Page 1 of Judge’s Obsession

CHAPTER 1

KAYLIE

Pain ricochets up my arms when my palms hit the thin carpet. His shadow looms in the doorway. My sentinel. My jailer. My future husband—a fate I never agreed to.

I can feel the weight of his stare as it rakes over me.

My clothes are disheveled and filthy, torn in places. Covered in dirt and blood from the last time I fought to escape and lost.

On hands and knees, I don’t dare move. I made that mistake the first night I spent in this hellhole. If I scramble away, he’ll chase. Demon gets hard from the chase, and I refuse to be the bride he craves.

Revulsion claws up my throat at the thought of what will happen in three days.

Three days until he claims me fully.

Three days until my body won’t be my own.

Three fucking days until my life as I know it ends.

Hot tears prickle at the back of my eyes the second the door to my prison slams shut. Then my shaking arms buckle, and I collapse. I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been here. The days started blurring together after a week passed. That was how long it took for my mind to finally betray me.

I curl up into a ball, hugging my knees to my chest. No amount of squeezing my eyes tight will block out the muffled cries from the other women—the other brides. I can’t even bring myself to care about their situations anymore. They’re probably here for the same reason I am.

A man in their life failed them.

The image of my father’s face flickers to life behind my closed lids.

Tim Reeves messed up again. Only this time, he dug himself a hole so deep that I was the one being buried.

Why couldn’t he learn? The worst people he could become indebted to are the Grave Saints motorcycle club. The President has a history of settling debts in the worst possible ways.

Most notably, by kidnapping women and promising them as brides to the loyal members of his club. Just thinking about the Grave Saints President gives me chills. He’s even worse than Demon. I remember the first time I looked into those dark, dead eyes. I knew I was looking into the face of the devil himself.

Ironic that his crew calls him Preacher.

Shivering, I force myself to focus.

I might be promised to Demon, but I’m not his yet.

Tonight had been a reconnaissance mission. I needed to know when we’d be moved again. We never stay in the same location for long. It’s probably how Preacher has gotten away with stealing so many women. If no one can find us, then how are we supposed to be set free?

Slowly, I pull myself into a sitting position.

The few tears I shed are dry, and I’ve found my backbone again.

My life has never been easy. From a young age, I knew that I couldn’t count on anyone but myself. My mother abandoned me. My father is a drunk and a gambling addict. Is it any wonder I figured out how to survive on the streets?

Other girls my age are just finishing their college degrees or getting married, and here I am paying for my father’s sins.

Ridiculous.

Wincing, I climb to my feet. We’re supposed to be on the move within the next several hours.

Normally, they move us in the dead of night. We’re blindfolded and shoved into a moving truck. I’m not sure how many of us there are. We’re not allowed to speak to each other.

No names. Nothing personal. It’s to keep us isolated.

I rub my arms briskly as I try once again to get a look out the window. It’s up too high, and since there isn’t any furniture in this room, I’ve been trying to climb the brick wall.