Wrecked Read online

  I’m looking at her again. Directly at her. Beautiful, full lips, faint freckles sprinkled across her nose, and those intelligent eyes.

  “Are you even old enough to drink?” I ask.

  She wrinkles her button nose. “Next year.”

  “Twenty.” I nod. Young, sheltered, probably raised to be given as a bride to some mafia king. Not anymore. Once she’s ruined, she’ll be damaged goods with no value. It’s fucked up, but that’s the underworld we live in, even if she isn’t aware of it.

  “How old are you?”

  “I think you’ve asked enough questions for the moment.”

  She shakes her head sharply. “No, I haven’t, and you didn’t even answer the ones I did ask.”

  I sigh and try to seem bored, but I’m anything but. I’m fucking enchanted. This girl is in the lion’s den, but she isn’t terrified. Not of me, anyway. She should be.

  “Vasili is the head of the Korev family. I’m going to assume your father is Carlo Callisto, head of the Callisto family, making you Petal Callisto.”

  “Yes.”

  “So Vasili hates your father. They’re enemies, have been for decades. Vasili saw a chance to snatch you somehow, he did, and now you’re here.”

  “To get wrecked.” She chews her lip.

  I don’t know why it’s so funny when she says that phrase, but it makes me want to laugh. I haven’t laughed in … I can’t even remember.

  “Yes, to get wrecked.” I bite my cheek to keep from smiling.

  “Because Vasili thinks my papa will be really mad if I get wrecked.”

  There she goes again. My lips twitch.

  “Yes.”

  “So why didn’t Vasili wreck me himself?”

  That question doesn’t amuse me. The thought of anyone hurting her makes rage thrum through my veins. She’s pure, innocent, not a fucking pawn in Vasili’s depraved game.

  “Vasili has particular tastes that run toward a more masculine variety.” I shrug.

  “Oh.” She nods. “I’ll always support LGBTQ. Love is love,” she says brightly.

  “Sure. But Vasili’s a homicidal psychopath who happens to be gay and wants your father dead, so don’t go waving the rainbow flag just yet.”

  “Right.” She grimaces. “Right, this Vasili guy is bad news. But that still doesn’t explain why you’re here. You’re a prisoner like me.”

  “Not a prisoner.” Not exactly, anyway.

  “Then let’s go.” She stands. “We can just go, okay? You and me. This place is scary, and you’re hurt, and I have scuffed shoes, and I’m scared of everyone else except you.” She reaches out and takes my big hand in her little one. “Please, let’s get out of here?”

  I want to say yes, to tell her I’ll save her from this dungeon where I’ve lived for two years. But giving her false hope would be the same as lying to her, which I won’t do.

  “I’m sorry.” I mean it. “I can’t.”

  Her eyes water, and she tries to blink the tears away.

  “Don’t cry, princess.” I squeeze her hand, then reach up and wipe a tear from her cheek. I don’t know why, but I say something I never should, something I can’t truly promise her. “Don’t cry. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  “Thank you.” She sniffles. “You never told me your name.”

  I wipe another tear away. “Solomon.”

  Another sniffle. “Nice to meet you, Solo—”

  My door swings open with a rusty whine, and Vasili strides in. “Welllll, what have we here?”

  4

  Petal

  I jump as the door swings open, then trip over my own feet, throwing me off balance. Solomon strikes likes a snake, his hand reaching out and grabbing me before I can fall backwards onto the hard concrete floor. His hold on my arm is both gentle and firm. I’m not sure how that’s even possible.

  He gives me a yank, pulling me down onto the bed. He sits up on his side before releasing his hold on me. When I get my wits about me, I look up and lock eyes with one of the men from earlier. He’s the one that was happy about my soon-to-be ‘wreckage.’ Based on the look on his face, I can see his excitement hasn’t faded.

  “Not done with her yet, Vasili,” Solomon grunts. It’s then I realize that I’m sitting only feet from my papa’s worst enemy. A man that Solomon said ordered him to hurt me.

