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  Crossing my arms, I enjoy his palpable fear. “To see father.”

  He swallows. “Max, listen, I—”

  I turn to his buddy, one of the men I’ve seen frequently at the port. “What’s your name?”

  The man is so rigid it looks like his spine may snap. “Francois Leclerc, sir.”

  Alexis may be my father’s son, but I’m the fucking underboss, and they both know I come with my father’s blessing. Right now that makes me the boss.

  “Who’s the woman?”

  Alexis points at a handbag that lies on the table. I go over and pick it up. It’s imitation leather, a cheap quality. The plastic is cracked. Unzipping it, I take out a wallet. There’s an ID card inside. I pocket it and take the bag, then tilt my head toward the door. “Let’s go.”

  Alexis drops the bag of peas. “Where?”

  I smile. “For a ride.”

  Francois turns as white as baguette pastry.

  “Bring your toy,” I say to him.

  He frowns, looking at me with a retarded expression.

  “Your whip,” I say. “Go fetch it.”

  He starts to tremble. “It’s not mine.” He points at Alexis. “It’s his.”

  “Did I fucking ask you whose it is?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Then move your ass.”

  Looking at me from over his shoulder as if he expects me to shoot him in the back, he scurries down the hallway and returns with the whip.

  “After you.” Stepping aside, I wait for them to pass in front of me.

  They don’t argue. Arguing will only make what’s waiting for them worse. Alexis grins as he passes, but it’s all acting. The coward is shaking in his pants.

  Benoit and Gautier have arrived. They’re waiting downstairs. Benoit drives Francois while Gautier and I take Alexis with us. We don’t speak. It’s only when we near the warehouse at the docks where we torture our rivals that Alexis start to shift in the backseat.

  “You’re going to shoot me?” he asks snidely. “Your own brother?”

  I don’t bother to grace him with a reply.

  After we’ve parked, Gautier escorts the two men to the warehouse. I take my Glock from the cubbyhole and slip it into my waistband before taking the whip. Benoit unlocks the warehouse door and flicks the light on.

  “Wait by the car,” I tell Gautier. I hand the woman’s ID card and handbag to Benoit. “Get this to Dr. Olivier.”

  They nod and leave.

  Alexis and Francois stand in a pool of light that falls from a single naked bulb when I enter the warehouse.

  “Strip,” I say. It’s the same order I’ve given Zoe only a few hours ago and for the very same reason—to punish and teach a lesson.

  The men don’t move.

  I take out the gun. “I can motivate you with a bullet in your foot.” I step closer. “Maybe one in the hand, too.”

  At that, Francois starts unbuttoning his shirt. My reputation is solid. I’m a man of my word. No idle threats. I’ve worked hard on establishing that honor. That’s why I let no one off the hook, not even my flower.

  Alexis follows suit, hatred burning in his swollen eyes. His nose is askew. I’ve broken it. Good. I love the bruises blooming on his jaw.

  I circle them like a shark, gun clutched in my hand, until they stand naked. Their cocks are flaccid.

  Tapping the barrel of the gun against Francois’s temple, I say. “Get him hard.”

  He turns his head quickly to look at me, slobber flying from his mouth. “What?”

  I point at Alexis’s soft dick. “Get it up.”

  Alexis growls. “What the fuck?”

  “Shut up.” I press the gun barrel on Alexis’s hand, right above his trigger finger. “Do you need motivation?”

  He’s seen me torture our enemies before. He knows what I’m capable of. Gritting his teeth, he shakes his head.

  Francois faces my brother reluctantly. Sweat beads on his forehead as he grips my brother’s cock in his fist. Pinching his eyes shut, he turns his head away and starts pumping. The sick pervert that my brother is, he gets hard.

  I kick a bench toward Francois. “Bend over.”

  He stumbles a step back. “What?”

  “You heard me.”

  Walking with slow steps to the bench, he bends over, leaning his shaking arms on the wood. He looks at me from over his shoulder, his chin wobbling.

  I give Alexis a shove. “Fuck him.”

  Alexis rounds on me, his eyes huge. “What?”

  “Shove your dick in his ass and fuck him like you mean it, or you both get a bullet in the hand. I can guarantee you’ll never use a gun again.”

  Alexis curses, but he goes forward. Inwardly, I smile. My brother isn’t only a coward, he’s also the worst kind, the kind who’d turn on a friend to save his own skin. He’d rather fuck his buddy in the ass than be the one who’s fucked, which is why I’m letting him have a go first. I can’t wait to see his face when it’s his turn. They’re going to fuck each other until their dicks are limp and then again. I’m going to whip them to shreds while they do it.

  Picking up the whip, I tighten my fingers around the handle. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time, and I have all night.

  Chapter 25

  Zoe

  * * *

  It’s dawn, and Maxime is still not home. I’ve been pacing up and down, unable to think about anything but that woman, unable to get the images out of my head. I’m still dressed in the red ballroom gown and Maxime’s jacket, my ass smarting from his belt, yet I feel extremely lucky, lucky that I’m not that girl. Knowing how easily that could’ve been me makes me sick. It leaves me with unanswered questions about who this family is and why they took me. If only I had access to the internet, I could’ve done my own research. I wish I could’ve called Maxime, but my phone is in the clutch bag we left at the hotel.

