Arranged love

What kind of deal do they have?

“Let her go!” he shouts.

“We will,” Bones promises.

“Unharmed,” George adds.

Bones looks up at her. His blue eyes run from her bare feet up her toned legs and over her white cotton shorts and pink T-shirt. She shrinks back into me, and I smile. Why is she afraid of him now, but she wasn’t just hours ago at Kingdom? What’s changed?

“That’s not up to you to decide,” he finally says, looking back down at him.

Cross straddles George’s stomach, and Emilee’s breathing picks up even more. Her fingers dig into my forearm, her nails cutting the skin.

Cross removes the black Zippo from his front pocket and flips it open. He holds up the cross that hangs on his necklace and runs the lighter over the metal, heating it up.

“What is that?” George asks, voice frantic.

“A reminder,” he answers. Running the lighter along the hard surface, he repeats the process over and over. When satisfied, he presses the cross to George’s chest and holds it there. He bares his clenched teeth and arches his back, refusing to scream as he is branded.

Then Cross pulls it away and slaps his hand over the burned cross on George’s chest. Emilee shakes in my arms.

“When are you going to pay?” Bones asks, sounding bored.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“Tomorrow,” he grinds out.

“And what happens if you don’t?”

George stays silent, probably not wanting to give us any ideas. We don’t require help when it comes to creativity for those who try to fuck us.

Bones makes a tsking sound with his tongue. He walks over to us and looks down at Emilee. He grabs her chin and shoves her head back into my chest.

“No!” George says, fighting the restraints, but Cross still sits on top of him, restricting his movement even more. “Don’t touch her!” he shouts.

My frown deepens at his concern for Emilee. Are they together? Surely, she’s not with him.

The corners of Bones’s lips curl up. His eyes run over her face before they meet hers. “You can’t take what’s freely given. Can you, Em?”

She swallows as a tear runs down her cheek.

“What?” George snaps. “Emilee, what is he talking about?”

“He doesn’t know about us?” Bones tilts his head to the side. He’s going to push George to see just how jealous he will get. He’s thinking the same thing I am-that they are together.

“Stop,” she chokes out.

“That’s not what you used to say.”

“Bones …” She whimpers.

His smirk grows to a full smile. “That’s more how I remember it.”

“You know them?” George snaps.

“Oh, we know each other really well,” Bones adds, letting go of her jaw and taking a step back from us. “Tell him how I used to fuck you-”

“Enough!” she snaps, interrupting him. She fights me, and I let her go.

“How you used to suck my cock …”

She slaps him across the face. Silence follows, and we all watch, waiting to see what he does. Smiling down at her with amusement in his eyes, he wraps his hand around her throat and shoves her back into the wall. She gasps before he takes her air away. Her lips part, and her hands try to pry his away, but it’s to no avail. “Watch it, baby.” He leans down, his face inches from hers, and I watch his hand tighten around her throat. Her lips turn purple, and her legs try to kick out, but he’s pressed into her. He lowers his lips and whispers something so softly, none of us can hear what it is. Then he steps back, letting go of her, and she crumples to the floor. She coughs while her body shakes.

“That’s more how I remember it,” he says, staring down at her. “You on your knees. Tears running down your face while you gasp for breath.”

She looks up at him through watery eyes. “Fuck you, Bones.” Her voice is hoarse, softening the hatred she meant to deliver.

“We’re done here,” Bones announces and looks at George. “You have until tomorrow.” With that, he storms out.

Cross gets up off the man and walks out as well, followed by Grave. I reach into my pocket and grab my knife. Flipping open the blade, I cut the rope that binds George’s wrists. He jumps to his feet and yanks her up off the floor by her hair. She cries out. Before she can get her balance, he slaps her across the face. She doesn’t make a sound. Just holds the side of her face and stares down at the floor.

My hands itch to help her up, but I don’t. She’s not my problem and this is not why I came here.

He looks at me, gasping for air, and orders, “Get the fuck out of my house!”

I close the blade. “Don’t make us chase you,” I warn and exit.

We make our way back to the vehicles in the driveway. I start mine up and pull out. Bones stares out the passenger window.

“He’s not gonna pay up,” I tell him.

“I know.”

“He’s gonna offer us Em.” I’ve seen it enough to know how this works. He knows she has a past with Bones. The man will save his own life by throwing hers away. She means something to him, but I just don’t know what. But her past with Bones makes her even more valuable to him.

“I know.”

My hands tighten on the steering wheel. “We don’t accept any other form of payment,” I growl.

He finally looks over at me, and his eyes drop to my crotch. “Then why is your cock hard?”

EMILEE

“SUCH A FUCKING slut,” he hisses, dropping down into the seat behind his desk.

I’m still trying to catch my breath from Bones’s hands around my neck. And the side of my face stings from George’s hand. I hate feeling so trapped. But I feel like I have to defend myself. For my mother. “It was a long time ago-”

“You think I give a shit?” he shouts, interrupting me.

“Why do you owe them money?” I ask. What could he have possibly done? Was my father involved too? Did they do business with them? A thousand thoughts run through my mind.

The only good thing about the Kings showing up here at George’s house is that they came before he could fuck me.

“That’s none of your damn business!” he snaps.

“Yes, it is!” I shout, fisting my hands down by my sides. “Why the fuck do you owe them money? What have you done?” They were ruthless in college, so I can only imagine what they are like now that they are grown with more money than God and an endless amount of power. Who knows who they have in their back pocket?