  “So you like her?” This seems to please the man.

  Solomon gives a lazy shrug. “She’ll do.”

  Ouch. I drop my head to hide my face with my hair. I know I shouldn’t feel disappointment at his answer, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t.

  Papa says I always show all of my emotions on my face. When he says it, I never know if that is a good or bad thing. Right now, in this situation, I’d put it in the bad category.

  “Is that what we needed this whole time? Some virgins?” Vasili lets out a loud chuckle that chills me to the bone. The only reason I’m not crying and begging for mercy is because Solomon vowed that he wouldn’t let anyone hurt me. I know I only just met him, but I believe him. What reason would he have to lie to me?

  “Virgin no more.” Solomon grunts. Vasili leers at me.

  Solomon again gives a lazy shrug.

  The man steps more into the room. I keep my head down, but I know he’s staring at me. I can feel his gaze on me. My hands start to shake again. I know if he asks me straight out if I’m still a virgin, he’ll be able to tell I’m lying.

  Why am I more scared of this bald chubby man than I am of Solomon? With one small flick of his wrist, Solomon could end my life. Yet all he’s done is be gentle with me. His lie lets me know that he intends to keep his promise to me.

  Solomon doesn’t move; he sits there lazily, not even sparing me a glance. “You already had her? She doesn’t look like it.” Vasili peers at me.

  “Wouldn’t want to break my new toy so soon, would I?”

  Tears start to slip down my cheeks. The room grows quiet for a long moment.

  “That toy needs to stay alive for now. I wonder how much her daddy will pay for her?”

  I lift my head some when I hear clicking noise followed by flashes. Vasili has his phone out, taking pictures of me.

  He moves closer. I push away until my back meets the wall and there is nowhere else to go. My heart starts to race the closer he gets to me.

  “Let me see your face girl,” he snaps.

  I tell myself to do as I’m told, but I’m too scared to move. I yelp when Solomon grabs my chin, lifting my head for me.

  “Even better.” He snaps a few more pictures before pocketing his phone.

  Solomon drops his hold on me. “Food,” he grunts.

  “I’ll have some brought over.” Vasili heads for the door. My heart finally starts to slow down. “Remember we need her alive, Solomon. For now, anyway. You can have all the fun you want. Maybe I’ll get you a new toy when you’re finished with this one.” With those words, he’s gone.

  Solomon drops his head and stares at the floor, his elbows on his knees. His breathing is heavy. The quiet stretches between us as I try not to fidget. I can never break the dang habit, and my mother hates it.

  A loud pounding sounds at the door before it swings open again. I shift over quickly and grab a hold of Solomon. A woman in a red dress and boots that go up to her knees strolls into the room and sets a tray down. She eyes us with curiosity.

  “Off me.” Solomon shoves me away before getting to his feet.

  “You like them young. If I knew, I could’ve put on a schoolgirl uniform for you.” She gives Solomon a heated look. Everything about her screams sex. She’s beautiful, but her eyes are dull, as though life has been drained from her. Like my mother’s.

  “Vanessa, leave,” he orders. She rolls her eyes but laughs like he told a joke. At least I’m not the only one he dismisses without care.

  “Call me when you're done with her. You know you’re my favorite.” My stomach turns. No wonder he didn’t wreck me. Why would he, when he has a wom
an like her willing to climb into his bed?

  “Out,” he barks again. He really is a man of few words. I wonder what that’s like.

  She lets out a huff before she finally does as she’s told and leaves the room. The door falls closed with a click.

  I sink my teeth into my bottom lip and wonder if it’s even locked. There’s only one way to find out. I’ll have to wait. I’m not sure what to think of Solomon now. Papa always says I’m too trusting. That it’s going to get me killed one day.

  “Hungry?” Solomon grabs the tray and brings it over to the bed. I shake my head. He studies me for a minute before he sits down. The smell of steak hits me, making my stomach growl. “You sure about that?”

