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Of course the ring would resist removal like everything else he forced upon me.

In a rush of anger, I crawled across the floor and reached for the backpack I had hidden under the bed.

I ripped it open and pulled out my phone, my fingers trembling so badly I could barely type.

Me: Sorry. Forgot to text. Are we still on for 7:30?

Mark: Of course.

Me: I'll text you the address. Park on the side road.

Mark: See you soon.

I pressed the phone against my chest, feeling Sebastian's seed still warm inside me, a claiming I couldn't wash away, the wetness between my thighs a constant reminder of his possession. Each pulse of my heartbeat pushed his essence deeper, branding me from within.

Not yet.

Twenty minutes to escape the golden cage Sebastian had built for me—twenty minutes to choose freedom over the man my heart refused to stop wanting despite everything he'd done.

Yet as I plotted my escape, the taste of him lingered on my tongue, my body aching from his brutal passion even as I rejected his control.

CHAPTER 34

SEBASTIAN

Ithrew the ball so hard it smashed one of the surrounding palazzo windows. Glass exploded in a satisfying burst of destruction.

A low whistle spun me around.

Benedict Cavalieri strolled into the inner courtyard, his broad shoulders filling the archway as he moved with lethal grace. "Are there some new rules to bocce I'm not aware of?"

"Vaffanculo."

I knew why he was here. Despite my refusal, my brother Rafaello, assuming I was in over my head, must have called him in. He knew the Cavalieris would do anything to help since they felt responsible for why I was in this mess with the judge in the first place.

It was bullshit.

I chose to step in and help them. It was my decision, and even knowing the consequences, I'd do it again.

Whoever hurt the Cavalieris hurt me.

There was no fucking way I was going to let what the judge did to Matteo's wife stand without retaliating.

I stormed over to the bar, the wood surface cool beneath my palm as I slammed down my glass and splashed more whiskey into it. The amber liquid sloshed over the rim, leaving wet trails across my knuckles when I raised the glass and swallowed it in one burning gulp.

Benedict crossed to me, his expression unreadable but his eyes missing nothing. "Thank you. I'd love a drink."

Picking up another ball and weighing it in my hand, I growled, "Fix it yourself."

He poured himself a drink.

“How the fuck did you get past my guards?"

He raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth lifting in that infuriating smirk. "It's cute you think I use front doors."

He lifted his glass in a mock toast and took a drink.

I threw another ball and smashed another window. "What are you doing here?"