  When I can’t stand on my feet any longer, I go to the foyer and sit on the bottom of the stairs. I don’t know how much time passes, if it’s minutes or hours, but when the front door finally opens, I jump up and rush forward. Maxime stands on the step, my coat and clutch in one hand. For a second, we just look at each other. His hair is messy and his jaw dark with stubble. His coat hangs open. Splatters of blood decorate his white shirt. He’s lost the bowtie, the top two buttons of his shirt undone.

  “How is she?” I ask breathlessly.

  “Fine.” He strides past me into the house, leaving the door open.

  A gust of cold wind follows him inside. I shut the door and just stand there, feeling useless, left in the dark.

  “Maxime.”

  He stops, but he doesn’t turn to look at me.

  “What did the doctor say?” I ask.

  “She’ll be discharged by tomorrow. Stop worrying your pretty little head over her.”

  Stop worrying? I go after him, catching up just as he reaches the stairs. Moving around him, I climb two stairs to put us on eye level. “Do you hear yourself? Are you insane?”

  The corner of his mouth pulls up. “We’ve established that already. Move aside, Zoe. I need a shower.”

  “Do you even give a damn?” I cry out.

  “Yes.” His jaw bunches. “Which is why Alexis and his friend have been punished.”

  “Is that where you’ve been all night?”

  He looks me over. “You should’ve changed and gone to bed.”

  “There’s no way I could’ve just put my head down and gone to sleep without knowing if she’s all right.”

  “I told you.” He lifts a brow. “Anything else you need to know?”

  I consider my question and the impact it will have on an already fragile situation, but I can’t go another day without the truth. “Why did you take me? What do you want from Damian?”

  He watches me steadily, his gray eyes flat, but there’s something underneath the coldness, something he’s hiding.

  “Tell me, Maxime. I deserve the truth.” It’s the least he ca
n give me for stealing my life.

  He mounts one step, two, putting our bodies flush. “Have you learned nothing, tonight?”

  “That I’m supposed to trust you blindly?” I bite out, craning my neck to look up at him.

  He grips the tangled mess of hair at the back of my head, but it’s not an angry move. It’s tender. “There are things I can’t tell you. I can’t always explain my actions. If you don’t give me reason to do otherwise, I will always act in your best interest.” His steely gaze pierces mine. “That’s why you have to trust me. Always. No matter what.”

  I blink up at him, letting the information sink in, pondering a different question that has been haunting me all night. “Why didn’t you give me to Alexis?”

  He releases me. “We’ve been through this.”

  He’s not giving me anything, nothing to piece the puzzle together, only the bit about trusting him without question. My life is spiraling out of control, and I feel lost. I don’t have the facts to gather my ammunition and shield myself from the mind games he’s playing. I’m at a disadvantage in our war, and I’m afraid I’m losing my grip.

  Reading my expression correctly, he asks, “What are you so scared of, Zoe?”

  I give him the truth. “I don’t even know who I am anymore.”

  He trails his gaze over me, taking me in from my bare feet to my clean-scrubbed face. His words are soft-spoken, a complete contrast to earlier tonight. “When I look at you, I don’t see a whore.”

  Tears spring to my eyes. No matter how he looks at me, I can never wipe those stains on my soul away. I am what he made me, and suddenly the truth I’ve been avoiding all night hits me squarely in the chest. I want to believe him. Badly. I want to believe that I’m somehow something more, but it’s just my psyche’s way of trying to protect itself.

  Cupping my cheek, he draws a thumb over my jaw. “How you look at yourself is entirely up to you.” Then he moves me aside and climbs past me up the stairs.

  I’m drowning in helplessness, torn between wanting to grab the lie he offers between both hands and clinging to the last shreds of truth in my soul. I’m weak, so damn weak, because I don’t want to end up like that woman—fuck, I don’t even know her name, like she’s no one—and I hate myself for it.

  “Maxime.”

  He stops again.

  “Please let me go outside,” I say. “I need some air.”

  He hesitates.

  “I’m not going anywhere.” My hand trembles on the balustrade. “You’ve made that clear.”

  Keeping his back turned to me, he nods once before continuing his ascend.

  When the bedroom door slams upstairs, I go through the kitchen to the backdoor. A guard stands aside when I exit. He seems surprised, but he doesn’t stop me. I walk barefoot over the gravel to the maze, but I don’t want to lose myself in more puzzles. Instead, I take the path to the cliffs and follow it to the spot from where Maxime had jumped. The pebbles and sticks are sharp under my feet. I welcome the pain. Even after last night, I still need the punishment. I’m freezing. The wind is cold and relentless, blowing the edges of Maxime’s jacket open and exposing my naked shoulders. I embrace the bite, hoping it will freeze everything inside me, but the burning in my gut continues, eating me up like a ravenous monster. My pain shines like precious stones in the dusty bed of a river. My feelings are discarded like diamonds in the dust. Wasted.

