Chapter 103

103. Angel ཨ ཙ ཏ , ཨ ཏཾ ཱྟི དྷྶཾ ཙ ཨིཏཾ, 1:| ༧ •

For hours, I have been forced to sit at a table, having a staring match with my father. I am tired, hungry, cranky, and nauseous as we are on a yacht somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean, but I try to hold my shit together as I fear for my father’s intentions in harming my unborn child.

When I told Alekos that the baby was the only thing that kept me going, I was being sincere. While in the Sanctuary, I was in such a bad place that I am sure I might have done something foolish, but I did all the things the therapist ve done s recommended so I could strive to be the best mother for my child. The day I found out I was pregnant was when I snapped out of my sadness and worked hard to put myself back together, one piece at a time. And I am not about to let my father or anyone else destroy the progress I’ve made so far.

The last time I saw my father was the night Carlos beat me until I passed out. Since then, it looks like he has aged at least ten years and lost weight. Empty alcohol bottles are all over the small kitchen of the yacht, and the horrible smell coming from my father makes my nose want to commit suicide. When was the last time he took a shower? Doesn’t he know pregnant women are sensitive to smells?

He is cleaning his pistol while his gaze never leaves my face. There is no doubt in my mind that he will kill me. If I weren’t pregnant, I would have risked fighting him and jumping into the ocean, hoping someone would find me. But to protect my baby, I have to find another way to escape him. It won’t be easy, but I don’t have to be stronger, only smarter than him.

“I thought those Lords would never leave you alone.” My father finally speaks, taking me by surprise. “For days, I watched the house, hoping they would leave you alone at some point. I even sent some men to bring you to me, but they chickened out in the end.” Is he talking about the men from the nightclub? “Good thing I am patient, and in the end, I could get my hands on you.”

I want to say something sassy, especially since he disowned me, but his completely black eyes let me know I have to be cautious. “They tend to be very...possessive,” I say.

My father nods. “I used to be the same way with your mother. She was everything to me, and she was brutally taken away from me by the Raptou family.”

My pulse quickens. “The Raptou family is responsible for the accident?” Did Alekos know that his father killed my mother? How he must have laughed behind my back.

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“And now you are carrying a Raptou bastard in your belly,” my father’s voice breaks. “Why?”

“I...I didn’t know Nikolas was behind my mother’s death, and the baby might not be Alekos‘.”

He slams his palm on top of the table. “Who said anything about Nikolas? It was Zak.”

I almost let out a sigh of relief. Zak, Alekos’s uncle and the new head of the Raptou family is the one behind my mother’s death and not Nikolas. Alekós absolutely despises Zak.

After Nikolas’s death, Alekos was supposed to be the next head of the family, but Zak, with the help of other family members, stole that right from Alekos. Since then, Alekos has distanced himself from his family and only speaks with his cousin, Anne.

1/2 20%

103. Angel “When you said the Raptou family, I thought it was Nikolas since he was the head of the family back then.”

My father changed the topic. “If that bastard in your womb is not a Raptou, then who else can be the father? You are such a bitch in heat, I don’t even know how many Lords fucked you so far.”

Only three, I want to say, but I bite my tongue. “He can be Reyes Ortiz’s child.”

His eyes widened. “The one who is killing Duke after Duke?”

The urge to retort, ‘No, the one who is killing those who humiliated and beat me,‘ is big, but again, I keep my mouth closed. If my father knows Reyes is behind the crimes, how many more know the truth? Even if I am angry at my mates for how they treated me, I don’t want anything to happen to them. And especially, I don’t want Reyes to end up in prison. “That one.” Fear flashes in his eyes but disappears fast. My gaze wanders around the kitchen before it lands back on him. “Does the idea of Reyes coming after you frighten you? I have seen photos of what he did to his victims. Having him as an enemy is not something I wish for anyone.”

My father slams his palm on top of the table. “This is all your fault. All you had to do was marry Carlos, but what did you do? You opened your legs for the Lords. Do you have any idea what you cost me?” I shake my head. “Everything!” he snarls.

“What do you mean by ‘everything?“”

“Exactly what you think it means.”

He can’t possibly mean he lost the house and his business. He has always talked about how he wants to expand to other countries. I don’t think that getting drugs from Mexico to other parts of the world can be that hard, but I don’t comment about it as my father doesn’t know I found out what he does for a living. As far as I am concerned, he has a car dealership.

If my father is telling me the truth, then-

“How much did Carlos pay you for me?”

My father puts a bullet in the gun’s barrel and spins it. “He paid all my debts and helped me get on my feet. But he took everything from me after you escaped the Celestial Heaven.” He points the pistol at me, and my chin trembles with fear. “You should have stayed there as a sex slave. At least then you would have been useful.” He pulls on the trigger, and nothing happens. “You should have been born male! But no, you had to come out as a woman. Weak, pathetic, and worthless.” Didn’t he learn that men are the ones who determine the child’s gender?

Shackled (The Lord Series)

104. Angel “Your mother had a difficult labor with you, and after she had you, no matter how many times I tried, she never got pregnant again. So, I got stuck with you.” Nice. Really nice to know what he really thinks about me. He pulls the trigger again. My heart almost stops beating. Is he playing Russian Roulette with me? “But your mother loved you very much. She said you were special.” He snorts. “I don’t know what’s so special about a bitch in heat like you,” he says as his right hand–the one he is holding the pistol with–moves around. And then he shoots again, the pistol firing, and the bullet grazes my left cheek. A whimper rushes from my lips, and my hands tremble. Blood runs down my face, but I am so stunned and scared I don’t dare move. My father laughs. “I missed.”

If I don’t do something soon, he will kill me. “You said Carlos paid your debts. I thought your business was going well.” Maybe if I keep him distracted by talking to him, I will find a way to stop him before he harms me.

He stands and looks for something in the cabinet. I don’t attempt to run because the yacht is small, and there is nowhere I can hide, plus he has a gun. But that doesn’t mean I won’t defend myself. His back is to me, and as quietly as I can, I grab one of the empty bottles from the table and hide in the waistband of my yoga pants. It is small, and if I am lucky, he won’t notice it under my clothes. I am done arranging my baggy t–shirt when he turns on his heels, bottle of cheap liquor in his hand.

Sitting back at the table, he says, “I didn’t take your mother’s death well, so I started gambling.” After drinking from the bottle, he adds, “I lost all my money in less than a year. Then I started spending the money your mother left for you.” My mother left me money? I suppose it does not matter anymore since he lost everything. “It was in a trust fund, and, puff, it is also gone in one night.” He laughs and drinks some more.

I am starting to believe he has lost his mind. “My bladder is killing me. Do you think I can use the bathroom?”

He narrows his eyes. “Clean that blood from your face as well. I want you to look your best when you reach your new home.”

“My new home?” I try to find out more about his plans for me.

A cruel grin appears on his face. “For some reason, Carlos still wants you.”

Dios! He is taking me to Carlos? “We are returning to the States? In this yacht?”

“I thought you wanted to use the bathroom.”

I have to make him talk. Maybe if he gets drunk enough, his tongue will loosen. “Yes.”

I stand, and my father’s gaze falls on my stomach. What will I do if he notices the bottle? The t–shirt belongs to Reyes and falls down to my knees. Two people my size can fit inside it.

“We will have to take care of that bastard before we meet up with Carlos.”

I will kill him before he tries anything. “You would hurt your grandson?”

“No child coming from a slut like you is my grandson,” he snarls.

Does he think his words can harm me? The moment Carlos told me my father disowned me, I felt like a weight was