  He cuts a piece off, stabbing it with his fork before bringing it to my mouth. “Eat. Don’t make yourself weaker than you already are.” The hits keep on coming from him.

  I don’t understand this man. He’s nice and then cold.

  “Open,” he orders. I find myself obeying.

  What other choice is there?

  5

  Solomon

  She eats piece by piece until she’s shaking her head and taking a drink from the water bottle. “I’m stuffed.”

  “More asparagus?” I offer.

  “It’s good, but no.” She swallows a long gulp. “I think I might bust.”

  I nod, pleased. I want her happy—well, as happy as she can be in a place like this. My quarters were never meant for comfort. Cinderblock walls, a bed, a few chairs, and a tiny bathroom—it’s spare and ugly. Not fit for a princess like Petal.

  “Aren’t you hungry?” She puts the bottle on my small metal nightstand. “You should eat, too.”

  I look her over, and she pats her stomach. “All full, I promise.”

  I give in and take a few bites of my medium rare steak. It’s good. They know the way I like my meals, and getting fed has never been a problem in this hellhole. Vasili wants me strong, powerful enough to kill with my bare hands if that’s what it takes to win the fight.

  “Wow, you’re really hungry.” Petal blinks.

  I realize I’ve been wolfing my food down. My manners have fallen by the wayside, I suppose. Nothing like that finely cultivated young man I was groomed to be, I’ve turned into nothing more than a brute who dances at the end of an evil man’s string. If my father could see me now… But I can’t think about him, about missing his funeral, about all the things that went wrong after he died. I can only think about what I have to do to get rid of the debt, to keep my mother safe.

  “It’s okay.” Petal gestures for me to keep eating. “I had a nanny once who brought me a special birthday cake. It was a secret.” She frowns a little. “My mother never wanted me to eat sweets, even on my birthday.”

  I don’t like the sound of that. Everyone should get something sweet on their birthday.

  “She thinks I’m pudgy.” I’m about to disagree, but she barrels right along. “But my nanny snuck me a cake covered in the most beautiful sprinkles. I remember thinking that I’d happily die if it meant I got to enjoy a slice of that forbidden cake.”

  Her story tickles a little hidden, dusty, and forgotten place inside me. One where my childhood is stored away, all of its happy memories entombed so I can’t remember them, so I can’t hurt myself with thoughts of what my life should’ve been.

  “When she put that cake on the table in the dining room and hurried off to the kitchen to get utensils—” She grins. “I didn’t wait. I was ten years old and given cake for the first time, so I went for it.” She waggles her fingers. “Dug in and ate like a pig until my nanny returned, surprise all over her face. Then she laughed as I licked my fingers clean.” She sighs. “It was wonderful. At least, it was until my mother walked in on me.”

  “No offense, but I don’t care for your mother, and I haven’t even met her.”

  She nods. “She’s … I don’t know. Papa always says I’m nothing like her, and I think my mother resents that. Like, she always has. It was so weird when I got older and realized that fact. All those times when I was little and she snapped at me or told me I was doing this or that wrong—when I got older, I could put a word to it. Resentment.” She goes quiet for a few moments, her thoughts probably swirling into a darker place, but then she pulls out of it. “Long story short, you can eat as messy as you want. I won’t judge.”

  She’s too sweet. Damn. If she only knew what a monster I am, she’d judge plenty. Probably run screaming. So, I suppose it’s best if we stick to the present.

  “So how’d you end up in here?” she asks.

  I clear my throat and stand, grabbing the tray and taking it over to the door. She watches me closely as I open the door and slide it into the hallway.

  “It’s unlocked.” I turn to her.

  She looks everywhere but at me. “Oh, I, um, I wasn’t trying to—”

  “But there’s another door at the end of the hall. It’s locked up tight with an armed guard.”

  “So you are a prisoner!” She rises from the bed, new energy in her movements since the food hit her stomach.

  “No. I could walk right past that guard. No problem.”

  She frowns and sinks back to the bed. “I’m so confused.”

