Pearl

As soon as Crow left for work the next morning, I took one of the cars and headed to the airport. Now that I was married, I officially had Italian identification, and I was a citizen of both Italy and America…even though I would never return to my homeland.

I only had a few hours before Crow would know what I was up to.

When he found out, he would be maaaaad.

Like, really mad.

The flight to France was short, and I got into the cab shortly afterward. I managed to get the address from Lars since he had access to all critical information. I was certain Crow didn’t share everything with his butler, but Lars had a way of knowing things.

Worked out for me.

When I pulled up to the estate near the harbor, I felt the terror grip my chest. I was walking into a danger zone, but the fear wasn’t enough to hold me back. If I didn’t do this, I would regret it. Besides, I had the Barsetti name to keep me safe.

I walked up to the guards at the front. “Evening, gentlemen.”

The one on the left looked me up and down like I was for sale. “A gift for Tristan?”

I glared. “The only gift he’ll get from me is a shoe up his ass.”

He exchanged a look with the other guard. “You’re here to see him?”

“I’m definitely not here to make small talk with you.”

His eyes narrowed at my disrespect, but he didn’t mouth off to me. “Name?”

“Pearl Barsetti.”

“Wait here.” He walked inside and shut the big black doors behind him.

The other guy moved toward me. “Arms up.” His hands immediately went for my stomach to search me.

“Touch me, and I’ll rip your eyes out.” I wasn’t going to let anyone place a hand on me ever again.

He heeded my warning and stopped.

The first guard returned. “He’ll see you.”

The second guard crossed his arms over his chest, his cold eyes reserved for me. He spoke in French so I couldn’t understand.

The first guard said something back, and their conversation continued.

“I don’t have a gun,” I said, assuming that’s what they were talking about. “You don’t need to search me.”

The first guard walked back inside again and returned a moment later. “He’ll see you.” He held the door open and nodded me inside.

I guess being a hard-ass got stuff done.

I walked in with my head held high and my shoulders back. I’d be lying if I said I felt safe without Crow beside me, but I knew his power reached beyond his borders. None of the men in there would think twice about messing with me. It would start a war they didn’t want to fight.

I assumed Tristan was the one sitting at the dining table with greasy black hair and a very crooked nose. It looked like he’d broken it three times, and in every instance, he didn’t heal properly.

His grin looked like a sneer when he stared at me. “Wow. Crow has good taste.” He spoke English well, but his French accent was heavy. His eyes moved from my head to my toes, and he violated me with just a look.

As long as he didn’t touch me, I could deal with it.

“I wish I could say the same about his business partners.” I didn’t take a seat at the table, feeling more comfortable standing. His henchmen lingered in the shadows with shiny pistols on their hips.

He took my insult in stride. “Your new husband isn’t keeping you satisfied? Is that why you’re here today?”

This guy was eerily similar to Bones. It made the bile rise up my throat and enter my mouth. “I’m here to talk about Adelina.”

“Ah, yes. My whore. I miss her.”

I couldn’t count the number of times Bones called me the same thing. It pressed my buttons—hard.

“I’m sure Cane is enjoying her. How could he not? Her sobs are beautiful.”

My hand tightened into a fist. “Human trafficking is an international crime.”

“Murder is an international crime too.” He gave me a threatening look. “And I didn’t traffic her. I paid for her.”

“Same thing.”

“Is your husband a trafficker, then?” he asked coldly.

It wasn’t comparable.

“You enjoy getting fucked by a rich man. That’s why you stayed. Perhaps Adelina will feel the same way.”

How did Cane work with this man? He was lower than scum. “You’re going to release her.”

“Why?” He took a drink, seeming bored.

“Because keeping a human is a crime.”

He shrugged. “I commit worse crimes every day. Don’t expect me to care because I never will.”

Was I foolish enough to expect this conversation to go any differently? Tristan stared at me with the same disdain I showed for him. He didn’t have an ounce of compassion, not a drop of human dignity. I thought Crow was cold when I first met him, but I quickly saw the softness he tried so hard to hide. That was how I knew I would be okay. He was nothing like Bones, and with him, I was safe.

But Tristan was a real piece of work. He thought he owned the world and everything in it. “I’ll buy her from you. What do you say to that?”

He took another drink then licked the wine from his lips. “She’s not for sale.”

I wanted to shoot him right between the eyes. “Everything has a price.”

He wiped his mouth with the back of his forearm then looked me up and down. “Very true. The price for Adelina is you.”

A chill ran up my spine, and not the kind that Crow usually caused.

His eyes roamed over my body in a sleazy way, eye-fucking me right where I stood. “You care about her so much, so take her place.”

“You know I’m married to Crow.”

“Exactly. That’s why you’re so valuable. I’d love to fuck another man’s wife.”

I’d hate to imagine what Crow would do if he heard that. “I’m not a bargaining chip. I’ll give you cash for her.”

He shook his head. “She’s not for sale. I won’t tell you again.”

I had nothing better to offer since I refused to give up myself. Taking her place wouldn’t accomplish anything in the long run. Both of us deserved to be free, not be playthings to psychopaths like Tristan.

