Really, what was I becoming?
I fought the twist in my gut, this kidnapping today not worse than some of my other sins.
Not anymore.
I’d died earlier this week. I’d dove directly into the dark and came out someone who could do this shit today. This was child’s play here, nothing but a conversation between two people with ugly inside them.
“You know what this is,” I growled. “And I know everything. I know about you and Charlie,” I said, her eyes widening. “I know about the affair. I saw you…”
“I don’t know what you’re—”
“I saw you,” I spat, merely inches from her face. “At a party my sophomore year. Pembroke University.” I frowned. “Sound fucking familiar? It should. You were all over my uncle’s jock then.”
She’d been a needy bitch, like stated, taking advantage of him.
Her tears spilled down then, and she didn’t hold them back. I honestly thought it would be harder to break her.
She sniffed, but still shook her head. “Dorian, I don’t know what you believe, but…”
She cut herself off, my chair squeaking forward.
I held up the messages again. “This is what I think. You’re a pathetic drug whore. A lying drug whore.” I showed her shots we’d snapped of her doing drugs. They hadn’t been easy to get. She kept her office pretty locked down.
Her mouth parted during the scroll.
“You’re going to tell the truth about what actually happened to Charlie that night with your husband,” I finalized, getting back to the big picture. “That night he killed him. You’re going to tell this camera and me what really happened.”
She blinked down tears again. “I told the authorities what happened.”
“I know.” I nodded. “But now, you’re actually going to tell the fucking truth. You’re going to tell the world the truth, and you’re going to do it right here in front of me.” My eyebrows narrowed. “You got one chance, Mayberry. One chance to speak the truth and tell everyone what happened in your home that night surrounding my uncle…” My throat jumped. “My brother.”
She studied me, her own swallow hard. “And if I don’t?”
There it was, right there.
This lying bitch…
I leaned in, getting real close.
“I’ve done worse things than what I planned to do to you today,” I said, growling, and she twitched. I sneered. “But I’ll do more if I have to.”
I would. I’d go to the ends of the earth.
It was freeing when your soul died.
This was no game. I wasn’t playing around, and now, this woman knew it.
Mayberry cringed as she sat in front of me, her face all twisted up. She appeared at a loss for what to say.
I’d make it easy for her.
I cracked my knuckles. “Well? What’s it going to be?”
She watched my hands, as if I’d strangle her at any minute.
I just might.
Her mouth quivered. “Dorian, you don’t understand.” She looked away, something resembling shame on her face. “My husband was a bad man, and Charlie…” More tears blinked down, the desperate emotion of a broken woman. “You may not believe it, but I loved him. I loved him with all my heart.”