  “I’m a prisoner but not the way you are.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I’m not going there. Not with her. “Listen, I’m beat. You’re probably tired. We should get some sleep.”

  “But there’s only one bed.” She swallows hard.

  “I know.” I stride over to her.

  She leans back, her eyes widening.

  “You sleep between me and wall. I’ll know if someone’s coming, and I’ll be between you and them. Got it?”

  She glances at the bed as I reach for my shirt and pull it over my head.

  The next part … Well, that won’t be so easy for her to swallow. “I’m going to need you to get naked.”

  “What?” Her voice is sharp but also breathy.

  “When the morning guard shows up with breakfast, he needs to find the two of us naked in this bed. Understand? It’s the only way I can protect you. They have to believe I’ve had you every which way.” I drop to my haunches so I’m eye to eye with her. “And they have to believe I don’t care about you.” I reach up and trail my fingers along her jaw, the skin so soft that I can barely feel it beneath my callused fingers.

  “Oh.”

  “What?” I ask.

  “That’s why you said the things about—” She stops talking as my fingers skirt lower, stroking down her throat to her collarbone.

  “You are beautifully made, Petal. Perfect. I don’t give a shit what your mother says. You’re what every man dreams of, especially me.”

  Her lips part on a quick breath, and goosebumps break out along her skin.

  Fuck, what am I doing? I pull away.

  “Sorry.” I turn and walk into the bathroom. I have to get my actions, thoughts, and my cock under control before I get into that bed with her. Otherwise … Fuck, otherwise I’ll turn this farce into the real thing and pop her cherry. I bet it tastes sweeter than anything I’ve ever had on my tongue.

  “Um, where should I put my clothes?”

  I turn.

  Petal is topless. Braless. Her breasts are full and upturned with dusky pink nipples. She drapes one arm across herself as her cheeks flame scarlet.

  What I wouldn’t give to just run my tongue along her body. Those nipples are seared into my mind, and my cock is misbehaving even more.

  “Just drape them over the chair and get under the covers.” I sound gruff without meaning to, but I’m clinging to my once-rigid control. Somehow, in the space of only a few hours, Petal has made me lose every bit I’ve gained over the past two years.

  How in the hell am I going to be able to spend the night with her naked in my bed?

  6

  Petal

  Out of stupid habit, I fold my clothes neatly before draping them over the chair. Solomon’s br
oad back is to me. His breathing is heavy as he tries to give me some form of privacy.

  I dart over to the bed, then jump on and pull the blanket over me. A long stretch of time ticks by, but Solomon doesn’t make a move toward the bed. Instead, he continues to stand in the same spot.

  “I’m under the covers,” I call quietly.

  He grunts a response.

  A beat later, he turns around and heads toward the bed. This is going to be a tight fit. The man is freaking massive. The bed dips as he sits down on the edge. My eyes run up and down the strong lines of the muscles that flex with his every move. More scars litter his back. He’s been through so much, and it’s all written on his body.

  “I have a terrible scar on my elbow. Mother hates it. She always reminds me of how ugly it is. But your scars are…” I trail off, and my face starts to warm more as I realize where my train of thought is going. He turns his head, his heated gaze meeting mine.

  I lick my lips. “Hot,” I finally say, not wanting him to think they’re something distasteful.

  I lift my hand and run my finger along his warm skin. His muscles flex for a moment under my touch before they release. I trace down one scar and then another.

  What has this man been through? A life full of pain is what his body shows. He’s a warrior. He has to be if he’s willing to protect me. He’s bigger than any of Papa’s men, and that’s saying a lot.

  “We need sleep.” His voice is gruffer this time.

  He reaches over to switch the light off. The room fills with darkness. I hear him shift around before he settles in next to me. His big body grazes against mine. I suck in a breath at the flood of emotions and feelings that run through my body. I’ve never been this close to a man before. And I’ve definitely never slept in a bed naked with one.

  He lies utterly still next to me. I try to do the same, but I can't. I shift my body, grazing him again. I can’t stay still; my body is restless.