He crossed his legs as he continued to stare me down. “The only reason why you’re safe right now is because Crow and Cane are great men to do business with. They make an excellent product, and they keep their mouths shut. However, I’m not gonna let you walk out of here without a scar next time, so make sure you don’t come back. Consider that to be your only warning.” He snapped his fingers and signaled to his henchmen to walk me out.

One moved to grab my arm, but I dug my elbow into his side and made him stagger back. “I know the way.” I glared at the other guy, telling him he better not make the same mistake of touching me.

He didn’t.

* * *

When I landed in Rome, my phone immediately began to go off.

Crow had figured it out.

He probably came home and realized I wasn’t there. He checked his tracker and saw me traveling from France to Italy at a high speed. Within seconds, he probably deduced exactly what I’d done.

And now he was pissed.

I took the call as I walked through the airport. “I’m on my way home right now.”

The silence over the line was absolutely terrifying. Sometimes what he didn’t say was more powerful than what he did say.

“I’m just walking to the car. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Still nothing. I couldn’t even hear him breathe.

Now I was a little scared. I couldn’t recall a time when he was so angry he was speechless. When he exploded, I knew there would be fire, lava, and ash. “Crow?”

Click.

I kept the phone to my ear just in case I was mistaken with what I heard. But when I eventually got the dial tone, I knew it really happened. He’d never hung up on me before. It was the first time I actually wanted him to scream at me.

I missed it.

* * *

When I walked inside, I knew something was different. There was no smell of dinner cooking from the kitchen or a warm greeting from Lars. Some of the curtains were closed, so the place wasn’t filled with as much natural light. It was darker than I preferred, or maybe it was all in my head.

Crow stood at the bottom of the stairs in the suit he wore to work. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he stared at me like his eyes were guns and my face was the target. I could see his tense shoulders shake slightly as he contained his rage.

It was the first time I was truly scared of him. Even on my first night here, I felt safe. He would never do anything against my will, and he wasn’t the cruel type. But right now, I wasn’t sure who I was dealing with.

I waited for him to speak first since he had the right, but nothing ever came out. I closed the distance between us, taking my time getting closer to him. The nearer his presence became, the more unnerved I felt. I always felt like I had the upper hand with Crow because he allowed me to have it. He respected my drive and my strength, but now he definitely wasn’t a fan. “I know you’re mad—”

He lunged at me with lightning speed and grabbed me by the neck. He dug his fingers into my throat before he slapped me hard, so hard I stumbled backward.

My hand went to my cheek, and I stared at him in shock.

With only fury in his eyes, he came after me again and grabbed me by the back of the hair and forced my head back so I was forced to look him in the eye. He tugged on my hair harshly, yanking at my scalp. The ferocity in his eyes only grew as he breathed hard, directly into my face. “What the fuck were you thinking?” He tugged on my hair purposely to cause me pain. “You think you’re invincible, but you aren’t. You think you’re strong, but you’re just weak. You think you’re smart, but you’re a goddamn idiot.” Spit flew from his mouth as his face turned red.

“I was just—”

“You forfeited your right to speak when you put yourself in danger. You disrespected our marriage by making yourself vulnerable to a man known for raping and torturing slaves. I was a flight away and couldn’t have done a damn thing to save you. How dare you insult me like that?”

He told me not to speak, but I did anyway. “I wanted to save Adelina—”

“By risking your own life?” He released his hold and pushed me back. “How could you do this to me? You don’t think I’ve been through enough?” He moved toward me, forcing me to step back. “You think I’m not haunted by everything Bones has done to you? You don’t think that every day of my life I’m not scared that something is going to happen to my wife? My whole fucking world?” The vein throbbed in his forehead, and he looked like an executioner about to take me to the grave. “You. Betrayed. Me.”

“I had to do something—”

“I’ll never forgive you.” He shoved his finger in front of my face, shaking it like a man disciplining a child. “Not ever. I did what I could for Adelina and tried to figure out a plan, but nothing worked. It wasn’t like I ignored you.”

“I know, but—”

“Shut up.” He put his hand in my face. “I did what I could because I knew it was important to you. And this is how you repay me? He and his men could have done whatever they wanted to you, and you wouldn’t have been able to stop them. You think you’re powerful, but you lack strength as well as intelligence. If you had a brain in that thick skull of yours, you wouldn’t have been taken in the first place.”

Ouch.

“You pushed me too far this time. Too fucking far.”

I fought the tears that burned in the back of my eyes. They weren’t from pain after the way he struck me. They were from the heartbreak his words caused. I knew all his rage stemmed from fear for my safety. When he couldn’t protect me, it drove him insane.

“I don’t want to speak to you for the rest of the week. And you aren’t allowed to leave the estate. Consider yourself grounded.”

Any other time, I would have fought tooth and nail against what he said. I’d refuse to let a man control me like that. But right now, we hung in a delicate balance. Crow was truly enraged, and I knew he had every right to be. So I kept my mouth shut because I deserved the punishment.

He turned around and walked to the stairs, leaving me standing in the entryway. His shoulders were just as rigid as before, and he looked like he wanted to destroy his own house. When he reached the third floor and disappeared from sight, I finally let the tears escape my eyes.

And I sobbed.