Page 58 of Corrupted

"Make sure," Kurt ordered. He looked extremely amused at the idea of one of his men touching me, checking for any hidden weapons. I suspected he might be more amused at the thought of killing his man after he touched me, even though he'd done it on Kurt's orders. He was nothing if not fucked up.

His minion approached me carefully before quickly patting me down. "Nothing else there, sir." He stepped away from me quickly.

"Good," Kurt said. "Get a couple of cable ties and some duct tape and bind her."

The minion nodded. "Yes, boss." He hurried over to the couch to grab up both.

"In case you were wondering, Leon Graves is dead," I said. I glanced around, but saw no sign of Jase or Wade. I presumed they were in the kitchen. They might have been the ones who killed the twins. Grief flared inside me, white hot devastation, and burning hate for the hands that took their lives.

I hoped my men would catch up to them and return the favour. Long, slow and painful, preferably.

Kurt shrugged. "He outgrew his usefulness anyway. But he was helpful in bringing you back to me."

A couple of his assholes moved behind me to grab my arms and pull them behind my back. One of them held them, while the other fastened the cable tie around them.

Another tore off a long section of duct tape and raised it to my mouth. I pressed my lips together and let him stick it to my face.

"Much better," Kurt said. "I'm sure you'll agree we have a lot to catch up on. Don't worry, I'll keep plenty of my people here, to make sure no one follows us. If they try, they'll be dead too. In a few hours, we might let them go, one by one."

He walked past Rose, close enough for her to kick him. She looked like she was about to, but I shot her a warning look. I hadn't done all of this only for her to provoke him into killing her. She had to understand that. This was my choice. My sacrifice. It would be for nothing if any of them got themselves killed for me.

His minions stepped back as Kurt approached me. "I like you like this," he said. "Bound and gagged is a good look for you." He took the second cable tie and held it in his hand. "We'll leave this until you get into the car. I could have you carried, but it's much more fun to see you walk voluntarily. Knowing your place."

He turned around, smiling at everyone in the room like he was about to receive his own trophy. When he turned back, his expression was darker.

"I only have two regrets in life. One is leaving you for Reuben to find. The other was not breaking you. I won't make either mistake again. When we're done, you'll never want to be away from me again. Your biggest regret will be going with them when you did. You should have stayed there and waited for your owner to come and get you. Like the bitch you are." He pinched my chin between his thumb and forefinger. "You. Should. Have. Waited."

I looked back at him, unflinching. Maybe he could break me and maybe he'd kill me instead. I'd never give up until I provoked him to end my life. Whatever it took.

He released my chin and backhanded me across the face so hard I staggered back against his minions. Two of them grabbed me at the last moment before I fell.

Rose growled.

I shot her another warning look. I knew she was trying to be the big sister I needed, but right now I needed her to be inconspicuous. I needed her to hold her peace, for both our sakes. If Kurt killed her, it would be one step closer to him breaking me. I couldn't allow that to happen.

"We've wasted enough time here," Kurt snapped. "Let's get out of this dump. You, stay behind and kill them if they try anything." He waved a hand at several of his assholes.

They nodded and moved to stand around the couch, and the corridor where my men still stood.

"The rest of you come with me," he ordered. He grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the front door of the house.

I glanced back at my sister, giving her a silent apology and trying to tell her I loved her.

Her eyes widened slightly.

Before I could turn back, a loud clang echoed through the room.

Kurt's grip on my arm loosened before his hand fell away. His eyes rolled back in his head and he started to fall to the floor.

He landed with a thud heavy enough to make me wince.

Eyes wide, I looked up from where he lay.

Terry stood with his hands around the handle of a heavy frying pan, a satisfied look on his face. He nodded to me and then actually grinned.

He must have lain in wait for Kurt before smashing him over the head with the pan.

The front door burst open and Aidan and his players poured inside. A couple of them were bleeding from what appeared to be bullet wounds in their shoulders, but they only appeared to be grazes. Not enough to slow them down or stop them from playing.