers dug into her bra.
No! Ma swung her arms and kicked out under the table. But he had boxed her into the booth. She was wedged so tight against the leather she couldn’t get leverage.
“Massachusetts!” Mia screamed again as Steven twisted her bra in his hands. The black fabric gave way and her breasts popped free, bouncing in the air along with the wire.
“I’m going to kill you for this!” The Assistant District Attorney lunged for her throat as the front door to the bar crashed open.
“Everyone freeze and put your hands in the air. This is an FBI raid. If you move, you get shot!”
Steven froze long enough for Mia to shove him back. He lunged toward her again when another agent bellowed. “This is Special Agent Andrew Clausen with the FBI. I will shoot you, Mr. Willows. Put your hands up.”