Maddox didn’t take his eyes off mine as he slowly moved his arms to the front. They were cut where the ties had been and he flexed his fingers as if they were stiff from the awkward position they’d been forced into. The seconds seemed to drag on in excruciating slowness until he finally took the knife from my hand.
“Marci,” Amo growled, stalking toward me with his own knife drawn, but I raised my palm and he stopped in his tracks. His confusion was palpable, but how could I explain what I myself hardly understood?
“Step back,” Dad ordered me.
I didn’t. Instead, I grabbed Maddox’s neck and kissed him harshly before whispering against his lips, “Make him bleed for what he did to me.” I pulled my earring off to remind him, then lifted my hair to reveal the ugly tattoo.
Maddox leaned forward, pressing a hot kiss to the tattoo. “You are truly your father’s daughter, Snow White, and a true queen if there ever was one. And if this is what it takes to prove my love and loyalty to you, then I’ll do it.”
My heart swelled with relief. I stepped back as Maddox stumbled to his feet, swaying slightly from the torture he’d suffered at my father’s and brother’s hand. My own legs felt unsteady as I backed away. His lips were chapped from dehydration but he held his head high as he staggered toward his uncle.
Dad grabbed my arm, looking into my eyes with concern.
“Trust me,” I said. “Maddox will make him bleed for me.”
Dad shook his head as if I was being delusional. “And what if he frees him?”
“He won’t,” I said and felt it deep in my heart. Maddox had made his choice and it was me. His uncle had lost Maddox along the way because he chose a way Maddox couldn’t follow, not just because of his love for me, but also because he was decent deep inside his heart.
I turned to Earl once more with a hard smile. “Some people think women can’t be cruel. I think we’re just more creative when it comes to cruelty. Enjoy the pain at the hands of your own flesh and blood.”
I’d practiced these words several times last night until they sounded effortlessly cruel, as if this was everyday business for me, even if it wasn’t.
“You can have all the cunts in the world, son. Don’t let the whore play you with her magic pussy.”
Amo jerked forward and thrust his fist into Earl’s face. His head snapped back and for a moment I was worried that Amo had actually broken Earl’s neck and messed with my plan. But Earl sagged forward and shook his head dizzily.
He slowly dragged his gaze back up. “She’s using you. She manipulated you from the start so you’d help her. I didn’t see it soon enough or I would have kept her in my bedroom and fucked her three holes bloody until she knew her place.”
Maddox’s hand shot forward, impaling the blade in his uncle’s abdomen. I sucked in a sharp breath, sure he’d killed him. I was torn between relief that it was over and Maddox had really ended his uncle for me, and disappointment because the man hadn’t suffered enough yet. It was a horrible thing to think, but one I couldn’t suppress.
Earl’s eyes widened grotesquely and he let out a choked moan. Maddox’s face was only inches from his uncle’s and the look in his eyes banished the last tiny flicker of doubt in my mind. He would avenge me and prove his love to me.
“You won’t ever get the chance to touch Marcella. And today I’ll make you regret every second of pain you made her feel. You’ll beg her for forgiveness and call her queen when I’m done with you.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Amo and Dad exchange stunned looks. My chest swelled even more.
His first scream rocketed off the walls. Goose bumps rose on my skin. A few months ago, I couldn’t have stayed but my own screams of pain not too long ago had made me numb to the sound. I’d stay until the bitter end and watch.
Crossing my arms, I leaned against the wall and clipped my diamond earring back on my ruined ear. Another scream, even louder than the one before, rang out. Amo leaned beside me, regarding me as if he saw me in a new light.
“You changed,” he said quietly.
“So did you.”
He nodded. Dad looked at us, regret passing over his face. He’d dedicated his life to protect us, but this life left nothing untouched. It was only a matter of time before we’d be dragged into the darkness.
“Gray will hate you for this,” Earl croaked, his breathing ragged. I didn’t say anything, only watched the life drain out of him as the blood left his body. He hadn’t mentioned Mom. I would have to tell her about his death myself. I owed it to her, even if she’d never talk to me again. And Gray? I could only hope he was far away. He was still young. He had a future ahead of him. I hoped he’d try to find something he was good at and not go looking for the next MC.