  * * *

  I stare out over the sea. It’s breathtakingly beautiful. The sun is kissing the horizon. It gives the cold blue of the ocean a golden glow. Even in the stark gray of dusk, the water in the cove below is turquoise. A white beach hugs it, just like the one where we had the picnic. Sharp rocks are scattered treacherously throughout the bay, I’m guessing making it difficult for boats to anchor here. It’s like a small slice of paradise in hell.

  Slowly, I edge forward, until my toes hang over the cliff. My body screams at me to go back to safer ground as fear claws its way through my chest. It’s a fear I’m no longer unfamiliar with, the fear for my life. Self-preservation kicks in, making me tremble and sweat, making me feel sick when I peer down. I’m a coward. I could’ve fought Maxime harder. I surrendered too easily. I hate myself. I hate feeling helpless and weak. I take another pace until only my heels are resting on the rocks, my stomach climbing up in my throat as my body sways in the strong wind.

  “Zoe.”

  I turn my head at the sound of my name. It’s instinctive. It’s a trained reaction, like a dog minding a whistle. Maxime stands on the path, a distance away from me. He’s wearing nothing but a pair of tracksuit pants. His chest and feet are bare, his scars exposed to the elements.

  He raises an arm. “Give me your hand, little flower.”

  I look back down at the sea, scary but oh so pretty. I’m tired of being weak. I want to jump like him. I want to jump and know I can survive. Carefully, I lift my right foot, posing it over the abyss.

  “Zoe! Look at me.”

  The last I hear is Maxime’s howl as I face my demons and step over the edge.

  ~ THE END ~

  Afterword

  Dear Reader,

  * * *

  Zoe and Maxime’s story continues in:

  Diamonds in the Rough (14 July 2020)

  Diamonds are Forever (15 September 2020)

  While you wait, have you read the first book in the Diamond Magnate collection, Beauty in the Broken? This is a standalone novel that plays off in the same diamond world.

  * * *

  Thank you very much for joining me on Zoe and Maxime’s adventure. If you enjoyed the story, please consider leaving a short review on your favorite review or vendor site to help other readers discover the book. Every review makes a huge difference.

  Leave a review on your vendor site.

  Leave a review on Goodreads.

  Leave a review on BookBub.

  * * *

  For updates on my future books, special deals, and exclusive offers, please join my newsletter. You’ll find all my social media links in About the Author. I look forward to staying in touch. :-)

  * * *

  Hugs,

  * * *

  Charmaine

  Also by Charmaine Pauls

  Standalone Novels

  (Enemies-to-Lovers Dark Romance)

  Darker Than Love

  * * *

  (Second Chance Romance)

  Catch Me Twice

  Diamond Magnate Novels

  (Dark Romance)

  * * *

  Standalone Novel

  Beauty in the Broken

  * * *

  Diamonds are Forever Trilogy

  Diamonds in the Dust

  Diamonds in the Rough

  Diamonds are Forever

  The Loan Shark Duet

  (Dark Mafia Romance)

  Dubious

  Consent

  Box Set

  The Age Between Us Duet

  (Older Woman Younger Man Romance)

  Old Enough

  Young Enough

  Box Set

  Krinar World Novels

  (Futuristic Romance)

  The Krinar Experiment

  The Krinar’s Informant

  Audiobooks

  * * *

  The Loan Shark Duet

  (Dark Mafia Romance)

  Dubious

  Consent

  * * *

  Krinar World Novels

  (Futuristic Romance)

  The Krinar’s Informant

  Book Blurbs

  Diamond Magnate Novels

  (Dark Mafia & Revenge Romance)

  * * *

  Standalone Novel

  Beauty in the Broken

  Six years ago, Harold Dalton framed me for theft and sent me to jail to steal my diamond discovery. He gave his daughter to Jack Clarke in exchange for the excavation rights. Today I’m walking free, and I’m coming for him with a vengeance. Six years of cruelty make beasts out of men. I’m going to take bac
k what he stole from me, and more. I’m not interested in his properties or shares. I don’t want his small change. I want his biggest asset. Beautiful, mentally unstable, Angelina Dalton-Clarke.

  * * *

  Worth billions, she’s the wealthiest widow in the country, and also the craziest. Her self-harming tendencies had Jack declare her incompetent before he put a gun to his head and blew out his brains. Lina isn’t allowed to touch a cent of her riches. Her father manages her finances. He has all the signing power. As her husband, that chore will fall to me. But if she thinks I only want her for her money, she’s sadly mistaken.

  * * *

  Diamonds are Forever Trilogy

  * * *

  Diamonds in the Dust (Book 1)

  Men like us, we see things.

  We do things, things that make us unfeeling.

  * * *

  That’s the price of power and money, of living la belle vie and running the French mafia. Then she came along like a pretty wildflower pushing through the cracks on a dirty pavement—fragile yet resilient, a breath of beauty among the filth. She was supposed to be just another job, a nameless person I was to pluck from her life and hand to my brother, nothing but a pawn in the gamble of our diamond business.

  * * *

  There’s a psychological label for men like us.

  We lack empathy and guilt.

  We do things to have what we want, things that make flowers wilt.