“Nic isn’t going to come just because you took me. I’ve told you that before.”
“I remember seeing you together at the bar that night.” He stepped closer to where I was strung up. My broken wrists had been screaming in pain since he wrapped rope around them, tying them to the top of two concrete pillars. “Flirting, talking… She cares.”
“That was a while back, and we were just friends. After what happened, she isn’t going to go out of her way for me. The best you’re going to get is a thank you.”
“She still thought of you, Wrenn, after all these years. Maybe it’s not the love you wanted from her, but she does still love you in some way or she wouldn’t have reacted at all.”
“Either way, doesn’t that just fucking kill you? She feels that way about me after all these years, but you’re just some client who has to pay to get her to look your way.”
He growled, backhanding me hard enough I saw stars. “Watch your fucking mouth and remember who you’re talking to.”
“Emotional,” I taunted after taking a shaky breath. “She’s with all these men, and you aren’t even an afterthought. ButIcould come in and rock her entire world.”
“You are nothing!” he screamed, and I flinched when spit hit my face. “Nothing but a useless cunt. Brought your brother in with those criminals, how else did you think that was going to play out? Then you were fucking gullible enough to be kidnapped. Useless.”
“Maybe. Maybe you’ll kill me, and I’ll never get a chance to see what could be. But I won.” I smiled, ignoring the sting caused by my split lip cracking open and starting to bleed again. Hysterical laughter fell from my lips as he stared at me, confused, then looked around. The air was filled with his curses when he realized that Thomas was gone. Nic's brother had used the opportunity I’d given him to run, and I hoped he made it. I hoped no one else got to him and hurt him.
As I faced the man responsible for stalking Nic, murdering countless women, and selling children for fucking profit, I knew I was going to die for this. A horrible, slow death.
I hate her.
I love her.
And now, I am finally going to be free of her.
Searing, sharp pain erupted between my legs as Christopher thrust a knife inside of me. My screams made my throat raw, and his taunts became distant echoes, mere ghosts of sound, while he fucked me with the blade, then his dick. Hard hands, pinches, and searing pain dominated what was left of my existence. I was bleeding to death, I knew that, and there was nothing I could do to stop his thrusts, to escape from the brutal rape that would become my final memories.
I forced myself to laugh at him, but then I thanked him for freeing me before the darkness took over.
Finally, I was done with Nicholette Graves.
Nicholette
Sunday
The roaring of engines, chains clattering together, and screams blended into a symphony. Then that was all overtaken by the satisfying tearing and wet squelch of meat plopping on the asphalt driveway as my men and Razor ripped Joe apart. It was everything I had ever wanted.
But instead of fully enjoying it, my mind kept coming back to the bombshell Joe had dropped.Thomas is my son.The numbers had hit me in the aftermath of Joe’s death. I had only been nine when I had him.Nine.What the hell was wrong with him? What kind of sick fuck would take advantage of a fucking small child? And… Maeve said it looked like Thomas’ was theirs. Paperwork and everything looked good. But with a trafficking ring it would be easy to get a legitimate doctor to forge those documents, at least that’s what Blake and Em said when they came back to the house a few hours later. They were taking the night to regroup and keep looking for Christopher.
Ansel had kept himself busy, reaching out to his contacts. My other guys all stayed close, keeping an eye on me while we waited for Oli and Atlas to get back. My life was a complete fucking shitshow, and I would givea lotto have just a moment of fucking peace.
Guess that was why I found myself alone in the living room, flipping through channels to find something to watch. I had laid in bed for a few hours, but when sleep didn’t come, I slipped out of the room. Sacha and Bodhi didn’t move, so I left a note beside Sacha’s phone.
What I really need is food.I pressed a hand to my stomach as it started to rumble.Too bad there’s no fucking delivery out here.
“Can’t sleep?” a tired voice asked, and I looked over my shoulder. Conrad was standing there with big circles under his eyes.
I shook my head. “Too much to process from today. You?”
“Nightmares.” He didn’t say anything else, but he didn’t have to. I understood what it was like to be haunted by dreams that made it impossible to sleep.
“Want to join me?” I gestured at the TV. “I’m trying to find a good horror movie to watch. Oh, can you cook? I can’t, and I didn’t see any leftovers. I’m starving.”
Conrad’s face cleared a little bit, and a hint of a smile was here and gone before he started for the kitchen. “I’ll see what’s there. You find a movie?”
“Thank you!” I called out, switching my attention back to the tv. I flipped through a ton of options, but nothing really stood out so I settled onCriminal Minds. It was more of a police drama than I usually liked, but with so many interesting killers on the show, it would be enough to catch my attention. At least I hoped so.
“Criminal Minds?”