Page 18 of Devil's Sinner

Never.

Chapter 7

Devlin

Jaspertriedhiscontacts.I tried mine.

We didn’t get far.

I named a reward for Violet's safe return, an impressive sum of fifty million dollars that I thought would be enough to get most people’s attention. It did, but it didn’t me on the phone with anyone with the information I needed. I could sense the greed seeping through the phone during some of the conversations, but there were others who didn’t seem fazed by it.

Since fifty million didn’t turn the right heads, I doubled it, provided that Violet was returned unharmed. I didn't give a shit. The money meant nothing if I lost Violet.. All I wanted was my princess back safe and sound. Nobody was allowed to hurt Violet Cabot but me.

Jasper came into my office just as I was finishing another phone call.

"That's right," I said into the phone's speaker, motioning for my associate to join me in my office. Jasper walked in, standing to the side, his expression impassive. "A hundred million for her to return, unharmed. That's right. Yes. Thank you. Hope to hear from you soon."

I cut the call and sighed, rubbing my temples as I put the phone down.

"A hundred million?"

I looked up into Jasper's worried face.

"What of it?"

"Well, we both know what that means, Sir," he said, shrugging apologetically. The man knew his place, but he wasn't afraid of warning me against making something he considered a mistake. "If somebody actually claims that bounty, you'll have to sell some of your personal stock to cover the cost."

I remained stubbornly quiet, but Jasper wasn't done just yet, and he paced the room as he went on.

"You've already burned through a substantial chunk of your liquid assets with the purchase of Cabot Estate, Sir. And don’t forget all of the money you’ve spent trying to get Hugo Cabot out of prison.”

Once again, the red mist descended before my eyes. I couldn't stand being told what to do, couldn't imagine anyone not understanding how much my plaything's safe return meant to me. I took a step toward Jasper, eyes raging with silent fire as they met his.

"Do I fucking look like I care?" I asked him, and we glared at one another for a few long seconds before Jasper finally looked away, giving me a curt nod.

"Right you are, Sir. I'll be on my way."

He left the office, and I finally relaxed my stiff shoulders. Jasper didn't mean to upset me, of course. He was just looking out for me, like a good employee should be. Still, his warnings had upset me. I knew deep down I'd blow it all. My fortune, my reputation, my name. Whatever it took to get Violet back in my arms safe and sound.

It looked like the rest of the world was starting to realize that, too.

I sat down in my office chair with a heavy sigh.

She really is fucking gone.

It was as if the truth was finally hitting me, Violet's absence more painfully obvious than ever before. It was making my head spin, thinking of her so far away from me, wherever the hell she was. Probably hidden in some cellar in Peterson's house like some kind of animal. My hands formed fists on the desk and I cursed out loud. That fucking bastard wasn't going to get away with this.

For the rest of the night, I couldn't stop thinking about her. My princess, my plaything, my slave, my Violet. I'd only been victorious for a little while before she was taken from me yet again. But even in those short few weeks, I'd learned an important lesson.

When I first took her, made her sign her name on the dotted line, all that mattered was her submission.

Breaking her, hurting her, shaping the girl into my perfect submissive by any means necessary. It was all a means to an end.

But as time went on, I realized just how much I missed her. What a hole her disappearance had left in my life.

Maybe I took things too far.

The thought hit me like a freight train, making me groan out loud and rub my temples yet again.