to chance it.
Didn’t want to die.
Not here in Alistair’s foyer. Not like this. Not at all.
“Where’s your collar?” He yanked her hair again. “I didn’t tell you to take it off.”
Her mind worked double-time. “Upstairs. I can—let me get it. I’ll put it on.”
He pulled her to her feet by her hair. “Go.” He shoved her forward, holding on, making her scalp scream in protest. She stumbled toward the stairs. He practically pushed her up to the top.
Bethany led him down the hallway to the double master bedroom doors at the end. Inside the bedroom, he let her go. “Get it and put it on. Now.”
She rushed to Alistair’s chest of drawers, knowing what she was about to do would seal her fate, but also prove her independence from her past. She’d moved on and he needed to let her go.
After finding the red leather collar with the black initials A.I. in the center that she gifted Alistair for Valentine’s Day as a sign of being completely his, she buckled it around her neck and turned to face her ex.
His eyes narrowed, focused on the collar. “That’s not your fucking collar! Get that fucking thing off!” He grasped it, digging his fingers underneath the leather and twisting. Her airway was blocked. She grabbed his hand, trying to get free. He twisted harder, grimacing as he watched her flail for air.
The room was dark, but getting even dimmer. Her thoughts were hazy. Suddenly, he let go.
Bethany gasped and coughed, falling to her knees taking great breaths of air into her lungs.
“I never released you,” he said, monotone and free of emotion. “Yet you put on another man’s collar.” He knelt in front of her, meeting her eyes. “You know what that means.”
She winced and cringed away as he nodded and smiled. “Punishment, my dear.”
Bethany saw his fist from the corner of her eye, but didn’t have time to react before it made contact with her temple. Her eyes closed and she fell to her side, feeling blood trickle from the cut on her head onto the plush carpet. He bashed his fists into her over and over. When she was bloody and barely conscious, he whispered in her ear. “You belong to me. Don’t ever forget it again.”
Then his foot crashed into the back of her head and everything went black.
TWO
Why the bloody hell wasn’t Bethany answering her phone? The security company had left him three messages by the time he got off set and checked his voicemail.
“Answer!” he shouted into the phone while it was ringing.
The security company had sent a police cruiser out to the house, but he hadn’t heard back from them yet. He hung up on Bethany’s voicemail—he’d already left her a handful of messages—and dialed the security number. It rang once when his call waiting beeped in.
He clicked over and answered in a rush. “This is Alistair Ingram—hello?”
“Mr. Ingram, this is Officer Patterson with LAPD. We responded to an alarm at your residence this evening and found a Bethany Stavars--”
“Is she okay?” He had to sit down. He couldn’t think clearly. Please, for the love of all that’s holy, make her okay.
“She was found unconscious, in need of medical attention. She’s been
Didn’t want to die.
Not here in Alistair’s foyer. Not like this. Not at all.
“Where’s your collar?” He yanked her hair again. “I didn’t tell you to take it off.”
Her mind worked double-time. “Upstairs. I can—let me get it. I’ll put it on.”
He pulled her to her feet by her hair. “Go.” He shoved her forward, holding on, making her scalp scream in protest. She stumbled toward the stairs. He practically pushed her up to the top.
Bethany led him down the hallway to the double master bedroom doors at the end. Inside the bedroom, he let her go. “Get it and put it on. Now.”
She rushed to Alistair’s chest of drawers, knowing what she was about to do would seal her fate, but also prove her independence from her past. She’d moved on and he needed to let her go.
After finding the red leather collar with the black initials A.I. in the center that she gifted Alistair for Valentine’s Day as a sign of being completely his, she buckled it around her neck and turned to face her ex.
His eyes narrowed, focused on the collar. “That’s not your fucking collar! Get that fucking thing off!” He grasped it, digging his fingers underneath the leather and twisting. Her airway was blocked. She grabbed his hand, trying to get free. He twisted harder, grimacing as he watched her flail for air.
The room was dark, but getting even dimmer. Her thoughts were hazy. Suddenly, he let go.
Bethany gasped and coughed, falling to her knees taking great breaths of air into her lungs.
“I never released you,” he said, monotone and free of emotion. “Yet you put on another man’s collar.” He knelt in front of her, meeting her eyes. “You know what that means.”
She winced and cringed away as he nodded and smiled. “Punishment, my dear.”
Bethany saw his fist from the corner of her eye, but didn’t have time to react before it made contact with her temple. Her eyes closed and she fell to her side, feeling blood trickle from the cut on her head onto the plush carpet. He bashed his fists into her over and over. When she was bloody and barely conscious, he whispered in her ear. “You belong to me. Don’t ever forget it again.”
Then his foot crashed into the back of her head and everything went black.
TWO
Why the bloody hell wasn’t Bethany answering her phone? The security company had left him three messages by the time he got off set and checked his voicemail.
“Answer!” he shouted into the phone while it was ringing.
The security company had sent a police cruiser out to the house, but he hadn’t heard back from them yet. He hung up on Bethany’s voicemail—he’d already left her a handful of messages—and dialed the security number. It rang once when his call waiting beeped in.
He clicked over and answered in a rush. “This is Alistair Ingram—hello?”
“Mr. Ingram, this is Officer Patterson with LAPD. We responded to an alarm at your residence this evening and found a Bethany Stavars--”
“Is she okay?” He had to sit down. He couldn’t think clearly. Please, for the love of all that’s holy, make her okay.
“She was found unconscious, in need of medical attention. She’s been
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