“Because without even realizing it, Tulip,” he said, “you accept me, and if you want me to kill your parents, ask, and I will do it.”
She opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again. Before she got a chance to say a word, a scream filled the air.
The bedroom door was thrown open and men filled the room. Tulip panicked.
Within seconds, she was grabbed roughly. Her arms were pushed to her sides and she watched as Rick Denton entered the room. Three men had controlled Landon, shoving him to the ground.
“Get the fuck off me, you piece of shit,” Jade said, screaming.
“I’m not going to deny this, Landon. I’m proud of you, and this is clever, but you should’ve come home.”
“You let them go,” Landon said.
“Let your woman and the Castillo daughter go? Not a chance,” Rick said. “You left me no choice here, son.”
“Stop it,” Tulip said. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
Rick stood up and stepped toward her. “Don’t worry, Tulip, you and Landon will never be parted again.”
She felt the prick of the needle. “I’ll kill you one day.”
“Not today.”
Everything went black, a-fucking-gain.
Chapter Ten
The tranquilizer always made Landon feel woozy.
He’d been taken back home and he’d recognized the basement anywhere. In the cages, Tulip and Jade were there as well.
“How the fuck did they get past our traps?” Jade said. “We know how to take care of ourselves, Landon.”
“They were better. Rick knows how to deal with shit. I’m sorry,” he said. He’d failed these two women and it was all his fault. “They won’t hurt you.”
“No, they’re going to send me back to my family, Landon. You know what that means.”
“I’ll talk with them. I’ll negotiate. You know I won’t let anything happen to you,” he said.
“You can’t stop them. You and I both know that. We’re fucked. I’m fucked.” Jade sobbed.
“Look, they haven’t sent you back to your parents, at least not yet. Don’t give up hope.”
“It’s kind of hard not to. They c
an kill me whenever they want,” Jade said. “Landon, you promised.”
“I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Son, you’re not in any position to make deals,” Rick said as he entered the basement and walked down the steps. He switched the light on.
Tulip was still in the bedsheet. There was no heating down here. Rick didn’t have a warm bone in his body, so he wouldn’t care if she got sick. He’d done this on purpose to have him at his mercy, and he fucking hated him for it.
Gritting his teeth, he watched his uncle, who looked like he didn’t have a care in the world. “What do you want?”
“What do I want?” Rick laughed. “I want to go back to a year ago when you’d come to me rather than fucking kill your father. I can deal with a lot of shit, Landon. This is bigger than you think.”
“I don’t give a fuck. He had to die. The deals he was doing, even you know it was fucked up for a Denton to even consider aligning himself with any other family.” Landon spat the words out.